There is a new Wildcat in Adia Barnesβ house.
The UA womenβs basketball coach gave birth to a baby girl, Capri Adia, Tuesday morning at Banner-University Medical Center. Baby Capri joins big brother Matteo, who is 5.
Salvo Coppa, Barnesβ husband and a Wildcats assistant coach, said that Barnes and the baby are doing well. By Tuesday afternoon, Capri had broken loose from her swaddle and was βalready posting up,β Coppa said. She weighs 8 pounds 13 ounces and is 20.5 inches tall.
βCapri looks just like Matteo when he was born β he was 9Ζ pounds. Same round face and head,β he said.
Coppa said Capriβs cesarean-section birth was different than Matteoβs, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said there was βlots of silence and very few people helping.β
β(And) lots of paying attention to masks,β Coppa said. βI even fell asleep with my mask on.β
Capri Coppa was named after the island in the south of Italy.
Thereβs a personal connection for her parents. When Barnes lived in Naples, her apartment had a view of the island. Coppa and Barnes went to the island on one of their first dates.
The babyβs middle name, Adia, was a no-brainer. βIt was only fair,β Coppa said. β(Barnes) did everything.β
Barnes will take two weeks off for maternity leave. Coppa is expected to miss three days, then return on a limited schedule for a few weeks. The NCAA is expected to announce Wednesday when teams can begin practicing and playing.
In the days leading up to Capriβs birth, Barnes kept up her demanding schedule. She coached and recruited, all while doing last-minute baby prep.
She, Coppa and Matteo took part in one last photo shoot as a family of three.
Sleep didnβt come easy. Tuesday morning, Barnes posted a photo to Instagram from the hospital parking lot. βGo time,β read the caption. Capri was born at 9:07 a.m.
Barnes, 43, is entering her fifth season as Arizonaβs coach.
The Wildcats won the 2019 WNIT championship and were poised to host NCAA Tournament games last spring before the pandemic hit.
The UA has been picked No. 7 in the country in ESPNβs way-too-early poll.
Today in sports history: Sept. 17