Heading into the 2023-24 season, Arizona head coach Adia Barnes isn’t just thinking about this season. The program’s future lies heavily on her mind. In many ways, it’s a return to the way she thought about things when she arrived.
There’s no getting around it. When Barnes returned to her alma mater, the Wildcats were bad. It wasn’t about one team in a particular year. It was the entire program.
Barnes has recounted incidents of players physically fighting. That was not something she was willing to accept. Instead, she was willing to accept a six-win season in her second year to clean house and establish the program she wanted.