Team thrilled to have start date on calendar, Westbrook eyes return
The UConn women’s basketball team doesn’t quite know what the future holds. But the Huskies do know that if all goes to plan, they will kick off their season on or around Nov. 25, the start date of the college basketball season as recently determined by the NCAA.
There are a lot of logistics to figure out before then. Will fans be allowed at games? How will COVID-19 testing work? How will nonconference and conference schedules come together? But as soon as the Huskies heard the news that there will be a season after all, it was met with relief — and mounting urgency to be prepared for game play by the end of November.
“Having that date set now, you can definitely feel the energy sort of shift, like ‘Okay, it’s going to happen for sure, we know,’” Evina Westbrook said last week. “Everyone has that in the back of their minds.”
The team has already discussed the possibility that they’d have to play without fans, Westbrook said, and while that obviously isn’t ideal, the players understand why it may be necessary.
“Of course, we’d love to play with fans in a full arena, but realistically with everything going on in the world right now, there’s a good chance that it might not happen,” Westbrook said. “So we’re ready for that. We’d really just have to bring our own energy, as if we have our fans there.”
Though they are now all owed t o practice together, the Huskies still follow strict health and safety protocols, especially with the rest of the student body on campus. Christyn Williams says the players wear masks at all times in Werth Champions Center besides when they’re on the court. They are also keeping their distance from other students who may not be undergoing regular testing like they are.
“We’re doing the best we can with just trying to stay on top of everything and control things that we can control,” Olivia NelsonOdoda added. “We have a great support system, with our coaches and even training staff, academic staff’ everybody involved is here to help us and guide us through it, and I think that everybody’s just done a great job at that.”
Westbrook’s return on the horizon
Whenever Westbrook takes the court for the Huskies this season, it will be the first time since March 2019 that she’s played in a college basketball game. That moment can’t come soon enough for the redshirt junior captain.
“I don’t think it’s truly hit me yet. I’m excited as anyone just to get out there and really put on a jersey,” Westbrook said. “I think stepping out there on the court for the first time, being able to warm up with the team instead of being out there just passing or on crutches and watching, I think that’s when it’s really going to hit me like, ‘Okay, I’m here. I’m here. It’s time to play, Evina.’”
After her transfer waiver was denied at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Westbrook underwent left knee surgery at the end of December, her second knee surgery in six months, and completed her rehab in May. Westbrook said she takes things “day by day” with her knee and is still working to get back into basketball shape, but coach Geno Auriemma reiterated he’s pleased with where she is right now.
Assistant coach Shea Ralph, who tore her ACL five times before the injuries ended her playing career, has been a massive support system for Westbrook as she navigates her return to the court.
“I really just listen to my body,” Westbrook said. “Some days my knees are just like, ‘Evina, we’re just not here.’ And I’m like, ‘Listen, we’ve got a good hour and a half and then I swear, we’re going to get rest and recovery and all that type of stuff.’ I’m just making sure I’m taking care of my body before practice, after practice, before lift, after lift.
“I know I’m going to get back into shape. It’s going to come, especially when official practice starts and we’re going to be running like crazy. So just making sure I really focused on taking care of my body now because once it starts ramping up, I have to be ready.”
Insights on the freshmen
The Huskies’ six freshmen have been on campus for just over two months at this point, and their upperclassmen teammates are already seeing immense growth since they first arrived in Storrs.
“Just seeing where they were from three weeks ago has been amazing,” Westbrook said. “It’s like [being] a parent, makes you feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, you can see your kids growing.’”
The freshmen class has been praised by Auriemma and the captains as being extremely competitive and eager to learn. NelsonOdoda has also been impressed with their maturity, which is particularly crucial given all the change and uncertainty surrounding the upcoming season.
“Not only on the court, but even in school and stuff, this is completely different for them, definitely not how they expected college to be,” Nelson-Ododa said. “I’ve seen a new level of maturity since we came here.
It’s definitely exciting to see and see where they’re going to take this and how it’s going to lead into the season.”
Now that the team is able to practice together, the upperclassmen have gotten a closer look at each freshman’s game. Williams and Nelson-Ododa already see glimpses of Napheesa Collier in 6-foot-3 forward Aaliyah Edwards, who’s played for the senior Canadian national team. Between point guards Paige Bueckers, Nika Muhl and Westbrook, this UConn team may be much better at driving-and-kicking than last year’s squad, Williams said.
Williams also offered some insight on the two freshmen who were in her “pod:” 6-foot-5 forward Piath Gabriel “has a lot of work to do” learning things (like post footwork) that she didn’t know coming into UConn but is “going to be good.” The freshman has thrived with guidance from associate head coach Chris Dailey (whoworks with the bigs) and Nelson-Ododa.
As for Bueckers, the No. 1 overall player of the 2020 class and one of the most hyped recruits since Breanna Stewart? She’s already “really good.”
“She sees the floor really well,” Williams said. “Her passes are amazing, and she’s a very consistent shooter. So she’s special.”