The University of Arizona has become a hotbed of women’s basketball activity in recent weeks, with three San Diegans making headlines.
Coach Adia Barnes, a Mission Bay High School grad, left the Arizona program on Saturday for a job at SMU. Her departure came after several of her Wildcats players, including former La Jolla Country Day stars Jada Williams and Breya Cunningham, entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Williams led Arizona with 12.7 points and 2.9 assists per game as a sophomore. The guard posted a career-high 25 points in a game vs. Utah.
Williams has already announced she is transferring to Iowa State.
The 6-foot-4 Cunningham hasn’t made a transfer decision. Reports have linked her to USC, Baylor, South Carolina, Stanford, UConn, Oregon and LSU.
A forward, Cunningham averaged 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Her 1.75 blocks per game were tops on the team.
One of the greatest players in Arizona history, Barnes returned to campus as the Wildcats’ coach in 2016. Barnes led Arizona for nine seasons, posting a 19-14 record last season and going 169-114 overall. The Wildcats made four NCAA Tournament appearances under Barnes, advancing to the program’s first-ever Final Four in 2021. Arizona fell to UCLA 54-53 in that year’s national final.
Barnes takes over an SMU program that was 10-20 last season and is 111-158 over the last decade. Arizona announced Wednesday that it has hired former Buffalo coach Becky Burke to replace Barnes.
Local flavor in finals
Ice Brady (Cathedral Catholic) of UConn and Te-Hina Paopao (La Jolla Country Day) of South Carolina squared off Sunday for the national championship in women’s basketball.
Brady played 13 minutes off the bench as UConn won 82-59. Brady appeared in 32 games this season, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds. She is expected to play a big role next season for a UConn team that is ranked No. 3 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 behind UCLA and South Carolina.
Paopao, a 5-9 guard, scored three points in 27 minutes against UConn. She led South Carolina in minutes played (25.1 per game) and assists (111) while averaging 9.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Paopao is expected to be a high pick in Monday’s WNBA draft.
Vista guard shines
Former Vista guard Jordan Hilstock led Cal State Dominguez Hills into the NCAA Division II championship game, where the Toros lost a 74-73 heartbreaker to Nova Southeastern.
Hilstock, a senior, played 1,004 minutes for the 30-6 Toros. He averaged 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, posting 59 steals and 53 assists.
The Toros won eight postseason games in a row before falling to Nova Southeastern. Hilstock finished with 10 points and six rebounds in the NCAA Tournament win against West Liberty and had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Dallas Baptist in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
He had four points and seven rebounds against Nova Southeastern.
Locals dot list
MLB Pipeline released the top 30 prospects for each organization, and San Diegans are well represented throughout baseball. Here’s a look at where the local players landed:
• Rays: Shortstop Carson Williams (Torrey Pines) is Tampa Bay’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 8 overall prospect in baseball.
• Yankees: Outfielder Spencer Jones (La Costa Canyon/Vanderbilt) is No. 3 prospect in the organization. Left-hander Kyle Carr (San Marcos/Palomar College) has overcome some early struggles and is listed at No. 20.
• Red Sox: Shortstop Marcelo Mayer (Eastlake) is No. 3 and is listed as a can’t-miss as the No. 11 overall prospect. Left-hander Jojo Ingrassia (Valhalla/Cal State Fullerton) is No. 29.
• Rockies: Outfielder Cole Carigg (San Diego State) is No. 3 on Colorado’s list. An outfielder, catcher and pitcher at SDSU, Carigg is now strictly an outfielder.
• Cardinals: Infielder Thomas Saggese is the organization’s No. 5 prospect and is already in the major leagues.
• Astros: Right-hander Ryan Forcucci (UC San Diego) is No. 8. A third-round pick last season, he has yet to make his pro debut after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. Infielder Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) is rated No. 17. Right-hander Michael Knorr (Carlsbad/Coastal Carolina) is No. 26.
• Tigers: Right-hander Troy Melton (San Diego State) is No. 12 on the Tigers list. He’s pitching in Double-A.
• Athletics: Right-hander Grant Holman (Eastlake/Cal) is No. 17. He appeared in 18 games for the A’s last season and has three saves already in Triple-A. Outfielder Nate Nankil (Bonita Vista/Cal State Fullerton) is No. 30.
• Dodgers: Right-hander Kyle Hurt (Torrey Pines/USC) has pitched in four major league games, but is currently on the 60-day IL after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s listed as the team’s No. 22 prospect.
• Phillies: Right-hander Michael Mercado (Westview) is No. 23, and infielder Otto Kemp (Point Loma Nazarene) is No. 24. Mercado made his big-league debut last year, but both players are currently in Triple-A.
John Maffei’s Alumni Report appears during the college season. Readers are encouraged to send items on local athletes to [email protected].
