Practice, practice, practice.
Cate Reese was getting extra reps Saturday afternoon.
Her teammates were already in the locker room getting showered and dressed for the customary team dinner the night before a game.
Reese would be the last one ready. And it’s fitting.
As a McDonald’s All-American, Reese came to UA with more hype around her than any freshman in program history. That hype included lofty goals and expectations. She’s been putting in the extra work — and it’s paying off.
In a season where Reese has showed plenty of highlight reel moments, she’s also been a consistent force in the postseason.
During the Wildcats’ WNIT run, Reese put up a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) against Idaho State, added 16 points against Pacific and 14 against Idaho.
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Reese became the only UA player to win Pac-12 freshman of the week honors — and she did it three times. Against Idaho State, she became the first freshman in school history to score 20 points in a postseason game and the first freshman since Shawntinice Polk to have a double-double in her first-career postseason game.
“She’s just playing with a different sense of urgency. She’s more aggressive,†UA coach Adia Barnes said. “She’s playing more physical; I think she’s finishing better. I think she’s ramped it up. At the end of the season and in the Pac-12 Tournament we’ve played against dominant players and I think that’s made her even hungrier.â€
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ (21-13) hosts Wyoming (25-8) at 2 p.m. Sunday at McKale Center in the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
Pac-12 broadcaster Cindy Brunson called ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ games this season and enjoyed watching Reese’s development — especially in the WNIT.
“What surprises me most about Cate Reese is that she looks like a Barbie doll, but she is tough as nails. She wants the basketball more than the opposition nine times out of 10, and that’s why you are seeing her have success in the WNIT, in particular,†said Brunson.
“She has taken her lumps. I’ve had her throughout Pac-12 play and after a couple of really dicey games I asked her ‘what’s the deal? What is surprising you?’ She said these athletes are so much bigger, faster and stronger than I thought.’ … She has taken that, embraced it and gotten better as a result.â€
With a season of experience in the Pac-12 under her belt — facing opponents like Oregon’s Ruthy Hebard and Cal’s Kristine Anigwe, among others — Reese has gained a lot of confidence.
“I see that if I can guard them and score against them, I can go against almost anyone. I think that’s helped me,†said Reese. “I’m undersized and I think sometimes that helps. If I’m faster than my opponent, you have to play to whatever you know and play against your opponents’ flaws. If they are shorter than me, obviously bringing it to them in the post, but if they are taller, bringing it out.â€
At 6 feet 2 inches, Reese is considered “undersized†as a post player. Not long ago, Barnes was an undersized post — at 5-10.
“(Reese) is undersized in strength and in height a little bit. Now, the game has changed so much,†said Barnes. “When I was playing, actually, I was playing against 6-4, 6-5 players. But now the difference is there is a lot more versatility. So a player like Cate’s height is usually stepping out and shooting the 3. That’s how Cate’s game will evolve. Like a (Utah’s) Megan Huff. I see Cate being like that.â€
Reese is ready for Wyoming and the latest in a string of big games.
“We fight hard and that’s one of the reasons we win our games. We all go out on the floor and are ready to fight to win — getting the rebounds and the 50-50 balls. I think that helps us. Getting to the WNIT shows how much we’ve improved; shows how much harder we’ve worked.â€
A little diversion before UA softball
Brunson was in town this weekend to call the UA vs. ASU softball games at Hillenbrand Stadium, but couldn’t help catching basketball practice Saturday.
Brunson was on the call when ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ upset ASU in the Pac-12 opener at McKale Center this season. She is excited about the Wildcats’ WNIT run.
“I am over the moon. I saw this potential in the first Territorial Cup game against ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State when this Wildcats team punched that Sun Devils team in the nose and never backed down,†she said. “It was on that day that I realized, ‘I think I am looking at an NCAA Tournament team and if not, a WNIT team.’â€
What does Brunson think of Barnes making it to the postseason in the third year of a rebuild?
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic and so unexpected,†she said. “In Year 3 we always say as broadcasters and analysts, you can start to see what you think the coach’s vision might be for down the road. And it happened so quickly (here). … And it really gets you excited for what Year 4, 5 and 6 are going to be, because Adia does not like to lose. … She likes to win more than anything and hates to lose. I think she would give up breathing to stop losing.
“She is one of the toughest competitors and her team feeds off that. She wants it so bad for them and they, in turn, want it for her.â€
A special run for Barnes
These are Barnes’ first postseason wins as a head coach. The players make it even more special.
“It means a lot because they are players I want to coach. They are players I wanted in the recruiting process, players that we always say are ‘uniquely chosen,’†Barnes said.
“If you look at our team last year, they all saw that it was possible for us to be great. And they believed it; they came and were a part of that. I think that’s even more special. It’s kind of, like, why I chose ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. We weren’t that great when I came (as a player), but I wanted to play right away and I wanted to be part of something special.â€