The Adia Barnes era — which saw Arizona women’s basketball rise to national prominence — has come to an end.
After nine seasons at the helm of her alma mater, Barnes has accepted the head-coaching job at SMU. The school announced the move Saturday afternoon.
“I’m truly excited for the opportunity to be the next head coach at SMU,” Barnes said in a news release. “Having seen the commitment and alignment on the Hilltop, I believe we can compete on the national stage and for ACC championships. ...
“My family and I can’t wait to get to Dallas and start putting down roots. Go Mustangs!”
Barnes leaves Arizona after leading the Wildcats to six postseason berths in the past seven seasons, with the only exception being the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign. Arizona came within a shot of winning the national championship in 2020-21, losing by a point to Stanford in the program’s first and only appearance in the Final Four.
Arizona coach Adia Barnes talks to her team during a timeout in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament against NAU at McKale Center, March 20, 2025.
Two years earlier, Arizona — led by star guard Aari McDonald — won the WNIT championship at McKale Center.
Barnes leaves Arizona with a 169-114 record. She compiled the second-most victories in program history behind Joan Bonvicini (297), who coached Barnes when she played for the Wildcats from 1994-98.
Barnes was entering the last year of a five-year contract that made her one of the 10 highest-paid women’s basketball coaches in the country. She earned $1.25 million this past season and was set to make $1.3 million next season. By leaving before April 30, she owes the UA a buyout of $300,000.
“On behalf of the University of Arizona community, we want to thank Adia for her nine seasons as our head coach and her profound impact on Arizona women’s basketball,” UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois said in a statement. “She helped elevate our program and created lifetime memories for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We wish Adia, Salvo, Matteo and Capri all the best in the future.”
Arizona coach Adia Barnes talks to her team during the WBIT game against NAU at McKale Center, March 20, 2025.
Barnes resurrected a UA program that struggled under her predecessor, Niya Butts. The Wildcats posted five consecutive sub-.500 seasons before Barnes became the coach in 2016. Three seasons later, Arizona won the WNIT title.
The program also saw a surge in attendance during Barnes’ tenure. The average home attendance the season before she arrived was 1,386. It was 6,695 this past season, the 13th-highest average in the country.
Arizona hasn’t been able to sustain the success it achieved in 2021. Arizona made the NCAA Tournament each of the next three seasons but never made it past the second round.
The Wildcats were on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble this past season, their first in the Big 12 Conference. They were a 2-seed in the WBIT but lost to NAU in the first round at McKale. It was the Cats’ second loss to the Lumberjacks during the 2024-25 season.
While Barnes led Arizona to new heights, she had difficulty retaining players during her final years in Tucson. Seven members of the 2024-25 team had entered the transfer portal as of Saturday morning, including the Wildcats’ top three scorers. Arizona experienced a similar outflow of players in 2022 and ‘23.
Arizona head coach Adia Barnes and assistant coach Salvo Coppa wave to the sea of Wildcat fans after the 71-59 point win against ASU at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, March 1, 2025.
Whether the transfers were a product of Barnes’ old-school, defense-first coaching style or a lack of NIL funding is unclear. It was most likely a combination of the two, plus the freedom that current student-athletes have to switch schools and maximize their market value.
SMU joined the ACC last year. The Dallas-based private school has shown a willingness to spend money on its athletic programs, especially football. The football team made the expanded College Football Playoff last season.
New SMU athletic director Damon Evans fired women’s basketball coach Toyelle Wilson on March 30 after a 10-20 season.
“We are happy to welcome Adia to the Mustang family,” Evans said Saturday. “She has had great success at Arizona, leading her teams to postseason appearances and 20-win seasons while her teams also set records in the classroom. She has landed stellar recruiting classes and has been heavily involved in the Tucson community, showing her talent for building programs. The future is bright for SMU women’s basketball.”
Arizona head coach Adia Barnes talks with guard Jada Williams during a break in the action against Texas Tech on Feb. 25, 2025, at McKale Center.
Reed-Francois was prepared to give Barnes another season but had some concerns about the direction of the program. It’s atypical for a high-profile college coach to enter into a lame-duck season, which 2025-26 would have been for Barnes if she’d stayed at Arizona without a contract extension.
Barnes’ departure gives all parties a fresh start.
Reed-Francois said the search for a new coach is already underway.
“I am confident that our candidate pool will be strong,” she said. “We have a championship history and a proud tradition; we have incredibly passionate fans and donors who want success; we have a strong commitment to basketball excellence and championships from our university and our department; we compete in one of the nation’s top conferences; and we have an unwavering desire to be great. I look forward to welcoming our new head coach.”
Many speculated Reed-Francois would turn to someone she knows to succeed Barnes, but that might not be the case.
Reed-Francois hired Lindy La Rocque at UNLV, where she posted a 128-30 record over the past five seasons. Former UA men’s coach Lute Olson was La Rocque’s godfather. Her dad, Al, played for Olson at Long Beach City College.
However, La Rocque released a statement on social media Saturday indicating she has no plans to leave Las Vegas.
“The future at UNLV and our program winning championships are my top priorities,” La Rocque said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be here in Las Vegas focused on those things with my family. My staff and I are already working towards another championship. Go Rebels!”
