With two weeks remaining until the Arizona women’s basketball team takes the floor at the McKale Center to begin the 2010-11 season, the entire team and coaching staff are looking for new ways to reinvigorate their relationship with their fan base.

Step one: personally deliver season tickets to fans that were the first to renew online on the first day of ticket renewals.

In large Arizona Athletics vans, the Wildcats toured Tucson last night, going door to door to meet and greet their most loyal supporters.

“”This is the first experience, especially with the newcomers, of getting out there, shaking hands, smiling and actually touching people who are going to be your biggest fans and biggest supporters,”” head coach Niya Butts said before the team took off. “”We have to make sure that we are available to the community.””

This community outreach, that players and coaches are very excited about continuing, will prove essential to not just creating a solid basketball program, but a two way support system and connection between the players and who that cheer for them.

“”These fans get to see that we are passionate about what we do and we care what they think,”” Butts said. “”We care about how much we can affect them in their lives, once you do that, you find that connection, that bond, and that’s a good thing.””

The connection between the players and the fans, however, is only half of what makes a team succeed.

Now through two weeks of practice, the Wildcats are still proceeding with the same electric verve they showed their coaches on day one.

This enthusiasm and excitement the team brought to the table at the beginning is the way in which Butts and staff are holding the team accountable.

“”I’m holding them to a different standard because once you show me that we can get there, that’s what I’m looking for everyday,”” Butts said. “”They’re beginning to understand that, that’s becoming our culture, their taking ownership of the team.””