A year to forget brought some memorable moments for Tucson sports figures

It may be hard to remember, but yes, there were actually some sports highlights in 2020.

Things weren’t all bad in Tucson. There were records broken and stars welcomed home, familiar faces turned national icons and local legends who only further cemented their status.

Here’s a look at 10 of the best moments for Tucson sports in 2020:

Aari returns

When Arizona women’s basketball superstar Aari McDonald suffered a stress fracture in her left fibula in the penultimate week of the 2019-20 regular season, angels played violins over Tucson. The 1-2 gut punch of a late-season injury and the cancellation of the college basketball postseason convinced McDonald to spurn the WNBA draft and return for her senior season. McDonald’s bad break was Adia Barnes’ and Tucson’s gain. Arizona’s first preseason All-American in history, McDonald brought back some trophies with her — Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, a second-team All-American nod, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award — and has helped guide the Wildcats to a No. 6 national ranking.

A coaching change

While McDonald’s return lifted Tucson, Kevin Sumlin’s jettisoning bolsters it. Is Jedd Fisch the answer as Arizona’s football coach? Time will tell. But Sumlin was most certainly not, something Wildcats fans knew long before things bottomed out in a 70-7 loss to rival Arizona State.

Sumlin squandered Khalil Tate, recruited as if there was a pall around the Old Pueblo and never forged a bond with the community. A fresh start wasn’t just needed when Arizona fired Sumlin on Dec. 12. Things were desperate.

Tucson’s football showcase survives

In the midst of a punishing year for the local economy, Ali Farhang and the Offerpad Arizona Bowl committee vowed to give Tucson “a win” to end the year. Pulling off a bowl game in the middle of a pandemic — even a stripped-down, fanless version — was a coup. The game’s shift from the CBS Sports Network to CBS was an added bonus.

Barnes means business

After taking a major step forward last season in her fourth season at the helm of the Arizona women’s basketball program, Adia Barnes knew big things were to come this year. But this big? The Wildcats opened the 2020-21 campaign ranked No. 7 and have since moved up one spot, to No. 6.

Bijan blows up

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Salpointe Catholic High School grad Bijan Robinson was electric in his freshman season at Texas. Robinson exploded for 113 yards on 12 carries on Nov. 7, set a new standard with nine carries for 172 yards and three scores on Dec. 5 at Kansas State, then topped that with 10 carries for 183 yards and a score in a 55-23 Alamo Bowl win. He could be a preseason All-American next year, and perhaps a Heisman candidate in Year 3.

Holthaus does it again

If you think the UA women’s basketball team is building something special, take a gander at what Todd Holthaus has created (and maintained) at Pima College. Behind star Hallie Lawson, the Aztecs were 25-7 and coming off a NJCAA Region I title before the NJCAA Tournament was canceled.

Holthaus won District A Coach of the Year honors after the season, the sixth award of his career, his second straight and third in five seasons.

Bobby takes Boston

Former Arizona Wildcats slugger Bobby Dalbec opened his career with a bang. And then came back a few days later for the encore. On Aug. 30, Dalbec — a Boston Red Sox rookie — delivered a meaty offering from Washington Nationals pitcher Javy Guerra deep into right field for his first career home run in his second career at-bat.

After an 0-for-15 slump over the next four games, Dalbec started a streak of five straight games with a home run, displaying some of the power he showed at Hi Corbett Field.

Candrea takes the lead

It was just another Sunday win for Mike Candrea, the Arizona Wildcats’ 10th in a row on March 8. But with the 6-1 victory over Indiana, Candrea became the NCAA career wins leader with 1,632, moving past Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. He’d get just one more before the season was shut down with the Cats streaking.

“JET” lands back homeJason Terry, one of the Arizona basketball program’s finest products, returned to the desert on May 27 when he was announced as an assistant coach on Sean Miller’s staff. The Wildcats legend took his first foray into the coaching ranks with the hire, and he could play a major role in Arizona’s recruiting going forward.

The Cats Are Back

Call it saving the best for last, but was there a better moment than on Sept. 24, when the Pac-12 announced it would play a football season? Things might not have gone so well for the Wildcats in this abbreviated campaign, but, for a moment, it was a ray of sunshine.