The University of Arizona women’s basketball team added twelve new players for the 2025–2026 season. Eight of the 12 new additions came from the transfer portal, and the four others were recruited from high school. As it stands, redshirt junior Montaya Dew is the only returning player on the roster.
Headlining the new additions is Second Team All-Southland Conference forward Nora Francois. The 6-foot-2 senior averaged 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game last season at the University of New Orleans. Francois was the first Southland player since 2019 to put up a triple-double in a game. The senior forward finished the game with 19 points, 19 boards and 10 assists against East Texas A&M University while also bringing in three blocks and five takeaways.
Senior Mickayla Perdue leads the backcourt, putting up 20 points, 3.3 assists, two rebounds and more than a steal per game. Coming to Arizona from Cleveland State University, the 5-foot-7 guard dropped a season-high 33 points, six assists and went 6-13 from deep in the semifinal of the Horizon League.
Former University of California, San Diego guard Sumayah Sugapong backs up Perdue in the backcourt. The 5-foot-7 sophomore was named All-Big West First Team and was the Most Outstanding Player in the Big West Championship. Sugapong put up 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, almost four assists and 2.5 steals per game during her sophomore season. Sugapong was also named Big West Player of the Week four times throughout the regular season.
Tanyuel Welch, a sophomore, is adding more depth to the backcourt. The transfer guard from the University of Memphis scored 10.7 points, hauled in 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Welch adds efficient sharp shooting, averaging 45.3% from beyond the arc.
Complementing Welch is freshman Kamryn Kitchen. Kitchen stands at 5-foot-9 and spent her first year redshirting at the University of Virginia. The former four-star recruit shattered records in high school, becoming Independence High School’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 200, while shooting an efficient 54% from the field and 42% from 3-point land.
Moving to the frontcourt is junior Freddie Wallace. The former University of Kansas forward did not play last season due to medical concerns. Wallace, listed at 6-foot-2, was named a third-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman during her time at Butler Community College before joining the Jayhawks. Wallace earned second-team honors in 2023–24, while scoring 18.4 points and bringing in 6.8 rebounds on 47.2% shooting from the floor.
Sophomore forward Achol Magot returns to her hometown after redshirting her freshman year and sitting out her sophomore year due to injury at Texas Tech University. The 6-foot-7 Tucson native only played in nine games last season but brings much-needed size to Arizona. During her time at Southern Arizona Preparatory, Magot recorded 10 double-doubles in 16 games while averaging 13.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 1.8 steals per game.
Head coach Becky Burke did not come to Tucson from Buffalo alone; senior Noelani Cornfield followed Burke to Arizona. The former University of Buffalo guard, standing at 5-foot-6, had her best year in the 2025-2026 season, averaging almost 11 points, 5.9 assists and just over four rebounds a game. Cornfield shot a career-best 45.3% from the field and averaged 2.5 steals per game. Cornfield brings veteran leadership and two-way versatility that the Wildcats desperately need.
Burke is also bringing All-State guard Molly Ladwig. Ladwig originally signed with Buffalo when Burke was at the helm and now follows Burke to Arizona and joins a stacked backcourt. The No. 3 player in the state of Nebraska scored 19 points per game in her senior year of high school and finished as Skutt Catholic High School’s all-time leading scorer with 1,748 points and 332 assists while leading the school to three consecutive state championship appearances. Notably, Ladwig scored 50 points against Omaha Central High School, which set Skutt Catholic’s single-game scoring record.
Burke was also able to bring in Mireia Jurado, a 6-foot guard from Avinyó, Spain. Jurado spent her time recently playing for Segle XXI in the second division of Spanish women’s basketball, the Liga Femenina 2. Just last season, the guard played in 16 games while averaging 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds. Jurado has had success representing Spain’s youth teams, placing on the podium for both the 2023 FIBA U16 European Championships and the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup.
Former Auburn University commit Ogheneruona Miracle adds physicality, excellent rim protecting and great rim running for the Wildcats. After a change of coaching at Auburn, Miracle announced her decommitment from the Tigers and joined the Wildcats less than a week later. The 6-foot-3 forward is originally from Nigeria but played high school basketball at W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas.
Rounding out the Arizona high school recruiting class is 6-foot-1 forward Daniah Trammell. The Cincinnati, Ohio, forward led Winton Woods High School as a junior in scoring and rebounding. Trammell was a two-time All-State and All-Conference honoree and accomplished over 1,000 career points and north of 900 rebounds.
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