Lauren Ware made a major decision — basketball over volleyball — just after arriving at the UA

On Aug. 11, right after Lauren Ware arrived in Tucson to start her college career, the Pac-12 announced it was pushing all fall sports competition to January.

The two sports that Ware came to the UA to play would now take place at the exact same time.

“Oh, no,” Ware thought. “I’m going to have to choose.”

After talking it over with UA coaches Dave Rubio and Adia Barnes and her parents, Ware picked basketball. The 6-foot-5-inch North Dakotan is now training with the women’s basketball team with hopes of contributing to a squad that’s a trendy pick to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.

“In the back of my mind I knew I was going to have to pick one, but I think basketball made more sense kind of in this scenario,” Ware said. “… I’ll never be able to actually play a preseason or nonconference (game) with basketball, especially next year, once I played volleyball — I won’t get that experience. To have this foundation now and being able to start out with basketball will help me a lot, because I’ll get to learn all the plays coming in instead of being behind everyone else.

“I think overall, it’s the best decision for me with the circumstances. I wish I didn’t have to make the decision, but it just kind of was what it was.”

Playing basketball should help Ware get stronger as she recovers from ACL surgery after injuring her knee before her senior year of high school. She conceded that, following surgery and rehabilitation, “maybe playing two sports might not have been the best option for me.”

Plus, Ware will have a chance to play with star Aari McDonald, who enters her final season of college eligibility as one of the most heralded players in the country. In April, the Wildcats were picked No. 7 nationally in a way-too-early ESPN poll.

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“This year is going to be really special (in basketball) — I think that this is like one of the best opportunities that we’ll have to go out and win a national championship with the players that we have, the experience that we have,” Ware said. “I did think about that and I think that was a factor for me, but I’m just excited to be able to play with all of them and get that experience.

“…With Aari, Shaina (Pellington) and Sam (Thomas) … every post (player) wants those amazing guards that are going to be able to see the pass and everything. I’m excited to play them. And then obviously, with Cate (Reese), Trinity (Baptiste) and Semaj (Smith) — all of them. They’re really good post players and really strong post players. I think I can learn a lot from them.”

The decision was made easier in part because Ware has a strong foundation at home. Her parents, Kristi and Joe, guided her through the recruiting process after Ware said she wanted to play both sports in college. The Wares talked in detail about what playing both sports would look like, and what Lauren would have to sacrifice — such as offseason training and the nonconference season for basketball.

When it came time to pick between playing basketball or volleyball this winter, Ware hopped on a Zoom call with her parents, Rubio and Barnes.

Barnes laid out the situation, and offered Ware her support regardless of which sport she picked. Rubio did the same.

Ware said she knew her coaches would support her decision. Barnes and Rubio, after all, were the reason she picked Arizona.

“I was thinking this through: if I would have chosen any other school, I can’t imagine what the coaches would have said if this decision came up — how it would have gone down,” she said. “(Barnes and Rubio) made it a lot easier. And I just knew that they wouldn’t make it difficult. This is the reason why I came here, because I know that these two coaches work really well together, and they really care about their players. This just really proved it and I know they care about me a lot.”