Arizona Basketball Alumni: Where are our Wildcats playing/coaching now?

NCAA Coaches (6)

Ryan Anderson, Director of Recruiting, Xavier University

Ryan Anderson moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to team up with his former Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller. Ryan was a Graduate Manager on Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona staff during the 2021-22 season, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ry gained expertise in player development during this experience, working particularly with front-court players. He always wanted to coach after his playing career was over, and we are happy he still gets to use his skills to pass his knowledge to the next generation.

Anderson, a native of Long Beach, California, graduated from Arizona in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human and Social Behavioral Studies, and he is currently enrolled in a Master’s program in Entrepreneurship.

Adia Barnes, Head Coach Arizona Wildcats (Women’s Team)

Arizona Wildcat Head Coach Adia Barnes is entering her 7th season in Tucson. In her third season (2018–19), she led her Cats to a 24–13 overall and 7–11 conference record. Most coaches would start planning for the next season, but Barnes decided to go full force into the NIT Tournament after not making the NCAA Tournament.

After a huge campaign and a big drum to bang with each win post-game, she packed the stands with an ever-growing fan base in McKale, as her 2019 team would end up Champions in one of the most exciting WNIT runs ever.

In the 2019–20 season’s team improved to a 24–7 overall and 12–6 conference record ending up four spots to No. 4 in the Pac-12. Unfortunately, there was no NCAA Tournament that season due to Covid.

Next came one of the most exciting and iconic seasons ever (2020–21). Arizona went 21–6 overall and 13–4 in conference play ranking No. 2 in the Pac-12. The Cats run in the NCAA Tournament took the team all the way to the Championship where they lost a very close game to their Pac-12 rivals, the Stanford Cardinal under Tara VanDerveer.

The Cardinal won their third NCAA title by one point, 54–53 over the Wildcats, and in that run, the Wildcats had to beat UCONN to get to the finals.

In 2021–22 Arizona continued with a winning record under Barnes (21–8 and 10–6, 4th in the Pac-12). Arizona once again was invited to the NCAA Tournament and made it to the NCAA Division I Round of 32.

This season is gearing up to be a fantastic one as well, so get your season tickets!

Jason Gardner, Director of Player Relations, Arizona Wildcats

Jason Gardner was appointed Director of Player Relations in August 2021, returning for year two at his alma mater after five seasons as the head coach at IUPUI and a professional playing career abroad.

Aari McDonald, Director of Recruiting Operations, Arizona Wildcats (Women’s)

In September 2022, Aari McDonald was hired as the Director of Recruiting Operations for the Arizona Women’s Basketball team. McDonald, a former player for the Wildcats, manages recruit information and social media content in addition to coordinating all recruiting logistics and helping with on-campus visits. She will work around her WNBA obligations with the Atlanta Dream.

McDonald made history in 2018–19 as a sophomore as she scored 890 points and surpassed Adia Barnes’ previous single-season high and ranked fourth in Pac-12 Conference history. McDonald graduated from the University of Arizona as the program’s all-time leader in points per game, third in all-time scoring, a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner for 2020.

Aari was inducted into the Ring of Honor in the McKale Center in January of 2022.

David Miller, Assistant Coach, Xavier University

Sean Miller, the head coach of Xavier University in his first season, hired David Miller as an assistant coach. When he was at Arizona, David spent seven years working with Miller.

Sean Miller’s thoughts on Miller: “David Miller has a tremendous ability to connect with people. The players that he coaches believe in him. He also has strong relationships across the world that allow him to be one of the brightest, young recruiters in College Basketball. David served multiple roles on our staff at Arizona and is familiar with our systems both on and off the court. These experiences will be invaluable to our staff here at Xavier as we begin to establish our Program.”

Josh Pastner, Head Coach, Georgia Tech

Returning for his seventh season with Georgia Tech, the former beloved Wildcat hopes to get things back on track with the Yellow Jackets after posting a 12–20 (5–15) record in 2021-22.

The former Wildcat is 94–96 overall with Georgia Tech after previously serving as head coach with Memphis from 2009-16 where he posted a 167–73 record and appeared in four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Please reach out to ZonaZealots if you have any further information on any missed former Wildcats or to the correct team if someone moved or signed with teams.

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