Alissa Pili was named to the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year after leading Utah to its first-ever championship as a league member. The Utes advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament behind the senior forward from Anchorage, Alaska as well as she earned WBCA All-America honors and second team All-America recognition from the Associated Press and USBWA.
This season, Pili has already made the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 watch list. Pili caught national attention after putting up a career-high 37 points against No. 1 South Carolina on December 10. She's averaging 22.5 points per game, ranking No. 7 in the NCAA.
Pili joined Utah athletics director Mark Harlan on his Hear it from Harlan podcast in December to talk about her family, her journey to Utah, the Utes' trip to her home state of Alaska this season, and how much she has enjoyed playing in front of some of the largest crowds in Utah women's basketball history.
Mark: Let's talk about your journey. You're from Alaska and started out your college career at USC. You were an incredible student-athlete there who was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. How did you end up at Utah?
Alissa: I had a great freshman year. My sophomore year I sprained my ankle pretty bad and coming back from that was tough. Before that happened, I hadn't experienced any injury that kept me out of the game for so long. It was something that I struggled with mentally, physically, all that. As I started to get healthy—and I probably wasn't at 100 percent—I ended up playing toward the end of the season in January. I was out of shape and hadn't done anything in so long. To get my game back to where it could be was mentally draining and tough, just knowing what I'm capable of and then not performing out there on the court.
I kind of tried to wait it out another year at USC. We got new coaches and I have nothing but respect for that coaching staff and the players. But I was just going through a lot beyond basketball as well and it just wasn't the right fit for me. I had three of my family members pass away back-to-back-to-back on top of that. It was just really hard on me mentally. I don't blame anyone at USC for the way I was feeling. But I couldn't come back from that because it's a hard situation to be dealing with all of that. I was grateful to USC for everything they did to support me but I just needed a fresh start. I needed to go somewhere new.
When I came here, I kind of looked at it as my freshman year all over again. I had to prove myself and put in the work because at USC I maybe did get a little too comfortable. But it wasn't doing it for me so I needed to change my environment. When I entered the transfer portal, I had schools reaching out to me. I narrowed it down because I didn't want to waste anyone's time. The funny thing was I went to Gonzaga for a visit thinking I was going to go there. I knew the coaches since they had recruited me out of high school and I had a good relationship with them. I loved it and told my parents I was ready to commit. Then I talked to Coach Lynne (Roberts). I was familiar with the staff at Utah since they had been here while I was at USC. I was aware of the talent they had brought in and knew about the season they had the year before. It was just kind of a gut feeling that I had to check this out and see it for myself. We came here and I didn't expect to be just so blown away by what I experienced and what I saw in this program. I remember the exact moment when I was in the locker room getting ready to change into the jersey you put on for the photo shoot and I told my mom, "This isn't going to be as easy as I thought it was going to be. This is going to be a tough decision."
I talked it over with my family and thought about what I wanted to accomplish, and what place would fit me best to get me to that spot. Honestly, Utah had it all, from the coaching staff and down to the support staff, to just being a great basketball program. The biggest thing to me was the way Coach Roberts and the rest of the staff believed in me. I am coming off a couple of bad seasons by my standards. Them having that faith in me, even though I may not have done as well, that made me just realize this is the place for me. It made me realize that these coaches will get the best out of me and help me achieve my goals.
Mark: I think it's really interesting for people to hear how the portal works, especially after you've gone through a recruiting process the first time out of high school. The second time, you are going through it as a more mature person and can be really thoughtful. I think you knew exactly what you were looking for after your experience at USC, and I appreciate your comments. I tell that to students all the time, whether you are coming or going as a transfer, it's not a slight against the school. Sometimes you need a fresh start. But you knew what you were looking for. I appreciate you talking about the mental health challenges, particularly when you are coming off of injuries. I think that's something we in college athletics administration have been slow to recognize.
I don't know if I've seen a student-athlete just literally jump right in. That tells me you became comfortable with your team and your coaches right away. Would that be accurate?
Alissa: That's very accurate. I was where I was meant to be, from the coaching staff down to how the program is run. A lot of my morals and values align with what these coaches are trying to accomplish. Not just as a program but as people too. I think that part definitely helped me be more comfortable. They welcomed me with open arms. Coach Rob told me from the jump she wants me to be a big part of this team. So, I took that and I put in the work. I wanted to be that for her and this team.
Mark: I've had a lot of people ask me about the trip to your home state of Alaska that the team took to play in a tournament up there the weekend before Thanksgiving. I thought that was such a neat thing. Talk a little bit about what that meant to you.
Alissa: Coming off the plane and seeing my family out there lined up with signs and everything—and it wasn't just my parents and immediate family, it was also a bunch of my extended family who came out around midnight by the time we landed. For them to be there kind of just showed my roots of me being this very supportive and caring person and where that comes from, and how that support has really been there with me every step of the way. It was just a cool moment. I got kind of emotional just seeing that. It's always important and it always feels good to have that and knowing they are going to be there for you no matter what.
Mark: I was told your extended family just kept going and going as you looked out at them as you landed. And then turning on the iPad to watch the games, the arena was packed to watch you and the Utes. I've talked to some of your teammates and one of them told me it was one of the best experienced they've ever had going on that trip and watching the support for you. It was transformational for a lot of the student-athletes to see that kind of support and love.
Speaking of road trips, your team had a big East Coast swing to Saint Jospeh's and then you went into the belly of the beast and played No. 1 South Carolina. It was riveting. So many people were watching that game. Your performance was the best of any individual that I've seen in my six years at Utah across our 20 sports. And you lost G (Gianna Kneepkens) to an injury just a week earlier.
Alissa: Looking G hurt us. We met in the film room and addressed the elephant in the room after we found out. It got a little emotional. Coach was honest about everyone just giving a little bit more now that G isn't on the court.
We kind of went into the game and we knew we had nothing to lose. We're talking about the No. 1 team in the country. We know we're a good team and that we can compete at the highest level. We weren't looking at is as trying to find a way out. Our sports psychologist Jonathan (Ravarino) was telling us to go into this game and know you can win and don't give yourself an out because they're a good team. Especially after that game, a lot of people recognize that and it's something we could build off of. We got a lot of attention from that game and we're on people's radar more so than ever because of that game. Tough loss, but we learn from these games. I felt like it was better for us to be tested like that early in the season, and we still have time to adjust and sharpen those things that could have helped us win the game. Great team, great coach.
Mark: I've been a real fan of (South Carolina head coach) Dawn Staley for years and her journey. I don't think I've ever heard or seen her talk about an opposing student-athlete and say "We're doing everything we can and we cannot stop her, so we're simply going to have to outscore them."
The fan base in the last two years, we've seen a lot of growth. The crowds we've had for Stanford last year, BYU this year, have been amazing. What does it mean to have that many people in the arena when you guys play?
Alissa: It makes the game that much more fun. I know that everything is done out there on the court but having that energy and atmosphere does a lot for us. I would say it's definitely an advantage. Hearing the crowd go crazy when you or one of your teammates do something, you feel like you are on top of world. It's helped a lot.
Mark: I'm going to embarrass you, but this is an opportunity for our fans to see one of the best teams in college basketball and this is a chance in these last few months to see one of the best basketball players in the country. I don't think there's any question about it. You just don't have that opportunity as a fan to see that kind of greatness come through all the time. We are blessed that the journey you just spoke of so well brought you here. Best of luck the rest of the way.
