Arizona's Jade Loville sets the standard; Wildcats healthier heading into Thursday's scrimmage

As the start of the 2022-23 women’s basketball season nears, Adia Barnes is starting to notice a cultural shift within her program.

Transfers Jade Loville and Esmery Martinez have emerged as leaders. Both are roommates with freshman Kailyn Gilbert. Despite the large age difference — Loville and Martinez are 22, while Gilbert is 18 — the veterans are teaching the newcomer good habits.

Arizona will play its first exhibition game of the season on Thursday, when it hosts West Texas A&M in McKale Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“The freshmen are able to watch them because that’s the standard,” Barnes said. “Jade wants to play pro and she works like that. That person right behind her is a freshman and that’s Kailyn. I’d say Kailyn works like that. She just has a lot more to learn and less experience. But Kailyn watches film more than anybody on the team, studies the game more, wants to be better and she’s going to be good because of that. I’m going to pour into her because of that. Because I see that. I think (freshman) Maya (Nnaji) is on that level of work ethic. ...

“That’s what you want for the future. When I see that, I’m going to pour in them, invest in them and bring them along.”

Barnes said Loville, the former Arizona State standout, has pushed her game to another level during the offseason. She is one of three fifth-year players on the team, along with Shaina Pellington and Cate Reese.

Loville is “strong as an ox, she’s fit. She works on her craft every single day,” Barnes said, noting that Loville has brought Oklahoma State transfer Lauren Fields with her lately.

“Jade is a kid that I really like to coach. She’s coachable, she wants to practice, she wants to get better,” Barnes said. “Those are my type of kids.”

Catching up on injuries

By the time the end of last season rolled around, the Wildcats were beat up. Cate Reese underwent shoulder surgery and Lauren Ware needed to rest her dislocated knee.

Both forwards are doing much better, Barnes said.

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Reese has a limited range of motion, but nothing that will affect her play. Reese has put on more muscle and is visibly stronger.

“I’m really impressed. I did not think she’d be where she is today, right now,” Barnes said.

Ware is also in great shape and playing with confidence, Barnes said, though there have been some setbacks in practice. Ware banged knees with another player in practice recently, and her knee swelled up. Barnes gave her some time to rest, though she said Ware would have been able to play a game if this were the regular season.

The Wildcats have endured more injuries and illnesses over the last month — flus, colds, and even COVID-19 — and Fields cut the thumb on her non-shooting hand while slicing fruit. Doctors performed surgery to fix what turned out to be a severed nerve.

Rim shots

Arizona is ranked 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, released Wednesday.

This year marks the final time that Pac-12 women’s and men’s basketball media day will be held in the league’s headquarters in San Francisco. The league will vacate its offices soon.

Utah coach Lynne Roberts and Pac-12 analyst and former UA coach Joan Bonvicini had an exchange Tuesday that led to some chuckles. Bonvicini asked Roberts who the Utes’ point guard will be this season. Roberts shot back, “Do you have any eligibility left?” Bonvicini was a standout guard at Southern Connecticut State and was a finalist for the 1976 USA Basketball team. Bonvicini is enshrined in three halls of fame as a player: SCSU’s Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

Former UA player Bendu Yeaney‘s older brother, Jonathan Dunbar, was shot and killed Oct. 7 in downtown Portland. The family set up a GoFundMe for funeral expenses. Yeaney, now at Oregon State, thanked both schools for their support while at media day.

Arizona has added manager of creative services Matt Herrera, video coordinator Julian Mills, athletic trainer Bart Jameson and three new graduate assistants for the 2022-23 season. They join special assistant to the head coach Bett Shelby; director of operations Kayla Scott and director of recruiting Aari McDonald on Barnes’ support staff.