Adia Barnes was happy on Thursday when she heard the news that her No. 1 recruit of the offseason, Helena Pueyo, was returning to Arizona for her fifth year.
Barnes went to Twitter and posted: βToday is a great day!β
While the official announcement of Pueyoβs return would have to wait a day, Arizona fans were put on alert that good news was headed their way.
Pueyoβs message, which arrived Friday morning, said: βI have been so happy during my time in Tucson. Playing for Adia and being part of Arizona basketball has been an amazing experience. I am thankful for Adia and Salvo (Coppa) putting their trust in me since day one. I am so grateful to my teammates for the incredible relationships I have built since being here. The fans have been so wonderful to me and have treated me like family since being here.
βWith that being said, I am not done yet and I am excited to announced that I am COMING BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR!β
The Spaniard is the only Wildcat who remains from the squad that played in the national championship game two years ago. Gone are graduating seniors Cate Reese and Shaina Pellington. Madi Conner and Lauren Ware entered the transfer portal on Wednesday.
Washington forward Lauren Schwartz, left, and Arizona guard Helena Pueyo race for the ball during their Pac-12 game at McKale Center on Jan. 27, 2023.
Just hours after Pueyo announced her return, the Star learned that another Wildcat, senior guard Lauren Fields, has entered the portal. Fields was only at Arizona for one year having transferred from Oklahoma State last offseason.
Pueyo, who stands at 6 feet, is a calm and steadying influence on the court. She plays four positions β all but center β but if you asked, she might even slide over. Her versatility is just one of her strengths.
She is also one of the top defenders in the nation, having made the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team and the Naismith midseason watch list. She finished second in the Pac-12 in steals, averaging 2.3 per game.
Pueyo could start for just about any program but likes it best when she is coming off the bench. At Arizona, she has started 11 times during her career, including six times this past season.
βWhen Iβm on the bench, I can see ... how the game goes,β Pueyo said earlier this season. βI can see, βOh, this player is doing that.β I know what youβre doing now; I can fix it. Iβm just trying to bring energy β help the team during that time. Itβs really helped me to see what is going on first.β
Pueyo, who won gold last summer playing 3-on-3 with her national team at FIBAβs U23 Mediterranean Games, has always brought a spark for the Wildcats. Sheβll get a steal that starts a rally, dish an assist or even knock down a 3-pointer. She is also an 85.7% free-throw shooter over the past two seasons.
Her length helps her get into passing lanes to deflect passes, pick steals and block shots. This season she had a career-high 73 steals and 21 blocks. She also shot at a 50.8% clip overall and 31.4% from beyond the 3-point line.
The only flaw in Pueyoβs game is that she sometimes is too team-oriented, often giving up her own shot to try to set up a teammate. She has 243 career assists and averaged 2.7 per game this season. She averaged 5.3 points.
Arizona guard Lauren Fields, right, batters her way through Utah guard Ines Vieira and into the paint during their Pac-12 game at McKale Center on Feb. 17, 2023.
Just days after Arizonaβs 2022-23 season ended, five players entered the portal: senior Fields, junior Ware, sophomore Conner and freshmen Paris Clark and Lemyah Hylton.
Fields, the latest to leave, was a sneaky defender often guarding one of the opponentβs best players. She picked 53 steals and swatted 13 shots. She struggled at times on offense, averaging only 4.5 points after averaging 15.4 points as a Cowgirl. She will be remembered for her eight-point outburst pacing the big comeback against Oregon State in January.
Five players remain on the roster for the 2023-24 season at the moment: Pueyo, Esmery Martinez, Maya Nnaji, Kailyn Gilbert and early enrollee Montaya Dew.
Two other members of the class of 2023 β Breya Cunningham and Jada Williams β took to Twitter Thursday to show that they are locked in as Wildcats. Nnaji also tweeted out that there is βlots of unfinished businessβ to attend to in the near future.
Martinez has yet to officially announce whether she is returning to UA for her final season or turning pro.
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Number one Indiana Hoosiers lost to number eight Miami Hurricanes 70-68 in round two of the women's NCAA tournament.
