TUCSON, Ariz. – Adia Barnes is one of the 15 coaches across the country to be named to the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List, which was announced on Wednesday morning. She is also one of three Pac-12 coaches on the list.
Barnes was a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award last season.
It has been a historic season for Arizona thus far, as the Wildcats are off to their best start in league play in school history. With a record of 12-2, Arizona sits in second place in the Pac-12 and was ranked No. 8 by the NCAA Tournament selection committee on Monday, slotting the Wildcats as a 2-seed.
On the floor,
Aari McDonald has continued her dominance, averaging over 18 points per game while leading the Pac-12 in steals per game. McDonald has scored in double-figures in 82-straight games and is the NCAA's active leader in scoring while being named to a plethora of Player of the Year Watch Lists.
Sam Thomas has been on fire from three as of late, especially on Sunday as she made a career-high six threes. Since missing her first 10 threes of the season, she has made nearly 50% of her attempts. Thomas has also been her normal self on the defensive end of the ball as she is the only player in the Pac-12 to average two steals and a block per game and is second in the Pac-12 in steals per game.
Cate Reese has also been steady for Barnes and the Wildcats this season as she is the team's second leading scorer and leading rebounder. She was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday after helping Arizona to three wins last week while averaging 18 points on 53% shooting. She went off at Oregon, scoring a season-high 25 points on 11-14 shooting and a perfect 3-3 from deep.
Next up for the Wildcats is the Bay Area trip starting with California on Friday afternoon.
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