Wildcats happy to have Tee Tee Starks' unmatched energy back on the court

The year’s Arizona women’s basketball squad is full of role players.

Aari McDonald is a scorer and a distributor. Cate Reese is becoming the No. 2 scorer and is a defensive rebounder. Dominique McBryde handles the bigs down low.

And Tee Tee Starks is a defensive specialist who brings an unmatched energy off the bench.

Arizona played two games — and two ranked teams — without Starks, who sat out against Stanford and Oregon State because of a concussion she suffered against Cal on Jan. 11. Arizona (13-5, 3-4 Pac-12) lost both of those games.

Starks returned for UA’s matchup with No. 5 Oregon on Sunday — a 93-60 loss — and recorded six points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes off the bench.

“With Tee Tee gone it was a really big loss, not only because of basketball. It was because of her leadership,” said UA coach Adia Barnes, whose Wildcats host USC at 7 p.m. Friday. “She was still on the bench with us but it was different. Her in the locker room, her in pre-game warmups — all those things, because she is an upperclassmen and she’s really mature. If someone is joking around she’s like ‘hey, cut it out.’ Kind of like the mama bear. So we missed that.

“Defensively she is the stopper off the bench. No doubt she is one of the best on-ball defenders on the team. So when she comes in the game it changes the rhythm. We didn’t have that, and we only had youth. Bryce (Nixon) is a freshman, Lindsey (Malecha) doesn’t have experience; so we didn’t have another experienced guard coming off the bench. ... I am glad she is back.”

And so are her teammates. They rely on Starks’ relentless mentality on the court.

“When we realized she wasn’t coming back into the game (against Cal), we looked at each other and we have to step up. We’re going to lock down on defense because Tee Tee brings amazing defense when she comes in,” said Reese, who on Monday was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. “We had to step up and be as aggressive as she is, gets stops defensively. In the Cal game we did that. ... We are glad to have her back. When she came in the Oregon game, I was happy.

Starks swarms her opponents and often leaves little space to get a shot off. She has 16 steals and countless deflections.

For Starks, it comes down to her approach and her energy.

“I think it’s a mentality thing. I’m very much a competitor and I don’t like to lose. If somebody scores on me, I have the mentality that I don’t want you to score on me again,” Starks said. “I feel like everybody has a reason why they are playing and I definitely have my inner motivations of why I am playing basketball. Right now I use that. I’m playing for not only myself, my family, my friends. I take that and bring it every day. Some of them aren’t here with me anymore, so I play for them and can bring energy for them and do everything they can’t.”

Starks’ injury came when her head hit the court after an attempt at her own rebound.

“I went up to grab my rebound and one of the bigger girls from Cal knocked me over and I hit my head. That’s all. I hit my head really hard. … It did (hurt), but I think honestly my hairdo braced some of the contact,” she said.

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Starks sat on the bench in the second half with her hands over her ears to block out the noise — sensitivity to noise is one of the symptoms of concussions.

“The noise was getting to me,” she said. “I did have headaches for a couple of days — a little bit of sensitivity to noise, to light, and just big bangs. The whistles, the band, stuff like that. After a couple of days it was fine.”

Starks, who played her first two seasons of college basketball at Iowa State, sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. While she has two years of eligibility left, she decided to reclassify this season as a senior.

It was a tough decision, but Starks has faced several injuries including hip surgery last spring, and knew it was the right time.

“Definitely a tough decision,” Starks said. “I’ve been playing basketball since second grade. So the day when you have to hang up your shoes, nobody wants it to come. I’ve kind of made my peace with it, honestly. I’m taking this last season to have fun with it. You don’t get this time back. You don’t get these moments back. So just make the most of it. That’s how I’ve gone into it. I’m happy with that and happy with the things we are doing as a team.”

Hero appreciation

Sunday’s matchup at McKale Center against UCLA is the Hero Appreciation Game, celebrating safety officers and first responders.

The Tucson Fire Department and Tucson Police Department are participating in the festivities and both are excited to be included.

“It was great to receive the invitation to celebrate the athletes, women’s basketball, and the public safety community,” said Jessica Nolte, TFD’s spokesperson.

“This is about being in the community on a regular day; for the community to see safety officers and first responders outside the arena — happy, healthy and engaging is nice,” Nolte said. “For most people, they typically engage with these folks on what is the worst day of their lives. When they lose their house in a fire or are in a bad accident. This is an opportunity to engage with the community and get to know them before that call.”

Starting at 1 p.m., fans can get a glimpse outside McKale Center of vehicles and tools the TFD and TPD use. Firefighters and police officers will be on hand to talk about their roles. They will also be honored during the game.

“It’s a chance for kids to climb on motorcycles and meet the K9 dogs,” said Margo Susco, TPD’s spokesperson. “The public gets to see officers in a light they typically don’t see them in — having fun with the community. We are really excited.”

The festivities include two five-minute, half-court scrimmages between TFD and TPD at halftime.

Rim shots

• Destiny Graham will become the latest Wildcat to attend the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s 17th annual ‘So You Want To Be A Coach’ Program, from April 3-5. Kat Wright participated last year. The WBCA has invited 61 players who have used their four-years of eligibility to participate in a three-day workshop to learn how to secure coaching positions. The workshop coincides with the WBCA convention and the Final Four in Tampa Bay.