CLAIRE C. LAURENCE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Guard Dee-Dee Wheeler attempts to knock the ball away from an opponent earlier this season. Wheeler averaged 17 points per game during a pair of wins last week in Oregon.

Name: Dee-Dee Wheeler

Year: Junior

From: Chicago (Dunbar Vocational Career Academy)

2003-04 stats: 17.4 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.4 rpg

Last week, Wheeler was instrumental in getting Arizona women's hoops its first sweep of the Oregon schools on the road in three years. A Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Week candidate, Wheeler averaged 17 points per game in wins over Oregon and Oregon State, including a game-high 22 against the Ducks.

This is Wheeler's second Athlete of the Week honor.

Wildcat: What was your reaction when you heard that USC upset Stanford?

Wheeler: I jumped out of the bed. I was laying in the bed watching ESPN, and I saw it at the bottom of the screen. I got excited at first, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't the guys. So when I saw it again, I jumped up. I'm roommates with two of my other teammates and I ran into their room and I was like, 'USC beat Stanford!' And they were like, "Quit lying." I was excited.

Wildcat: Do you guys think you can reverse the fortunes of another basketball team that we know and love and actually beat Stanford at home?

Wheeler: I definitely think we can beat Stanford at home. We beat them last year at home and they've got the same team. I think we have a better team this year. I think when Stanford comes in it is going to be a great game, and I definitely think we can come out with the victory.

Wildcat: Do you think you guys can win the Pac-10?

Wheeler: Playing the game against Stanford and playing the rest of our games on the road I definitely think will prepare us, and I definitely think we can win the Pac-10.

Wildcat: What do you think about being nominated for the Nancy Lieberman Award?

Wheeler: It's a great accomplishment. I didn't know anything about it until a previous coach who coached here called me up and told me. It's a great a reward for anyone to ever receive. It means that you're doing something good, and it only makes me want to get better and grow as a player.

Wildcat: You are listed as 5 feet 6 inches. Do you think you have had to work harder to get respect or to get people to pay attention to you in basketball because you are 5-foot-6?

Wheeler: I always say you can't look past no one. I am one of the smallest players, but I am probably the quickest player in the Pac-10. I haven't had to work harder to earn respect. I think just playing my game has said a lot for itself. I don't think I have to gain respect. Coming in as a freshman, I had to earn the respect of my coach to decide to win a starting spot. But teams in the Pac-10 definitely respect me.

Wildcat: You are from Chicago. How cool is Tucson compared to Chicago?

Wheeler: (Smiles) Yeah right. The weather is awesome. That's about all. It's a great college town. It was one of the best college towns I ever visited, which made me want to come here and play and continue on with my education. I definitely think (Tucson) is not a place where I want to live, but it's nothing compared to Chicago, if you want to go out and do things.

Wildcat: Your real name is Desire Denise?

Wheeler: Yeah.

Wildcat: Why do you prefer to go by Dee-Dee?

Wheeler: I don't prefer to go by Dee-Dee. It's just something that I have always been called since I was a little girl. I don't know who started it. I don't mind being called Desire - it's not like, 'Oh, don't call me that.'

Wildcat: OK, here are some more fun ones. If you could be on any reality show, which one would it be and why?

Wheeler: Reality show?

Wildcat: Like "Survivor," or something like that.

Wheeler: Like the "Real World" and all that? It depends on the prize. I don't think I could do "Survivor." They have to, like, get in tanks with snakes and stuff, and I can't do that. I'd like to be on "Real World" or like the "Real World Challenge," because I like a challenge. And the prize was like $150,000, and that makes you want to work for something.

Wildcat: What do you think is your weakness? I'm not trying to get all philosophical on you, just more like Starbucks, or Snickers bars, or something like that.

Wheeler: French fries. I love french fries. I will eat french fries anytime - night, day, midnight, whatever. I love french fries.

Wildcat: Is there, like a restaurant that has the best french fries?

Wheeler: That's a hard question. Which french fries do I like? Why can't I think of it? I love McDonald's french fries, but sometimes they aren't fresh. But for some reason I like the bigger french fries.

Wildcat: Are you a purist - just the french fries? Or do you have a condiment with them?

Wheeler: Hot sauce. I love hot sauce. Louisiana hot sauce. I put hot sauce on everything.

Wildcat: The FIFA president said that he thinks female soccer players should wear tighter shorts - basically Spandex - so people would pay more attention. So, do you think women's basketball should give it a try?

Wheeler: I think we would draw more fans. It was like in high school. I used to play volleyball, and we drew a lot of fans just because we wore Spandex. But I don't think we should wear Spandex.

Wildcat: Who is your Super Bowl pick?

Wheeler: I really don't follow football. But I wish it would have been Chicago. The Chicago Bears (putting her head on the table in despair).

Wildcat: I read that you were recruited by Division I schools for softball. What position did you play and why did you pick basketball over softball?

Wheeler: I played shortstop. I can play any position besides pitcher. It was something I was looking for after college, a career in basketball. If they made a professional softball league and I had the choice, I would play softball.

Wildcat: Really?

Wheeler: Yeah, I am much better in softball. At least I think; I haven't played in so long!

Wildcat: If you weren't playing basketball or any college sports, what would you do with all that free time?

Wheeler: I think I would have tried to graduate in three years probably, and I would have gone to law school.

Wildcat: Where would you want to go to law school?

Wheeler: Morehouse.

Wildcat: Where is that?

Wheeler: I don't know. I just heard it was a good program. I mean, I knew I wasn't going to get into Harvard or anything (laughs). It's a black college, and I heard they had a really good program.

Wildcat: Would you still want to do that once you stop playing sports?

Wheeler: It's definitely something I want to do. If I can continue to play ball or if I teach - I'm an elementary education major - I definitely want to go back and get my law degree.

Wildcat: What kind of lawyer do you want to be?

Wheeler: I want to do something with family, like one of those divorce lawyers, to, like, fight for kids.

Wildcat: What's your ultimate dream basketball moment? You know, World Series, game seven, bottom of ninth, two outs-type thing ...

Wheeler: A national championship. That's a long-term goal, but we need to continue to take it step-by-step; so right now, just looking at winning the Pac-10 title. (Sigh) Take it step-by-step, then go for winning a national title.

Wildcat: Your minor is athletic coaching?

Wheeler: Yeah, I want to coach.

Wildcat: In college?

Wheeler: No, I want to coach high school. I want to coach at my old high school; I want to do basketball. But at my high school - my coach, she was our basketball and softball coach - that would be great. Even if I don't have a job, I think I would coach in my free time. I mean, it's something I have a desire to do, something I love to do.