Like every new season, from players to coaches, those at the heart of the Arizona women’s basketball program know that there are adjustments to be made as the 2024-25 schedule gets underway.
While the Wildcats certainly have a number of recognizable faces and impact players back from last year’s squad — four of the UA’s five starters in the program’s first exhibition game of the year Friday night were returnees who ate up a lot of minutes in 2023-24 — even the players themselves look different.
They are stronger; they are better shooters.
Arizona forward Montaya Dew (12), left, and guard Jada Williams (2) celebrate a Wildcat 3 as the team puts away the Wildcats’ exhibition game against West Texas A&M on Friday in Tucson.
In Friday night’s 84-59 win over West Texas A&M in the first of two exhibitions leading up to the Wildcats’ home opener on Nov. 4, sophomore guard Jada Williams more than picked up from where she left off last season. Williams scored 15 points, shot 50% from beyond the arc, dished one assist and grabbed two steals. She had 13 of those points in the first half while reeling off all four of her 3-pointers.
In one sequence that defined her evening, with time ticking down on the shot clock and it looking like the Wildcats would get nothing out of the offensive possession, Williams stepped up and knocked down a 3-pointer. On the very next defensive possession, she was on the floor battling for the 50/50 ball.
One season and one game into her UA career, that’s pure Williams — not taking a possession off.
“She’s put a lot of work in on her shooting and it shows,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said.
Arizona guard Jada Williams gets her shooting hand warmed up under the McKale Center lights as the Wildcats prepared to open their preseason exhibition schedule with a game against West Texas A&M on Friday in Tucson.
“I don’t think she was happy with how she shot the ball last year, and I think that she needs to be a solid point guard in our conference,” Barnes added. “She needs to shoot in the 30s; she could be a 36% 3-point shooter. She needs to be, and she’s capable of doing that.
“She was feeling it. We need her to shoot the ball like this.”
Williams wasn’t the only Wildcat who was feeling it. In the second half, junior transfer Paulina Paris scored 13 points (5 of 10 from the field). She finished with four steals, three assists, two rebounds and only one turnover.
It was the first game since January for Paris, who transferred to Arizona from North Carolina in the offseason, and it took her a little while for the Wildcat guard with the most major college basketball experience under her feet to settle in.
As Barnes said: “You hit one shot, you get more confidence, and then it’s easier to hit the second and third shot.”
The Wildcats shot 48% from the field and from the 3-point line overall Friday, with 34 points coming in the paint and 13 as second-chance points.
Arizona forward Sahnya Jah (11) attempts to muscle her way into the lane past West Texas A&M guard Hollie Stalder (0) during the Wildcats' preseason exhibition win Friday.
Giving it her all
It didn’t take long for Sahnya Jah to draw her own attention to herself in her own first game as a Wildcat since transferring from South Carolina. In three minutes in the first half she had quite the stat line: three steals, an offensive rebound and five points.
Overall, Jah finished with eight points, four rebounds, an assist and four steals in 15 minutes, though she did commit five turnovers.
She wasn’t playing at full strength, however.
“Honestly, she didn’t have to play today,” Barnes said. “She sprained her ankle the other day ... in practice; a pretty good sprain. We knew that she would be a little bit stiff at times and had to warm up. But I thought she did some good things. I think she missed free throws because she’s favoring one ankle. She’s a better free-throw shooter than that, but I thought Jah gave us great energy.
“I thought she really gave effort in her 15 minutes, and she got her hands on balls inside. She altered some stuff.”
Jah drew five fouls but only shot 4 of 8 from the line.
Barnes added that “Jah is one of the few post players that we have that can really pressure the ball, and press and guard players on the perimeter. We really need her to get healthy, and she’s an important part of this team.”
Making those minutes count
Former walk-on Brooklyn Rhodes, who joined the Wildcats in February and was put on scholarship right away, entered the game with two minutes left in the first half. She grabbed two offensive rebounds and scored five points — four of those on putbacks.
“I think Brooklyn is amazing; she’s a sweetheart,” Williams said. “She helps our team just be cohesive and we love on each other, and she’s a big part of that. She’s a great person. Coming in, we’re just excited for her to touch the floor. Last year, she got thrown into the fire. This year, she’s more confident understanding our system, just being comfortable out there, being confident.”
Arizona guard Paulina Paris (23) swipes the inbounds pass from West Texas A&M guard Randi Harding (4) in the fourth quarter of the Wildcats' preseason exhibition opener Friday at McKale Center.
Hollywood!
Just like UA’s men’s basketball team, the women’s team has added the “Hollywood” seats right next to the Arizona bench. The seats are between Barnes’ staff and the table where the UA radio play-by-play voice Derrick Palmer sits.
The “Hollywood” name for the seats is a play on how WNBA and NBA teams have introduced similar high-dollar options for fans.
The view is sweet. However, if you are looking to purchase these, you have to know that when Barnes, who seems much taller than 5-11, is coaching and walking back and forth — you can’t really see around her. Also, when the players check in and out, they, too, will be walking right in front of you, and you’ll miss part of the action.
Still, you are so close to all the action and can hear some instructions Barnes and her assistants give. That on its own may be worth the price of admission.
Work in progress
The Wildcats collected 15 steals but still the defense is a work in progress.
West Texas A&M’s Kyla King scored 7 of her 9 points in that quarter in the first five minutes. Arizona’s starters — Williams, Breya Cunningham, Isis Beh, Skylar Jones and Paris — just couldn’t stop her or her teammates.
Barnes said it was simple: “We’re not playing defense right now.”
Barnes has a list of areas the Wildcats need to improve on. It includes everything from not reaching for steals, being out of position and giving up easy baskets. It’s about being “more disciplined.”
Now that they have game film, it will be easier for the players to see what they did and didn’t do and grow.
Barnes said, “That’s what is fun. It’s my job to get us better. I just want to see every game where we’re improving.”
