Meet the 2017-18 Arizona women's basketball team
Editor’s note: This article is part of the Star’s 2017-18 basketball guide, which runs in Sunday’s paper.
Breakout season for the Wildcats?
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Left to right, Kat Wright, Marlee Kyles and Kiana Barkhoff are three of seven newcomers on coach Adia Barnes’ second team. The Wildcats improved to 14-16 last year while changing the culture and image of the team.
Arizona head coach Adia Barnes already has the Wildcats moving in a positive direction by taking baby steps towards winning games as well on the recruiting trail.
Still, ways to go though.
The Wildcats return from a 14-16 (5-13, Pac-12) season in Barnes' first season and look to establish a presence as an elite program moving forward.
The official season opener against Iona is set for Friday, Nov 10 for a noon tipoff, but the Wildcats have two home exhibition games this week beginning Monday against Eastern New Mexico at 7 p.m. The other matchup is against Western New Mexico on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Let's take a look at the Arizona women's basketball team:
4 LUCIA ALONSO
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Arizona’s Lucia Alonso reaches over Washington State’s Caila Hailey for a loose ball. Alonso, from Spain, is part of a European influx of players who are on almost all Pac-12 women’s teams.
Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Height: 5-7
Hometown (high school): Leon, Spain (Aron Leon Cuña del Parlamentarismo)
Last season: Broke into the starting lineup as a freshman and averaged 5.3 points, 2.4 assists per game. Alonso hit 43 percent of her 3-point attempts, the second-highest mark in program history.
Fun fact: Alonso’s favorite basketball player is Seattle Storm star Sue Bird, coach Adia Barnes’ former teammate.
32 KIANA BARKHOFF
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Class: Freshman
Position: Forward
Height: 6-3
Hometown (high school): Kitzingen, Germany (Palm Harbor University)
Last season: Barkhoff, then Kiana Chew, averaged 10.6 points per game. She finished in the top 20 nationally in blocks and set Palm Harbor records for most blocks in a game (15), most blocks in a season (198), most career blocks (374), rebounding average (10.2) and double-doubles in a season (15). ESPN ranked Barkhoff as a three-star player and the No. 59 forward in her class.
Fun fact: Barkhoff’s favorite food is Oreo cereal (yes, it exists).
33 JALEA BENNETT
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Four-year senior JaLea Bennett has a chance to be among the team’s leaders in points, rebounds and steals.
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Height: 6-0
Hometown (high school): Grand Prairie, Texas (Mansfield Timberview High School)
Last season: Bennett averaged 6.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She used a trick play on an inbounds play against Colorado to score on a layup and draw a foul.
Fun fact: Bennett’s favorite basketball player is LeBron James.
5 SAMMY FATKIN
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New Wildcat Sammy Fatkin during a press conference with local media as University of Arizona women's basketball introduces 5 of their 7 newcomers at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. on Friday, June 23, 2017. Photo by Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star.
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height: 6-0
Hometown (high school): Snohomish, Washington (Glacier Peak)
Last season: Fatkin averaged 14.3 points and 7 assists per game as a high school senior, and was named the Everett Herald’s player of the year. ESPN ranked Fatkin as a three-star player and the 30th-best guard in her class.
Fun fact: Fatkin loves sunsets.
21 DESTINY GRAHAM
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Arizona’s Destiny Graham, far right, is one of only three Wildcats returning from last year’s squad that went 14-16.
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Height: 6-3
Hometown (high school): San Francisco (Eastside College Prep)
Last season: Graham averaged 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Graham grabbed a key rebound to close out Washington State in the Wildcats’ first Pac-12 win of the season.
Fun fact: Graham appeared in a commercial in high school, comparing Bing to Google.
13 MARLEE KYLES
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New Wildcats player Marlee Kyles waits for pictures to be taken as University of Arizona women's basketball introduces 5 of their 7 newcomers at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. on Friday, June 23, 2017. Photo by Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star.
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height: 5-7
Hometown (high school): Elgin, Illinois (Larkin)
Last season: Kyles averaged 28.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game, and was a runner-up for Ms. Basketball Illinois. Kyles scored more than 2,000 points in her high school career. ESPN ranked her a three-star recruit and the No. 23 guard in her class.
Fun fact: Kyles’ favorite movie is “Wreck it Ralph.”
22 LINDSEY MALECHA
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Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Height: 5-9
Hometown (high school): Mahtomedi, Minnesota (Hill-Murray)
Last season: Was a walk-on. Malecha averaged 22 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game during her final season in high school. She was named a Minnesota Ms. Basketball candidate.
Fun fact: Malecha’s favorite movies are “The Princess Bride” and “Shrek.”
20 DOMINIQUE MCBRYDE
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Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Height: 6-2
Hometown (high school): Bedford, Indiana (Bedford North Lawrence)
Last season: McBryde averaged 6.7 points, 6.3 rebounds per game at Purdue before transferring to the UA, earning honorable-mention All Big Ten honors. McBryde must sit out the season because of transfer rules, leaving her with two years of eligibility starting next year.
Fun fact: McBryde’s favorite animal is the chipmunk.
2 AARION MCDONALD
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Washington transfer and the Huskies’ leading scorer a year ago, Aarion McDonald beams at the chance to play for the UA and Adia Barnes.
Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Height: 5-7
Hometown (high school): Fresno, California (Brookside Christian)
Last season: McDonald averaged 9.8 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field at Washington, where she was the Huskies’ third-leading scorer behind Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. McDonald was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week twice. She must sit out this year and has three years of eligibility left starting next year.
Fun fact: Favorite cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
44 ALI REESE
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Ali Reese
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height: 5-9
Hometown (high school): Cypress, Texas (Cypress Woods)
Last season: Reese averaged 5.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game as a high school senior. She was a team captain and earned all-district honors. She graduated cum laude.
Fun fact: Favorite Netflix show is “Shameless.”
10 TEE TEE STARKS
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Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Height: 5-9
Hometown (high school): Brooklyn Park, Minnesota (Hopkins)
Last season: Starks averaged 3.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game at Iowa State, where she started 14 games.
Fun fact: Starks likes to draw during her downtime.

14 SAM THOMAS
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New Wildcat Sam Thomas during a press conference with local media as University of Arizona women's basketball introduces 5 of their 7 newcomers at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. on Friday, June 23, 2017. Photo by Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star.
Class: Freshman
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Hometown (high school): Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (Centennial)
Last season: Thomas averaged 6.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a high school senior, leading her team to its third consecutive state championship. Thomas was named Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year and USA Today Nevada Player of the Year in 2016. ESPN ranked her a four-star recruit and the No. 95 player — and 18th-best wing — in her recruiting class.
Fun fact: Favorite movie is “The Last Song.”
11 KAT WRIGHT
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Florida Atlantic senior transfer Kat Wright said she’s been helping the Wildcats’ new arrivals get settled in at the UA. “I’ll do anything I can to make it easier for them,” she said.
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Hometown (high school): Woodland Hills, California (Notre Dame)
Last season: Wright is a transfer from Florida Atlantic who missed all of last season because of an injury. As a junior, Wright averaged 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, shot 40 percent from 3-point range and hit 11 three-pointers in a single game.
Fun fact: Wright’s favorite TV show is “Game of Thrones.”
