Just a few days ago, Washington women’s basketball players shivered as a cold wind blew into Hec Edmundson Pavilion during the region’s current cold spell.
Today, the Huskies are in — try to hold back the jealousy — Cancun, Mexico for the 2008 Caribbean Classic. But while a trip to Cancun, where temperatures are expected to be in the low 80s through the weekend, may sound like a nice winter vacation for the Huskies, UW coach Tia Jackson will spend the week reminding her players that the next few days aren’t just about having fun in the sun.
“She’s done a good job of reminding us that it’s about basketball and that we’re not down there to get a suntan as much as we’d like to,” said freshman guard Kristi Kingma.
But while the Huskies will have a basketball-first mentality, Jackson understands that her team will still try to get a little fun out of the Caribbean Classic.
“They’re teenagers, right?” Jackson said. “That’s what I keep telling myself. They keep asking what outfits they can bring, so I definitely think they want to enjoy it. I think they’re going to enjoy the fact that we’re leaving 30-degree weather and going into 85-degree weather, so that in itself puts a smile on everybody’s face. We do have rules about the sunbathing, especially because we’re playing three games in four day … But you can best believe they’re excited about going to Mexico.”
And if Jackson’s basketball-first message doesn’t get through to the Huskies, they could be in for a long day today when they play No. 1 Connecticut. The players say having an opponent like UConn will help them stay focused on basketball, and that, win or lose, they can learn from a match up against one of the nation’s best teams.
“That’s exactly what it’s for,” said sophomore point guard Sarah Morton. “To compare ourselves with the best in the country and see our strengths and weaknesses, figure out how we work together as a team against that kind of pressure and that kind of skill.”
Morton, a Monroe High School grad, is one of many Huskies who will be going to Mexico for the first time — and just for the record, she’s not in love with the photo on her newly acquired passport — but even on a first trip to Mexico, the Huskies say they can focus on basketball first.
“There are definitely more (distractions) in Cancun certainly, but everyone knows why we’re there,” said junior guard Sami Whitcomb, another player in Mexico for the first time. “Yeah it’s Cancun and it’s a nice place we’re staying at, but we’re there to win basketball games. I think that because it’s so competitive, it’s hard not to be focused on the games.”
That competitive field includes more than just UConn. Washington (3-3) also plays Florida State (8-2) on Friday and Northern Colorado (3-4) on Sunday, then returns Monday.
“None of these games are going to be easy, but we never asked for that,” Jackson said. “We just asked for some great competition and I definitely think we’re going to get that in all three opponents in Cancun, and hopefully end on a pretty good note in all three contests.”
And if there’s time to get a tan along with that good competition, all the better.
“We don’t leave until the 22nd, so yeah, there is some time,” Jackson said. “It depends on how the outcome goes that determines how much fun we actually have. Or at least how much fun I have.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog
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