Spectators at Pauley Pavilion taking in a women’s basketball game this season will undoubtedly notice one thing: These are not your mother’s UCLA Bruins. Fans are in for a fresh surprise as new head coach Nikki Caldwell looks to lead a long-stagnant program back to national prominence.
“The bar is raised,” Caldwell said simply of her team’s expectations.
Caldwell, who will officially begin her first season as a head coach on Sunday, comes to Westwood from the University of Tennessee, where the assistant coach helped guide the powerhouse Volunteers to back-to-back National Championships in 2007 and 2008. Her new team is one that struggled throughout much of longtime head coach Kathy Olivier’s final year at the helm, but one that hopes to improve with a breve of returning players. “I’m very pleased by where we’re at right now,” Caldwell said. “Our team philosophy has been that of unity. We’re going to play hard and play smart.”
With a new head coach in charge, changes were expected, and no one has disappointed so far. Practices have an increased intensity, and the Bruins are hoping to implement a more up-tempo style of play on both sides of the floor. One holdover from the last year of the Olivier era, however, is an increased emphasis on the team’s defensive improvement.
“We want to run this basketball,” Caldwell said. “We will be known as a team that gets after you defensively, extending our defense 94 feet.”
Senior guard Tierra Henderson, who is perhaps the team’s best one-on-one defender, will be looked to as a leader in stopping opposing offenses. It is a role she relishes.
“A lot of my teammates look to me as the defensive leader,” Henderson said. “That is my main strength. I embraced the role, and I like it a lot.”
While Caldwell hopes to improve in specific aspects of the game, it is her overall coaching philosophy that has provided a refreshing outlook for the core group of returning veterans. Junior Erica Tukiainen, who alternated between starts and substitutions a year ago, believes that her new coach will have an immediate and profound impact on UCLA women’s basketball.
“I think one of the first things you’ll see about our team is discipline, both on and off the court,” Tukiainen said. “That has been the first step in bringing us together mentally, which will bring us together on the court.”
Strategically, Caldwell is looking to reshape a team that consistently struggled to put the ball in the hoop on its way to a 16-15 finish, good enough for fifth in the Pac-10 conference. According to Caldwell, it all starts with the basics.
“On the court, it’s actually pretty basic basketball,” Tukiainen said. “We understand the different reads, work on fundamentals and start playing basketball. She’s installed more of a motion offense based on reads. It’s an enlightening experience.”
The Bruins will have the benefit of experience as they return several players who have logged significant minutes in their UCLA careers. In the backcourt, the Bruins welcome back sophomore Doreena Campbell, a solid scorer and distributor that took over the point guard spot after sophomore Darxia Morris went down with a knee injury. Henderson and Tukiainen are expected to provide veteran leadership and outside shooting, while junior Moniquee Alexander, senior Chinyere Ibekwe and sophomore Christina Nzekwe hope to provide a steady paint presence. Sophomore Candice Brown can play multiple positions and will be expected to provide valuable minutes for a guard-heavy lineup.
“Our team philosophy has been that of unity,” Caldwell said. “We’re going to play hard and play smart.”
The team also welcomes two new additions, freshmen guards Antonye Nyingifa and Rebekah Gardner. The two newcomers will look to contribute in their own way to a team hoping to improve on its disappointing finish a year ago.
“The freshmen have done a good job of keeping us on pace,” Caldwell said. “I’m running Antonye at multiple positions. The more versatile you are, the more you can play. Rebekah is very smooth on the offensive end. Those two have been a bright spot in practice.”
Despite having minimal time to experience the faster pace of college basketball, the two rookies are adapting well to the rigors of the game and collegiate life.
“It’s been really different,” Nyingifa said. “High school to college is a big, dramatic change. There are some humps I need to get over, but my teammates and coaches have helped me get through.”
The coaching staff has noticed the improvement of their youngest players which has earned them high praise.
“It’s a great match,” Caldwell said of the team’s newest members. “They’ve really brought in what it means to work like a champion and having less quit in them than their opponent.”
The youngsters have also earned a place in the hearts of their veteran teammates, a fact which reflects the increased concentration on team unity under Caldwell. Apparently, having a sense of humor doesn’t hurt on this squad.
“The freshmen are goofy,” laughed Henderson. “Antonye is funny and Rebekah laughs at everything. They’re weird in their own way.”
Off the court, other changes have been made. With the help of an experienced coaching staff and great basketball pedigree, Caldwell is striving to reshape expectations for the program as a whole. Caldwell is the protegee of two women’s basketball greats ““ Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan and Tennessee’s Pat Summitt ““ and hopes to use that experience to guide the Bruins to higher achievements and gain success both on and off the basketball court.
“At the end of the day, the buck stops here,” Caldwell said, evoking the words of former President Harry Truman. “They work hard, they love being here and being part of this institution and have a sense of pride and ownership. We go to every class, sit in the first few rows.”
The players have noticed the increased attention to detail and discipline as well.
“She has her presence, and that’s what motivates us,” Tukiainen said. “She has a vision for us to compete on another level with all of the other teams here at UCLA.”
With all of the sweeping changes, many fans may expect a rocky start for a team that hasn’t tasted post-season success since their shocking run to the Pac-10 tournament title in 2006. The members of this UCLA team, however, have a different set of expectations.
“I expect us to win,” Tukiainen said. “We’ve been working so hard. We’re learning about decision-making. I’m excited. We’re going to win a lot of games.”