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Senior Noelle Quinn and the Bruins kick off basketball in Westwood with an exhibition against Lov
New leaders take the helm for young squad
It’s a good thing the women’s basketball team starts their season today because they’re about ready to burst at the seams.
The Bruins begin play tonight at Pauley Pavilion in an exhibition game against Love & Basketball with a young roster led by senior standout Noelle Quinn and junior Lindsey Pluimer, both fresh in their new leadership positions.
“As far as the leadership role, Plum and Noelle have both been doing that and it’s been great,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “It’s really not their thing as to be vocal – they lead by example. But this year they’ve been much more vocal and really accepted the challenge. It seems like they’ve kind of embraced it.”
Last season, the Bruins lost both Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis to the WNBA and filling their shoes will be no easy task.
Willis led UCLA in steals with 115 last year and was second on the team in points per game with 17.8. Blue was the top 3-point shooter on the team, at a .418 clip from behind the arc. She also dished out 5.9 assists per game and was third on the team with 12.5 points per game. Willis was the fifth overall pick in the draft and Blue was taken 19th. They both played in every game and averaged over 33 minutes per game.
However, the Bruins will not be left punchless.
Quinn led the team last season with 18.1 points per game and was an honorable mention AP All-American. She also led the Bruins on the defensive end with 263 rebounds on the year, 65 on offense alone.
In August, she was one of 25 players named to the watch list for the State Farm Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year.
The team will look beyond the established stars and for younger players to step up into bigger roles.
One of those players that should see more minutes on the court is sophomore Chinyere Ibekwe.
While only playing in 12.4 minutes per game as a true freshman last season, the 6-foot-4-inch Ibekwe contributed 3.8 rebounds per game and 14 total blocks.
“On the court, as far as basketball goes, I think it’s gonna be a different person every game (to replace Blue and Willis),” Olivier said. “I don’t think one person can replace Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis. Those are two of the best players in the country.
“I think we have some players that are going to play major roles and we’ll have different people step into different spots throughout the season.”
Even though the game tonight is only an exhibition and does not factor into the team’s record, the squad welcomes the opportunity to play someone besides itself.
“They’re excited,” Olivier said. “You can tell that they’ve been playing against each other. It’s exciting to get to play against someone else and get a gauge on where you are as a basketball team.
“Tomorrow I’m expecting to see probably a little bit of nerves because we have a lot of young people that are going to play major roles. So along with that, I also expect to see some senior leadership and hopefully there’s a blend of returners and new players that blend into something magical for the season. That’d be great.”
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