Arizona women's basketball coach Becky Burke on how she built her roster, how she found Blessing “Adde” Adebanjo and how she conducts her practices (video by Michael Lev / Arizona Daily Star)

Becky Burke didn’t need a long, elaborate recruiting pitch to persuade Achol Magot to transfer to Arizona.

Burke simply asked Magot: “Are you ready to come home?”

She was ready.

“I knew immediately that I was ready to pack my stuff and come on back to Tucson,” Magot said Tuesday during Arizona women’s basketball’s media day.

Born in South Sudan, Magot moved here with her family in 2006. She attended Salpointe Catholic and Sunnyside high schools before attending Texas Tech for two years.

Magot, a 6-foot-7 center, entered the transfer portal April 21. Two days later, she signed with the Wildcats. The idea of finishing her college playing career where her high school career began was irresistible.

“That’s literally all it took,” Magot said. “I could worry about the details later. I’m ready for a fresh start. I was ready to take that opportunity. Be in the Big 12 again, play at home. Who wouldn’t want that?”

Center Achol Magot executes a play during an open practice for the Arizona women’s basketball team at McKale Center on Sept. 30, 2025.

One of the unknown details was the addition of Ashley Odom to Burke’s staff. Odom was an assistant coach at Texas Tech the past five seasons. She officially joined the UA staff on April 24.

Odom told Burke that Magot has become a “completely different player” than when she was in Lubbock. Magot redshirted as a freshman because of injury. She appeared in nine games last season, playing just 34 minutes.

She’s slated to be the starting center for a UA squad that desperately needs size.

“She is going to be a presence,” Burke said. “She is going to be a force in the paint. We’re going to rely on her really heavily to be that for us, to be a rim protector, to score (with her) back to the basket, to be able to score and go inside-out.

“She’s completely transformed her body and her mindset. ... The kid’s 6-7 with some of the best hands I’ve seen and (is) one of the most physical players when she wants to be. So I’m pumping her up. I’m challenging her every day.

“Trust me: There’s probably days she leaves practice and she’s like, ‘I cannot stand Coach Burke.’ But we’re going to get every ounce out of her because we need it.”

Center Achol Magot talks to a reporter during media day for the Arizona women’s basketball team at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on Sept. 30, 2025.

A redshirt sophomore, Magot has three more years of eligibility. She envisions Arizona as the last stop on her college basketball journey.

“It has to be,” Magot said. “I don’t plan on going (anywhere) else. I want to graduate from here. Think about how amazing that would be. I’m from Tucson, get to graduate with the ‘A’ on my chest. That’s just amazing.”

Montaya’s mission

Oh, no. Not again.

Those were some of the thoughts swirling through Montaya Dew’s mind on Feb. 25 as she writhed in pain on the McKale Center court.

Dew reinjured her surgically repaired left knee that night against Texas Tech. She was having the best game of her career. Just like that, her season was over.

Two months later, it was fair to wonder whether Dew’s UA career was over, too. Adia Barnes had left for SMU. Burke had been hired as Arizona’s coach. All of Dew’s teammates had used up their eligibility or transferred.

Forward Montaya Dew talks to a reporter during media day for the Arizona women’s basketball team at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on Sept. 30, 2025.

Dew had no desire to leave.

“I wanted my legacy to be here at Arizona,” the redshirt junior said. “Coming into college, I didn’t want to transfer everywhere. I chose Arizona for a reason. I wanted to stick here.

“The fans are amazing. The support we have here is amazing. The coaches now here are amazing, also.”

Fortunately for Dew, Burke wanted Dew to remain a Wildcat — even though she’s out indefinitely while rehabbing her knee.

“The new coach could have kicked me off because I was injured,” Dew said. “So I wasn’t really sure where I was at. ... But she told me that she wanted me to stay.”

Burke began texting Dew shortly after getting the job. They met about a week later.

“Just the sweetest kid — everything I heard about her was absolutely true,” Burke said. “Coming in and saying she wants to be here, she wants to be a part of this, I think that says a lot. She’s going into the complete unknown. She has no idea what to expect, has no idea who I am. But just believing and buying into what we want to do, what our vision is. And (she) wants to be challenged in a different way.

Arizona forward Montaya Dew is attended to by the medical staff after she crawled off the court favoring her left leg in the fourth quarter against Texas Tech on Feb. 25, 2025, at McKale Center. Dew returned to the bench, walking with an ice bag on her knee.

“What she ... experienced for her first couple years, it’s a 180 compared to what she’s experiencing now. Not in a good way (or) bad way. It’s just different.”

Dew said there’s no “exact timeline” for her return to the court. But she’s pushing to be back sometime this season.

A five-star, top-10 recruit in the class of 2023, Dew arrived on campus as a midyear enrollee. She missed the entire 2023-24 season because of a torn ACL.

Dew made her debut last season. She appeared in 29 games, averaging 2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.9 minutes.

Dew had eight points, eight rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal before getting hurt against the Red Raiders.

“It was shocking when it all happened,” Dew said. “And then it was kind of a bummer — like, ‘I’ve already been through this and I have to go through it again.’ But just trying to keep that positive mindset and knowing that I’m going to be back.”

Said Burke: “I’m excited for her to get healthy. She’s eager to get back on the court. She wants to play as soon as possible. She’s working her butt off every single day to make sure she stays on track.”

Rim shots

– The starting five during an open practice at McKale on Tuesday consisted of guards Noelani Cornfield, Mickayla Perdue and Sumayah Sugapong; wing Tanyuel Welch; and Magot. Forwards Nora Francois and Blessing “Adde” Adebanjo subbed in when Burke wanted a bigger lineup.

– Forward Freddie Wallace is currently out because of a concussion. She’s expected to be part of the rotation once she’s cleared.

– Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Day is slated for Oct. 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Arizona’s first exhibition game is Oct. 23 vs. West Texas A&M. The Wildcats’ season opener is Nov. 6 vs. UC Riverside. All exhibition and nonconference games are at McKale.

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Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @michaeljlev. On Bluesky: @michaeljlev.bsky.social