LAS VEGAS — Aari McDonald had a good start to her Saturday.
The Arizona Wildcats’ star guard was named to the official ballot for the Wooden Award, given to the most outstanding college basketball player in the nation.
McDonald is one of 15 players on the ballot, joining five other Pac-12 players: Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally; UCLA’s Michaela Onyenwere; and Oregon State’s Mikayla Pivec.
McDonald, who claimed Pac-12 defensive player of the year and All-Pac-12 team honors earlier in the week, is also up for five other national awards — Naismith Defensive Player of the year, Naismith Player of the Year and the Wade Trophy, Dawn Staley Award and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
McDonald moved into seventh place on UA’s career scoring list in Thursday’s Pac-12 quarterfinal win over Cal. She entered Saturday night’s semifinal game against Oregon needing 15 points to pass Shawntinice Polk, who is in sixth place with 1,467 points.
Thinking about mom
Sunday is International Women’s Day, which — for the UA’s two best players and its coach — means a time to celebrate mom.
McDonald said her mom, Andrea, is “tough, feisty. I think that’s where I get a lot of my traits from. She just is a strong woman, and I always looked up to her.” McDonald is the youngest of six children.
Forward Cate Reese said that she would be “lost without my mom.” Reese is the youngest of William and Cheryl’s Reese’s five kids.
Coach Adia Barnes, who is fortunate to have a lot of strong women in her life, also picked her mom, Patrica McRae.
“I realize that my toughness, my focus, my resiliency, learning how to fall on your face and get back up, all of those things my mom taught me,” she said.
“Sometimes I wonder, ‘How do some people have it and others don’t?’ I watched my mom. It was tough love sometimes: It was not a shoulder to cry on, but it taught me so many things that I will teach my son as a mother. I think having a strong woman is important for these young women. When they see a woman that can be a mother, that can be kick-ass on and off the court, it is a role model for them. …
“I think women who coach are an inspiration, and we can give a lot back to this game. We will celebrate that day.”
