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In the Arizona Wildcats' showdown against fifth-ranked Texas A&M last week, one UA player caught the eye of Aggies coach Gary Blair.

Freshman Courtney Clements, in her first college game after missing a month because of an ankle injury, helped defend Texas A&M's top player, Takia Starks.

"She did a very good job. She's taller, and that's giving Starks a little bit of problems. Clements is going to be a very good player for them," Blair said after his team beat the Cats 54-44 on Nov. 25 at McKale Center. Starks shot 5 of 14 from the field and scored 10 points.

Arizona coach Niya Butts hopes Clements, a 6-foot guard, can provide scoring, defense and rebounding on a 3-3 team whose depth has been depleted by injuries. The Cats play at Louisiana Tech today.

Clements said she has felt winded during games and is working to regain her fitness. She missed the first four games because of a stress reaction in her right ankle. In two games, she has scored 10 points in 33 minutes against Texas A&M and Middle Tennessee State.

"She's going hard and doing what she can to help the team," Butts said.

Arizona is coming off a 77-57 loss to Middle Tennessee State.

"(That) was probably the first game I wasn't overall really happy with our intensity and our level of competitiveness," Butts said. "I didn't think we competed as hard as we could have that game. I was disappointed in our effort."

Clements, a Long Beach, Calif., native who chose to attend Arizona over LSU, discussed with the Star how she is coming back from her injury and her admiration for swimmer Michael Phelps. She is majoring in physiology.

"I like the atmosphere. I like that it's a small town. I like how the town supports the University of Arizona. All my classes and teachers are good. The whole atmosphere is great."

"Just sitting out, it's one thing to watch practice and see what they're doing. It's another thing to really have to do it. Knowing the defense, knowing the plays, the press break, whatever's going on. I'm kinda behind everyone else, so I'm playing catch-up.

"I liked Michael Phelps before he won all those gold medals. I like the energy he brought. Anyone who can dominate their sport individually, that's amazing, especially swimming, which is a major, major commitment. He's hands-down the best swimmer. There's no question about that, but in other sports you can question who's the best.

"When you're younger you take swimming lessons, and I swam a lot (for fun) in California at the beach. Everyone's goal is to dominate their sport, and he does that."

"Being from L.A. … Kobe (Bryant). Someone I really admire is Isiah Thomas. He was a really good point guard, and the energy he brought to his team and ability he had to make players good, and he played with a broken ankle. That's amazing to overcome things like that."

"I watch so many movies. My favorite music is definitely R&B. Favorite artist I would say Lauryn Hill. Favorite movie is 'Finding Forrester,' the literature part mixed in with the basketball. Favorite TV show is 'Friends.'"