Wildcats Helena Pueyo, Esmery Martinez eagerly wait for call during WNBA Draft

Esmery Martinez and Helena Pueyo are exactly where they wanted to be all along — on the cusp of possibly hearing their names called in Monday night’s WNBA Draft.

“I’m excited for it, but I am really nervous because I know there are a lot of amazing players — especially this year, my age,” Pueyo said.

Both players turned down professional international contracts over the last year to finish up their fifth years at Arizona.

Since the Wildcats’ season ended in the NCAA Tournament three weeks ago, they’ve kept their routines of lifting and training. Martinez has put specific focus on her shot and ball handling; Pueyo her quickness and refining the little details.

And even if they don’t hear their names during ESPN’s telecast, UA coach Adia Barnes thinks they are likely to get a training camp contract.

That’s how former Wildcat Sam Thomas ended up in the WNBA; she earned a spot on the Phoenix Mercury — a rare feat for an undrafted player — and played one full season.

The WNBA is an extremely difficult league to make; there are currently 12 teams, translating to 144 total roster spots. And the league’s salary cap means most teams don’t fill all 12 of their roster spaces, bringing down the league total to 133 or so.

Even those drafted don’t always make the league. Of the 36 draftees in each of the two years, only 15 each have made an opening-day roster. In 2021, the year that former Arizona standout Aari McDonald was the No. 3 overall pick, only eight players made the league.

“I’m excited because I might have the opportunity to be in it,” Pueyo said. “But if not, I’m just trying to go to a training camp. And if not, I tried. I guess I am just excited to see.”

Stepping up at the right time

Pueyo’s draft stock soared over the last two months of the season. One of the most unselfish Wildcats as a typically pass-first player, Pueyo’s added offense erupted down the stretch this season as the UA clawed its way into a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“I’ve never seen anyone do this so dramatically, as she has the last couple months of the season — have really asserted herself offensively, defensively. I mean, basically she hardly ever came out maybe a minute or two, maybe,” Former UA coach and broadcast analyst Joan Bonvicini said.

“But the leadership part — I knew (the UA players) like her, but it was the game at Cal when she got hit and went down,” Bonvicini said. “Everyone panicked and ran to her and because I think they respect her so much. It’s a great quality. She’s a really nice kid. She’s a great, great teammate, which is to me the ultimate compliment. But if you’re going to be a pro, you got to be more than that and she is. I think she’s shown a lot more of what she’s capable of doing. She’s going to make any team she plays for — whether it’s on a WNBA team or a team overseas — she’s going to make that team better.”

There have been so many moments that stand out for Pueyo, but the ones that stand out to ESPN analyst Andraya Carter: Stanford and USC (twice).

“I want to say she had two games with five steals back-to-back,” Carter said. “You’re like, ‘OK, yes, and she can also score like she’s in double figures, but she’s also making passes.’ She’s obviously also making plays on the defensive end. I think that Helena — definitely her stock rose as just being an all-around player. Someone that can come in the game and do things, whatever her team needs — making the right pass, active on defense, or scoring.

“I’ve always liked Helena’s game. Those are just some that really stand out to me. I think in that overtime game against USC she had 20 points, nine rebounds. She’s super active and has the ability to score.”

WNBA scouts have long had an eye on Pueyo as mainly a defensive player (she owns UA’s career steals mark with 312). But Pueyo averaged more than 16 points over the Wildcats’ last 10 games, leading scouts, Barnes said, to see a different side of the Palma, Spain, native.

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“I think it was more like that mindset, that confidence to ‘OK, I need I need to do this. I need to be more aggressive, and I need to look more for my shot,’” Pueyo said. “I think these last two, three months, it was really key for me for the next level.

“Hopefully I showed people who I am I like what I’m able to do.”

Getting national notice

Scouts had their eye on Martinez before Arizona’s Bay Area road trip in February, but they were watching even more closely after those performances. She put up 37 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists in leading the Wildcats to a sweep of No. 3 Stanford and Cal, and earning Player of the Week honors from the Pac-12 and nationally from the Associated Press.

Bonvinci said that three qualities Martinez has that will serve her well as a professional are her versatility, competitiveness and defense.

“She’s a serious competitor. She’s a winner,” Bonvicini said. “I mentioned her versatility she can go post up or she could do the mid-range or she can shoot the three. She could score inside or out.”

Martinez was the only active NCAA Division I player to score 1,500 points, pull down 1,200 rebounds, dish 200 assists, pick 200 steals and have 100 blocks in her career.

For Martinez, the extra year was also a game-changer both on and off the court.

“I think I grew up a lot,” Martinez said. “The staff, they made me feel like a family and they helped me to become who I am right now.”

Bonvicini added that her game on the court has “matured and evolved.”

“She’s definitely more versatile,” Bonvicini said. “Last year she was more of an interior player. This year she showed her three points strength. I think she’s a very good passer. She’s smart and unselfish. I think her ball handling is good. … I think she became a better defender this year.”

Martinez came to the United States when she was 17 years old.

“It feels special,” Martinez said, excited about her professional career whether its in the WNBA or internationally. “I’m proud and glad because I came so far from DR (Dominican Republic). I’m the only one in my family with a degree. I’m just proud for how far I’ve been how hard I’ve working. I hope life gets better in the next couple of years.

“I have an opportunity that can help people back home. It’s really important for me to achieve my goal. It’s different in the United States than in the Dominican Republic. It was hard, but at the same time nothing is easy in life. I’ve got to keep working hard for what I want.”