Transfer Courtney Blakely fits right in as Wildcats' next defensive stopper, 'total-package kid'

Courtney Blakely is quick to tell you her favorite part of the game: defense.

It doesn’t take long to see why she’s a Wildcat. After all, Arizona’s system is based on tenacious play on that side of the court.

But the thing about Blakely is that she’s not only in Tucson because of her defense.

She’s what UA coach Adia Barnes has called a “total package kid.” That is, someone who excels at a lot of things — on and off the court.

You name it, Blakely has it covered.

Good in the classroom? Check.

Versatile enough to play point and shooting guards? Check.

Defensive stopper? Check.

Coachable? Check.

Team-first mentality? Check.

Great body language? Check.

All about the culture? Check.

A leader? Check.

Speedy? Check.

All things that Barnes likes. So much so that when the point guard put her name in the transfer portal last spring out of Middle Tennessee State, Barnes jumped at the opportunity to coach her.

“(Barnes) was the first coach to actually get my number and call my phone and say, ‘Hey, we want you here,’” Blakely said.

“That’s what was the first thing that really drew me — this coach, actually the head coach of the entire university, called and said, ‘Listen, we want you to come here.’”

But there was much, much more to Blakely becoming a Wildcat than just Barnes being first. Although, it should be noted that there have been many times Barnes has identified talent faster than other coaches, including former UA standout Aari McDonald, and freshmen Breya Cunningham and Montaya Dew.

Blakely was one of the millions across the country who watched what she called Arizona’s “legendary run” in 2021 all the way to the national championship game.

She also watched closely as McDonald exploded on the national scene. While there are some similarities in the games of McDonald and Blakely — playing both guard positions, athletic on defensive and fast — it was how the former UA star grew in this program that really stood out to Blakely.

“Coach Adia really cultivated her game and used her in every aspect,” Blakely said. “Aari opened up with more mid-range and shooting the three from far. I watched that and watched her and that was really inspiring to me. So that’s a coach I wanted to play under — someone who would take the time and invest into me.”

Role models up close

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The 5-foot-8 junior was also drawn to Barnes as a role model for using her platform to advocate for women. Whether it’s sharing her experiences as a working mom or her continuing work with Nike in helping to design clothes for pregnant women.

Growing up, Blakely didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Her mom, Angela (Hamblin), played at Iowa (All-Big 10) and in the WNBA (Detroit Shock). There is a bit of a connection between Barnes and Angela. They both played in the Kodak All-American game (precursor to McDonald’s All-American) and were in the WNBA at the same time.

Angela is an assistant coach at Hammond, Indiana’s Bishop Noll — where Courtney attended and now her younger sister, Kennedy, plays.

In high school, Courtney was Bishop Noll’s all-time leading scorer (girls or boys) with 2,324 points and led her team to three conference championships and two sectional championships. She averaged 23 points, four assists, four rebounds and four steals per game.

While her mom never pushed her to follow in her footsteps, the first time Courtney held a basketball is well documented in a photo she carries with her. She is also wearing her mom’s WNBA jersey.

With Blakely playing at a Power 5 school, Angela still isn’t that basketball mom and is the one Courtney leans on for good, solid advice.

“She always keeps me grounded,” Blakely said of her mom. “(She always tells me) ‘You need to live in the moment and you need to realize you know what you have in front of you, and you need to be grateful for it.’”

Angela was ahead of the curve when it came to talking about mental health, which is a big topic in women’s basketball and sports in general these days. She has guided her daughter in knowing that “lt’s OK to not be OK.”

“For her to teach me that at such a young age, it helped me with my game because I know, ‘OK, I need to take a break, I need to step back.’ Or ‘This is a time where you need to really lock down lock in and focus on what you’re doing.’ That was really important coming from her,” Blakely said.

Blakely isn’t quite sure where her leadership skills come from — it might just be from being the older sister — but she isn’t afraid to pull aside a teammate, whether it’s a freshman or a fifth-year senior to give them a tip. As the relationships grow with her teammates, it’s becoming a little easier knowing when to lead by example and when to speak up.

Team-first

It also helps that this squad — especially her guard group — brings the energy each day and pushes each other.

“You don’t have just a bunch of selfish players out there who are just looking out for themselves, you’ve got teammates. Like, ‘Let’s make this shot’ or ‘Let’s get to it.’ I really respect that and appreciate it. I love my teammates.” Blakely said.

Blakely knows exactly what it’s like to be a team player.

Last season at Middle Tennessee State, she played in 31 games but started only 10 as she shared point guard duties. She averaged 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game and shot 43% from the field.

At Arizona, Blakley said her team-first mentality will really show on the defensive end — especially with the extra intensity that the Wildcats play with on that side of the court.

“Although I get tired sometimes, I know that my teammates need me, and that’s what motivates me,” Blakely said. “I’m playing for my teammates more on the defensive side. That’s what I think about when I’m playing defense.

“I’m not gonna lie to you. I really love defense. I take pride in my defense and take pride in creating opportunities for steals for other people, or I like to sneak away when the ball goes down to the post. I like to sneak away a jab at the post players because I’m so quick. …

“The only difference (at Arizona) is that I feel like I am getting closer to the person because (the coaches) want to pressure the ball. (The coaches) want to make sure that the person that is dribbling can’t look and see or initiate offense or get their mind set on something. You always want to be jabbing at them, making them think and making them move.”

Rim shots

While speed comes naturally to Blakely, she still works on it. She said one of the keys is “to look down.”

“If you look up or if you are looking everywhere else you slow yourself down. The key is to focus on running,” Blakely said.