World Series winner Joe Girardi's daughter Lena has Arizona in top 5

Four-star 6'0 2025 shooting guard Lena Girardi has the Arizona basketball program in her top five with Northwestern, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech. Girardi is the daughter of New York Yankees World Series-winning player and manager Joe Girardi. Joe played collegiately at Northwestern.

Girardi is the 79th-ranked player in the 2025 class per ESPN. Girardi attends Powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Before playing for IMG Academy, Girardi averaged 19.3 points per game, 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game at Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale.

Brandon Clay of 247Sports praises Girardi "as one of the premier off-the-ball guards in her class nationwide...showcasing her ability to excel playing off the basketball...possesses the athleticism and skills to drive straight to the basket and create scoring opportunities."

Arizona finished 18-15 in 2023-24 and earned a surprising NCAA Tournament berth. After a 69-59 win over Auburn in the First Four, Arizona was unable to hold a lead late in a 74-69 loss to Syracuse in the first round. Girardi will be able to watch most of her potential future teammates play for Arizona this season.

Forwards AjaeYoakum and Isis Beh are the only players on the 2024-25 Miami roster entering their final seasons of eligibility. Yoakum transferred from Florida International during the 2024 off-season. Guards Skylar Jones and Jada Williams are entering their sophomore seasons for Arizona in 2024-25.

Girardi would be able to come into Arizona and learn behind Jones and Williams for a couple of seasons. Giradi's skills would make her a key player off the bench if she buys into Adia Barnes defense defense-first system. Arizona appears to be building towards returning to being in position for another deep NCAA Tournament run soon.

Forwards, redshirt sophomore Montaya Dew and sophomore Breya Cunningham help Barnes build a foundation for the future with Jones and Williams. Another player to watch for Arizona in the 2025 class is Girardi's IMG Academy teammate, 6'1 small forward Deniya Prawl. Miami has a slight lead over Arizona for Prawl.