For Arizona, home-court advantage really means something.
That was evident when the Wildcats sold out McKale Center for the 2019 WNIT championship game. And it was again apparent in February, when the UA drew 7,383 fans for its first-ever upset of a top-5 team, Stanford.
Itβs not just the number of fans, even though the Wildcats averaged around 6,000 per game last season. Itβs what they bring.
Indiana transfer Bendu Yeaney, who was in the stands during the win over Stanford, felt it.
βIt was crazy. β¦ I was sitting in the stands, and I wanted to get out there and play,β Yeaney said. βItβs going to be a fun atmosphere.β
The Wildcats will have to wait until 2021 to play in front of their fans. The Pac-12 ruled last week that the menβs and womenβs basketball seasons will start Nov. 25, but that fans wouldnβt be allowed until January at the earliest. The league is expected to revisit its decision after New Yearβs Day.
Arizona coach Adia Barnes said she hopes to see fans for conference play βjust for the environment.β
βFor us, itβs a huge advantage here,β she said.
Playing in an empty arena will be quite a different experience for the players.
βI think that weβve developed into a team where our fans really help us and give us that extra,β forward Cate Reese said. βI mean, itβs just difficult for people to come play here, because our fans are so loud and so energized. It really helps us to win.
βItβll definitely be something that we have to focus on β we have to energize ourselves and we have to be more communicators, because in the game itβs hard to hear. Now, itβll be even better to hear each other on the court. I think that will help us, but we definitely will have to work together and create our own energy, which might be a little difficult at the beginning, because weβre not used to it.
Better than ever
Arizona was ranked eighth in ESPNβs latest βway-too-earlyβ poll, released Monday. They dropped one spot from ESPNβs first early poll, released in April.
Barnes said her teamβs workouts have reached βanother level of intensityβ as the Wildcats prepare for nonconference play to start in November. Itβs impressive given how long some players went without the game.
βThe players havenβt played in so long. I mean, weβre talking some kids in the offseason did not touch the ball for like six months,β Barnes said.
βI thought initially that weβd be way more behind. I think our conditioning was like β everyoneβs kind of dying at first, but theyβre just, theyβre hungry. I think that I think itβs going to be an advantage to us.β
The Wildcats will try to continue to ride the momentum they had before the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of the pandemic.
Barnes said this yearβs team βthey look better than how they left.β
It starts with senior guard Aari McDonald, who is considered one of the best players in the country.
βShe came back with a new sense of urgency and enthusiasm β ready, just the motivation, and grasps everything,β Barnes said. βThe whole package, sheβs been way more vocal, more of a leader.β
Recruiting rankings
Arizonaβs 2021 recruiting class is ranked 15th nationally by ESPN. Five other Pac-12 schools made the Top 25: Stanford (6), USC (7), Oregon State (8), Washington (16) and ASU (23).
ESPN has added a new category β 4.5 stars β and changed player rankings and positions; the website now ranks foreign players, too.
As a result, three Arizona commits have seen their rankings change. Madison Conner is now ranked No. 71 nationally, with Aaronette Vonleh listed 100th.
Anna Gret Asi, an Estonian guard, is listed for the first time as a 4.5-star player.
Be the change
Conversations about racial injustice arenβt a one-off for Barnes and her team.
The coach said her team is creating βdifferent thingsβ with regard to social justice.
βI think thatβs cool,β Barnes said. βWhether itβs, βDo you want to be the one whoβs spearheading the voting? Do you want to take accountability?β β¦ This generation just posts all this stuff when youβre angry β but no, do something where you can be a difference-maker. β¦
βIf you donβt like the president or (if) you do, do something β make a change. Go vote, make a program, be a trendsetter, be a difference-maker and (have an) impact.
βAnd for me, I feel like I can do that every day. I have a platform; I have a voice. I empower these young women to be their best and to be different. And I think thatβs my way of giving back and helping them be better.
