There were glimpses early with Sahnya Jah.
Moments where you could see her athleticism and everything else that Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes saw when she asked Jah to become a Wildcat.
And then there were the other moments. The ones where Jah didn’t seem to play disciplined or within the system. And the frustration came.
On Monday night, in Arizona’s 87-66 win over Weber State, something clicked for Jah. She came into the game with energy and understood the assignment. Jah scored by driving and knocking down 3s while pulling down rebounds.
Arizona forward Sahnya Jah (11) and Arizona guard Paulina Paris (23) defend Weber State guard Kennedy Eskelson (21) in the second half at McKale Center on Dec. 16, 2024. Arizona won 87-66.
In the second quarter, she boxed out on a missed free throw — something the Wildcats don’t always do — corralled the rebound, took a few dribbles turnaround and shot. She missed it but stuck with it and jumped up for the rebound and made her second attempt.
Later, she drove deep to the basket — surrounded by two defenders and dished a perfect pass to Isis Beh for the score. On Tuesday, the play turned up on Arizona’s Instagram account as one of the Wildcats Top 5 plays of the game, sitting at No. 2.
A few weeks ago, none of this would have happened. What’s changed?
“(It’s) really just sit back, listen and just see what my coach is saying,” Jah said after her first double-double performance as a Wildcat, collecting 22 points and 10 rebounds.
“… Isis (Beh) and them are good examples for me to look at them and see good positions, what I need to do and stuff like that. Just taking a step back and paying attention.”
The improvement and growth is evident and, in a game, where, once again, the Wildcats weren’t at full strength — Skylar Jones was sidelined with plantar fasciitis in her right foot and was on the bench wearing a boot — Jah was the next in stepping up and making a difference. Plus, with Breya Cunningham and Beh in foul trouble, the Wildcats needed another someone down low, but also someone versatile enough to step out and guard on the perimeter at times.
Arizona coach Adia Barnes said that Jah has improved and she’s proud of her. From her 3-point shot and “Just more under control and not turn(ing) the ball over as much. I think valuing each possession.”
“Jah is an athlete and she can guard multiple positions,” Barnes said. “When we have her playing like that defensively, giving that energy, she even dove on the floor today. It’s just those little things, we laugh, but those little things matter. And it's effort and it's intensity and focus. We need that because we're going to guard teams that have versatile post players. They can face up, and she's one of the few that can defend that. She's really important for us moving forward, especially entering in the conference.”
Finding her groove
Arizona guard Jada Williams (2) makes a break for the basket as she’s defended by Weber State forward Mata Peaus (44) in the first half during on Dec. 16, 2024.
Jada Williams was feeling it Monday night. Getting hot early and staying on fire late will do that. While the sophomore point guard is all-everything for the Wildcats, there was a stretch when her shot wasn’t falling. Part of this was her tendonitis in her Achilles and part is just “basketball” as Williams said after Monday night’s game.
Some days shots fall and other days they don’t. Even her coach knew Williams’ shot would fall.
“Because she put the work in, and when you put that work in, it always turns around,” Barnes said. “(I’m) glad she stuck with it and that's a good mentality to have.”
That mentality allows Williams to bring that energy, hype her teammates, get assists, steals — you name it. Every Wildcat game always has Williams’ fingerprints all over it.
However, if you look a little closer at Williams’ scoring, all that hard work in the offseason and in between games is working. Over the last seven games, she is averaging 13.6 points per game.
In addition, during this seven-game stretch, Williams scored 20 points against Vanderbilt — a then-season high — and 24 points against Weber State — a career high, besting the 23 points she scored against Stanford last February which earned her Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors.
“That’s the thing we always tell players as a coach, ‘When you put in the work it's going to turn around,’” Barnes said. “A good example is Aari (McDonald) years ago, she was really ice cold at some point in the season, but when you're working every day, every day that's going to turn around.
“I think for shooters, even like Lauryn (Swann), it wasn't her night the last two games, but she works. She practices. You put in the time, it's going to come back. I think just staying the course. That's a good learning lesson for all the young players out there is, it may not happen now, but it's going to; you're going to fall back to your training. People say when you're younger, ‘Oh, I step up for game days. I make the shots.’ No, you fall back to your training and the work you put in. You may be cold, but if you put in the work, it's going to turn around, because you believe in that and you stick with it.”
It should also be noted that her seven assists against Weber State was a career high.
It’s all about the development and all the extra reps that Williams puts in.
On the season, she is averaging 11.6 points per game — up from last season’s 9.4. She’s also on a trajectory to surpass most of last year’s numbers. She already has 27 steals (last year she finished with 35), 36 assists (last year was at 77), 41 rebounds (last year was at 57), 89% free throw shooting (84% last year), 54 3s (last year 111).
The good
Arizona forward Katarina Knezevic (34) defends Weber State forward Taylor Smith (20) in the first half on Dec. 16, 2024.
Besides bringing the energy and intensity against Weber State, Barnes also liked what she saw in terms of team offense. Specifically sharing the ball.
“Reversing the ball, making the extra pass, we weren't doing that before; understanding and waiting for our spacing and being spaced better that affects your offense,” Barnes said. “We worked a lot on offense this week, and it showed.
“Now defensively, I think just being a little bit more locked in and focused with a young team, you really have to work on things a lot and drill things. Being able to apply those things to a game and understanding, like … if you're a three point shooter, I need to be closer to you. If you're a driver, I need to pop back a little bit. Those things that are on the scout. I think being able to apply those to the games, we're not there yet, but we're getting there, we are progressing and getting better. That's the thing you want as a coach, you want to see improvement. You don't want perfection, you want progression. And we're getting better every game.”
