I'm starting this since the coaching hot board and transfer palooza threads will soon by obsolete. I hope this is where we'll discuss moving the program forward - staffing, NIL, revenue sharing, etc.
So why not start with everyone's favorite local sports reporter, because we never get enough ad hominem argumentation ion this board.
As Arizona's Adia Barnes departs, what will her legacy be? | Greg Hansen
Greg Hansen Apr 8, 2025
Adia Barnes’ legacy at Arizona is unclear: Will she be remembered as the coach who led Arizona to the 2021 Final Four? Or will her legacy be that her program limped home the last few seasons, wrecked by an unusually high number of player defections?
Either way, she will join UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland and ASU football coach Bruce Snyder as the three most prominent ex-Pac-12 football/basketball coaches whose programs found greatness and then unexpectedly blew up.
Howland took over a 10-17 Bruins program from Steve Lavin in 2004 and went to three consecutive Final Fours, 2006-08. But he soon went 14-18 and 19-14 and was fired. What happened? All-Americans Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook went to the NBA.
Snyder took over a four-year, 22-21-1 program from Larry Marmie in 1992. By 1996, Snyder was at the Rose Bowl, 11-1, and was 30 seconds from winning the national championship. He soon went 5-6, 6-6 and 6-6 and was fired. What happened? QB Jake Plummer went to the NFL.
Barnes took over an absolute disaster from Niya Butts, five straight losing seasons, and went to the 2021 national championship game five years later. She soon went 18-16 and 19-14. What happened? Point guard Aari McDonald was in the WNBA, plus there were far too many key NIL player departures.
Barnes told me, in a very unhappy tone, that the UA women’s basketball team is projected to receive just 2% of next year’s $20 million revenue-sharing money, about $400,000, which means she would have difficulty competing in the NIL/free agent market. But that’s reality. Two percent is probably what most women’s basketball programs will receive.
The UA has revealed that Tommy Lloyd‘s men’s basketball team will receive about 21% of the revenue sharing, or about $4.2 million. The football program will get about 70%, or $15 million. Those are identical to the numbers Big 12 rival Texas Tech made public recently.
That leaves about 10% to divide between baseball, softball and women’s basketball.
I'm most concerned with the projected allocation of revenue sharing $$$$ ("2% of next year’s $20 million")
SEC schools, for instance, are expected to distribute their $20.5 million budgets by adapting the settlement’s back-pay formula: “75 percent to football players, 15 percent for men’s basketball, 5 percent for women’s basketball and 5 percent for others.” (Player payments in those first three would average in the low six figures or high fives, along with scholarships and NIL.)
I think that such an allocation means Arizona will NEVER be nationally competitive in Women's Basketball with this disparity!DISCUSS
“If you have the choice between humble and cocky, go with cocky. There's always time to be humble later, once you've been proven horrendously, irrevocably wrong.”
The first big change/addition to the program under CBB
Looks like a trend under new financial realities - I only wonder what percentage of the NIL $$$$ goes to this salary/benefits?
Arizona women's basketball hires WNBA vet, entrepreneur for new general manager role
Arizona Daily Star - Apr 18, 2025
NBA veteran and entrepreneur Michelle Marciniak has been named general manager of Arizona women’s basketball.
The position, which did not exist under former UA head coach Adia Barnes, is responsible for program operations, staffing, roster management, global recruiting and NIL development.
Marciniak, the co-founder of SHEEX, a performance bedding company that she led for 17 years as co-CEO, played at Tennessee, helping lead the Lady Vols to two SEC championships, back-to-back Final Fours and a 1996 NCAA national championship.
Cycling For Summitt Basketball
Michelle Marciniak, of Tennessee, holds the women’s NCAA National Championship trophy after Tennessee defeated Georgia 83-65 in the finals of the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
Amy Sancetta, Associated Press
She would go on to play professionally for six seasons in the ABL and WNBA before serving as an assistant coach at South Carolina.
In fact, it was at South Carolina where Marciniak signed new UA women’s hoops coach Becky Burke as part of a nationally ranked top-10 class.
“We have hit an absolute home run with the addition of Michelle Marciniak to Arizona women’s basketball,” Burke said in a news release. “She was one of the best players in the history of our game and is also one of the most successful businesswomen in the country.
“Her experience, connections and knowledge are second to none, but her competitive spirit and passion for the game are what make her, her. Michelle’s mentorship of our players will be invaluable.”
Under Marciniak’s leadership, SHEEX raised more than $25 million in capital, secured 53 patents across 24 countries and became a globally recognized brand featured by The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and O, The Oprah Magazine, the Arizona Athletics news release said.
“I’m truly honored to step into the GM role at Arizona,” Marciniak said. “This opportunity brings together everything I care deeply about — the business of basketball, leadership and building something meaningful alongside others. ... With deep respect for (Athletic Director) Desireé (Reed-Francois), Becky, our staff and the entire Arizona community, my goal is to help elevate the Arizona women’s basketball brand and build a sustainable national championship program.”
Marciniak will also act as an advisor to Burke, aligning on program culture, leadership and national brand strategy.
“If you have the choice between humble and cocky, go with cocky. There's always time to be humble later, once you've been proven horrendously, irrevocably wrong.”
84Cat wrote: Fri Apr 18, 2025 8:29 am
When you don't overpay the head coach you have money to get good people around the head coach
Almost like letting Adia walk was better for the long term health of the program or something.
“The reality is that the hardest games to win are over teams on their home court. Teams that don’t play those games can spin it however they want, but what they’re saying is, ‘We don’t want to lose in our non conference season.’" - Sean Miller
84Cat wrote: Fri Apr 18, 2025 8:29 am
When you don't overpay the head coach you have money to get good people around the head coach
Almost like letting Adia walk was better for the long term health of the program or something.
Financial and psychological.
Of the 12 coaches, Rush picked the one whose fans have the deepest passion, the longest memories, the greatest lung capacity and … did I mention deep passion?
So we get to turn the page on the drama and Adia's expectation to be treated as one of the best, regardless of won/loss results. That said, if SMU really wants to back up a Brink's truck with big cash both for her and NIL funds for women's hoops, I'm sure she can turn them into at least a marginal top 20 team in no time. Meanwhile, Becky's done a pretty amazingly rapid job of moving, building a staff, and going from one questionably healthy player to already a somewhat serviceable-looking team of seven. From their resumes, it looks like they'll at least be able to score, so they should be crowd-pleasing for that reason if for no other.
Adia deserves praise fo resurrecting UA WBB. But she also deserves a lot of criticism for burning down the program before she left. She needs to go into the arch-rivals category now.
