Big news for Adia Barnes and Arizona women’s basketball, Aari McDonald will return for her senior season.
Arizona will be getting their leading scorer back next season after this year was cut short due to the coronavirus.
McDonald led the team with 20.6 points per game and was named Pac-12 defensive player of the year. She was also a finalist for the Wade Trophy along with being a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year. The team was supposed to be hosting NCAA tournament games after having one of its best seasons in program history. They went 24-7 overall and finished No. 12 in the final AP Top 25 Poll. They ended their season losing to Oregon in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal.
Regardless of whether the NCAA will give athletes another year of eligibility, McDonald still has another year left of eligibility, despite graduating as a junior. McDonald was projected to be drafted No. 11 in this year’s WNBA Draft.
McDonald has been the heart and soul of the Wildcats for the past few seasons. She entered the program in 2017-18 after transferring from Washington. She was a big part of the program’s turnaround after they went 6-24 in her first season. She also led the Wildcats to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament championship in 2019.
Barnes gets one of her top players back, and with Cate Reese and recruit Lauren Ware, next season could be really special for Arizona women’s basketball.
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