Obiazor embracing expanded role for Lady Rebels

UNLV women’s basketball coach Lindy La Rocque doesn’t believe she fully maximized the strengths of junior forward Nneka Obiazor last season.

At the surface, that seems hard to believe. Obiazor was selected as the Mountain West sixth-player of the year and named to the conference all-tournament team as the Lady Rebels won the conference tournament.

But the one asset of Obiazor’s game that La Rocque felt was untapped was her 3-point shooting. In her freshman year at Youngstown State, Obiazor shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range.

This year – as Obiazor takes a step into the starting lineup – La Rocque is going to make it a point of emphasis that her 5-foot, 10-inch forward will be a 3-point threat this season.

So it made sense that Obiazor has spent a lot of time this offseason getting ready for the new role her coach has for her.

“I’ve been working the most on my outside shot,” Obiazor said. “I was very dominant and just very primarily set in the post, which really worked for me. But this year I can now shoot my shot outside and build my confidence more.”

Coming off the bench, Obiazor was UNLV’s third-leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. She was the leading scorer and rebounder among the conference’s non-starters.

La Rocque said Obiazor was just as impactful as whoever started the game. She credited Obiazor’s attitude of accepting the role of coming off the bench and being the “ultimate teammate.”

The Lady Rebels return four starters, the lone departure is graduating forward Khayla Rooks, a former University of Washington transfer. Rooks shot 33.7 percent from 3-point range and was effective inside, giving UNLV a stretch-forward player on the floor.

La Rocque believes the spot Rooks leaves is the perfect role for Obiazor.

“She’s a great shooter,” La Rocque said of Obiazor. “Thinking of what we miss from Khayla (Rooks) and being able to stretch the floor, she can do that. I’m excited for her to step into that role which will be new for her on this team, not necessarily for her skill set, but for our team.”

But don’t expect La Rocque to keep Obiazor entirely camped out at the 3-point line.

“We’re not taking her off the block either,” La Rocque said. “She’s going to have a great inside and outside game.”

La Rocque has mentioned that this year’s Lady Rebels team will have to be different from last season’s, with teams having a better game plan to prepare for them.

Obiazor feels the same way, which is why she is looking forward to implementing more of her 3-point shooting abilities.

“This is my second year, (opponents) know what’s coming from me,” Obiazor said. “They know my spin move. They know what I’m going to do in the post. So ultimately I have to be ready to get the shot that’s open for me.”

Given the way Obiazor contributed to the Lady Rebels’ success, La Rocque said it gives her greater reason to fight for more this season.

Obiazor is accepting the challenge of her new role and the expectations surrounding the Lady Rebels.

“It gives us good pressure,” Obiazor said. “Once you’re at the top, the only thing you can do is go down. So that makes us work harder.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.