The Arizona Wildcats will open NCAA Tournament play on Saturday, and all eyes will be on the UA post player who’s back after suffering a grisly dislocation.
Not Cate Reese. That’s a separate story — and a different injury.
Arizona’s Lauren Ware will be in the spotlight when the fourth-seeded Wildcats host No. 13 seed UNLV in McKale Center. The 6-foot-3-inch forward has played two of the best games of her college career since Reese, her partner in the post, went down with a dislocated shoulder Feb. 20 at Washington State.
Ware put up 12 points and 11 rebounds — her first double-double of the season — in the Wildcats’ Feb. 26 regular-season finale against USC in McKale Center. And against Colorado in the Pac-12 quarterfinals, Ware was a revelation: She put up a career-high 15 points and chipped in eight rebounds and two blocks while playing a career-high 34 minutes in a loss to Colorado.
Ware also hit 9 of 10 free throws, bringing her season percentage from the stripe up to .757.
“It’s always hard coming off of an injury (and) just kind of getting back to 100% and feeling completely normal,” Ware said. “So I think it definitely took me a while to kind of get back into the groove of things.”
Ware did not play for more than a month after crumpling to the ground with a dislocated kneecap 27 seconds into the Wildcats’ Dec. 9 win over North Dakota State. She remained out until Jan. 13, when Ware played 25 minutes at Oregon State. Two days later, Ware lasted 16 at Oregon before fouling out.
Arizona forward Lauren Ware suffered a dislocated kneecap in the opening seconds of Arizona's Dec. 9 win over North Dakota State. She didn't return to the floor for more than a month.
In her first six games back, Ware scored 2, 2, 7, 2, 3 and 4 points. She didn’t score in double figures until the Wildcats’ regular-season finale against USC.
The way coach Adia Barnes explained it Friday, Ware’s return was typical of someone coming off a frightening injury.
“A lot of it is the mental part and confidence,” Barnes said. “Because even if (the knee) is structurally OK, I think it’s just that (the injury) happened; you don’t want it to happen again.”
“I’ve seen a difference the last couple weeks,” Barnes added. “I think she’s playing really loose and free, and it really showed it in the Pac-12 Tournament.”
Ware’s long recovery provides some perspective when it comes to Reese, who is expected to play in Saturday’s NCAA opener.
Reese leads the Wildcats in points and rebounds, and was a recent All-Pac-12 selection. Barnes said Reese would be 100% on Saturday, while admitting later that nobody’s 100% in March.
But she hasn’t played in a month; her fitness, endurance and confidence may not be in midseason form, especially at first. How will the Wildcats’ best player respond if she’s physically limited?
There’s a difference between being healthy and being fully “back,” as Ware showed.
Regardless of how much she plays, Reese’s anticipated return gives Barnes options in the biggest game of the Wildcats’ season. The coach can stick with Ware in the post and rest Reese; cut Ware’s minutes for Reese, allowing both to play harder in the 5-minute “wars”; or play them both against a UNLV team that’s powerful in the post. UNLV leads the Mountain West Conference in rebounding; the Rebels’ frontcourt includes Khayla Rooks and Desi-Rae Young, both of whom are listed at 6-1. The two average a combined 21.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.
Barnes said she expects Reese to play about 30 minutes, often with Ware next to her on the court.
Ware’s assignment — to score, rebound and deliver at the stripe — won’t change.
“I think I’m just kind of approaching it the same way as I usually would,” she said. “Obviously, with Cate coming back, it’s going to help us a lot offensively and defensively, but I really don’t think that changes what I’m going to do from here on out.”
