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Arizona loses both 2025 signees to Adia Barnes and SMU

Both of the signees in the 2025 Arizona class have followed former head coach Adia Barnes to SMU. m
ByAlan Rubenstein|
Jan 16, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; An Arizona Wildcats flag is waved before the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at McKale Center. Arizona won 91-68. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-Imagn Images
Jan 16, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; An Arizona Wildcats flag is waved before the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at McKale Center. Arizona won 91-68. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-Imagn Images | Casey Sapio-Imagn Images

Arizona continued to lose players on Monday with former signees Jasmine Gipson and Roxy White flipping to Adia Barnes and SMU. The defections by Gipson and White were preceded on Monday by Sahnya Jah entering the transfer portal with a no contact tag. Jah is expected to follow Barnes to SMU.

Arizona now has no players committed in the 2025 class and only three players on the projected 2025-26 roster. Gipson signed with Arizona in November as a four-star prospect and is 95th overall, the 28th shooting guard and sixth player in the 2025 class per 247Sports, Texas out of legendary Duncanville in the 2025 class.

According to MaxPreps, White led Example Academy to a 16-9 record this season. When White signed with Arizona in November, the press release referred to her as a versatile 5'11 forward. White who is from Frankfort, Illinois, was the Example Academy Most Valuable Player during the 2023-24 season.

Jah was the 10th Arizona player from the 2024-25 roster to enter the transfer portal. When adding in Gipson and White, Arizona has now lost 12 projected players off the 2024-25 roster. Jah, Paulina Paris and Malien Rolf, the latter two who entered the portal over the weekend, have or are expected to follow Bares to SMU.

After Barnes was officially announced as the new SMU head coach on Saturday, various reports emerged that Arizona athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois had already reached out to potential candidates that morning and was expected to act quickly in hiring a replacement for Barnes.

The new Arizona head coach will have the monumental task of building nearly an entirely new roster. The transfer portal has been open since March 25 and most incoming freshman have either committed or signed with their programs for the 2025-26 season. Arizona's new staff will have to hit the ground running.

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