When Trinity Baptiste was considering whether to return to Arizona in the spring of 2020, there were a few things on her mind.
She wanted to play for a coach, like Adia Barnes, who had done it all as a player. She knew that her time learning from Barnes would be invaluable as she hoped to play professionally.
She also wanted to play for a team that would go to the national championship game. Baptiste saw something in Barnes and the players β Aari McDonald, Sam Thomas, Cate Reese and others β that made her believe that Arizona would be playing on the last day of the season, competing for the title.
It worked: The Wildcats made a run to the national championship game last spring, coming one basket short of winning it all.
Next, she wanted to play in front of a packed McKale Center. She had heard the stories from Barnes about how the fans had come out for the WNIT the previous year, leading to a sellout when they won the championship. She had also heard about 10,160 people cheering them on to a 59-53 victory over rival ASU on January 24, 2020.
This one didnβt work out. There were no fans when the Wildcats played during the 2020-21 season because of COVID-19.
Baptiste finally got to experience a packed McKale this weekend. She attended the NCAA Tournament as a fan.
βI saw how they bring the energy to McKale Center β as a player that is exciting, especially for womenβs basketball. We need that,β Baptiste said.
Baptiste ran into a handful of fans who thanked her for the last year βand told me they missed me,β she said. βIt was amazing to be welcomed back like that.β
On Saturday, Baptiste saw more than 9,500 people in the stands and told Barnes, βCoach, I never got to see what an Arizona crowd was like.β
βIt didnβt dawn on me until she said it β¦ that was one of the things I recruited her, and I said, βYouβre going to play in front of 10,000, 15,000 people,ββ Barnes said. βI didnβt think COVID would last that long, so she didnβt get to experience that until today as a fan. β¦
βPeople love womenβs basketball here. There are very few places in the country where you can draw β I would guess 12,000 people. How many were here? OK, so 10. I think not a lot of places can do that, and we are a special place because we can do that. Because when you have the chance to play in front of that type of crowd, it ignites you, itβs energizing, and itβs just an incredible atmosphere.β
Doing double duty
Athletic director Dave Heeke has been pulling double duty over the last few days, flying back and forth between the menβs and womenβs NCAA Tournament games.
Heeke was in San Diego Friday to watch the men win; in Tucson Saturday to watch the women win; back to San Diego on Sunday to watch the men win and move onto the Sweet 16; and back home at McKale Center on Monday to watch the women in their quest for the round of 16.
βItβs exciting,β Heeke said. βThis is this is what weβre in it for. Iβm so proud of our coaches and certainly the players. Itβs a wonderful experience β the chance to get on the road, see the men play but then come back home and cheer on their womenβs program.β
A different feel
All teams playing in the NCAA Tournament must use Wilson balls. For the Wildcats, itβs a change from the regular season, when they use Nikes.
βYou have to adjust differently because the ball is not the same as you used to play with,β the Wildcatsβ Bendu Yeaney said. βItβs just a little different β the texture is different.β
Any casual observer can see from a distance that ball seems brighter or more orange.
As a player, Barnes never liked that when she played in Europe, a menβs basketball was used. Then when she came back to play in the WNBA, it was a womenβs basketball. Barnes likes consistency and said, βI donβt like when they change. I donβt think thatβs good for our game. Thatβs just my opinion. Iβm not talking about sponsorship itself. Iβm just talking about basketball.β
And yet, she knows that the NCAA Tournament is all about adjustments.
βI think who can handle those types of changes are successful tournament,β Barnes said. βWho can handle limited time on the court, who can handle quick turnaround, who can handle not tons of preparation for the next team, who can handle different ball, different atmosphere β those are teams that do well. Last year, we were great at handling all that stuff. We have to be great at doing whatever we need to do. If we had to play with a kind of a flat ball, you do what you do. So is North Carolina. You figure out a way where you donβt let any of that stuff get to you.β
More parity?
Heading into Mondayβs games, eight double-digit seeded teams won during the first two rounds. This tied a record was set in 2018. On Sunday, two top teams β No. 2 seeds Iowa and Baylor β lost.
Itβs all about parity growing in the game.
βThe difference I see β¦ like when Diana Taurasi was coming out and all those great players, everybody that was really good went to UConn,β Barnes said. βIf you came from California, you were going across the country going to UConn. I think all the good players went to a couple places. I think now a lot of West Coast kids are staying on the West Coast. People are staying closer to home, and I think COVID is a factor in that. I think now after COVID people donβt want to be far from home. I think thereβs a lot of different reasons. I also think if you look at South Carolina, a lot of players want to go and build something different. Players recruit other players. If you see, I think they have 12 All-Americans, but you saw a couple good ones from an AAU club go there. Then they recruit their friends, and they say, βHey, letβs go win here.β
βIt wasnβt like that years ago. It was like, youβre going to go to UConn because you knew with UConn statistically you were probably going to go to a Final Four and win a championship. Now itβs different, and I think coaches have moved around. I think thereβs more former players coming up and coaching. The process is different. I like that, and I like the fact that for us in the Pac-12, I like the fact that weβre representing. β¦ I like the fact that we can keep good West Coast kids at home, and thatβs really important. We have a geographical footprint when we recruit and keeping those kids in the Pac-12 at home is important β thatβs just important for our league and our basketball.β
Rim shots
Arizonaβs routine stayed nearly the same for Mondayβs game. The Wildcats enjoyed another omelet bar for breakfast, had a shootaround and lots of rest. The only change was that they had a police escort for their bus trip from the hotel to McKale Center.
Not only was Monday night Arizonaβs final game at McKale Center this season, but it was also Ariyah Copeland, Semaj Smith and Thomasβ last go-around at home.
There are two Arizona-North Carolina connections. Tar Heel sophomore forward Ali Zelaya played at Goodyear Millennium High School, winning two state championships. Grad transfer Carlie Littlefield was born in Scottsdale before moving to Waukee, Iowa. Littlefield grew up going to UA football games as her dad, Chris, is an alum.
βI think I know where his loyalty lies for this weekend,β Carlie Littlefield said. βHeβs been a Wildcat fan. But not this weekend.β
