It’s the end of basketball practice, and the Arizona Wildcats have one job: Box out and fight a teammate for a rebound.
The intensity of the recent drill increases when two sets of teammates face each other. They battle and scrap against each other, every time.
This isn’t anything new. It happens every day in practice when Aarion McDonald faces Marlee Kyles and Dominique McBryde squares off against Sam Thomas.
For McDonald and McBryde, each possession in practice is their game. Both players are sitting out this season due to transfer rules.
And while they won’t see the floor this year, the players’ presence — in practice, the weight room and on the bench at home games — is impacting the young Wildcats, making them stronger and smarter.
“Dom has been through it, playing at Purdue for two years,” said Thomas, who will lead the Wildcats (4-11, 0-4) as they play on the road against No. 8 Oregon (15-2, 4-0) Friday night. “She gives me insights and the little tips that help my game. She knows how to use her feet, she comes off the pick-and-roll with the right footwork and I have to get around her and find a way to stop her. Against Cal we played the 2-3 zone and she would try to seal me in the low post like (Kristine) Anigwe. So in the game I was ready for it and could get the steal.
“As a freshman you know people are hard on you. At first I thought ‘OK, Dom is making me earn my stripes,’ but then I realized she’s trying to make me better and she’s doing that for everyone.”
Kyles, who will be returning to the court against Oregon after sitting out the last three games with a concussion, says McDonald has improved her game.
“She gives me confidence, makes me a better ball handler, her pressure makes me think more, and makes me a better passer,” Kyles said. “From her experience, (McDonald) tells me players’ tendencies — like ‘She likes to pull up’ — to help me work on my game when I play them.”
The 5-foot-7-inch McDonald was an All-Pac-12 freshman selection last year at Washington. She finished the season third on the team in points, behind stars Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. McBryde, a 6-2 forward, was named to the honorable mention All-Big Ten team as a sophomore at Purdue. She shot 49 percent from the field and grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game.
It was tough for both players to adjust to their new roles. McBryde even cried at the first home game when she wasn’t able to put on the UA jersey. However, they have embraced this season and are putting in work to help make their teammates and themselves better.
“Sometimes I think, ‘What if I were out there?’ But I’ve grown as a person; I am more selfless,” said McBryde. “As the season progresses, I am really enjoying helping them. With Aari and me, we bring the work ethic and mental toughness. Now, they are pushing through and not giving up. They do a good job at listening and hearing my feedback.
“Sam can do a lot. For me, playing her tough on defense is making her more prepared for games. Since we don’t have a lot of post players I try doing different moves. Knowing I can shoot 15-footers and players in the Pac-12 can do that, too, helps them adjust. And being more physical down low — in the Big Ten they are more physical and even more physical than I am — helps them.”
Both pairs are friends off the court, when they aren’t fighting each other on rebounds or blocking lanes. When Thomas does something great, McBryde jokes “Meet Sam Thomas, 4.0 student.” (Thomas has a 4.0 average as a freshman.) Kyles and McDonald watch games and film together.
McDonald said she feels that she has a piece of the Wildcats’ success this season; that’s why she pushes her teammates so hard.
“When other teammates say ‘Aari, please, please,’ but I get them,” McDonald laughed. “My mindset is that I have to share what I have and my experience with Marlee to make her better. She already has a killer mentality. I want to instill in her that she can be a dog on the court. I have no mercy on Marlee. No breaks.”
