Adia Barnes on Arizona's new additions, resetting Wildcats' culture and standards

Adia Barnes is always on the move.

That’s true during the season and even now.

If she’s not at the first early-morning workout with her team or at practice, the seventh-year Arizona women’s basketball coach is meeting with her new staff and planning — either for the Wildcats or her upcoming kids camp next week at McKale Center.

If she’s not in the office, she might be at a speaking engagement, a brainstorming session for a special project or even finger-painting with her soon-to-be 3-year old daughter, Capri.

Barnes didn’t even stop late Thursday night when the Star caught up with her. She had just come from an event at the Boys & Girls Club of Tucson and was driving (hands-free, don’t worry) to Phoenix for recruiting at the 2023 Section 7 Tournament. (The games started at 8 a.m. Friday.)

During a wide-ranging conversation, Barnes talked about the newbies on the roster, how NIL and the transfer portal have exploded, what didn’t work last season and even shared a little about her family time over the last month. Part 1 of 2 can be found below. It has been lightly edited.

Skylar Jones was a late addition to your freshman class. How does she round it out?

A: “We’re lucky we got her so late. She’s long, about 6 feet tall — similar to (fellow freshman) Montaya (Dew). She’s a lefty. She reminds me, body-wise, like Sam Thomas, but I think she’s a little taller. Athletic, long, can shoot, can slash. She’s going to be a really good player. She’s long and can defend.

“She’s from Chicago, and they play a really tough style. I love the way Chicago players play. She comes from a really high academic school (Whitney Young) that is elite and really hard to get into. She’s a really good student and comes from an amazing family. To get her late in the class was incredible.

“It’s just an amazing class. Just think about it. We have a couple of bigs. Montaya can play at the three, four; Skylar can play the two, three; then you have Breya (Cunningham) inside and Jada Williams at the point — that’s a pretty awesome class. The future of Arizona women’s basketball.”

You also added four transfers. Why did you want each of them to be Wildcats?

A: “First is Courtney Blakely. It’s funny because there was some background. Her mom (Angela Hamblin Blakely) played in the WNBA (Detroit Shock), so there was some history there. Her mom and I played (professionally) about the same time. That’s pretty cool. She is an amazing kid. She’s tenancious, athletic defender (who) can play one or two positions. She can be a defensive stopper. An amazing kid, a great student, but someone who is so coachable. She brings a tremendous amount of energy. Great body language, just a super culture kid — a total-package kid. She has experience, coming in as a junior. Coming from a basketball family, she just gets it and wants to be coached well. She comes in from Middle Tennessee — a good team that wins and was in the NCAA Tournament. She’s a really good addition, and I’m happy to have her.

“If you look at Sali (Kourouma) a blue-collar player like I love. For us, she can play the three and the four. She’s a defensive player. She’s physical. She’s going to be a really good rebounder. I really like her. She’s a tough player, and we haven’t had that toughness. She’s super gritty. ...

“Isis (Beh) is a really good addition, too. She’s an amazing teammate. She brings experience and has been in different places (West Virginia, Salt Lake City CC, UNLV). She learned from different people and she really gets it. She gets what it’s really about; gets what team is. She’s the type of kid who is the first one to thank you — even in a group text. I think she can be a future leader here. She works hard. She’s mature and brings people along. She’s strong and efficient around the basket. She likes to set screens and bang. I like her, and I think she’s only going to get better. She comes from a great family.

“Fanta (Gassama) is Spanish — African descent, but she is from Spain. She’s learning a lot and is super sweet. She has really good touch around the basket. Spanish players are easy to coach. She was never allowed to play outside, so we’re going to continue to develop her to play outside. She’s a fast learner and a really good teammate. She’s really appreciative — all these kids are, and that’s what I like.

“They all want to be here, excited about Arizona. They aren’t just here. Here’s an example: Yesterday was an off day and every single one of them was in the gym. I am just excited to coach them.

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“This is a really good group of girls. The way we’re working, the way we’re communicating and having each other’s back and energy, it is fun to coach right now. Everybody’s pulling in the right direction. Everybody’s wants to learn and wants to be coached. I know it’s early but ... it’s just really a good thing.”

What was your strategy in putting together this year’s team?

A: “I wanted a little bit more size inside. I felt like we didn’t have enough presence inside that could help with rebounding and defending a post player. I knew Breya was coming, but we got a lot bigger and stronger in some positions. We got more athletic, we got bigger on the perimeter. Our threes like Montaya — who will be playing at three eventually — and Skylar, those are 6-foot wings. We really miss Sam Thomas — having a defensive player in that position. Now we have Sali, Skylar. Then, along with a really solid freshman class and adding some good pieces around them.”

Looking back at last season, what was the best thing and the most challenging?

A: “The best thing is we had the ability to shoot. The worst was that we weren’t cohesive. I think we were really concerned with our individual offense. No one wanted to sacrifice and do what’s hard and what’s selfless, and that’s defense. But we all wanted to score.”

What were the biggest lessons you learned from last season?

A: “I think there were things early that I probably had to address a lot stronger, but it wouldn’t have mattered with that group. Usually in the summer we are here working out and getting ready. Some of that stuff was established in the summer. Summers are where people are a little bit more relaxed. I already talked a lot with this (year’s) group about culture and the standards from this point on. I think I had to do a better job of that earlier last year like, ’This is not offseason. We’re not going to be not focused in the summer,’ stuff like that.

“I also learned how important it is to have the right people. It’s funny, if you would have asked me at the beginning of last year how good we were going to be, I remember at one point saying, ‘We are going to lose first or second round of the NCAA Tournament.’ Because we were too selfish. We were worried about ‘I’m going pro’ or ‘I want this’ or ‘I don’t get this shot.’ We were way too selfish and way too into our individual stuff. And I saw that from the beginning.

“(This year) we came together much earlier. We will have breaks this summer, but we needed the core here because we have so many new people. We have so many new staff. It was really important to spend this extra time here this summer. I could not be happier with the staff right now. The changes I made were the best decisions I made for the organization.

“We talked a lot about the team being on the same page and pulling the right direction. Well, your staff has to be that way also. Really finding good people who are aligned with me and my core values and what I want this program to stand for, and I have the people right now that will do that.”

That brings us to your most recent hire, Chris Allen, who is your new performance enhancement coach. What makes Chris the right coach to add in this moment?

A: “Chris Allen was a hire I wanted for many years. Chris is one of the best in the country. He’s worked every single sport, led every department he has been part of. He gets it and is extremely experienced. We’re blessed to have him on our team.

“I’ve known him for years. He has a presence about him. He has an aura about him, and the players love him. They just met him and they all love him. He was an elite-level athlete, so he knows what it takes. I watched the way he guides them and leads them.

“The weight room is one of the most important areas because it sets the culture and the foundation. For the way we want to play and the things we want to do, you have to have consistency in the weight room. We can’t play fast if we’re not athletic and don’t have good footwork. It’s an important position. and he’s been a very, very good addition for us.”

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