Cate Reese was drawn to Arizona because she wanted to be part of something special. She also wanted to make an impact right away.
Both have happened.
The Wildcats have gone from being on no one’s radar to being nationally ranked, from ignored to being a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament — all in three years.
Arizona’s rise can be traced in part to Reese, a junior forward.
In her first college game, Reese casually put up the first double-double of her career. She’s gone on to post 15 more.
Reese has scored in double figures in nearly 60 of her 90 games and earlier this season surpassed 1,000 points.
Monday’s NCAA Tournament blowout of Stony Brook was just the latest of Reese showing what she’s got. In her first-ever NCAA Tournament game, she dominated inside, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal.
Arizona (17-5) plays upset-minded BYU (19-5) Wednesday at the UTSA Convocation Center in San Antonio. The winner advances to the Sweet 16.
Reese, as usual, will be a key.
“It’s extremely important having Cate be a presence inside,” UA coach Adia Barnes said. “The first couple of shots in the game (Monday) she didn’t get calls, wasn’t really going up strong and then she did a good job of making adjustments, staying aggressive. It’s very important. When Cate’s aggressive and scoring inside and then Trinity (Baptiste) is aggressive scoring inside, we’re just so much better.”
Reese and Baptiste combined for 34 points against Stony Brook.
UA forward Cate Reese, front, is pressured by Stony Brook guard Hailey Zeise during the first half of Monday’s NCAA Tournament game. Reese’s big showing helped the Cats win by 35.
“I think it shows what people are made of because then you can come in these settings and play well, I think shows a lot about your character, our team, where we’re at,” Barnes said.
Reese has had plenty of big performances in her UA career.
Earlier this season, she scored 25 points as Arizona beat Oregon in Eugene for the first time in a decade. She followed that up with 17 points as Arizona avenged an earlier loss to Washington State.
After another game scoring in double-figures — and earning Pac-12 Player of Week honors — Reese’s offensive output came to a halt. She averaged just 6.7 points per game during a four-game stretch near the end of the regular season. Arizona scored an average of 55 points per game during that run, and the Wildcats went 1-3.
All this is why it’s so key that Reese get involved — and score — early against BYU.
When Arizona makes an effort to get the ball to Reese, and when she’s performing, the Wildcats are tough to stop.
Monday, she hit an inside floater within the first minute of action. She followed that up with a backdoor play just minutes later.
Reese has gained more confidence with her move to the left. Her versatility makes her even harder to guard as she can hit turnaround mid-range jumpers and occasional 3-pointers.
Arizona forward Cate Reese (25) tries to block a shot by Stony Brook forward Leighah-Amori Wool (32) during the first half of a college basketball game in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Former UA coach Joan Bonvicini, now a Pac-12 Networks analyst, believes the Wildcats’ offense runs at its best when Reese is engaged.
“When she plays well, it takes the pressure off Aari (McDonald) and helps the team overall,” she said. “You saw Cate play well, shoot well and it opened up the court more, so people have to be guarded. I think when she shoots 3s that it opens (things) up even more. She’s versatile, quick and can score inside and outside. I think her quickness is a real advantage. As Cate gains confidence in this tournament, it will show how you advance when others step up. …
“Cate’s a big key to the success of Arizona advancing in this tournament.”
Rim shots
- Barnes said 11th-seeded BYU is good mid-major team with players who do a lot of things well. Paisley Johnson Harding, Shaylee Gonzales and Lauren Gustin combine for 60% of the Cougars’ offense. All three played significant minutes in Monday’s first-round upset win over Rutgers.
- Sara Hamson, BYU’s 6-foot-7-inch center, is one of the 20 best shot-blockers in the nation and was a semifinalist for Naismith’s Defensive Player of the Year. The forward is versatile and more guard-like; it should be a good matchup for Reese, who played against many of the nation’s top forwards in Pac-12 play.
- Arizona’s Sam Thomas played four different positions in Monday’s opener — everything but the post. Expect Thomas to guard BYU’s best player in Wednesday’s game. Gonzales averages 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, and was recently named WCC Player of the Year.
