TUCSON, Ariz. – Assistant coach
Jackie Nared was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Thirty Under 30 on Tuesday afternoon. She is the only coach in the Pac-12 to be named to the list.
Nared has been an integral part of one of Arizona's most successful seasons in school history. The Wildcats finished with a record of 24-7, tied for the second-most wins in school history. They were also on track to play in their first NCAA Tournament since 2005 and were a top candidate to host the first two rounds in McKale Center.
On the court, she was crucial in the skill development of Arizona's guards, including
Aari McDonald who led the Pac-12 in scoring for the second-straight season.
The Wildcats shot 44% from the field this season and 35% from three, thanks to the good shooting from
Sam Thomas,
Amari Carter and
Helena Pueyo from the guard position. She also helped the Wildcats become one of the best defensive teams not only in the Pac-12, but in the nation. Arizona allowed just 56.6 points per game, which led the Pac-12 and forced their opponents to shoot 37% from the field for the season.
Off the court, she has been an elite recruiter and played a critical role in signing five-star prospect Lauren Ware, a top recruit for the incoming 2020 class. Ware, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year for both basketball (twice) and volleyball in 2019 was also named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster for 2020. She will enroll at Arizona for this upcoming school year. During her 2018-19 season, Ware averaged 17.3 points, 11 rebounds five blocks and two assists and won a North Dakota State Championship.
She also helped sign Derin Erdogan, who was Arizona's first commitment in the 2020 class. Erdogan averaged 11 points, six rebounds and four assists at the 2018 FIBA U16 World Championships while competing for Turkey. She currently plays for Istanbul Universitesi SK in Turkey and is third on the team averaging 12.5 points per game and has made the second-most threes on the team. She also averages five rebounds and five assists while shooting 47% from the field. Not only that, Erdogan is one of the youngest players on the team at age 17.
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