The Arizona Wildcats won the WNIT Championship Saturday.
Sunday was a day of rest. Well, for everyone but Sam Thomas. She was back in the gym â that happens when you are a coachâs daughter.
The rest of her teammates are taking a few weeks off before starting to train for next season.
Meanwhile, the UA athletic department is getting back work Monday to âdo it again. To feel that again. Itâs not time to sit back on our laurels. We have to take it and vault,â said Dave Heeke, the UAâs athletic director.
The Star sat down with Heeke on Sunday, in between a Pac-12 menâs basketball conference call and a UA tennis match, to talk about the WNIT run, the investment in womenâs basketball, and UA star Aari McDonald.
With a mysterious process of hosting in the WNIT â no seeded teams â how was Arizona able to host all six games?
A: âIt was a combination of attendance, revenue generated and enthusiasm around the games. The WNIT was looking for electric places. All of these things worked in our favor. I give credit to Adia (Barnes), the players and the fan base for making the WNIT so exciting. We wanted to make sure we were financially competitive.â
It didnât look like you would host the Wyoming game, but Barnes said you âmade an offer they couldnât refuse.â What was that offer?
A: âWyoming has a history of drawing well. I wonât get into the specific numbers â we went back to work as a team, internally, and sharpened our pencils to put together a very attractive business deal. The WNIT saw the excitement here and we made them a very attractive offer so it was worthwhile for it to be here. We have to be financially responsible âwe never went into it spending money we didnât have.â
Why were you all in supporting Barnes and this program?
A: âWhen I was hired at Arizona, I had a chance to spend time with Adia and hear her process, her vision for this program â her passion for the UA, playing here and how important it is to her. She inspires me to want to be her partner in that and help her reach her goals. I am all in on all sports here, but with Adia there is so much opportunity. This has a lot of energy going forward. I like being her partner and being on her team.
âThese things work when you have great alignment. There is great alignment with Adia, and it works into what weâre trying to do. At that point itâs about making strategic investments. Theyâve been in the early stages the last two years. The other thing we did was make womenâs basketball a priority here â the way we support it. Itâs a priority to help it move in a really positive direction.
âAdia does an incredible job engaging with the community. They feel and see the energy. She cares about people. Yet she demands excellence, demands effort and focus. She doesnât shy away from wanting to be great.
During the celebration on the court Saturday, you high-fived Semaj Smith. How excited were you that this team won the championship?
A: âI am so happy when I see smiles on their faces. Itâs neat to be around them. Itâs an unbelievable memorable moment â a huge moment for those student-athletes. I couldnât be more happy for Adia, the staff, all the people behind the scenes and more important, the student-athletes. Happy to see the pure joy of being successful and winning the championship. Itâs fun to be along for the ride.
âAnd I canât wait for the future. You get great runs and you have to take advantage of them. You donât know when itâs going to happen again.â
Youâve seen a lot of great players over your career, what do you think of Aari McDonald?
A: âAari is fabulous. Sheâs so exciting. All the things she can do â she is remarkable. Sheâs made an impact this year and in the game. She reminds me of Magic Johnson in high school in Lansing, Michigan, and in college at Michigan State. He changed the game for me. The things they do â multiple âWowsâ every night. Sheâs exciting. The great ones have the ability to be great on the court and be humble off the court. And they rally their team, so it works.â
So, are you going to give Barnes a lifetime contract?
A: âI donât know what a lifetime contract looks like. But, Adia and I have talked about it. We want her to be able to realize her goal of putting Arizona back on the map. We have every intention of keeping her here for a long time.
âThere is a lot involved and it canât be done in a few days. We have to look at the budget, the facilities and other things â all these pieces together, so she can be successful.
âWe are taking a deep dive and putting it in a place for the long term. We are asking Adia what she needs that helps her move the needle to get the program where she wants it. Weâre going to do those things.â
The buzz was âthe truthâ
Reggie Geary and Corey Williams were seniors on the menâs basketball team in 1996 â when the women won the WNIT title. Theyâve known Barnes a long time and both arenât surprised that sheâs brought the program to this point.
âIf you are around Adia day in and day out, she exudes confidence that comes from a long history of success,â said Geary, who is now UAâs director of development. âIf your head coach is confident and expects that, it bleeds into the team and is in the makeup. They are a well-organized, competitive and feisty groupâmuch like how Adia played.â
Williams added: â(Back in 1996) the buzz about Adia was the truth. She was a very good player. She was a special player. She had a different energy level than anyone on the court. Itâs not a coincidence at all that Adia is here. I believe when you have a coach who it means more to on a personnel level, it seeps over. Itâs got to bring something extra.
âAs a young person to have your coach believe that you can do things you donât think you are capable of doing is everything. Her desire, her drive, she infuses that into her players and they play the same way.â
Brenda Pantoja â who dished out 13 assists in that 1996 championship game â knew that Barnes would be successful.
âEveryone knows what Adia means to this program and to the university and what sheâs accomplished is incredible,â said Pantoja.
âItâs special and a great success story. I played with one of the most driven, committed and hungry players â wanting to be the best on the floor every day. What you are seeing her accomplish doesnât surprise me. This is a great run for the players, and everything sheâs done is a class act â from her playing at Arizona, playing professionally, and broadcasting to taking over as coach at her alma mater â thatâs Adia. Thatâs who she was and who she will always be.â
âWe Are the Championsâ
As Dominique McBryde climbed the ladder to cut the net Saturday, the song âWe Are the Championsâ by Queen came over the sound system at McKale Center. A perfect song for the occasion and even more perfect for the player who loves music from that era and is always singing and dancing.
She didnât disappoint the fans as she sang and acted like Freddie Mercury on stage.
âIâm glad the song came on so I could do all that. It was fun,â said McBryde. âIâm glad the crowd got involved with it. Thatâs definitely who I am. Iâm glad my teammates were part of it âĻ and Iâm going to get jokes about it later. But, thatâs just who I am.â
Teammate Sam Thomas was surprised they actually got to cut the net.
âI never thought Iâd be doing that. I didnât even know if we won weâd be cutting down the net. I just thought weâd get the T-shirts that said WNIT champs. But we got to cut down the net. It was the most amazing feeling ever,â said Thomas.
No postgame speech
Wonder what Barnes said to her team in the locker room after they won?
âShe (Barnes) really didnât say anything,â Thomas said. âWe just poured water on her. She said some words like âgood job. I am so proud of you guys.â
âWe were still pouring water and had confetti. We had some poppers in there. We just had everything.â
