All grown up

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior forward Cha-Ron Walker lays up an easy two against the Slovakian national team. Walker as well as her teammates have set lofty goals this season that include a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The team never won more than three games in a row and lost nine games by more than 20 points. That year, Adia Barnes, Marte Alexander, Mikko Giordano, Fatima Imara and DeAngela Minter were freshmen under head coach Joan Bonvicini and it their youth showed.

But in the two seasons since, the quintet has matured helping the Wildcats to more than double their win production. They led the team to its first NCAA Tournament last season while recording a 23-8 record, a school record. The team reversed its Pacific 10 Conference record from 6-12 to 12-6 in their careers and now those freshmen are seniors, including Cha-Ron Walker who transferred from Saddleback Community College, and they have their eyes set on toppling perennial Pac-10 champ Stanford.

"There's no doubt in our minds we can beat them," said Barnes, who is already the all-time leading scorer in UA's women's history.

And the feeling around the conference is they just might do it. Although the Cardinal, who haven't lost a Pac-10 game since the 1994-95 season, might have something to say.

"They are good no doubt about it," Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer said. "They are definitely going to give us a run for the title."

Arizona was picked second in the Pac-10 coaches poll and is the only other Pac-10 team to be ranked nationally.

Stanford is fourth while the Wildcats are ranked 14th.

Arizona returns every starter from last year with junior Monika Crank and redshirt sophomore Lisa Griffith joining Minter, Barnes and Alexander.

Barnes is arguably the best returning player in the conference, averaging 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while starting every contest of last season. Barnes also led the team in steals with 86. She is a two-time All-Pac-10 player, who at 5-foot-11 uses her slashing ability to outplay larger opponents.

Crank, or Bug as she is called by her teammates, is an unselfish hard nosed player with an all-around game.

"She doesn't need to shoot. She's going to do what's necessary to make the team successful," Bonvicini said.

Griffith comes off a tremendous freshman season as the team's starting point guard, setting Pac-10 season records for both three pointers attempted (234) and three pointers made (92). She was named to the All-Pac-10 freshman team and was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection.

Alexander, who willingly throws her 6-foot-4 frame on the floor in chase of a loose ball, led the team in rebounding last year with 7.4 per outing and contributed 2.1 steals and a block a game.

Bonvicini said she has been pleased with Alexander's development in practice so far, and that the center should experience her best year yet.

Minter is the team's defensive specialist, but wants to demonstrate that she can do more than play in-your-face ball.

"I want to prove to myself and everybody else I'm an offensive threat, that I have a complete game," she said.

Minter was third on the team in rebounds, second in steals and third in assists last year.

Giordano is Bonvicini's first weapon off the bench along with sophomore guard Felicity Willis, who often acts as a spark plug for the Wildcats with timely steals and clutch assists.

Giordano can play the small or power forward and center and offers a nice shooting touch from the perimeter.

The Wildcats open their season Sunday at 2 p.m. against defending Big West conference champions UC-Santa Barbara in the first game of a tough non-conference schedule.

Along with UCSB, the Wildcats will play Purdue (ranked 35th) at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Ind., and Texas A&M along with possible matches against Kansas (24th) and Louisiana Tech (No. 2) in Ruston, La.

All home games are free for students, and UA players and coaches hope a successful team will bring fans to the game.

"The more wins we get, the more people will jump on the bandwagon," Barnes said. "If people come to one game, they'll come back. They won't be disappointed."