When UA’s Kat Wright and JaLea Bennett wake up Sunday morning, a day of last times will be underway.
It will be the final home game they get to go through their pre-game routines, eating their pre-game meal with their teammates and putting on the uniforms.
Both will still approach the game the same way as UA faces No. 8 Oregon at McKale Center: giving it everything they’ve got.
It will be a little bittersweet for the two players, their teammates and their coaches.
UA coach Adia Barnes has said repeatedly over the past few weeks that she wishes she could have coached Wright and Bennett all four years.
Barnes, who has coached Bennett for two years, has overseen the remarkable transformation this season. Bennett is averaging 14 points per game, up from 6.9 last season. She is rebounding at a 4.2 clip per game, compared to 2.4 only a year ago. Barnes knows if she would have her for just a little longer Bennett would become an “all-conference force.”
Barnes has only coached Wright, a transfer from FAU, for one season and has enjoyed every minute of it. Wright is one of those players who works so hard that Barnes has to rein her in at times. She is unselfish and is always focused on the little things. She averages 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, and hustles on every play and disrupts shooters.
While they will be missed on the court, it’s really about what they do off the court.
In the waning minutes of Friday night’s 65-40 loss to No. 9 Oregon State, both could be seen on the bench cheering the loudest for the first-year players on the court: Marlee Kyles, Kiana Barkhoff, Sammy Fatkin, Lindsey Malecha, and Sam Thomas.
“Both have been influential to me in playing as a walk-on,” said Lindsey Malecha. “They’ve helped me get to know everyone and were welcoming to me and made sure I was involved.”
This is not unusual for these two captains. This summer when the freshman class of Barkhoff, Kyles, and Thomas showed up on campus, Wright was there to guide them, even though as a transfer she had only been at UA for a few weeks.
This team bonded right away, thanks to the seniors. They are only a group text away from grabbing a meal together or going to the movies, which is one of Bennett’s favorite things to do.
Bennett brings a positive vibe to the team and keeps everyone loose, yet extremely focused.
“She literally is the mold; makes everyone laugh and pulls the team together,” said Fatkin. “In hard times she is just that spark. When I think of J (Bennett), it’s in the huddle before every game and she inspires us. She tells us why we are working so hard and what we are playing for.”
As a young team in the midst of building the foundation of their program, and only one sophomore (Lucia Alonso) and one junior (Destiny Graham), Barnes needed Wright and Bennett to step up and lead. And they’ve done just that.
“Kat helped me pass my conditioning test; she motivated me,” said Barkhoff, who is one of Wright’s roommates along with Alonso and Tee Tee Starks. “She’s the one who reminded me to keep pushing, that I could do it. She helps us with discipline and the rules. She’s very mature and is always reminding us to keep our heads up.”
While the motivation may have been integral to Barkhoff, one memory that stands out comes off the court. This is when Wright drives Barkhoff, Thomas, and Ali Reese home after games, “jamming to throwbacks, old school.” And, yes, even though it is her car, Wright lets everyone select the tunes.
Fatkin, who counts Wright as one of her best friends, has also relied on the experience and knowledge of the seniors.
“Kat is wise and smart about the game of college basketball,” said Fatkin. “They’ve (both) been good influencers on the little things and how important they really are. Kat’s work ethic is strong and consistent and she is always the one to grab a teammate and say ‘let’s put shots up in the gym.’
“We were all told freshman year is not perfect; it’s all about learning. We had to grow up at some point and they are helping us through things and teaching us. They have been through it before and know more about it than anyone else. We’re definitely going to miss them. It won’t be the same without them.”
Wright and Bennett have helped shape their teammates and been role models for this season and beyond.
“They relate to me from a players’ standpoint,” said Malecha. “They know it because they are in it. They’ve helped with things like court awareness and certain things you can get only from a player’s perspective. They have had a huge hand in developing the team and the program from the experience aspect.
“It’s weird to think about until you are in that position. It’s their last time here. We all went through this in high school, but this is 10 times more important. I hope we can give it our all (Sunday).”
That’s exactly what Graham hopes to do. After scoring 13 points and pulling down nine rebounds Friday night, Graham said she wants to follow in Wright’s and Bennett’s footsteps in “giving it everything I’ve got and do what I did tonight plus.”
