Addressing the rumors, the fan wishes, and the viability of both
There are a lot of outside candidates to take over for Adia Barnes as the new leader of the Arizona Wildcats. Some are more likely than others, but could athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois look towards a former Wildcat to take over? Some unconventional names are emerging in the rumor mills after initial targets have taken themselves out of the running.
Conventional wisdom was that the first target would be UNLV head coach Lindy La Rocque, but La Rocque seemed to squash that by posting on social media that she was focused on winning championships at UNLV. Now, coaches often say things like that and then turn around and leave anyway, but follow-ups by national reporters seem to support that she’s staying put in her hometown.
Mitchell Northam, who has covered ACC women’s basketball for years, reported on Barnes leaving for SMU. In that report, he stated that Reed-Francois not only couldn’t get La Rocque, but another mid-major coach met Arizona’s overtures with a similar rejection.
It was known by many as far back as the beginning of the season that Barnes was unhappy with the lack of an extension and would not coach the final year of her contract at Arizona as a lame duck. It would be unlikely that the athletic director didn’t know that, as well. The lack of interest in the job even by a coach who has worked for her may force Reed-Francois to take an unconventional route. Could she go for another Arizona alumnus?
Is it worth risking hiring another alum in case things end badly? With the departures of celebrated alumnae Laura Ianello, Erika Barnes, and Adia Barnes in less than a year, seeing another figure in Wildcat sports history leave either coaching or administration at the university wouldn’t be flattering whether or not one agrees with the reasons for the separations.
There are possibilities and, in some cases, even rumors of interest, but do they make sense for the university or the candidates themselves?
Julie Hairgrove, former Arizona women’s basketball player and Phoenix Mercury assistant coach
There isn’t a name more associated with Arizona basketball than Olson. Julie Hairgrove would know.
The granddaughter of Lute Olson was known as Julie Brase when she played for Joan Bonvicini just after Adia Barnes finished her career at Arizona. She also spent years on the staff of the Phoenix Mercury under several different head coaches. She helped coach the team to all three of its WNBA championships.
Hairgrove said for years that she didn’t want to be a head coach because it would keep her from being the kind of mother she wanted to be. It’s especially tough in the college game, where recruiting makes it almost a 24/7/365 job. She started to change her tune about four years ago, indicating that she might be ready to make the jump.
“I definitely think if a head coaching job were to open that makes sense for my family, I think that’s something I would definitely consider,” she said in Apr. 2021. “But it’s got to be right for the family. It’s something that I would like to try at some point in my career because being the assistant it’s great, but I think I’m ready to make that next step in the next couple of years.”
Hairgrove’s stint with the Mercury finally ended when Vanessa Nygaard was hired in 2022.
The question is whether the head job at Arizona “makes sense” for her and her family, especially in the age of NIL. Hairgrove preferred the professional game because it didn’t involve recruiting. These days, it seems college basketball is all about recruiting—recruiting current players to stay, recruiting high schoolers to commit, recruiting the portal entries to transfer.
While Hairgrove is a tie to Arizona basketball’s history—both on the women’s and men’s sides—the desire to have her return to McKale seems more like a fan pipe dream than something her past indicates she would enjoy.
Jason Gardner, former Arizona point guard and current member of Tommy Lloyd’s staff
This is where we get into people who are rumored to be interested. The question is how seriously to take those rumors.
The last time the men’s head coaching job came open, several alumni of the men’s program were angry that their brethren weren’t given much of a look. Could they get a look for the women’s head coaching position?
Reed-Francois was very integrated with the men’s team this year. She traveled with them to regular season games on many occasions. Her first order of business was to get a new extension for Tommy Lloyd just 14 months after his last one. Could that rapport extend to members of his staff?
Gardner is another beloved former Wildcat. He led the Arizona men to their last Final Four in 2001. He is currently the director of player relations on Lloyd’s staff, a position he has held since 2021.
Gardner also has college head coaching experience. It’s just not on the women’s side.
He spent five years as the head coach at UIPUI (now known as IU Indianapolis), stepping down ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Gardner went 64-93 in his five years at IU Indy, never making an NCAA appearance. However, those 64 wins are the third most coaching wins in the history of the program. After leaving that position, Gardner spent a year coaching high school boys’ basketball before being hired at Arizona.
Gardner was also an assistant for the men’s programs at Loyola Chicago and Memphis, spending two years at Loyola and one at Memphis.
It’s not something that screams of a head coaching resume for a women’s program that’s been to the last six postseasons and has won at least 18 games every year since 2018-19. If he has a legitimate interest, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him interviewed. It would be surprising if he was the hire, though.
Jason Terry, former Arizona point guard and current Utah Jazz assistant coach
If Reed-Francois goes with a former men’s player, this one seems more likely from the standpoint of women’s basketball. Does it make sense from the standpoint of Jason Terry, though?
Terry was a national champion at Arizona in 1997 and spent years in the NBA, but that’s not what recommends him as a head coach for a women’s team.
Terry has been a coach at various levels of men’s basketball, but he’s also been involved in the girls’ game at the grassroots level for over a decade. His Lady Jets travel team produced Arizona signee Jazzy Gipson, whose status with the program is unknown since Barnes left.
The program is located in Texas, a fertile recruiting ground. It competes on the Adidas circuit. Terry at least has a known connection and interest in women’s basketball and its development.
Terry has been an assistant coach at both the college and professional levels. He was also the head coach of the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League.
The problem with this rumor is that Terry has a job as an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz. Why would he leave the apex of basketball to become the head coach of a women’s college team?
If a common complaint about Barnes wasn’t the size of her contract, one might say it’s about the money. Giving any coach a big contract after the way things ended with Barnes would seem counterintuitive.
If this is, in fact, legitimate interest, the only reasons would be that Terry wants to be a head coach and that he wants to return to his alma mater. Those reasons would be valid and might make him the best candidate from the various rumor mills and fan wishlists.