Adia Barnes Academy of Sports and Leadership is 'Bigger than basketball. They are our future'

Adia Barnes has always reached for the stars.

And regardless of the obstacles, she almost always succeeds.

When they said she was too small to play at a Power 5 school or in the WNBA, she proved them wrong. At Arizona, she became an All-American and Pac-10 player of the year while helping her team to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history in 1998.

Then, she went on to win the 2004 WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm and play in the league and overseas for 13 years.

When they said you couldn’t win at Arizona, she took the coaching job with the downtrodden program and took the Wildcats to the national championship game and the brink of a title in 2021.

Barnes doesn’t just plan out big moves. She envisions what’s next and goes out and grabs it.

But the Adia Barnes Academy of Sports and Leadership? Well, she didn’t see this one coming.

“No, I never envisioned donating $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club to have a sports academy,” Barnes said Thursday night after the announcement was made at The Boys and Girls Club of Tucson’s 32nd Annual Youth of the Year event at Casino Del Sol.

“I never thought in a million years that I’d have the Adia Barnes Academy of Sports and Leadership that is going to impact thousands of young women. It’s like a dream that I get to be able to do that.

“It’s something I want to do. I want to make change. I want young women to have access to sport and I want them to be leaders in the community, develop on and off the court. It’s bigger than basketball. They are our future; our future leaders.”

Barnes, who has partnered with Nike for the Athlete Think Tank, has been pouring extra hours after coaching the Wildcats into this project over the last six months. She spent two days at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, last November with golfer Michelle Wie, tennis legend Serena Williams, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, track star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, WNBA standout A’ja Wilson, ballerina Michaela DePrince and Paralympian Tatyana McFadden, among others.

The athletes shared their stories and talked about how they each can use their voice to help make positive change in their communities and beyond.

After the meeting, Barnes came back to Tucson “ready to change the world. I was inspired,” Barnes said. “… It was one of most amazing experiences of my life.”

Nike has invested in Barnes and the Tucson community. But this is only the start of something even bigger.

A deep connection

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Barnes selected the Boys and Girls Club because of her deep connection with the organization.

She grew up in San Diego, playing basketball in camps and programs at both the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club. When she played at Arizona, former UA coach Joan Bonvicini, a longtime board member, brought Barnes and her teammates along to volunteer for the organization.

Barnes became a board member when she lived in Seattle and it was a major priority for her to join the Tucson board when she returned to the city as coach of the Wildcats.

“It was natural for me,” Barnes said. “I love what they do. And I love what they do for young people. They feed kids, they help kids with homework and give them a place to play sports. They have access to resources for these kids who wouldn’t have anywhere to go. Why wouldn’t I be involved in an awesome organization like that?”

The plan is for the Academy to kick off over the next few months. Barnes will be deeply involved — not just putting her name on in. She will be teaching, her players will take part and community leaders and others in Barnes’ sphere will talk to young girls about their careers and help mentor them. Barnes will provide a scholarship, as well.

Barnes is known for rolling up her sleeves and giving back. Her Wildcats won the UA’s Director’s Cup for community involvement for multiple years.

Giving has always been at the core of who she is. She was part of a contingent of WNBA and NBA players who went to Africa to educate and share the joy of basketball. Barnes was also the first WNBA player to start her own charitable foundation.

In 2019, Barnes partnered with Tucson’s Boys and Girls Club to put on a Girl Power Day with nearly 80 young girls participating. There was a huge educational element with sessions in financial literacy, making electricity with potatoes and lemons; team building and even some time on the court.

Barnes added that Girl Power will be back, bigger and better.

Her academy will be stationed at the Steve Daru Clubhouse at Speedway and El Rio because “it needed love, a lot of love.”

“One of the reasons I chose that clubhouse is because it didn’t have air conditioning, it had a swamp cooler and they couldn’t work out there in the summer because it’s hot in Tucson,” Barnes said. “There wasn’t programming and I wanted to provide access to sports and they didn’t have stuff that they needed. I am hoping this will inspire community leaders and others to come and be involved.”

What excites Barnes about this is that this academy is built for the long term. It’s not just helping young girls for one day, but every day.

“Being part of something that is so much bigger than me. Being able to impact, influence and change young women’s lives. I’m just excited, because I want to be a difference-maker,” Barnes said.

“I want to impact young women and provide opportunities for leadership. I was at the Boys and Girls Club listening to this amazing young woman (Hakima Abdulkadir) speak. It’s just so powerful to hear the influence this organization has on their lives. It’s hearing their story, their background and how the club saved them, provided opportunities and stability and fed them when they didn’t have food. I was inspired and just want to help make a difference.”