When Trinity Baptiste takes the court for Sunday for the first time in an Arizona uniform, fans will notice see they haven’t seen in a long, long time: A true rebounder.
You have to go back to the days of Ify Ibekwe and Shawtinice Polk to find someone who follows the bounce of the ball off the rim or backboard so well. Baptiste, a Virginia Tech graduate transfer and the reigning ACC Sixth Player of the Year, could be the player who pushes the seventh-ranked Wildcats over the top.
“Trinity, she has that experience. She has that toughness and she’s a heck of a rebounder,” said Aari McDonald, Arizona’s preseason Associated Press All-American guard. “That’s something we’ve been lacking for the past couple years. She adds that. … She’s definitely going to be a key piece this year.”
The Wildcats head into Sunday’s season opener against NAU with expectations higher than ever. Arizona is ranked No. 7 in the AP’s preseason poll and has been picked to finish second in the Pac-12 by both the league’s coaches and media. Sunday’s game against the Lumberjacks is so far the only nonconference tilt on Arizona’s schedule; the UA is scheduled to open Pac-12 play next weekend against UCLA and USC.
Arizona won the WNIT two years ago and was poised to host NCAA Tournament games when the pandemic hit in March. If there was a hole on the UA’s stacked roster, though, it was rebounding.
The Wildcats were outrebounded badly in all seven of their losses a year ago. When Oregon knocked the UA from the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, the Ducks outrebounded the Wildcats 39-22 — the largest margin against the UA all year.
Arizona might have won two or three more games last season had it been better on the glass.
“I’ve always said that in order to advance in the NCAA Tournament … it gets more physical, and it’s one of the things that Trinity brings to help the team win,” former UA coach and current Pac-12 Networks analyst Joan Bonvicini said. “What I like about Trinity is she’s a banger and she’s not afraid to mix it up.”
Baptiste’s mindset comes from playing what she calls “streetball” with grown men on the courts in her Tampa, Florida, neighborhood. She started playing with the guys at age 13, and said she was never intimated. It didn’t take long for her male opponents to realize she belonged.
“When I first stepped out, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s a girl. We’re gonna go soft.’ Then I hit them with one move, and they feel how strong I am then they’re like, ‘Oh, no, we’ve got to play her like the rest of us,’” she said.
Baptiste wears it like a badge of honor. Yet it doesn’t stop there. Baptiste is one of the hardest working players on the roster. UA coach Adia Barnes said the transfer works “extremely hard and putting in extra work every day.”
It’s been contagious. For the first time, the Wildcats are having fun in the weight room and taking pride in their gains. They even take videos and post them to Instagram when one of their teammates hits a big goal.
Despite her success, Baptiste carries an underdog mentality that starts with her height.
“Just being undersized — I’m about 6 foot, a smaller post player,” Baptiste said.
“I think just feeling like always had to work harder than everyone else. I instilled that in myself from a young kid. I think when I was growing up, I always had to work hard for everything that I got up until this day. That’s just how I approach the game.”
Arizona forward Trinity Baptiste, right, was the ACC’s Sixth Player of the Year last season at Virginia Tech.
Look for Baptiste to go after balls with abandon, Dennis Rodman-style.
“When I rebound, I’m watching from the time it leaves the shooters’ hands — and I’m watching it the entire time so I know how it’s going to come off and everything,” she said. “I just try to stay one step ahead and try to work harder than everyone.
“I have studied Dennis Rodman — yes, watching him a lot. I watched ‘The Last Dance’ this summer. Nobody did better than him. … I have more to my game than just rebounding, but rebounding is something that I really take pride in. … I feel like when I step out on the floor, I think every rebound should be mine.”
Barnes values Baptiste’s ability to chase down balls, but says there’s more to her than that.
“She makes us better on and off the court,” Barnes said. “Yes, she has a good nose for the ball, anticipates well and reads the rim well and she just wants to rebound. She studies the game and want to be a great rebounder and that is what makes her good is that she wants to do it.
“Trinity is a great kid – she’s positive and excited to be here. I wish I had her for all four years. I think we just got better and are a more complete team with her. She is also one of the most kind and sweet people I know. After I had the baby, she would check up on me all the time. Her heart is so pure, and I love that.”
