SMU does certainly care about constructing a profitable program in ladies’s faculty basketball.
That’s what the Mustangs have proven by hiring Adia Barnes away from Arizona.
Lower than every week after new athletic director Damon Evans fired former coach Toyelle Wilson after 4 unremarkable seasons, he acquired the oldsters in energy at SMU to open up their checkbook to go poach a sitting Energy 4 head coach — and one which was within the nationwide title recreation simply 5 years in the past — to guide this system within the ACC. Sources confirmed to SB Nation early Saturday morning that Barnes would be the new coach of the Mustangs.
Barnes’ transfer marks the primary time this teaching cycle {that a} sitting Energy 4 head coach has left for one more main convention job.
SMU formally introduced Barnes’ hiring on Saturday night.
“Having seen the dedication and alignment on the Hilltop, I imagine we will compete on the nationwide stage and for ACC championships,” Barnes mentioned in a press release.
SMU wasn’t the primary Energy 4 program to focus on Barnes on this teaching cycle after studies surfaced that her relationship with the brass at her alma mater was souring. Auburn expressed curiosity, however didn’t need to pay Barnes’ six-figure buyout. The Mustangs had been greater than prepared to stroke a test to Arizona for her.
In accordance with a number of sources, Barnes had been trying to find a solution to go away Arizona on her phrases and Wildcats’ athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois was joyful to see her go. Barnes and Reed-Francois had come to a little bit of a stalemate: Reed-Francois didn’t need to fireplace an alum — and one who had coached Arizona to a WNIT title and a Closing 4 berth — however Barnes was about to enter the ultimate yr of her contract and wasn’t going to get an extension from Arizona.
“She wished out of Arizona dangerous,” one longtime coach instructed SB Nation. “She desires extra NIL cash to work with… SMU is a spot that has cash for gamers.”
“Arizona seems like they’re paying her an excessive amount of,” one agent instructed SB Nation.
Barnes performed at Arizona within the mid-Nineties and was an All-American as a senior in 1998 after averaging 21.8 factors per recreation and main the Wildcats to an NCAA Match look. After a WNBA and abroad profession, and stint as an assistant coach below Mike Neighbors at Washington, Barnes returned to Arizona as its head coach in 2016. In her third season, the Wildcats gained the WNIT title, and two seasons later superior to the NCAA nationwide title recreation behind the play of All-American Aari McDonald.
Following Arizona’s success that season — and curiosity from Baylor, who wished Barnes to succeed Kim Mulkey after she left the Bears for LSU — former Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke handed Barnes a profitable extension that made her one of many 10 highest-paid coaches within the sport.
Nevertheless, Barnes by no means reached that peak once more with Arizona. They haven’t superior to the second weekend of March Insanity since 2021, missed the event this season, and have had a number of high-profile transfers go away this system. That group consists of gamers like Madison Conner, Aaronette Vonleh, Kailyn Gilbert, Paris Clark, Jada Williams and Skylar Jones, all of whom landed with Energy 4 groups.
Final season, Barnes’ base wage was $1.2 million. Ought to she make an identical determine at SMU, it could make her one of many highest-paid coaches within the ACC. It’s unclear what the salaries of personal college coaches like Duke’s Kara Lawson and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey are, however Louisville’s Jeff Walz makes north of $1.75 million per yr. N.C. State’s Wes Moore is the one different coach at a public college within the ACC with a wage greater than $1 million.
At SMU, Barnes undertakes an enormous rebuilding mission. The Mustangs haven’t made an NCAA Match since 2008 and are coming off a season by which they went an abysmal 2-16 in ACC play. However with the switch portal — and if SMU’s deepest pockets are prepared to assist Barnes with NIL assets — a fast turnaround is feasible.
Reed-Francois started calling potential candidates to switch Barnes at Arizona on Saturday morning, a number of sources instructed SB Nation. It was extensively assumed by many in teaching circles that the Wildcats would merely rent Lindy La Rocque away from UNLV. Reed-Francois employed her at UNLV in 2020 and she or he has since guided the Rebels to a few NCAA Match appearances. However sources confirmed to SB Nation that La Rocque — whose godfather is former longtime Arizona males’s basketball coach Lute Olsen — has already turned down overtures from the Wildcats.
La Rocque despatched a tweet out on Saturday afternoon saying: “The long run at UNLV and our program profitable championships are my high priorities. I couldn’t be extra excited to be right here in Las Vegas.”
One other profitable mid-major head coach — one who made the NCAA Match this season — additionally declined the supply to interview with Reed-Francois, a supply conversant in the state of affairs instructed SB Nation.
Barnes’ hiring at SMU leaves two Energy 4 jobs nonetheless open: Georgia Tech and Arizona.