The view on the court is a little different for Felecity Willis these days.
While she is still running up and down and getting into position, she isn’t dribbling the ball, making a clean pass to a teammate or driving to the basket.
Instead, the Tucsonan carries a whistle around her neck.
Willis, a former guard who played for the Wildcats from 1996-2000, is now a women’s basketball official.
The 39-year-old calls games for four Division I conferences — WCC, Big Sky, WAC, and Mountain West — along with Division II and junior-college games.
Willis worked back-to-back midweek games in Phoenix and Mesa this week so she could attend this weekend’s UA women’s basketball reunion.
Nearly 100 former players, coaches, and team managers are expected to participate in the festivities, which include a tour of the UA campus and athletic facilities and dinner at coach Adia Barnes’ house. The former Wildcats will be recognized at halftime of Friday’s game against Washington State in McKale Center.
Few players in UA sports history have more postseason experience than Willis. She played on four NCAA Tournament teams while at the UA, and twice took part in the Women’s College World Series as a member of the Wildcats’ softball team.
Arizona advanced to the 1998 WCWS championship game, where it lost to Fresno State 1-0.
Willis said she was “very lucky” to play two sports in college.
“(Former UA women’s basketball coach) Joan (Bonvicini) was behind me 100 percent when I came to her about the possibility. All she cared about was keeping my grades up and I did that,” she said. “It was really tough because I spent the majority of the year playing basketball and by the time I got out to the softball field conference play was around the corner. I had to work 100 times harder than everyone else and if I had to do it all over again I would do the same. (Softball) coach (Mike) Candrea was awesome to play for and I got to play alongside many great UA players.”
Her teammates included Nancy Evans, Becky Lemke, Jennie Finch, Lauren Bauer, Erika Barnes, Toni Mascarenas, Lindsey Collins, and Leah Braatz.
Basketball was Willis’ first love, however, and she chose to focus exclusively on hoops as a senior.
She finished her career third in assists with 541, trailing teammate Reshea Bristol and former UA great Brenda Pantoja. She dished 169 assists as senior, good for fourth place on the Wildcats’ single-season list. She was an All-Pac-10 performer in both her junior and senior season.
Willis played briefly with the WNBA’s Sparks, Sting and Mystics before heading overseas. Willis was a four-time All-star with the Criollas de Caguas in Puerto Rico. She also played on the Puerto Rican National Team for six summers.
Then, in a move that surprised even herself, Willis switched from player to official.
“If someone had told me in x number of years you will be a referee, I would’ve laughed in their face,” said Willis, who had planned to become a college coach. “Bob Scofield, a Pac-12 referee, used to whisper in my ear during games, ‘You need to become a referee.’ When coaching fell through I talked to him and Brenda Pantoja, who graduated from UA in 1996 and went on to coach and ref, and at the time was one of the top referees in the country. They were my resources as I weighed the pros and cons.”
In 2010, Willis attended Scofield’s officiating training camp at Flowing Wells High School. She climbed the ranks quickly; by 2013, she was officiating Division I games.
“Because of my background in basketball, I ‘get it’ faster than others and it definitely has helped me,” said Willis. “This has changed my perspective. When I was a player I was really hard on refs. I wish I knew back then what I know now; it would’ve saved me. Put it this way: I was not nice to some refs at the pro level. That helps me now as players are the same way. It helps me deal with them because I was there.
“The main thing (that I’ve learned) is that not all contact is a foul. It even says that in our rule book. As a player, if I had the ball in my hands and drove to the basket and got bumped, I thought it was a foul. It would’ve been nice to know that.”
Bonvicini said she’s proud of her former standout.
“Felecity is a good person, was a good athlete, and has a good feel for the game,” said Bonvicini. “Brenda (Pantoja) made the transition from player to coach to a top referee. Felecity can be in the same category. She was always a student of the game and that experience translates to being an official. Felecity has an instinct for it.
“I’m proud of her and excited for her. She is doing something she loves and has a passion for it. In my opinion, and I can be biased, she has paid her dues … I think she is definitely a Pac-12 official.”
