TUCSON, AZ – Big things are brewing in Tucson, as the Arizona Women’s Basketball team secured a five-star commit for 2020!
To truly change the culture of a program, it’s all about creating momentum, and building off wins. For Arizona Women’s Basketball coach Adia Barnes, she’s definitely got the Wildcats trending in the right direction, but remember it didn’t start that way.
For roughly ten years, we were relegated to some pretty tough times when it came to Arizona Women’s Basketball, but luckily it seems that those days are long over.
Arizona Wildcats
If you may recall, Barnes was hired before the 2016-17 season, taking the Wildcats to a remarkable, 14-16 record. Their best finish in quite some time. Unfortunately, they took a major step back in year two, going just 6-24.
Committed to winning, and continuing to build the program, Barnes went out and got some talented players via transfers and recruiting, and in 2018-19, it payed off in a major way as the Wildcats battled, reaching the WNIT Championship, knocking off Northwestern in the process, and finishing the year 24-13.
Well, it’s been five months since the Wildcats won the NIT Tournament, and the attention turns to the upcoming season and beyond.
Arizona is poised to possibly make a tournament run this season, as the Wildcats return Aari McDonald, Cate Reese, Sam Thomas and Dominique McBryde most notably among others, but that doesn’t mean they can stop building for the future.
For 2020, Barnes is already on a great pace, officially receiving the verbal commitment from five-star forward, Lauren Ware.
A standout from Bismarck, ND, Ware is rated as the No. 30 overall player in the class of 2020, and is the fourth best prospect at her position. To say her commitment to Arizona is a huge one, would be a massive understatement!
Ware decided to pick the Wildcats, making her decision public via social media, and also picked Arizona despite offers from; ASU, Texas, Minnesota, UCLA, and Tennessee among numerous others!
https://twitter.com/laurenmarieware/status/1170413808055197696?s=20
This is a huge pick-up! Ware is a fantastic player with great mobility and a great inside presence. She has great footwork, shows unbelievable athleticism and will be a great, defensive presence down low!
Arizona got a good one! Just see for yourself!
At Zona Zealots, we’re excited for the addition of Lauren and can’t wait to see what she can bring to Tucson! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!