Pac 12 Preview: Arizona

Preview: Arizona

Just in 6-5 Post ranked # 30 Lauren Ware commits to the Wildcats.

Last Season: Arizona was 24-13 overall and 7-11 in Pac 12 play, under Head Coach Adia Barnes. Arizona won the WNIT and their total number of wins was the exact number of their total losses the previous year. Barnes signed a new long term big raise contract recently.

The Coaches: Adia Barnes is the all time leading scorer at Arizona and is in her 4th year the Head Coach. Barnes had been at Washington as an assistant the for four years as the Huskies came from the 2nd division of the Pac 12 to the NCAA Final Four. Barnes played professionally for 12 years including for 4 WNBA Teams.

Salvo Coppa, or Mr Barnes is a 4th year assistant. Coppa is from Italy and has extensive overseas coaching experience.

Tamisha Augustin is a new Assistant. She was at Cincinnati and Minnesota before this season.

Jackie Nared comes as an Assistant after a year at Washington State. She was in support roles at Washington and Oregon before Washington State. A grad of St Mary’s where as a Sr she averaged 21 points per game.


Losses:
Assistant Morgan Valley left to be the Head Coach at Hartford.

April Phillips left to be an Assistant at Cal, just before Gottlieb left Cal.

Destiny Graham is a 6-3 Sr Post from Eastside Prep in East Palo Alto. Graham averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds per game last season.



Additions:
Tara Manumeleuga is a 5-9 Frosh Guard from Australia however plays for New Zealand internationally. She enrolled in January but didn’t play. She has played internationally since age 12.

Amari Carter is a grad transfer from Penn State. Carter averaged 10 points per game in three years at Penn State and was ranked as high as # 16 out of HS. She missed a year with injuries at Penn State.

Shaina Pellington is a Jr transfer from Oklahoma who will sit out this season. At Oklahoma Pellington averaged 13 points in two seasons and was the Big 12 Frosh of the Year.

Mara Mote is a 6-0 Frosh Guard from Latvia. Mote played in the 19U World Cup averaging 11 points per game.

Sevval Gul, 6-4 Frosh Post from Turkey. Gul has 4 years of international experience and played for the Turkish Club Team Ferenhbace with teammate Kelsey Plum.

Helena Pueyo is a 6-0 Frosh Guard from Spain. Pueyo is another player with international experience. This past summer she played for both Spain’s 19U World Cup team and their 18U team in the European Championships. She averaged 9 points per game for the two teams combined.

Birna Benonysdottir is a 6-2 Frosh Forward from Iceland. Birna averaged 10 points in the European 20U championships and 17 points in the 17 points in 2018 at the 18U European Championships.

That’s six new players ready to play now and another redshirting after her transfer. All the Frosh are international but loaded with experience.



The Schedule:
The wildcats play at Texas and the other non conference games seem very winnable. In League play they only host Stanford and Cal and only travel to Utah and Colorado.



The Team:
Aari McDonald 5-7 Jr Guard lead the Pac 12 in scoring at 24 points per game. Aari shot 45% from the floor and averaged 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The downside or watch out she shot just 28 % from three and that was a 1/3 of her total attempts.

Cate Reese 6-2 Soph Post averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds

Sam Thomas is a 6-0 Jr Forward who averaged 9 points and 4 rebounds.

Dominique McBryde is a 6-2 Sr Forward who averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds

Lucia Alonso is a 5-7 Sr Guard who averaged 5 points. and 3 assists.

Tee Tee Starks is a 5-9 Sr Guard who averaged 5 points per game.

Starks and Alonso each stared about ½ of the games while McDonald, Thomas, Reese and McBryde started almost every game. So everyone pretty much returns.
Bryce Nixon is a 5-10 Soph Guard who played in amost every game but averaged 2 points in 8 minues
Semaj Smith is a 6-6 Soph Post who played in just 3 games.


Predictions:
The Wildcats return an nearly unheard of 64 points and add a number of potential starters. Plus their top three returnees are just Jrs. This is now a first division team.


2020 Recruiting:
Derin Erdogan, 5-9 PG Turkey
Lauren Ware 6-5 Post ND, ranked # 30

Still in the hunt for:
Leilani Kapinus, 5-10 Guard WI, ranked # 10
Anaya Boyd, 6-0 Guard Georgia, Ranked # 29