LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The UNLV Lady Rebels are headed to the NCAA Championship Tournament for their second season in a row.
Under head coach Lindy La Rocque, the Lady Rebels have now clinched back-to-back Mountain West Conference Championship titles.
Tina Nguyen caught up with La Rocque as the team found out who their first NCAA tournament opponent will be.
TINA NGUYEN: Well, Coach, you guys are going dancing for a second straight season. First off, how sweet does that sound?
LINDY LA ROCQUE: It's awesome. We've got a great group, and we're excited to see where we go.
NGUYEN: This team has been the team to watch all season long in the Mountain West. What has made them so fun to coach and so fun to watch?
LA ROCQUE: They really enjoy being around each other, you know, they love playing together. They enjoy each other's success. You know, it's not just about one person and everyone's got like that great selfless attitude that just want to win. So we've been able to do that and we've had players at the games and everyone's kind of taken a turn, so it's really fun.
NGUYEN: From being back-to-back Mountain West Conference champs to being a new mom, what has this season of life been like for you?
LA ROCQUE: I mean, you definitely get pleasure in the journey, and this has been quite the ride. And I think, you know, I really haven't had a chance totally to like sit down and reflect, because I'm not ready to do that yet because we want to keep going. But once that time comes, you know, I think we know we're doing something special. And just me personally with everything, you know, again, I'm just so thankful for the support of the team that I have and, you know, where you can keep playing.
NGUYEN: For someone who is from Las Vegas — you went to Durango High School — can you just touch on the growth of women's basketball here in town, and what it's been like for your team to be part of that success?
LA ROCQUE: Yeah, you know, I mean, women's basketball in Las Vegas right now, that's what you want to be doing. Between us and the Aces, I think it's really helped the development of young girls. I mean, we have camp this summer and we've already surpassed the number that we had last year. And we're still three months away from camp. So, you know, it's just really exciting. Basketball has always kind of been in the bloodline of Las Vegas, and now to add the women's hoops to that, it feels good because we're here to say.
The No. 11 seed Lady Rebels will face No. 6 Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. PT.
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