Aari McDonald will travel up Interstate 10 this weekend for the final time in her Wildcats career. The opponent: rival Arizona State. Then, McDonald and the Wildcats will play in the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
And after that? The All-American senior point guard told the Star on Thursday that she will be entering the WNBA draft after the season is over. ESPN’s latest mock draft has McDonald going eighth overall to the Chicago Sky.
For now, though, McDonald’s future can wait. Her plan is to stay in the moment, starting with Sunday’s rivalry game.
“Just knowing that my journey here is coming to an end — play for my teammates, play hard and be the best leader I can be out there. And make sure we get a victory,” McDonald said.
If Arizona wins Sunday, the Wildcats will sweep ASU for a second straight season.
“It’s a confidence booster heading into the Pac-12 Tournament. We definitely need to win this game,” she said.
It is also special for another reason. With a win, Arizona can post its best conference finish — second place — in 18 years.
“It feels good. I would like to be in first, but I mean, I think second place is good,” McDonald said. “Looking back to when I first came to Arizona and being last or 11th, that’s pretty good. Just the improvement we’ve had over the last couple of years in a short amount of time. I think second place is not too bad.”
McDonald talked to the Star this week about breaking her former Washington teammate’s record, holding her current Arizona teammates accountable, having fun during a difficult season — and planning a wedding in a pandemic:
On Monday, you extended your streak for scoring in double figures in consecutive games to 84 — every game you’ve played in at Arizona. By doing that, you passed former UW teammate Kelsey Plum. Have you talked to her about that?
A: “I haven’t. I didn’t know until after the game, when (ESPN’s) Holly Rowe mentioned me in her Instagram story. I saw Kelsey repost it — she knew that’s when I passed her. That’s crazy. It’s a blessing. I try not to worry about that, but it’s definitely a blessing. That’s big, really big.”
You had big dreams and goals when you were a freshman at Washington, playing next to Kelsey. But did you think that you would knock off one of her records like that?
A: “No, honestly. I didn’t think that, at all.”
How have you seen your Arizona teammates grow over the last month, from the first Oregon game through the postponed games up until now?
A: “I’ve seen a lot of growth. One thing that you starting to see different players step up at the right time. And I think that’s really big. It just can’t be me out there. It can’t be ‘The Aari Show.’ I just think that my teammates are making my job easier. I think there’s more work to do. I mean, I think that once we have more than two people in double figures, I think that will be there. We just can’t have one or two people.
“The growth since January, it’s been big and I’m just proud to see my teammates stepping up. I’ll keep getting them words of encouragement, whatever they need I’m there for them. I want to make sure that they’re doing their best and just getting better.”
After Monday night’s loss to Stanford, you mentioned that you have to work on the little things. How do you as players do that? How do you lock these things down?
A: “Right. We’ve been trying to figure that out for the past, what, 17, 18 games? That’s holding people accountable more. If you’re not doing what you are supposed to be doing, my approach might have to be a little different. I might have to get on you, I might encourage you after. It’s just the little things and that (stinks), but those are the things that add up. Those are the difference-makers in games, especially a big game like we had on Monday. But it’s pretty much hold each other accountable and just say, ‘Hey, we got to play this game like it’s our lives’ and hopefully that will get to them. I don’t know, we’ll figure that out.”
Is that something where you will talk to your teammates to remind them where you are and that you have big goals for postseason?
A: “Yeah, probably when we are in practice, if I see a little thing we’re not doing, I’ll say, ‘Hey, let’s hold them accountable.’ Like you said, just remind them, ‘It’s do or die; this is one of our goals. We’re almost there. We can’t make it far if we don’t do the little things.’ It’s probably speaking up in practice and just reminding them.”
Aari McDonald won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award last year as a shooting guard. This year, she’s a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award.
Syracuse’s Tiana Mangakahia watched Monday’s Arizona-Stanford game, and said that after seeing you play, it opened her eyes that she has to shoot more. How does that feel when a peer says something like that?
A: “That’s crazy. For her to say that just off Monday’s performance — if she said that, I mean she hasn’t seen nothing. That was kind of like a bad game. I’ve seen highlights of her game and she’s a really good player. She’s a savvy point guard, steady, creative, crafty. I loved her game watching her clips. Just for her to say that, I mean, that’s big. We both have to be in the gym. That’s pretty good to hear my peers talk like that — it’s much love.”
This year has been hard for everyone with COVID-19 and your team has been through a lot with the protocols and everything that’s happened. Yet you’re still having fun. How are you staying loose and still having fun in the midst of all of this?
A: “My teammates and I, we love the game of basketball. We’re passionate for it. It’s more than just basketball — this is a sisterhood here. Of course, we want to win, we love to have fun and play together. We really value each other and enjoy each other off the court. And this is some of our last times with each other for a while … or maybe for good.
“We just like to enjoy each other’s company, just have fun with each other. I think that’s why we have the chemistry we do on the court. We value each other off the court and we treat each other like sisters. We take care of each other and we hold each other accountable. I think that contributes to our success on the court.”
How are the wedding plans coming along?
A: “I legit put a stop to that, again. I’m playing and then after the season, I’m going right into another season. It’s hectic. So, I’ll probably get my mom, my aunt and (fiance) Devon (Brewer’s) mom … it’s just hectic right now. I want it to be this summer, but there is some uncertainty in the air. And just with me playing year-round, I just don’t know when the right time will be.”
