Freshman forward Lauren Ware doesn’t get rattled easily.
She may have been a little anxious in the first few moments of her debut as a Wildcat; who wouldn’t?
But once she settled in, Ware was all business, collecting eight points, five rebounds and a block.
Two games later, Ware posted the first double-double of her career. She put up another double-double against Idaho and continues to play meaningful minutes off the bench.
As seventh-ranked Arizona (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) heads into its second road trip of the season, the Wildcats hope Ware — a two-sport star who also plans to play volleyball for the UA — keeps doing her thing. The Wildcats will take on Washington State on Sunday afternoon after Friday’s game at Washington was canceled because of COVID-19 issues within the Huskies’ program.
Ware said that she’s already grown by playing in the Pac-12, and knows what she needs to work on. One is finishing shots with her left hand. Another is improving her balance, which will help Ware finish better around the basket.
She is also working on boxing out and defense.
Fortunately, UA coach Adia Barnes says Ware has been a sponge in practice.
“I think her progression is great. I think she’s got a chance to be really good for our team and our conference,” Barnes said.
“She does things that you can’t teach like her timing, defensively, her knack for the ball. She’s super vocal from (playing) volleyball and active. It really helps as a basketball player. The things we have to work on is just guarding quicker players, boxing out and stuff like that. When you’re in high school, you don’t have to do it when you’re 6-5. But here, she has to do it.”
Ware said no one individual accomplishment from her freshman season stands out. Her favorite moment is a team one.
“The ASU game … obviously, it was a big rival, and we played a really good game,” Ware said. “We had a lot of really good energy, and everyone was playing really well together. That was super fun.”
Lauren Ware reacts to a call by a referee during the Wildcats’ loss to Stanford last week. Ware has been working on finishing around the basket and improving her balance as a freshman.
Ware’s teammates on the UA volleyball team started doing two-a-days as they prepare for their season to open in a few weeks. Ware peeked into a practice the other day just to see what they are doing.
Ware said it’s tough being away from the volleyball team, though she talks to her new teammates every day.
When the pandemic is over, Ware already knows what she wants to do.
“Going home again — seeing my family, my dogs and just my friends from back home. That’s something I’m really excited to do,” Ware said.
“Because it’s definitely weird coming in as a freshman. You don’t go without seeing your friends for two days and now it’s been like six months without seeing my friends and family.”
Getting better
Ware missed her senior season of high school after tearing her ACL. As anyone who has gone through major surgery knows, it takes quite a while to feel normal again.
“They say it takes a year, but it really takes two years to get back to where you’re 100% mentally and physically,” Barnes said. “I think she physically is back. She’s strong, she has nothing limiting her at all. But I think it just takes time.”
Barnes knows all too well: She tore her left ACL in 2003 while with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and went through rehab before making a championship run the following year.
Old friends
Tara Manumaleuga and Washington State freshman sensation Charlisse Leger-Walker were teammates on New Zealand’s U17 National Team.
Barnes saw Leger-Walker play when she was recruiting Manumaleuga.
“She’s very good; she’s like a coach’s kid — super smart. Her sister (Krystal, a senior) have great chemistry,” Barnes said. “…Did I think she would come to the Pac-12 and average 19ƒ points per game? No, I did not. But watching her play, she doesn’t force shots, has a high basketball IQ. She’s a very, very good player. She’s going to be very good in this league.”
Rim shots
- Senior guard Aari McDonald was named to the John R. Wooden Midseason Top-25 watch list. Three other Pac-12 players made the list: Stanford’s Haley Jones and Kiana Williams and UCLA’s Michaela Onyenwere.
- COVID-19 and related roster concerns have led the Pac-12 to postpone half of this weekend’s 12 scheduled women’s basketball games. Friday’s slate includes two games: No. 1 Stanford’s showdown against No. 11 Oregon and Utah’s game at USC. Sunday features four games: Arizona at Washington State, Utah at UCLA, Colorado at USC and Oregon at Cal.
- The UA kept its players in Tucson for Christmas, and won’t allow any family or fans into games for the foreseeable future. The Wildcats are trying to avoid encountering the COVID-19 issues that have hit teams throughout the Pac-12.
Arizona State allowed its players to return home for Christmas. And last weekend, the Sun Devils became the only team in the Pac-12 to allow families to attend games.
ASU has since postponed this weekend’s games because of COVID-19 concerns.
Barnes’ radio show debuted this week on a new night — Tuesday. The show, hosted by Derrick Palmer, can be heard on 1400-AM at 6 p.m. The show runs for eight more weeks.
