Consider yourself warned. If you’re not paying attention to Arizona freshman Bryce Nixon, you’re missing out on the start of something special.
Her teammate, Aari McDonald, knows as much. She’s said repeatedly this season that Nixon, a reserve guard, has the potential to become the best shooter in the country.
That’s pretty heady stuff coming from McDonald, the UA’s single-season scoring leader. But McDonald knows: She goes up against Nixon in practice every day and witnesses her work ethic up close.
“She’s very receptive when you give her information. She’ll come up and ask or she’ll even text me: ‘Hey, A, how do I do this or how do I improve?’ … She’s always in the gym. Probably the first in there, shooting and getting extra shots — and probably one of the last leaving,” McDonald said. “The sky is the limit for her.”
Arizona fans will get an opportunity to watch Nixon and her teammates in Wednesday’s WNIT semifinals. Arizona (22-13) hosts TCU (24-10) at 6:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the title game.
Nixon, a Phoenix native, is a confident shooter who wants the ball. But her playing time varies: Nixon played 13 minutes in Arizona’s WNIT win over Idaho State, four against Pacific and seven against Wyoming.
Because of that, it can be hard to get in a groove. Nixon plays an average of 8.8 minutes per game, and averages 1.9 points.
“I think later on when you see her volume go up, you’ll see her percentage go up. And she’ll have more opportunities,” UA coach Adia Barnes said. “She doesn’t get discouraged. She hangs in there and keeps on working and fighting. She’s gained like 10 pounds of muscle. So she’s stronger and better and getting experience.
“Bryce is a worker, and that’s why she’s going to be great. It’s going to take time, because she’s a freshman and she’s playing behind some really good players. Unfortunately, she’s playing behind some of the best in the country. She works and she loves it. She’s hungry to be good, so she’s going to be. It may not be now, it may not be in a month from now or in six months, but it will happen because of her mentality. She is the first one in, the last one to leave. She is the one on off-days going in on her own. So, she wants to be good and I love that about her and I love coaching her.”
UA’s Bryce Nixon spends hours in the gym perfecting her shot. She is averaging 1.9 points in 8.8 minutes per game.
Nixon said she gets that work ethic from her family. Her mom, Shelley, was a two-time All-American in high jump at Texas, and her dad, Chuck, played football at San Diego State. One uncle, Tory Nixon, played for the San Francisco 49ers; another one, Brandon Nixon, played basketball at UC San Diego.
Nixon played soccer growing up, and thinks it helped with her footwork. She ran track at Phoenix Arcadia High School.
Nixon spends hours in the gym perfecting her shot. She stays with a certain routine, but has been mixing it up a bit lately — adding to her range of shots. On Saturday, the day before UA played Wyoming, Nixon took one-handed shots around the basket. It’s something she does on off-days to get her form right.
The payoff comes on game days, when Nixon sees the floor and hears the cheers from a UA crowd that seems to be growing by the game.
“I know I probably shouldn’t hear them, but sometimes they’ll be like ‘Yeah, go Bryce. Shoot it, Bryce,’” she said. “I’m like ‘OK.’ They are incredible. They always encourage me. And when we go high-five them (after the game) and it’s like, ‘Great game, Bryce. We love to see you in there. Keep working.’ So that’s really cool.”
Barnes believes in Nixon. The key, she said, is staying patient.
“I am encouraging her every day. I want her to have patience to go against Aari every day. To keep on getting better and stick with it, because it will pay off,” said Barnes. “And you don’t know when it pays off, but you are ready for your opportunity.
“That’s the difference with this generation of players. If you don’t have success right away, a lot of good players across the country, they end up leaving. I don’t want to see that happen with her.
“I want her to stay here. She is our future and she is going to be great. I believe in her. The community believes in her. We want her to be great; she will be.”
Ex-Cats coach proud
Barnes’ phone has been buzzing with texts and voicemails from family, former coaches and teammates and friends across the country. When asked for the best accolade, Barnes didn’t hesitate. It was when her former coach, Joan Bonvicini, visited the UA locker room following its WNIT-opening win over Idaho State.
Bonvicini has been in the stands for each of the WNIT games as a fan, and she’ll be there Wednesday, too. Barnes and Bonvicini teamed up the last time the Wildcats made a deep WNIT run. Bonvicini was the UA head coach, and Barnes was one of the Wildcats’ top players.
Times have changed — especially when it comes to attendance. Bonvicini said fans “are crossing over from men’s to women’s basketball” with the UA men’s season over.
“It is older people and families — a very diverse group,” she said. “And they genuinely cheer on this team. They are there to recognize this team and the team is feeding off that energy. The team is playing more confident and winning and having fun. They are feeling empowered.”
And what does she think of Barnes having her team playing the best basketball of the season when it counts the most?
“I am really proud of Adia,” she said. “Watching her grow as a coach and as a woman — having her voice heard around the country — and how her players are playing for her. I’m really impressed. Adia is really proud of playing at Arizona and to be given this opportunity means a lot to her. She has done an amazing job in three years. No matter what happens Wednesday — how far she has brought the program and is really preparing it for the future — I’m excited. I want them to win Wednesday. I’m thrilled for Adia, the team and the UA athletic department.”
