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Women's basketball ready to play

UA women's basketball coach Joan Bonvicini has been praising the depth of her squad throughout the preseason, but come Sunday evening, the public will get a chance to see just how deep the team is.

The Wildcats are splitting their squads in two for the Red and Blue Scrimmage at McKale Center at 5 p.m.

"We have a really deep team this year and I am excited about seeing them in action for the first time this season," Bonvicini said. "They will be out there with the lights down and uniforms on, seeing what they can to do in a game-like situation."

The scrimmage also marks the first opportunity for Wildcat fans to see freshmen Krista Warren and Jamie Sturdivant along with sophomore Tysell Bozeman on the court.

"We are happy to have Krista, Jamie and Tysell playing for us, and to see what they can do," Bonvicini said. "Sunday's game should be very exciting."

Back in uniform on Sunday for the first time since the 1997-98 season will be senior guard Monika Crank and senior center Tatum Brown, who was removed from the team last February.

Crank tore the ACL in her left knee during preseason workouts last year and Brown became ineligible mid-way through the 1998-99 season for academic reasons.

"Having Monika and Tatum on the court again will be great," Bonvicini said. "We have missed having them, and they're presence on the floor again is going to be nice."

Aside from getting a preview of her new players and some familiar faces, Bonvicini is also looking forward to settling out the kinks in her team.

"We are still just getting adjusted to the different offenses and defenses we are running this season," Bonvicini said. "The scrimmage is an opportunity for us to try out a bunch of new things."

The Arizona team will be split into two teams, one consisting of seven players, the other of six. Assistant coaches Denise Ianello and Curtis Lloyd will be coaching the two teams, as Bonvicini will be walking back and forth between the benches helping when she feels necessary.