Another Great Year for Arizona Women's Basketball

Wildcat fans said goodbye to senior standout Sam Thomas after the team’s early exit from the NCAA Tournament in March. They lost in the second round before a home crowd against North Carolina. The Wildcats finished the season 21-8 overall and 10-6 in conference play to earn a No. 4 seed in the tournament. This gave the Wildcats the opportunity to play home games in the first two rounds for the first time since head coach Adia Barnes’ senior year in 1998. Arizona Women’s Basketball averaged home crowds of 7,822 on the season, which ranked first in the Pac-12 and sixth nationally. 

On the year, three Wildcats earned All-Pac-12 recognition. Reese was named to the All-Pac-12 team, Thomas was named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and to the Pac-12 All-Defense Team, and Helena Pueyo was named Honorable Mention All-Defense.

Adia Barnes

Adia Barnes became the first coach in program history to win 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons and became the second winningest coach in program history. In March, she was named a court coach for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Spring Training Camp. Barnes is no stranger to the international coaching game, as she was an assistant coach on Dawn Staley’s staff when the national team won the 2021 AmeriCup in Puerto Rico.