Through games of Friday, Arizona was 1-8 in Big 12 women's basketball, and SMU was 1-9 in ACC women's basketball. It's not inconceivable that both could finish 1-17 in conference. How's that for a not-so-unexpected coincidence?
It can all be traced to SMU coach Adia Barnes’ inability to keep top recruits at Arizona. Now, both Barnes and Arizona coach Becky Burke are paying a price for the UA's lack of stability under Barnes. Those who left Arizona are impressively productive. If you can imagine the following 10 ex-Wildcats still in UA uniforms, it's likely Arizona would still be a Top 25 program. Here's the list of those who left McKale Center and are still active:
Arizona head coach Adia Barnes, who is now head coach at SMU, directs her team during a game against UT Arlington, Nov. 4, 2024, in Tucson.
Gisela Sanchez: Averaging seven points for a 13-8 Notre Dame team.
Lauren Ware: Averaging 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds at Texas A&M.
Lemyah Hylton: Averaging 5.3 points for Texas A&M.
Kailyn Gilbert: Averaging six points for No. 6 LSU.
Paris Clark: Averaging 9.8 points for 15-6 Virginia.
Jada Williams: Averaging 13.9 points for Iowa State.
Skylar Jones: Averaging 10.1 points for No. 7 Louisville.
Breya Cunningham: Averaging 9.8 points for No. 4 Texas.
Lauryn Swann: Averaging 8.6 points for Rutgers.
Katarina Knezevic: Averaging 9.5 points for VCU.
And that list doesn't include former UA center Maya Nnaji, perhaps the top recruit in UA women's basketball history, who quit the UA team in the middle of her sophomore season, 2023-24. Nnaji is not on a college basketball team this year.
