Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the UC San Diego women's basketball team finds itself sporting a glossy 21-3 overall record, a No. 20 national ranking, and right in the middle of a dogfight for the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title. One of the key components of the Tritons' success has been redshirt sophomore point guard Taylor Tanita. One of three players to have started all 24 games this year, the 5-foot-4 Culver City native is averaging 8.0 points per game and has a league-leading 113 assists. The praise flows freely when fourth-year head coach Heidi VanDerveer talks about Tanita. "I think Taylor is the heartbeat of our team," says VanDerveer. "Offensively, she's like the engine in that she sets a great pace, has excellent vision in the full court, gets the ball into the lane and creates for herself and other players. She makes everybody look good." With the stretch run for the conference crown and postseason play looming, Tanita shared time recently to talk about playing a sport usually associated with taller competitors, and why this year's Tritons have been so successful.
Q: You're listed in the program at 5-foot-4, and your nickname on the team is 'Tiny'. Are you really 5-4?
TANITA: No, I'm actually 5-3. It's funny because my freshman year I somehow got listed at 5-6 and it was a big joke on the team. I am actually 5-3, though, but it seems like in basketball, anything under 5-5 and you're four feet tall. I don't know how many coaches I've had, who would be talking in practice and say something along the lines of, 'and we have Tiny at 4-2, so we can't afford to not box out'.
Q: In a game that rewards size, how did you originally get drawn to basketball, and what's kept you playing?
TANITA: Both my parents played basketball, so it was sort of an obvious choice for me. I initially started because I wanted to wear the uniforms, but once I got playing, I really enjoyed it and never looked back.
I played volleyball a little but basketball was way more fun with all the action and ability to be creative, especially as a point guard. I've continued to play because basketball is something I have a lot of fun doing and it has provided me with great friends and experiences.
Q: From a personal perspective, what's the most gratifying part of your sport?
TANITA: Probably being part of something that extends far beyond myself. This year, I've been able to be part of a nationally-ranked basketball team playing alongside my best friends. I don't know what could be more gratifying than succeeding at something you've worked so hard for with the people you love the most.
For me personally, I find a huge amount of gratification when I see how excited the people on our team get for each other. We truly love seeing each other do well, and I think that's why we have been successful this year.
Q: You're far-and-away the team leader in assists, and many come on the end of spectacular passes. Is entertainment part of what you do on the floor?
TANITA: Assists are something I've prided myself in doing. When I get an assist, I get much more excited than if I score myself. So when I have the chance to get a really good assist, I usually always throw it. It sometimes results in a turnover, but when it doesn't it seems to really pump up our team and the crowd. What I'm working on now is trying to determine which passes are the right ones to make and which ones I should hold back and just go into our offense.
Q: As a point guard and primary ball handler, how do you evaluate your performance on a game-by-game basis? What are the metrics you use to judge your effectiveness?
TANITA: At the beginning of the year, Coach VanDerveer gave me a goal to have a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. I'm not quite there, but it's something I continually check for in the box score, and I think I am very capable of doing that.
Other than that, I look at how many points our team has scored which usually indicates the pace we've played at because we like to play at a fast pace. Lastly, I'll usually look at who I guarded and how they did in comparison to their averages. Points for me aren't such a big indicator of how I've played because we do much better when I have more assists than when I score.
Q: You've got a lot of offensive options to work with. If one of your scoring threats is having a particularly good night shooting, are you making a more concerted effort to find her on the floor?
TANITA: Of course. There have been a lot of nights where Jamie (Katuna), Beth (Mounier), Farrah (Shokoor) or Cassie (MacLeod) have been feeling it. When that happens, I'll usually call plays that are designed to get them looks where they like the ball. But everyone on our team is capable of scoring, so I usually just dribble the ball up and let people do their thing.
Q: You don't seem to have any fear of venturing into the vicinity of the rim. What's it like getting into the domain of the taller players and how does it feel on the occasions when you get a shot blocked in there?
