11/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
By W.G. Ramirez
Special to UNLVRebels.com
Last season, the UNLV Lady Rebels had two seniors who the team could count on.
This year, with Alana Cesarz and Danielle Miller graduated and playing professionally overseas, the roster is much more balanced with a slew of talent that could step up on any given night for offensive production.
Back to help balance that talent is sophomore point guard Nikki Wheatley, who coach Kathy Olivier knows will be an extension of her staff on the floor.
"She played a lot of minutes for us last year," Olivier said. "She plays the point guard spot and she is the coach of the floor. Nikki also has to be the one who sets the tone defensively. Our defense is going to create some of our offense, and she's got to be the one that's making sure that everyone is getting touches and everyone is getting a feel for the basketball on the offensive end."
If Monday's exhibition win over Alaska Anchorage is an indicator of how Wheatley will attack her role this season for the Lady Rebels, Olivier has every reason to be optimistic.
Over 33 minutes, Wheatley scored 13 points, shot 7 for 10 from the free throw line, grabbed seven rebounds and had one assist. That final number will obviously need to be better, as the point guard, but to her defense, the team also has Brooke Johnson and Dakota Gonzalez to run the point, and each had five assists in the 84-75 win over the Seawolves.
But with Wheatley, it's more than passing the rock, or setting up the offense. It's her presence, and demeanor. It's the way she carries herself, and the ability to shine and lead by the way she executes on the court. Standing a mere 5-foot-6, the La Verne, Calif., plays much larger in stature.
"She is a hard worker, so she kind of leads by example," Olivier said. "She is very unselfish ... she has crazy, athletic ability. She just has a gift. Don't tell her she's 5'6, cause she'll outrebound someone who is 6'2.
"(Against Anchorage) Nikki was pushing the ball up, she got rebounds, she shared the ball and moved the ball and that's what point guards need to do. She found the players who were open and we got some clean looks."
That's something Wheatley is looking forward to most this season, is the number of players she can turn to, and already being familiar with their nuances. She's played club ball for years with Johnson, she's shared the court with Gonzalez, and her twin Dylan, for two years and spent the last nine months bonding with the rest of her teammates.
"Everyone is going to have different jobs," said Wheatley, who became the first Lady Rebel to earn Mountain West all-Freshman honors after averaging 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season. "There's going to be a whole different flow to it, so we're going to be a lot harder to guard. We have multiple players who can produce. One night it could be me and Brooke in double figures, another night it could be the twins and on any given night, one of the team's freshmen might step up."
Wheatley knows her role for this season, and understands the areas she needs to improve in order for the Lady Rebels to succeed, and make a run at the Mountain West regular-season title. Whether it's driving the paint, executing the drive-and-kick scheme, setting up plays or hitting spot-up jumpers, she is prepared for the challenge because of the way the team has come together during preseason.
"Our chemistry is going to be really good this year," Wheatley said. "Because of injuries and since we are down a couple players, during practice we get way more reps. We're playing together constantly. I've been able to play with literally everyone on the team, so I have that connection with everyone on the roster. I do feel like we have better connections on the floor this year."
And that makes for a great underdog story, if the Lady Rebels - picked fifth in the preseason poll - can stay healthy and maintain that bond.
"I think we're totally being underestimated, but I think that's fair because people haven't seen us play together," Wheatley said. "I think they're underestimating us individually, but when we come together we're definitely going to surprise some people. But I like to be underestimated, so that's good."
Wheatley and the Lady Rebels open their 2015-16 season Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Center against Southern Utah, at 3 p.m.
