Michelle Smith: 'Unicorn' Alissa Pili thriving for No. 12 Utah women's basketball
The running joke between Utah coach Lynne Roberts and her junior post Alissa Pili is that it took three years for Pili to return her recruiting phone call.
“But that’s fine,” laughed Roberts. Indeed it is.
Pili, who transferred from USC to Utah in the offseason, has been the proverbial missing piece at power forward for the Utes, who climbed to No. 12 in the national rankings this week and at 11-0 are one of eight undefeated teams left in the country and the only unbeaten left in the Pac-12.
If Utah, coming off last year’s appearances in the Pac-12 title game and NCAA Tournament, qualifies as one of the surprise teams of the season, it’s been the addition of Pili to a talented, young lineup that has helped things fall into place for the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense.
“People keep asking me if I’m surprised, but I guess what surprises me is how quickly Alissa has acclimated and thrived,” Roberts said. “I think there are two big reasons for that, she was coming into an established program in terms of culture and how we do things, and she has been so disciplined.”
Pili, the 6-foot-2 forward from Anchorage, has been a problem for opponents since she arrived in the Pac-12. What she is doing at Utah is a function of her own fitness, her mindset and the structure of the Utah team - which is loaded with shooters, allowing both Pili and shooters to force opposing defenses into choices they don’t want to make.
“Knowing I’m surrounded by shooters opens up a lot of things one-on-one inside,” Pili said. “It’s one of my biggest strengths. I play as hard as I can and I know I bring physicality down low. The tempo we play took a little bit of an adjustment, but it opens up a lot more shots, and everybody is willing to be unselfish.”
The Utes’ stats back that up with five players averaging in double figures, Pili leading the way, averaging 20.6 points per game and shooting a Pac-12-leading 68 percent from the floor. She has connected on eight 3-pointers this season and has 25 assists and ranks tied for third on the team with 13 steals.
“I feel like I fit in well with the style of play. They are looking for me to scoring inside, but we don’t just depend on one thing or one person,” Pili said.
Roberts called her a “unicorn.”
“She is quite an athlete. In our system, we have her on the move and she’s in shape and it’s amazing,” Roberts said. “She knew she was strong, but now she feels good and that goes a long way into how she is playing.”
Pili said her decision to come to Utah represented a “clean slate” she felt like she needed after an ankle injury limited her to 19 games. She averaged 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season with USC. She said she admired the way that Utah played during their late-season run last spring. And her injury had her thinking about her future.
“I’ve never been in that position before with an injury,” Pili said. “I was not getting the results that I wanted coming back. It was really tough mentally for me. Something wasn’t clicking for me and I needed a new environment.”
Pili said she gained the perspective that comes from missing time on the floor, as well as an appreciation for the importance of her fitness - both physically and mentally.