TANITA: Getting blocked has never really fazed me. The way I look at it is I'm usually the shortest person on the court. If I don't get my shot blocked, the people on the other team are probably not playing the best defense. Since coming to UCSD, I've picked up a few tactics via Chelsea Carlisle (assistant coach) to avoid being blocked, like shooting layups with only one hand. So when I'm driving I just try to be aggressive and hope that the ball can find its way in the hoop.
Q: You listed Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers as your favorite player? What part of his game do you admire? Do you think he's better right now that Steph Curry?
TANITA: There are a lot of things about Chris Paul that I admire, a few being his passing ability, his court leadership, and his defense. I think Steph Curry has the upper hand right now solely based on his ability to keep defenses on their toes with his shooting ability. Overall, they are both extremely talented point guards who I look up to.
Q: Who do you think has the best handles in the WNBA?
TANITA: To be honest, I don't watch much of the WNBA but if I had to take a guess I would probably say Sue Bird cause she's consistently been one of the best point guards in the WNBA for many years now.
Q: Which of your teammates is the most stylish on the floor? Off the floor?
TANITA: Off the floor, it's hard to tell because all our team wears are athletic clothes but maybe Shandiin (Armao). She's the only one consistently in regular clothes so I'd say her by default. Or maybe Janae (Peterson) cause she has mad shoe game. Probably Beth (Mounier) because after she makes threes, she gets really hyped and has a sort of celebration routine.
Q: You're a math-computer science major at UCSD. Anybody on your roster that can match up with you in the numbers category?
TANITA: Number-wise, not sure. No one else really seems to like math. But Mo (Marissa Hing) has been taking some computer science courses, so she'll probably be just as good as me soon.
As far as statistics go, I'm probably the most up-to-date. The other day our coaches told us a statistic about the team we were playing and it didn't sound right so I looked it up and found that it was wrong. I came back and told the team about it the next day. We called them (coaches) out on it in our film session. I'm usually pretty up-to-date on our stats and the stats of the teams we play.
Q: Following last Thursday's win over Cal State San Marcos, UCSD is 21-3 and headed for one of the best seasons in recent history. What's made this year's team more successful than last year's squad, despite the fact that you graduated some talented seniors?
TANITA: Our team this year is closer than any team I've ever been a part of. We all truly enjoy being around each other and I think that has really translated onto the court. Our bench is always going nuts and even on the court we all get super-hyped for each other when we do well and always pick each other up when we're not. Other than that, I think our team this year has really bought into the fast-paced style of play. I think we've tired a lot of teams out. They may be able to stay with us in the beginning, but at some point, the pace we play at is hard to keep up with.
Q: UCSD is still in the thick of the CCAA regular-season race with two games to go. For you, how significant would it be to win the conference regular season and/or the championship tournament? What's the relative value of each and how do they compare in your mind to making and playing well in the NCAA playoffs?
TANITA: We obviously would love to bring home a regular-season title and a conference title. I think those are two short-term goals we have set for ourselves as a team. At this point, we are taking it one game at a time but in the big scheme of things, doing well in the NCAA playoffs is what we have our sights set on.
Previous Triton Q&A Features
Courtney Miller (Women's Water Polo) February 5, 2016
Megan Gesner (Women's Fencing) January 29, 2016
Tanner Syftestad (Men's Volleyball) January 4, 2016
Grant Jackson (Men's Basketball) December 18, 2015
Stephanie Sin (Women's Swimming & Diving) November 25, 2015
Beth Mounier (Women's Basketball) November 17, 2015
Nick Alexander (Men's Water Polo) October 21, 2015
Myles Cooper (Strength & Conditioning) October 6, 2015
Jordyn McNutt (Women's Soccer) September 8, 2015
Cameron McElfresh (Men's Soccer) September 1, 2015
Daniel Franz (Men's Cross Country) August 17, 2015
Meagan Wright (Women's Volleyball) August 10, 2015
Chase Cockerill (Men's Water Polo) August 3, 2015
Kelcie Brodsky (Women's Soccer) July 27, 2015
Kuba Waligorski (Men's Soccer) July 20, 2015
Nate Garcia (Cross Country) July 13, 2015
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