Breya Cunningham feels like she’s coming home.
That’s because, well, she is.
Cunningham, a five-star verbal commit in Arizona’s Class of 2023, was born in Tucson. Her mother, Christania Haughton, graduated from the UA. Most of her family still lives in Arizona. She’s followed the Wildcats for years.
“I really loved that school for a long time, and it felt right,” said Cunningham, a star forward at La Jolla Country Day in California.
So right that after Cunningham was still thinking about the Wildcats — and coach Adia Barnes — when she took her official visit to UCLA.
“I know this is probably going to sound bad, but on my UCLA visit — I had a great time and I love the coaching staff over there. I went into the UCLA visit with an open mind, but I just didn’t feel like the same way about the school that I did with Arizona,” Cunningham said. “I was having those one-on-one conversations with the coaches, and I love coach Cori (Close) and coach Tasha (Brown). It’s just that I have a different connection with Coach Adia.
“It doesn’t feel like I’m just talking to a coach, and we don’t just talk about basketball. She’s a really genuine person. I really liked how our conversations were not just about basketball or what I could do for the program. It was more like, what she could do for me and what we could do for each other.”
Cunningham committed to the UA on June 26, becoming the first player from Barnes’ hometown of San Diego to commit to the Wildcats’ coach. Barnes collected her second one earlier this month, when Jada Williams — Cunningham’s Country Day teammate — flipped her commitment from UCLA to UA. A guard, Williams is ranked No. 10 in her class by ESPN. The pair join forward Montaya Dew, ranked No. 9 by ESPN, as five-star recruits in the Wildcats’ 2023 class.
Cunningham had other reasons to pick Arizona. She wanted to play close to her San Diego home while building connections that could pay off when her basketball career is over.
Of course, Cunningham could have a long career. The 6-foot-4-inch Cunningham in ranked No. 10 in her class by ESPN, which also calls her the third-best post player for 2023. Last season, she averaged 18.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
This summer, Cunningham and Williams played for Team USA and won gold in FIBA’s U17 World Cup. Cunningham started five of the seven games, averaging 8.9 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game. She called it “a great experience.”
“Playing with USA is always such a big honor — (even) being invited. Just because it’s the best 12 girls from all across the country,” she said. “Being able to do that and then win the second gold medal with some with some new girls and some returning players. It’s always a fun experience.”
Basketball started out for Cunningham as just fun. Her mom, who played in high school and in the Navy, was Cunningham’s first coach on a YMCA team.
“I wasn’t good at it, but I had a good time,” she said. “Then as I got older, I started seeing the progress of how I was starting to get better at the game, and I just kept going.”
It won’t be long before Cunningham is playing in front of a packed McKale Center. Just like she planned.
“I really wanted to play with the best, and a lot of the best ended up at Arizona,” Cunningham said.
“That also made the decision easier. Just how good the team will be this year — before I get there — and how good the team will be when everybody is there my freshman year. They are all great players. I’ve either played with them or against them. I’m just excited to play with everybody.”
