Adia Barnes to receive $5.85 million in new deal as Arizona head coach
(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - Arizona women's basketball coach, Adia Barnes, caught administration attention after the best season in Wildcat history with plans for a five-year extension that includes $5.85 million.
Barnes has put Arizona women's basketball on the map and turned them into a national championship contender. The Wildcats had the best season in program history in 2020-21, beating national powerhouse UConn in the Final Four to reach their first national championship game before falling by just one point shy of a national title.
With the first ever Final Four appearance in program history, Barnes is now a part of two of the best teams to ever step foot in the Wildcats' locker room. Barnes was Arizona’s all-time leading scorer and part of the 1998 Cats team that reached the Sweet Sixteen.
When she returned to her alma mater in 2016, the Wildcats had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2005 and won three Pac-12 games the year before she arrived.
Since then, the Wildcats have gone 89-66 under her. Barnes is the first Arizona women’s basketball coach to have three 20-win seasons in her first five seasons.
The terms announced Tuesday on the new deal must be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents. No changes were made to the incentive structure of the contract.
