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Head women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes announced the hiring of new assistant coach Morgan Valley on April 26, 2017.
“Morgan is who I wanted from day one and I think this is the best hire in the country,” Barnes said. “She comes from a championship pedigree having won three National Championships at UConn, while playing in four Final Fours. Morgan’s addition not only gives us an incredible basketball mind, but a specialist in player development and scouting, and a coach who knows how to build a championship culture. I have known her for many years and would go to battle with her any day. She can instill her work ethic and mentality into our players. She can also relate to them because she has been there, and that has extreme value to me. She was instrumental in the success of Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor at Washington. Not too many coaches have her background. Morgan is the complete package and is a perfect complement to our staff.”
In her first year at Arizona, Valley helped secure the highest ranked recruiting class in Arizona history. Highlighted by Arizona’s first McDonalds All-American Cate Reese as well as fellow five-star recruits Semaj Smith and Valeria Trucco, four-star Shalyse Smith and three-star Bryce Nixon, Arizona’s 2018 class was ranked No. 5 by ProspectsNation.com.
She was critical in the development of Sam Thomas, who was named Pac-12 All-Freshman by the coaches in the conference. Thomas, who worked with Valley every day in practice, had the fourth-most rebounds for a freshman in Arizona history (209), scored the 10th-most points for a freshman (306) and led all freshmen in the Pac-12 in rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes. She also worked tirelessly with Destiny Graham, who bettered her points per game average from 3.8 to 8.1 and her rebounds per game average from 3.2 to 6.4.
Valley spent the previous two seasons at the University of Washington as an assistant coach under Mike Neighbors. Barnes did spend one year on the Washington staff with Valley during the 2015-16 season, when the Huskies made a historic run to their first ever Final Four.
During her two years at Washington, Valley helped the Dawgs to a 55-17 record, which is the most wins over a two-year span in school history. The Huskies won a school-record 29 games in 2016-17 and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Valley played a big role in the success of Washington forward Chantel Osahor, who collected a plethora of national and Pac-12 awards. She was the second player in Washington history to be named a WBCA All-American after leading the country in rebounds with 15.3 per game. During the 2016-17 season, she became Washington’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,253. She also tied the Pac-12 record with 519 rebounds in one season and is currently playing with the Minnesota Lynx.
Valley began her coaching career immediately after her playing career at the University of Connecticut. She started off as a student assistant at UConn under Geno Auriemma and would eventually work at Holy Cross, Towson, New Hampshire and UMass. Her last stop before Washington was at Virginia Tech, where she was promoted to assistant coach after working as a special assistant to the head coach.
During her playing career from 2000-04, Valley appeared in four Final Fours and won three National Championships at UConn under Auriemma. Valley, who played in 108 games as a Husky, is the one of just two Division I assistant coaches to have played in four Final Fours and win three National Championships. She was a BIG EAST All-Star in 2001 and finished her career by helping UConn to a 139-8 record. She graduated from UConn with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and Family Studies.
What they’re saying:
“Morgan Valley is one of the best young assistant coaches in the country. Her knowledge of the game, loyalty and work ethic will be a great asset to Adia as the Wildcats continue their rise to national prominence.” – UConn head coach Geno Auriemma
“It is very rare when a great player can transition to becoming a great coach. Morgan is rare. I can't think of another three-time NCAA champion who has successfully made that jump. She connects to student-athletes while balancing the necessary relationship as a coach better than anyone I have ever been associated with. I learned a lot from watching her on and off the court with our players. Coach Barnes is assembling an amazing staff in Tucson and with Morgan joining them, the already tough Pac-12 just got tougher.” – Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors
“I’ve been playing basketball my entire life and have never seen anyone who works harder or is more passionate and dedicated to the game as coach Valley. For me personally, Morgan is a mentor and someone I look up to as a woman. I couldn’t think of anyone better fit to help create a winning culture at Arizona.” – Kelsey Plum
“Morgan’s passion and competitiveness will have a huge impact on the Wildcat program. Her effort to help kids get better on the court and her compassion to grow these ladies into young women will be present the minute she steps on campus. Coach Barnes hit the jackpot with this hire!” – Chantel Osahor
