A 52-47 mid-season victory for Oregon women’s basketball over a below .500 Cal team did not incite its typical joy and celebration.
“We were like, we won the game, but it doesn’t feel like it,” junior forward Sedona Prince said. “Everyone feels really bad, everyone feels really heavy… This just doesn’t feel right.”
Despite the win, the Ducks were not having fun and enjoying playing together. Although the desired result of the game was achieved, it didn’t feel like a win.
It was a significant moment for an Oregon team which is equal parts formidable and joyous to watch.
The Ducks play a high energy, unselfish brand of basketball. Players laugh and dance together before games, showing unwavering support that translates into dominant performances on the court.
“We have the goofiest team to ever play basketball,” Prince said. “We go to the locker room and laugh for 20 minutes before the game.”
The nucleus of the Ducks’ joyous attitude on the court is All-Conference sophomore point guard Te-Hina Paopao.
Leading the Ducks with 3.4 assists per game and top three in scoring with 13.4 points per game, she tirelessly orchestrates Kelly Graves’ high-octane offense which is third in the Pac-12 in scoring.
“That kid’s a gamer man,” Graves said. “When it’s on the line the ball is going to be in her hands somewhere.”
Paopao credits former Oregon point guard and NCAA all-time triple double leader Sabrina Ionescu for her positive demeanor on the floor.
Paopao points to a specific conversation with Ionescu in which the older guard told her, “You just have to stay in the moment, cause the next moment you can not be playing basketball anymore.”
Keeping in mind that basketball is temporary and meant to be enjoyed, Paopao makes a constant effort to remain positive and enjoy every moment of her basketball career, despite being a highly touted player with integral responsibilities to the Ducks’ success.
Paopao’s unique personal flair dates back to her freshman year at Oregon when she turned heads at pre-season workouts, opting to wear fluorescent Spongebob T-shirts instead of team issued Nike athletic gear exclusive to Oregon athletes.
“She would be smiling ear-to-ear the whole workout, and we would be like, ‘Dude, who is this goofy little kid making jokes,’” Prince said. “And then we realized that’s just Te-Hina, that’s how she handles stress and pressure and the moment.”
Paopao’s style, which from afar could look unprofessional and distracting, has been effective in cultivating a positive winning culture in the wake of the Ionescu teams.
The 5-foot-9 guard can be seen laughing and smiling throughout Oregon games with her braces and multi-colored black and bleach blonde hair bouncing with each step. Players and coaches alike feed off of the positivity she exudes.
“She’s having fun with it, you can tell that she’s having fun at all times,”Prince said. “When she’s smiling and goofing around it makes us all happy too”
Prince describes the high level of trust players and coaches have in Paopao. Although Graves makes the game plan, Paopao’s consistent play has earned her the autonomy to call plays on the fly as she sees favorable matchups and scoring opportunities arise.
“She’s my favorite point guard that I have played with in my life,” Prince said. “I can feel that she truly believes in me and loves me.”
Moving forward, the Ducks will need to lean on Paopao for not only her high-level game management, but also the confident positive demeanor that she sets for the team. For a group with three All-Conference players and a supporting cast of knock down shooters and savy defenders, the Ducks will need Paopao to continue to be the team’s emotional heartbeat, to be successful in March.
“I think we’re just going to have to trust each other and come out every game with intensity and effort,” Paopao said. “We just gotta stay aggressive and stay together.”
Most of all though, the Ducks have to stay focused on what’s gotten them to this point: their exuberance and trust.
