How did Adia Barnes get Arizona back on track?

A proud program, again on the rise

When Adia Barnes returned to her alma mater as head coach three years ago, it wasn’t something everyone thought she should do.

“A handful of people told me (not to take the job),” Barnes said. “And, it’s funny, because some people I really, really respect told me that. A lot of people questioned whether it was a good job. A lot of people questioned…can you win there? Can you recruit there?”

As it turns out, Barnes and her staff can certainly recruit to Arizona. Not only did they bring in the top class in the Pac-12, but she also convinced some key transfers to pack up and come to Tucson. Most pivotal was star guard Aari McDonald, who has gone on to set records and rack up accolades.

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“I played here, so I think that’s what some of the advantage was,” Barnes said. “I wasn’t as concerned with monetary things, because I feel like those things come. That’s not my main concern, just my work and proving myself. But some people thought it was very difficult to recruit, and just thought that because of the last decade how it’s been, that it was going to be hard to turn it around. No one thought we’d be getting a McDonald’s All-American and the top class (in the Pac-12) in the first couple of years.”

Barnes wasn’t the only one who was advised to rethink her decision. Freshman forward Cate Reese is that McDonald’s All-American Barnes referred to. This season, she became the first female member of the premier high school all-star team to play for the Wildcats.

Reese didn’t heed the naysayers any more than Barnes did. Her desire was to be part of building something, putting her mark on a program, and she thought Tucson was the place she could do that. The staff was able to make her see the possibilities.

“Another thing for me that’s been really important for recruiting is I really sold a vision my first year,” Barnes said. “And it’s just off what I’m selling, because we haven’t done it and we didn’t do it for a decade. So, I was happy about that. This last year (2017-18) was a really tough year. And I was proud of all the players that committed and signed, because they didn’t know it was going to happen. They didn’t know we’d be going to the NIT. They were told we’d finish tenth to twelfth. So, I think they took a leap of faith and they took a chance on us. Like, Cate took a chance on me, too. And those are the kinds of players I want. The players that want to come here and want to leave their legacy are going to do something great.”

This year has given the fan base the chance to finally emerge from 14 years of futility. They didn’t need to win the NCAA Tournament. They just needed to believe that the program could win games again.

Three years ago, the hiring of Barnes gave them faith that it could happen. That faith was bolstered when the team had its largest single-season improvement in program history, going for 6-24 in 2018 to 18-13 this year.

If there were any doubters left, last Thursday’s opening round win in the WNIT quieted them. After all, winning a postseason game for the first time since 2005 was tangible proof.

The success of the team has validated the decisions of both the coach and the players who put their trust in her. That can only help get her foot in the door with other recruits. But, for now, the team and their fans are just enjoying the benefits of current successes.

“This time last year, we weren’t playing,” Barnes said. “To still play and have a chance to be successful in the WNIT against really good teams, I think we’re just excited.”

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