Another day, another accolade for the 11th-ranked Arizona Wildcats.
Senior forward Sam Thomas was named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Thursday, before the Wildcats’ 60-44 Pac-12 quarterfinal win against Washington State. Thomas posted a 3.97 grade-point average as an undergraduate. While earning her master’s degree in educational leadership this year, she’s posted a perfect 4.0 GPA.
It’s been a busy week for Thomas, who on Monday earned a spot on the league’s all-defensive team for the second time in her career and made the All-Pac-12 team.
The Las Vegas native is the only player in the Pac-12 to average at least two steals and one block per game. Thomas has been knocking down 3-pointers from the corner and has added a new element to her game — driving to the hoop.
“Sam’s been aggressive,” UA coach Adia Barnes said.
“Look at how much Sam has grown. She had one Pac-12 offer when she signed here, and it was Arizona. The other school she was looking at was Michigan. No one really thought Sam would be who she is. To watch her transform, get better. To go from a post to guard now for us the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (positions) — and to be all-defensive teams (and) be All-Pac-12. No one would have thought that a couple years ago. She’s a leader in every sense of the word.”
Thomas and fellow senior Aari McDonald will be relied on even more during the postseason.
“(Sam) and Aari have to lead us, and they have all year. We wouldn’t be (seeded) No. 2 in the Pac-12 if they wouldn’t have done that,” Barnes said. “It’s more important now to even step their level up, which they have. It’s funny, I know where their minds are — we have a group text and they will side text me something or ‘Did you see this?’ It’s funny. I know they’re in the moment. I know they’re hungry to win. And I just can’t wait to watch it.”
Rites of spring
Third-seeded UCLA isn’t changing up any of its routines for postseason. Coach Cori Close walks before the game, while Charisma Osbourne does a TikTok. Then there’s All-American Michaela Onyenwere, who dances while the pre-game hype video plays on the Jumbotron.
“My first reaction was to be like, ‘focus up, come on.’ Then she would just come out there and was focused every time and she kick people’s butts,” Close said of Onyenwere. “There you go, OK. … The reality is that … one of the things we try to teach them is that you have to find a way. Do you need to get more hyped? Do you need to be more calm? Do you need to make a TikTok? Or do you need to take a nap? Whatever that is, to find your routine and be responsible to get yourself ready to play your best for the sake of the team.
“Actually, Michaela has taught me a lot because as I watched that, that was obviously good for her because she is very uptight naturally before a game, but that sort of loosened her up, had some fun and made her smile and actually made her play better. I’m OK with whatever their ritual is, or non-ritual, as long as they’re responsible to get themselves ready.”
UCLA could end up facing Arizona in Friday’s Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.
The grind
The pandemic has hit everyone hard this season. The mental toll it’s taken on players, coaches and staff is immense.
USC coach Mark Trakh commented on the ups and downs and how difficult the season has been.
“We test like eight times a week and they’re isolated and they haven’t seen their families in a long time. It wears on you,” he said. “Little problems become big problems because they’re so tired and everything else.”
Utah canceled Sunday’s regular-season finale because of a positive COVID-19 test. The Utes were cleared to play in Wednesday’s Pac-12 Tournament opener, where they lost 57-48 to Washington State.
Utah’s Bryanna Maxwell shared what it was like dealing with COVID-19 protocols.
“Yeah, it’s no joke,” the sophomore guard said. “When you hear about student-athletes having to deal with this stuff, it’s not dramatized. It’s for real. I don’t know one team or person on a team that wasn’t affected by this pandemic.
“I think just everyone since (last) March is mentally drained, emotionally drained. You have the constant fear of the unknown. Can we practice today? Are we working today? You’re worrying about all these classes you’re studying for after practice … when you have to do it consistently day in, day out, it definitely takes a toll on you mentally and physically.”
Oregon State’s Aleah Goodman, left, and Talia Von Oelhoffen celebrate after defeating Oregon in an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Rim shots
- Pacific Premier Bank is donating $100 to two social justice organizations — the National Urban League and the United Negro College Fund — for each 3-pointer made in both the Pac-12’s women’s and the men’s tournaments. Wednesday’s total was $5,400.
- Oregon State defeated rival Oregon on Thursday to move onto the semifinals. OSU, which has won five straight games, paused twice this season with COVID-19 cases.
“Did we see ourselves in the Pac-12 semifinal a month ago? You know, the obvious answer would have been no. We were so disjointed at the time,” said OSU coach Scott Rueck. “Our season had been so frustrating without games that it was hard to envision what the potential of this team could be, because we hadn’t had a chance to really experience it. I think somebody told me yesterday that this is the second time all year that we’ve played five consecutive games, and this is the most we’ve played in a row. We’re hopeful that we can tip off tomorrow in the semifinal and that game gets the green light. That will be new for us, six games in a row.”
