The University of Utah women’s basketball team is coming off of one of their most successful seasons in recent memory. They finished with a 27-5 overall record, were co-champions of the Pac-12 regular season championship and made it all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. The Utes have an incredible roster and coaching staff, but the impact of superstar Alissa Pili cannot be overstated.
Pili, a 6’2” forward, has taken a very long road to get to this point — literally, a very long road. Pili is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, where she was a three-time Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year at Dimond High School. After graduating, she committed to play college basketball for the USC Trojans, the same school her older brother Brandon played football at.
“We saw her in high school and recruited her, but she ended up going to USC,” said Head Coach Lynne Roberts. “I’ve always known how talented she is and unique she is. When she entered the transfer portal, we jumped all over it and recruited the heck out of it. And we were fortunate enough to get her. I knew that the way we play and our system would play to her strengths really well.”
Pili was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year following the 2019-20 season at USC. After three seasons with the Trojans, she decided to transfer in 2022.
“I think what stuck out most to me [about the U] was just the coaches and the team culture and the style of play,” Pili said. “I think Coach Roberts lets us play pretty freely. … I think about the university and honestly, Salt Lake as a whole is just so community-based. The community does a lot for the school and I really liked that.”
Pili transferred to Utah prior to last season and it has turned out to be a match made in heaven. In her first season here, she won the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award. Pili led the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.7 points per game with great efficiency. She shot 59% from the field, 42.6% from three and 79.7% from the line. Pili was instrumental in the Utes winning the Pac-12 regular season title and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. She set her season high in scoring in the NCAA Tournament against Gardner-Webb, picking up 33 points and leading the Utes to victory.
“I’ve been very proud of her coming in as a transfer and a highly touted one, lot of eyes on her,” Roberts said. “She did a tremendous job of acclimating to us, not making us acclimate to her, which is not very common. And that speaks to her character — to have your best player be all about the team and be a caring teammate, then you got something special.”
The expectations are high this season both for Pili and the Utes, who were ranked fifth in the country in the preseason AP poll. Pili has received a number of preseason honors, including an honorable mention for the AP preseason All-America team. Both Pili and her teammate Gianna Kneepkens are on the Naismith Trophy watchlist, awarded to the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball. The hype both for Pili and the team as a whole is real.
“I think this team and this program has definitely earned the recognition that we’ve gotten,” Pili said. “It’s something that we praise, but at the same time, it’s something that we don’t let get in our heads or getting in the way of what we want to achieve in the end.”
The rise of women’s athletics at the U is only becoming stronger. Roberts has built one of the best basketball teams in the country. Gymnastics has always been a powerhouse. The softball team is the defending Pac-12 champions. There is so much to be proud of as a Utes fan and Pili is towards the top of that list.
“It means a lot to me [being a prominent female athlete],” Pili said. “I carry it around with pride and it really motivates me, just knowing I’m an inspiration to other athletes or younger people. It’s a great position to be in. It’s a lot of pressure, but at the same time, you know, it’s a big blessing.”
At a university with many successful sports programs, there’s no denying that Pili stands out as one of the very best athletes at the U, regardless of gender.
