Mom Madness: Adia Barnes balances being a mother, coaching Wildcats as postseason starts

LAS VEGAS — Adia Barnes finds a quiet corner to talk — or rather whisper, as she is losing her voice. Meanwhile, her husband, Salvo Coppa, reads to their 7-year-old son, Matteo, before putting him to bed.

Next up will be 2½-old Capri’s turn with her mommy. For Barnes, reading to her daughter before she goes to sleep is a special time. So special that these days it takes up to quite a number of books — and up to two hours — before Capri is ready to go to sleep.

Then, after all of this, Barnes settles in and watches two basketball games to prepare for No. 4 seed Arizona’s quarterfinal matchup at the Pac-12 Tournament against either UCLA or ASU. At the time, she didn’t know which team Arizona would be playing at 1 p.m. Thursday. She found out Wednesday afternoon it would be UCLA.

Barnes doesn’t get to sleep until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

This is the end of a fairly typical day for Barnes and Coppa. Except this time, it’s on the road in a hotel room in Las Vegas.

Barnes, just like every working mom, said that every phase of being a parent is hard. The only thing that might be a little easier these days is that she is getting a little more sleep.

Barnes shared this and more with the Star late Tuesday night in a wide-ranging conversation about postseason play, her biggest joy and challenge of the season and what makes this year’s team different from the others she’s coached at Arizona. The conversation has been slightly edited.

As you enter the postseason, what is your message to your team?

A: “It’s time to step up. It’s time to play Arizona basketball consistently. That’s with intensity, energy, lots of passion, and to play hard whenever we step on the court. It’s that time of the year — a new season — and we control our own destiny. We’re here on a business trip to win the Pac-12 Tournament. After that, we’re still not done. We’re in the NCAA Tournament.”

You typically focus on the game in front of you, but how do you guide your players in this moment not to think about how your season ended (two straight losses) but to look at only Thursday’s game?

A: “We don’t really talk about it. We said we were moving on. We didn’t play the way we wanted. We didn’t really compete, and I think that’s the most disappointing thing. Now it’s time to turn the page. We went from playing great against Utah and Colorado to playing the Oregons and not playing well. But it’s over with, and now it’s time to move on. But we should learn from that, because we lost to a team that was on a seven-game skid. We have to bring our ‘A’ game every day.”

If you were told five years ago that you would go on a streak of four consecutive first-round byes in the Pac-12 Tournament and that you would own the second longest streak next to Stanford, would you have believed it?

A: “No, I wouldn’t. That’s pretty good, because we should have my first couple of years (coaching at UA). And I honestly didn’t know we had a bye for four years, it feels like only two years. The crazy thing is — and I hate this — Aari (McDonald) and I were talking about this, every time going into the tournament, we can always control our own destiny, and at the very end something happens. Like we lose at home against Cal. We always end up having a worse situation than we could have. We could have gone to the Oregon schools, taken care of business and finished third (in the Pac-12) and had a different schedule . But we didn’t.

What did it feel like for you to see your name pop up as No. 15 in the second reveal for the NCAA Tournament and then not go out and lock up that spot, losing to Oregon an hour later?

A: “I think that’s been the trend the whole season. Every time we’ve had a higher ranking, we’ve laid an egg. I think this team has to learn how to handle that, the expectations, and go in and be able to kill someone, or go in and win the games you are supposed to win. I don’t think we have that fight, but I think we can get it. Because I look back at the Final Four year, we weren’t playing good basketball. We just got hot at the right time.

“This is the time of year where ... there’s a little bit more pressure. It’s a week away from midterms. It’s a very stressful time every year. This is a hard time. I think we just have to learn to keep on getting better. Stay the course. Get better every day. Stick to the principles. Believe and have trust, and then we can accomplish some great things.”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

What do you think is different with this team that your teams in previous years?

A: “I don’t really know what we’re great at. We can score, but sometimes we can’t, or we just shoot really fast. I think that we can play great defense; we’re just really inconsistent. We can always control our effort and our energy, even if you don’t make shots. That’s what I am trying to show the players. I think they’re starting to learn that, because we had a hard lesson this past weekend. Both those teams are good. Their records don’t matter.”

Last year you finished No. 20 in the AP poll and won 20 games in the regular season. You lost a close game in the Pac-12 Tournament. Cate Reese was injured. You ended up hosting the first rounds of the NCAA Tournament. This year, you were ranked No. 21 in the AP poll and won 21 games in the regular season. You’ve also beaten five ranked teams this year. Do you think you have a chance to host?

A: “I think we would have put ourselves in a complete situation had we won at the Oregons. We didn’t accomplish that mission. If we win a game in the Pac-12 Tournament, then I think we have a chance to host. But I do think last weekend’s losses really hurt our chances.

“The other thing is, I think it helps that Oregon’s NET ranking is high. I think it also helps on Senior Night — the last game of the season — you are seeing teams like Texas lose. So, you are seeing a trend a lot with a lot of higher-ranked teams. But I think that we need to win the first game. We need to win one to two games in this tournament to have a chance.”

What moment this season has brought you the most joy, and what has been the most challenging?

A: “The most joy was seeing us rebound after really tough losses. It showed our character. For instance, we lost that tough game in Utah, and then we came and handled business at home . I think that was a big, pivotal point of the season for us. I think one of the biggest challenges is trying to get us to be more consistent and have the same level (of) energy on a consistent basis. I’ve handled more adversity with my team this year — just random, small things — than I ever have before. It’s just been a harder year for me.”

Now that Capri is 2½ years old — no longer a baby — you are in the next stage of being a mom to two young children. How is this different?

A: “It’s hard. It’s a different hard. Different challenges. Now it’s figuring out the right schools, the right caretaker situation. There are so many decisions that directly affect us . And they are five years apart. He’s a good big brother, but sometimes he doesn’t’ want to share everything with her. They are just going through these stages. But it’s fun. I think it’s made me a better coach. I look back at the Final Four year, and I don’t know how I did it.

“It’s hard, but I just make it work. I have to choose if I want more sleep or want to work out to keep in shape. A year ago, I chose the sleep. But I think it’s not going to change, so I have to change some of my habits, my well-being, to be happier. So for me, going to work out, even if I’m tired. Like this morning, I woke up at 5, I had F45 (Training) at 6, got home at 7. I finished packing with all the kids’ stuff for this weekend. But I knew I wasn’t going to work out this weekend, so I wanted to get it in.

“I am learning to take more time for myself. I have to fill my cup. It’s not going to get any easier. I have to be my best throughout all the phases.”

What do you want to say to all the working moms?

A: “You are amazing. Women are so powerful. We’re changing everything. We give faith and inspiration to other women, and our job is to, as we rise to the top, pull someone else along. I think that’s what (some) women don’t do, and we need to be the ones who do that.”

<&rule>