TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Adia Barnes agreed to a contract extension to coach the Arizona women's basketball team through the 2025-2026 season.
Barnes, who took over as coach in 2016, is leading the Wildcats into its first NCAA Tournament showing since 2005.
A No. 3 seed, Arizona faces No. 14 seed Stony Brook in the first round of the tournament at 11 a.m. Monday. The Wildcats are 16-5 and finished second in the Pac-12.
“We are thrilled that Adia will lead our women’s basketball program for years to come,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke,in a statement. “Adia has built a nationally-prominent program in a short amount of time that achieves excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community. Her dedication to coaching and developing student-athletes is rivaled by her passion for our university, our athletics department and our Southern Arizona community. Under her outstanding leadership, Arizona Women’s Basketball has become a national brand and we cannot wait to see where Adia takes us.”
Barnes has gone 84-65 in five seasons and won a Women's NIT title in 2019.
“I would like to thank Athletics Director Dave Heeke and President Robert C. Robbins for their tremendous daily support of our program,” said Barnes, in a statement. “The university has made a commitment to women’s basketball with this contract, and I intend to work tirelessly and with great passion to honor that commitment daily by coaching teams that compete with the intensity and pride that are foundational to our success. It is an honor to lead my alma mater and represent the University of Arizona, one of the top public institutions in the country. I want to thank our student-athletes and coaching staff who believed in this program and committed to the vision I had for Arizona. They took a chance and now, together, we have built this program and are thrilled to represent Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. Collectively, it is our goal to honor Tucson and the University of Arizona by embracing March Madness every year. Finally, I want to thank the entire Arizona fan base for their unconditional support, and I can’t wait to celebrate and compete in front of all of you in person in the future.”
Barnes played for the Wildcats from 1994 to 1998 and won a WNBA title with the Seattle Storm.
