Arizona point guard Lucia Alonso has a chip on her shoulder following summer slight

Lucia Alonso went home for summer break expecting to play for Spain in the FIBA European Championships. She has been a stalwart at the event since 2014, when she played for Spain’s U16 team. There was no reason to expect anything different on the U20 team.

But for the first time in her career, Alonso did not make the national team.

Everyone was in shock, including Alonso, who had to watch her friends and former teammates win the 2018 World Cup from afar.

“I was surprised because I’ve been the captain for the last three years, but we had a new coach (Miguel Mendez) and I think that was the problem,” said Alonso. “Maybe you have a coach and you like him, then you get a new one and you don’t like him. I practiced, I did my best but it wasn’t enough.”

Alonso has used the experience to her advantage, showing up ready for the upcoming college season. During her second season as the starting point guard last year, Alonso posted career highs in total assists (99), points per game (7.9), and rebounds (79). Alonso and the Wildcats opened practice last week, and will play for the first time Oct. 29 in an exhibition against Eastern New Mexico.

“One of the things about Lucia is that she’s also got a little chip this year, which I love,” UA coach Adia Barnes said. “She didn’t make the national team and she wanted to. A lot of people thought she should have. She did not hang her head, but now she’s hungry and she’s got something to prove this year. And, I love that.”

Alonso used the free time this summer to improve on the court. She trained hard, even finding time to work out while on vacation with her parents.

Alonso’s teammates have seen the difference in her performance. For one thing, she’s stronger.

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“She’s being more aggressive on offense by looking for her shot more and she is more vocal this year,” said Aarion McDonald, her backcourt mate and a transfer from Washington. “Not making the national team has motivated her to get better. … I have been encouraging her to shoot the open shots, especially since she shoots a high percentage from beyond the arc.”

Alonso and McDonald have spent a lot of time on the practice court together. Since school started, they’ve built an even stronger chemistry.

Alonso’s connection with both McDonald and Sam Thomas has helped the point guard adjust to everything that is new this season — the players, the system and the culture.

“We have been working together all this time, but when I was gone I was kind of scared to come back because they would be very different from last year,” Alonso said. “This year is going to be hard to play because we have more players. We all have to work to play in the game.”

That depth is going to work in Alonso’s advantage this season. She led the team with 36.3 minutes played per game a year ago, in part because there was no backup point guard.

“You’ll see her play better because she won’t have to exert so much energy, because if you play 40 minutes you are going to take time off. That’s just human nature,” Barnes said. “And you physically can’t play hard for 40 minutes in every possession. So I think you’ll see her play better because she doesn’t have to work so hard.”

Alonso is communicating better, too. She and her teammates are speaking the same language, literally and figuratively. Alonso used to yell “Mira! Mira!” and little else at her teammates. Her english “is much better now, so I think that helps me a lot,” Alonso said. “And I’m a junior so I have to step up because we have a really young team. I’ve always been a leader when I play back home because it’s easier for me. My first two years here I was adapting to everything, but now I am much better.”