Wednesday, November 27, 1996
W. HOOPS:
This season's team features young, fresh talent, with only one returning starterBy A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
After last season ended and after coming off of her third year as captain of the ship that is UCLA women's basketball, head coach Kathy Olivier expected to have a strong team this year.
With three returning starters, Olivier and the Bruins hoped to greatly improve upon last season's 13-14 record. She expected to build the future of the program around a veteran foundation.
What the coach did not expect was to lose her starting backcourt before the 1996-97 season even started.
But she did.
Standout senior guard Nickey Hilbert chose to forego her final season of eligibility in order to begin graduate school, and super sophomore point guard Erica Gomez has to sit out the entire season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. As a result, only junior Tawana Grimes returns as a starter.
"We miss Erica's confidence and Nickey's quickness," Olivier said. "But we still have Tawana's great leadership, (so) we're going to be alright."
The current task now for Olivier and her staff, is to get this engine pumping while dealing with the loss of Hilbert and Gomez's combined 28.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 6 rebounds per game.
Compounding that hardship, UCLA will be starting four freshmen. The Bruins (1-0) are younger and deeper than they were last year, but not as deep as they would be had last season's starting guards returned.
"As far as the new ones go, we have a lot of talent," Olivier said. "And I'd rather be talented without experience, than experienced without talent."
There are plenty of newcomers to watch. Starting power forward Maylana Martin, point guard Melanie Pearson, small forward Marie Philman, and centers Carly Funicello and Janae Hubbard, are all freshmen.
"(Martin) possesses the size, quickness, ball-handling ability, scoring range, and competitive fire to be a truly special player," Olivier said. Martin played this summer with the USA Junior National Team, averaging 7.4 points and five rebounds.
Pearson will have big shoes to fill in the absence of Gomez, but her coaches feel she will step up to the challenge.
"We will definitely be relying on Melanie to direct the offense," Olivier said. "Her ball-handling skills are a big plus in a player of her size. A quick adjustment to the college game would not be a surprise."
Funicello looks to fill the void left by departed-senior Kisa Hughes at center. Funicello was an All-State selection her last two years of high school and was named the L.A. Times' San Fernando Player of the Year.
"Carly is a player who will come ready to play each day with a competitive fire that will not accept 'no' for an answer," Olivier said. "Our strength in the post will rest with Maylana, Carly, Carla, and Janae."
Carla Houser, a transfer from James Madison University, is a shot-blocking threat who looks to throw the opponents' timing off. Her 12 blocks at JMU set a freshman school record.
"Carla adds frontcourt experience ... and will be a perfect complimentary player inside to some of our newcomers," Olivier said.
Hubbard possesses a soft shooting touch and has the ability to physically dominate on the inside.
"Janae has a tremendous amount of talent," Olivier said. "I expect her to be an immediate and major contributor."
Philman, who totaled 2,186 points and 1,154 rebounds through her high school career (school records), was an All-State selection last season and was chosen the Orange County Register's Player of the Year and overall Athlete of the Year.
"She has a physicalness to her game which I like. Marie is a flat-out, get-it-done kind of player," Olivier said.
But the freshmen aren't the only stories.
Grimes, with 77 steals last year (and 130 over the past two seasons), is on pace to take over second place on UCLA's all-time list. Grimes also contributed 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest while amassing 99 assists on the season. Grimes and Aisha Veasley give the Bruins a 1-2 punch on defense.
Veasley, with her quickness and athleticism, usually makes her presence felt as soon as she enters the game. In addition to her 5.8 points in 19 minutes last season, Veasley also grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Laura Tomich and juniors Veasley and Jamie Oenning are the veteran reserves.
After red-shirting last season, Takiyah Jackson and Carla Houser will see their first action in Bruin uniforms this season.
"Takiyah is a very flashy player," assistant coach Willette White said. "She has an incredible amount of moves and is a crowd pleaser. "We're excited about her."
Oenning figures to add depth to the Bruin backcourt this season, as does Tomich. Tomich is a three-point threat, as she shoots 40 percent from behind the arc last season. Oenning gives the Bruins a strong presence from the free throw line, with her shooting 80 percent last season. They both look to give Jackson and Pearson a lot of help off the bench.
Preparation for a tough Pacific 10 schedule, through "a beefed-up non-conference schedule" begins this Saturday, according to Olivier.
On Friday, the Bruins take on 11th-ranked Texas Tech (2-0) and then Western Kentucky and New Orleans in the (Pac-10) Challenge.
"These games will really give us a good indication of where we are as a team," Tomich said. "We play well and we have a lot of talent on this team. We've just got to bring it all together by (NCAA) tournament time."
Just because Gomez is out for the season, that does not mean she's not still an asset to the team.
"Erica brings us confidence," Olivier said. "Just having her around makes everyone feel better. And as a team, we're only going to get better and better."