Rising redshirt junior forward Montaya Dew posted to Instagram stories on Monday that she is returning to Arizona for the 2025-26 season. Dew is the lone returning scholarship player to Arizona in 2025-26. Arizona has added six players through the transfer portal to its 2025-26 roster.
After missing her freshman season in 2023-24 recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Dew averaged 2.5 points per game, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 38.7 percent from the floor, 32.0 percent on three-point attempts and 90.0 percent from the free throw line, playing 19.9 minutes per game in 29 games.
Dew signed with Arizona in the 2023 class and enrolled mid-year. ESPN rated Dew as a five-star prospect and the eighth-ranked recruit in the 2023 class. Dew committed to Arizona in December 2021 after naming a top 12 of all power conference programs that September.
Dew was part of a 2023 Arizona class that ranked third nationally and had four ESPN top 100 signees. Post Breya Cunningham, point guard Jada Williams and wing Skylar Jones, who have all transferred to other programs after the 2024-25 season, were also 2023 top 100 signees for Arizona.
Dew returning to Arizona adds a very small piece of stability to the 2025-26 roster. Arizona now has seven scholarship players, including Dew. Head coach Becky Burke and her staff can add up to 10 more scholarship players to their 2025-26 roster.
With Dew returning, Arizona now has three frontcourt players on its 2025-26 roster and four in the backcourt. Burke and her staff need to continue adding depth to their 2025-26 roster. Expect the focus to next be on wing players with length. The women's transfer portal closes on Wednesday.
If Dew is healthy after another injury late in the 2024-25 season, she should compete to be a starter for Arizona in 2025-26. With an otherwise entirely new roster, Burke and her staff should have a lot of competition for minutes entering the 2025-26 season.