Arizona update

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Very interesting article in today's paper, full of insights.

Bendu Yeaney and Semaj Smith have entered the portal, as you may have posted somewhere I didn't see. There are only 5 returning players - Ware, Reese, Pellington, Puelyo and Conner. Chavez also left, but is not looking to play further, the other 2 are looking for playing options as grad transfers. Adia says she will help them find landing places.

The more interesting parts were the various comments by Adia, just fascinating to an Arizona fan:

• Yes, she explicitly asked some of the players to leave, is happy with the returnees, recruits and the 4 to 5 players she is looking to recruit from the portal (because she can, as she put it).
• She said something about allowing the team culture to not be what she wanted and how she will not allow that to happen again.
• She said that young players (presumably, some of ours that left) are not satisfied waiting for playing time. That said, she understands it because no player is happy with playing time, even Aari McDonald was dissatisfied with 35 minutes a game.
• And she has been working very hard for the last couple weeks "playing agent" lining up a training camp invite for Sam Thomas, which ended up being Phoenix of the 5 opportunities she had found. She mentioned she has a long-time relationship with the new Phoenix coach, Vanessa Nygaard.

As an aside, we had 2 fellow Arizona fans over for an (outdoor) lunch and they said that from first hand observation, Koi Love never played particularly well. Which may explain that departure.

You either like Adia or not, like many other coaches. What I have always liked is she really does speak her mind. I admit there are times that isn't necessarily desirable.

 

[sweetspot]

Would OSU’s Taylor Jones fit at Zona or is their front court full with Ware and Reese?

 

[HuskyMJ]

They want Taylor Jones even though they have Ware, Reese, and Maya Nnaji coming in. Adia just buries some of these recruits with no chance of playing time. Look at Vonleh and Copeland this year; Copeland would have been much better off staying at Alabama where she was a key player.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

They want Taylor Jones even though they have Ware, Reese, and Maya Nnaji coming in. Adia just buries some of these recruits with no chance of playing time. Look at Vonleh and Copeland this year; Copeland would have been much better off staying at Alabama where she was a key player.

Although I will share an "oddly enough" - I had coffee with someone from the Arizona athletic department last week and he said the knock on Adia is she plays too many players. In one of her other quotes in the article I mentioned she said that she felt she gave some players opportunity for in-game experience for the future. I would agree, and I didn't have a problem with it, but the ultimate issue would be - if you want to unbury the player and give them more minutes - whose?

And yes, the Athletics person said she is well noted for "recruiting over" players - but that he had no objection to, as his entire athletic career (not at Arizona, BTW) his coach every year reminded the team that he was trying to bring in their immediate replacements if he could find someone better. Which is, for someone whose job is measured by results, absolutely necessary.

 

[southie]

They want Taylor Jones even though they have Ware, Reese, and Maya Nnaji coming in. Adia just buries some of these recruits with no chance of playing time. Look at Vonleh and Copeland this year; Copeland would have been much better off staying at Alabama where she was a key player.

Not sure that is to be pinned on Adia. Every transfer should be on "buyer beware" alert when joining a new program. If they don't do their due diligence on roster depth, or how successful transfers have been at that new school, then that's on them.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I watched some of Arizona in early OOC games. Copeland and Love both had their chances, they just didn't produce much. That's on them, not on Barnes. I kept scratching my head wondering how they were so productive at their former schools, they didn't show much in Tucson.

I have a really hard time seeing Taylor Jones going to UA.

 

[southie]

I watched some of Arizona in early OOC games. Copeland and Love both had their chances, they just didn't produce much. That's on them, not on Barnes. I kept scratching my head wondering how they were so productive at their former schools, they didn't show much in Tucson.

I have a really hard time seeing Taylor Jones going to UA.

Because why?

On Instagram, she recently started following these Arizona accounts:

• Jessika Carrington, University of Arizona Director of Women’s Basketball Operations
• Adia Barnes
• Salvo Coppa, Assistant Coach
• Erin Grant, Assistant Coach

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I watched some of Arizona in early OOC games. Copeland and Love both had their chances, they just didn't produce much. That's on them, not on Barnes. I kept scratching my head wondering how they were so productive at their former schools, they didn't show much in Tucson.

I have a really hard time seeing Taylor Jones going to UA.

One of the Arizona players didn't do any basketball activities outside of actual practice. Don't know who it was, but at a wild guess it was Love.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Because why?

Because Reese and Ware are already well established as the starting duo, and I doubt she's transferring somewhere else to be coming off the bench. Reese is a stretch 4, but trying to play her at the 3 would be a disaster I think.

 

[HuskyMJ]

Because Reese and Ware are already well established as the starting duo, and I doubt she's transferring somewhere else to be coming off the bench. Reese is a stretch 4, but trying to play her at the 3 would be a disaster I think.

Well she went to visit Arizona so they are on her short list of schools under consideration at a minimum.

 

[southie]

Well she went to visit Arizona so they are on her short list of schools under consideration at a minimum.

Saw her Instagram story yesterday of her flying somewhere; figured it was Arizona as then she started following Jessika Carrington.

 

[sweetspot]

Saw her Instagram story yesterday of her flying somewhere; figured it was Arizona as then she started following Jessika Carrington.

Her latest update has cactus, so she's definitely in the southwest!