The University of Arizona hired Becky Burke on Wednesday to coach its women’s basketball team.
Burke, 35, joins the Wildcats after former head coach Adia Barnes took the SMU head coaching job on Saturday.
Welcome to Tucson, Head Coach Becky Burke! #BearDown pic.twitter.com/GTIxTvfBSO
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) April 9, 2025
Barnes had one year left on her deal, but left after an up-and-down season saw Arizona miss the NCAA Tournament after going 19-14 overall and 10-8 in the program’s first season in the Big 12.
During Barnes’ nine seasons with the Wildcats, she held a 169-114 record with four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, Arizona lost 54-53 to Stanford in the national title game.
Burke coached Buffalo to the WNIT championship this past season and spent three years with the Bulls, posting a 61-37 record. The Bulls went 30-7 in 2024-25 and lost in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament before beating Troy for the WNIT title.
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She previously spent two seasons at USC Upstate (2020-22), two years at Charleston (2018-20) and two seasons at Embry-Riddle (2016-18) in Prescott. Burke holds a career 174-92 record as a head coach. She was previously the director of basketball operations at Cal State Fullerton (2013-14), and an assistant coach at St. Joseph’s (2014-15).
In 2019, she was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 30-Under-30 list, becoming the only head coach to appear on the list.
In addition, while leading USC Upstate, she was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2022.
During her playing career, Burke led Louisville to the NCAA Tournament in three of her four seasons, including a trip to the 2009 title game, where the Cardinals ultimately fell to UConn, 76-54.
Burke will now be faced with the tough task of filling out the Wildcats’ nearly empty roster. After a mass exodus, the only remaining scholarship player on Arizona’s roster is Montaya Dew. The forward did not play in the WBIT tournament for the Wildcats due to a knee injury and subsequently had meniscus surgery.
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