The year鈥檚 蜜柚直播 women鈥檚 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.
蜜柚直播 played two games 鈥 and two ranked teams 鈥 without Starks, who sat out against Stanford and Oregon State because of a concussion she suffered against Cal on Jan. 11. 蜜柚直播 (13-5, 3-4 Pac-12) lost both of those games.
Starks returned for UA鈥檚 matchup with No. 5 Oregon on Sunday 鈥 a 93-60 loss 鈥 and recorded six points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes off the bench.
鈥淲ith Tee Tee gone it was a really big loss, not only because of basketball. It was because of her leadership,鈥 said UA coach Adia Barnes, whose Wildcats host USC at 7 p.m. Friday. 鈥淪he was still on the bench with us but it was different. Her in the locker room, her in pre-game warmups 鈥 all those things, because she is an upperclassmen and she鈥檚 really mature. If someone is joking around she鈥檚 like 鈥榟ey, cut it out.鈥 Kind of like the mama bear. So we missed that.
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鈥淒efensively 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鈥檛 have that, and we only had youth. Bryce (Nixon) is a freshman, Lindsey (Malecha) doesn鈥檛 have experience; so we didn鈥檛 have another experienced guard coming off the bench. ... I am glad she is back.鈥
And so are her teammates. They rely on Starks鈥 relentless mentality on the court.
鈥淲hen we realized she wasn鈥檛 coming back into the game (against Cal), we looked at each other and we have to step up. We鈥檙e going to lock down on defense because Tee Tee brings amazing defense when she comes in,鈥 said Reese, who on Monday was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. 鈥淲e 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.
Teammates rave about 蜜柚直播 forward Tee Tee Starks鈥 defense off the bench. 鈥淣o doubt she is one of the best on-ball defenders on the team,鈥 UA coach Adia Barnes said.
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.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a mentality thing. I鈥檓 very much a competitor and I don鈥檛 like to lose. If somebody scores on me, I have the mentality that I don鈥檛 want you to score on me again,鈥 Starks said. 鈥淚 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鈥檓 playing for not only myself, my family, my friends. I take that and bring it every day. Some of them aren鈥檛 here with me anymore, so I play for them and can bring energy for them and do everything they can鈥檛.鈥
Starks鈥 injury came when her head hit the court after an attempt at her own rebound.
鈥淚 went up to grab my rebound and one of the bigger girls from Cal knocked me over and I hit my head. That鈥檚 all. I hit my head really hard. 鈥 It did (hurt), but I think honestly my hairdo braced some of the contact,鈥 she said.
Starks sat on the bench in the second half with her hands over her ears to block out the noise 鈥 sensitivity to noise is one of the symptoms of concussions.
鈥淭he noise was getting to me,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 did have headaches for a couple of days 鈥 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.鈥
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.
鈥淒efinitely a tough decision,鈥 Starks said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been playing basketball since second grade. So the day when you have to hang up your shoes, nobody wants it to come. I鈥檝e kind of made my peace with it, honestly. I鈥檓 taking this last season to have fun with it. You don鈥檛 get this time back. You don鈥檛 get these moments back. So just make the most of it. That鈥檚 how I鈥檝e gone into it. I鈥檓 happy with that and happy with the things we are doing as a team.鈥
Hero appreciation
Sunday鈥檚 matchup at McKale Center against UCLA is the Hero Appreciation Game, celebrating safety officers and first responders.
The 蜜柚直播 Fire Department and 蜜柚直播 Police Department are participating in the festivities and both are excited to be included.
鈥淚t was great to receive the invitation to celebrate the athletes, women鈥檚 basketball, and the public safety community,鈥 said Jessica Nolte, TFD鈥檚 spokesperson.
鈥淭his is about being in the community on a regular day; for the community to see safety officers and first responders outside the arena 鈥 happy, healthy and engaging is nice,鈥 Nolte said. 鈥淔or 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.鈥
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance for kids to climb on motorcycles and meet the K9 dogs,鈥 said Margo Susco, TPD鈥檚 spokesperson. 鈥淭he public gets to see officers in a light they typically don鈥檛 see them in 鈥 having fun with the community. We are really excited.鈥
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鈥檚 Basketball Coaches Association鈥檚 17th annual 鈥楽o You Want To Be A Coach鈥 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.
