Arizona women's hoops' Isis Beh on challenges, transformation

Isis Beh isn’t afraid of a little hard work.

Over the offseason, she transformed her body and her game.

After Wednesday’s 92-75 loss at NAU, Beh was right back in the gym hours later with her teammates, getting after it.

The six-year senior — she missed one year with an injury, another to COVID-19 — knows what it takes to win and win in the Arizona system.

And with it being her final collegiate season, the 6-3 forward isn’t taking a rep, a lift or even an extra tough practice session off.

Her teammates are relying on her as Arizona (5-1) hosts Grambling State (3-2) at McKale Center on Saturday.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, the Star talked to Beh and learned more about her offseason transformation, what it means for her to be a starter and how she is leading the Wildcats after the tough loss at NAU.

What is it like for you in your final collegiate year to be starting consistently and be the last one out of the tunnel introduced during home games at McKale Center?

A: “It’s rewarding. My dad has always told me that I could be this type of player and move like this type of athlete. Just be at this level. I love seeing my dad see me being what he always thought I could be. It feels great. And I love playing with all the underclassmen. It’s been fun so far, except for the other night (NAU loss).”

You got in great shape and improved your skills on the court during the offseason. What went into your transformation?

A: “Last season I was going through a lot in my personal life. Emotionally, I was up and down. Sometimes, I wanted to be all the way focused on basketball just because of what I was going through. Chris Allen, our strength coach, had a conversation with me at the end of the season – when I had decided not to come back. He was like, ‘You should come back and get something out of this,’ because I didn’t live up to my full potential last year. He’s the one who’s really pushed me.

“I have, what’s it called … it’s like an out of place disc in my back. That’s been something I struggled with in the off season. He modified all my conditioning, weight training, everything, so that I can work through that injury and still get stronger, lose the body fat, gain the muscle. Chris Allen’s a big part of why I came back. And then my dad. I feel like I just love making my dad happy, because he makes me happy.”

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Is that disc injury something you’ve always had, or did it just happen recently?

A: “It happened here. I started having back (issues) probably when we started (Pac-12) conference play. I was playing through it. In the offseason, I got X-rays, an MRI and then they found it.”

What are you doing to overcome this challenge?

A: “I do a lot of stretching, and I make sure to do extra warmups. During practice, (I don’t) let my body get cold because, you know, I’m an old body. It’s a lot of treatment. Bart (Jameson), our trainer, said if I was just like a regular person, it wouldn’t hurt. If you’re 35 or older, it’s a common thing that you could get, but it doesn’t hurt with day-to-day activity. If I wasn’t doing the strenuous stuff every day, I’d be fine.”

What improvement so far means the most to you?

A: “I’m most proud of the leadership role I’ve taken and trying to take care of my younger teammates — even outside of basketball. Making sure they are straight in the classroom or make sure they are getting rides. I’ve taken pride in making sure the foreign girls (Mailien Rolf, Katarina Knezevic) feel welcome.

“Also, my conditioning. I feel like my conditioning is way different. In these games this season I’ve played like 15 minutes in a row. Last year, I couldn’t do that. I’d be asking for a sub, like I’m tired. Now, I feel like I can do that. That’s something that’s really good.”

With the quick turnaround between Wednesday’s loss and Saturday’s game, as a leader and co-captain, what is your message to your teammates?

A: “The coaches challenged us in (Thursday’s) practice. We did a lot of conditioning. We did a lot of defense, like slow defensive drills. All of our quads are on fire. But I feel like in practice, I was getting on the other girls because some of them were trying to put their hands on their knees when they were tired. I don’t think that’s acceptable. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired. In the game (at NAU), people were putting their hands on their knees and then we get scored on. We can’t do that in practice because then we’re going to do that in the game. I feel like it’s just holding people more accountable.”

Where do you think the team is, and where are you headed the rest of the season?

A: “I feel like a big part of who we need to be is not to be in foul trouble. Against NAU, we already had to play without Jada (Williams, out with a concussion) and then we played most of the game without Skylar (Jones), Breya (Cunningham) and me. We’re the ones that know the system the best and none of us were in the game. If we all stay out of foul trouble and get Jada back healthy, we’re dogs. That’s what we need from some of the newer people. They don’t have that dog mentality, but I feel like every day it’s growing. By the time conference games (roll around) everyone is going to be a dog. We’re going to be that team you don’t want to play because of our press defense. We’re just working out how to do the press right now, but once everyone’s on the same page, I feel like that’s going to be our identity, our defense.”