βWhat are you going to do to change things? What are you going to do to break a cycle? What are you going to do to not deal with these things? Thatβs more my view on all that stuff.β
Here's a look a the Arizona Wildcats' 2020-21 women's basketball roster
Trinity Baptist
UpdatedNumber:Β 0
Year:Β Senior (Transfer)
Position:Β Forward
Height:Β 6-0
Hometown:Β Tampa, FL. (Hillsborough HS)
Last season's stats (with Virgina Tech):Β 9.5 pts, 6.4 reb, 44% FG, 37% 3PT
Derin Erdogan
UpdatedNumber:Β 10
Year:Β Freshman
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 5-6
Hometown:Β Istanbul, Turkey
Last season's stats (with Istanbul Universitesi SK)Β :Β 12.8 pts, 5.2 ast, 5.1 reb, 48% FG
Marta Garcia
UpdatedNumber:Β 22
Year:Β Freshman
Position:Β Forward
Height:Β 6-3
Hometown:Β Sevilla, Spain
Last season's stats (with Segle XXI):Β 8.9 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.2 ast
Β
Lakin Gardner
UpdatedNumber:Β 31
Year:Β Freshman
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 5-11
Hometown:Β Spokane, WA. (Gonzaga Prep)
Last season's stats:Β 12 pts per game
Sevval Gul
UpdatedNumber:Β 12
Year:Β Sophomore
Position:Β Forward
Height:Β 6-3
Hometown:Β Istanbul, Turkey
Last season's stats:Β 1.6 pts, 1.4 reb, 0.4 ast, 48% FG
Tara Manumaleuga
UpdatedNumber:Β 3
Year:Β Sophomore
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 5-10
Hometown:Β Queensland, Australia (Hillcrest Christian College)
Last season's stats:Β 2.4 pts, 1.4 reb, 0.4 ast, 42.4% FG
Aari McDonald
UpdatedNumber:Β 2
Year:Β Senior
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 5-6
Hometown:Β Fresno, CA. (Brookside Christian HS)
Last season's stats:Β 20.6 pts, 5.6 reb, 3.6 ast, 45.8% FG, 27.8% 3PT
Mara Mote
UpdatedNumber:Β 11
Year:Β Sophomore
Position:Β Guard
Height: 5-11
Hometown:Β Cesis, Latvia
Last season's stats:Β 1.6 pts, 0.6 reb, 0.7 ast, 38.5% FG, 45% 3PT
Shaina Pellington
UpdatedNumber:Β 1
Year:Β RedshirtΒ Junior (Transfer)
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 5-8
Hometown:Β Pickering, Ontario, Canada (Dunbarton HS)
2018-19 stats (Oklahoma):Β 13.0 pts, 3.6 reb, 2.8 ast, 41.1% FG
Helena Pueyo
UpdatedNumber:Β 13
Year:Β Sophomore
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 6-0
Hometown:Β Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Last season's stats:Β 6.7 pts, 2.7 reb, 1.9 ast, 39.1% FG, 38.3% 3PT
Cate Reese
UpdatedNumber:Β 25
Year:Β Junior
Position:Β Forward
Height:Β 6-2
Hometown:Β Cypress, TX. (Cypress Woods HS)Β
Last season's stats:Β 13.6 pts, 7.5 reb, 0.5 ast, 49.1% FG, 35.3% 3PT
Semaj Smith
UpdatedNumber:Β 34
Year:Β Junior
Position:Β Center
Height:Β 6-6
Hometown:Β Long Beach, CA (St. Anthony High School)Β
Last season's stats:Β 3.3 pts, 3.9 reb, 0.3 ast, 49.4% FG
Sam Thomas
UpdatedNumber:Β 14
Year:Β Senior
Position:Β Forward
Height:Β 6-0
Hometown:Β Las Vegas, NV (Centennial High School)
Last season's stats:Β 9.5 pts, 3.4 reb, 2.2 ast, 43.2% FG, 37.8% 3PT
Lauren Ware
UpdatedNumber:Β 32
Year:Β Freshman
Position:Β Forward
Height:Β 6-5
Hometown:Β Bismarck, N.D. (Century HS)
Last season's stats:Β 17.3 pts, 11.1 reb, 4.6 blk and 2.1 astΒ
Bendu Yeaney
UpdatedNumber:Β 23
Year:Β Junior (Transfer)
Position:Β Guard
Height:Β 5-10
Hometown:Β Portland, OR. (St. Mary's Academy)
2018-19 stats (with Indiana):Β 9.7 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, 39.5% FG, 20.4% 3PT
Head coach Adia Barnes
UpdatedFifth year as Arizona's head coach. Led the Wildcats to a 24-7 record in 2019-20 which is tied for second-most wins in program history.
Assistant coach Salvo Coppa
UpdatedFifth season as an assistant coach at Arizona. Primary duties include recruiting and player development.
Assistant coach Tamisha Augustin
UpdatedSecond season as an assistant with the Wildcats. Augustin is UA's recruiting coordinator and was key in bringing transfersΒ Bendu Yeaney and Trinity Baptiste to the program.Β
Assistant coach Jackie Nared-Hairston
UpdatedEntering her second season as one of UA's assistant coaches. Works in player development and also helped bring five-star forward Lauren Ware to the program.