3 keys (and 3 key newcomers) for a young Arizona women's hoops team on dawn of 2024-25 season

Against all odds, the Arizona Wildcats finished the 2023-24 season with a flurry of excitement.

With only seven players on the roster, the Wildcats came together as one, played with grit, never gave up and pushed their opponents to the brink.

Now, on the dawn of the 2024-25 season, it’s time to look at this year’s Wildcats.

This is one of the youngest teams that coach Adia Barnes has fielded during her time at the helm at Arizona. She only has one senior, in returner Isis Beh. Her two juniors are new to the UA system, in transfer Paulina Paris and former walk-on Erin Tack, who also throws javelin for the track team and has recovered from her ACL injury last season.

The rest of the active roster, which officially opens its season Monday at 4 p.m. against UT Arlington at McKale Center, are sophomores (seven) and freshmen (three). Of course, Montaya Dew, the highest recruit in UA history, technically part of the 2023 freshman class, did not play last season after she tore her ACL, so, on the court, she is still considered a freshman. Regardless, 10 of 13 active Wildcats are underclassmen.

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Also returning are the others in the Dew’s class: point guard Jada Williams, forward Breya Cunningham and guard Skylar Jones, along with forwards Tack and Brooklyn Rhodes.

The incoming freshmen are guards Lauryn Swann and Mailien Rolf and forward Katarina Knezevic.

The transfer class includes forwards Sahnya Jah (South Carolina) and Jorynn Ross (Pepperdine), along with guard Paulina Paris (South Carolina). Forward Ajae Yoakam (FIU) is out for the season after ACL surgery.

Here are three keys to the season, plus three UA newcomers to keep an eye on:

Key 1: Staying healthy

This one seems pretty obvious, especially after a number of season-ending injuries last season. That was the first time in UA coach Adia Barnes’ tenure that the Wildcats had more than one athlete out with season-ending injuries – Dew and Tack with ACLs and Sali Kourouma with a shoulder injury.

Still, in the end, the right people were on the floor in the right moments to lift the Wildcats to a remarkable finish. Going from not betting on Arizona to make the NCAAs for the fourth consecutive year with just six weeks left in the season, to making it.

This time around, the Wildcats are starting the season with 13 on the roster as Yoakam is out with her injury.

Arizona has plenty of depth — especially in the post position — that should help them in this transition to the Big 12 conference, where post play is featured. Staying healthy allows Barnes to use different looks throughout a game or against a certain opponent, instead of just going with the six that are available.

It’s wild to think a year ago, Barnes went into the second exhibition game with five players — Breya Cunningham was the sixth, only cleared to play during the game and came off the bench in the waning seconds to replace Kourouma after she dislocated her shoulder going after a 50/50 ball. What no one knew at the time was how this foreshadowed what was to come as the season wore on.

It’s not just the limited numbers — although that forces others to play through mistakes and face the mismatches because there is no one to sub in — it also meant a few players had to play out of position.

It is especially key for the Wildcats to stay healthy as they are learning about 11 new teams and a different style of play in the Big 12 conference. Having depth is going to mean even more this season.

Key 2: Finding a go-to scorer

One of the biggest questions heading into this season for the Wildcats and Barnes is who is going to step up to be the one?

“We don’t really have a go to scorer right now,” Barnes said. “Most of these top teams have a go-to guard scorer, a go-to post scorer. We don’t have that right now, so we have to develop that. I think, I don’t know, you can do the research on this, we were the only team in the Big 12 that didn’t have one (preseason) conference player.”

Arizona wasn’t the only team without a player on the all-conference team. Players from Colorado, ASU, Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and Texas Tech were also left off.

The preseason All-Conference team included players from Kansas State (2), Iowa State, Baylor (2), Utah, Kansas, West Virginia, TCU and UCF — 10 players in all.

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It should be noted that the Pac-12 had more players who were honored in preseason lists, with most schools represented.

However, it is fair to say that the Wildcats aren’t entering the season with a true standout scorer.

The core returners — Williams, Cunningham, Beh and Jones — had many moments in games but played more like a true team at the end of the season.

One former Wildcat who developed into that go-to scorer in the final six weeks last season was Helena Pueyo, who is now playing professionally in Spain. While Pueyo was always an efficient shooter, she was hesitant to shoot at times during her UA career. The switch flipped as she realized her teammates needed her. Down the stretch — the last six games of the season — she shot 50%, including 14 points in the second half against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament win — and she wanted the ball.

Who will end up being that go-to scorer this season is anyone’s guess, but look to Jones, Cunningham or even one of the newcomers.

Key 3: It’s always about defense

Defense is Arizona’s calling card.

If this season holds true to those that have come before, the Wildcats’ defense gets tighter, locking down even more and more complex as the year progresses. The more reps the players get, the more they understand what is required of them to play the demanding, swarming defense that Barnes employs.

“It was definitely new to me,” Jah said. “(Our defense at South Carolina) was a sprint to the spot and close out. We got to chop our feet and do a half-court pick up. Here, we do the full court — a whole 40 minutes. Last year, we did like 20 minutes, maybe 15 or 10 minutes of full court (defense). That’s what’s really getting me. That’s also the conditioning part.”

Jah isn’t the only newcomer who has talked about learning the new-to-them defensive scheme. Paris also shared that North Carolina used a “gap-type” defense. Both added that working with UA performance coach Chris Allen has been integral in them being in the right shape to play this type of defense.

Everything starts with the defense — from communications and helping their teammates in trapping and getting back to cover their person, to flustering the offense and narrowing the passing lanes to picking steals, running the court and getting a quick score on the other end — and this all can be developed.

The intangible piece is the grit.

It’s in the approach and the attitude which was on display in the back end of last season. With Williams leading the way — flinging herself to go after a 50/50 ball or taking a charge from a player who is two times her size and bouncing back up to go play offense on the other side of the court.

For the Wildcats to be successful this season, they need to keep growing and adding the tweaks of the defensive scheme throughout the season.

Plus, the grittiness needs to be there — wanting it more than your opponent. And it should be easy for the Wildcats to find the motivation. They already have the bulletin board material: they were picked to finish seventh in the league, no one was put on the preseason all-conference team and they are being overlooked.

3 key newcomers

Selecting the top three newcomers to keep an eye on is no easy task, as all of them have the potential to bring something valuable to the Wildcats.

Paris brings experience from a top program in North Carolina. She has gotten faster in the offseason and in her words, “my biggest area of growth in the offseason was defense.” Typically, if you can play good defense, you will earn minutes from Barnes. In addition, Paris was the first of the newbies who Barnes mentioned at Big 12 media day.

Next up is Ross. She was the first Wildcat to earn the gold jersey in practice for doing all the right things, going after 50/50 balls, rebounding and other things. She dominated in early practice sessions and was all over the court, involved in every aspect of the game.

The freshman, Swann, earns the final spot. Barnes said she was impressed with how the guard was competing in practice.

Even Barnes had a hard time selecting just a few to highlight.

“I think they are all just competing,” Barnes said. “Jah has made huge strides the last three weeks. She was so out of shape when she first got here; I think she’s pushing. Mailien is fighting really hard. Katarina. I think they are all bringing different things.”