Top 5 things heard at Pac-12 Media Day from Adia Barnes, Esmery Martinez & Helena Pueyo

ARIZONA WOMEN’S HOOPS 2023-24 ROSTER

The Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Media Day was held at Las Vegas on Tuesday with Arizona coach Adia Barnes accompanied by fifth-year seniors Helena Pueyo and Esmery Martinez. The following are five of the most interesting comments made by the group. Arizona, picked to finish seventh in the conference, opens its 2023-24 season at New Mexico State on Nov. 6 after exhibitions at McKale Center against West Texas A&M (Oct. 25) and Point Loma (Nov. 1). The home opener of the regular season is Nov. 10 against NAU (Catalina Foothills Class of 2023 standout Reilly Clark is with NAU).

Under the lights #MadeForIt x #LeaveALegacy pic.twitter.com/HCmz5wmiTt

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) October 10, 2023

ADIA BARNES ON FRESHMEN BREYA CUNNINGHAM & JADA WILLIAMS

“Because you never know what to truly expect with freshmen, but I’ve been telling you, we always say this as coaches, you want a player that actually wants to play their position, and Breya Cunningham, she’s a post player that actually wants to be a post. That’s weird nowadays, but she’s been exciting, great hands, getting in great shape, finishing well around the basket, does not play like a freshman so far. Then Jada has been just so much fun, just already shows leadership as a freshman and just a lot of things that she does are small things that you wouldn’t think a freshman would do.”

The off-court bond between Jada Williams and Breya Cunningham is just one more tool that will help them on the court https://t.co/uCYXNpAAt3

— AZ Desert Swarm (@AZDesertSwarm) October 7, 2023

BARNES ON ARIZONA’S GREATEST CHALLENGE

“I think our greatest challenge is going to be just our youth and just the experience. The fact of the matter is that we’re going to play a lot of young players. We have some really good super seniors, but mixing in so many new players and the core being young. But the positive thing I think is in this day and age when you’re coaching and recruiting, if you get really good freshmen like the McDonald’s All-Americans you’re not going to retain them if they don’t play, so the positive thing is they’re going to play. Now, might that mean we might lose some game because of mistakes, that could be potential, but I’m looking at the future and how I want to build off the court, and Arizona was at our best when we had our core together for three years, and that is how – we teach a lot and the process is longer in the way that I do things, so I’m excited about that, and just excited to see Breya and Jada and (freshman guard) Skylar (Jones) thrown into the fire, and then (freshman forward) Montaya (Dew) was hurt (and out with a season-ending leg injury), so that’s also a hard thing for us.”

Coach Jedd is doing amazing things @ArizonaFBall ! If you want to be a part of something special Arizona is the place to be! #MadeForIt x #LeaveALegacy pic.twitter.com/cbvHWXxdDy

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) October 10, 2023

BARNES ON ONLY 10 AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS

“We’re going to figure it out. I think the challenge for me, too, is the challenge of having a short bench which I haven’t had this short of a bench, and being able to play ourselves. I’m going to have to have shorter practices obviously, which is hard. It’s hard to be really concise and precise in a short amount of time, but it’s what we do. And I’m telling you, we are going to play better defense than last year with a shorter bench. I think for players the psychological thing is you know you’re probably going to play. I think that’s also fun, too, so I won’t have 10 miserable people. … A lot of people get caught up in all the McDonald’s this and that. I don’t really care about any of that stuff. I said it’s going to be gritty, not always pretty, which is true because they’ll be young, but we’re going to be tough. I can already tell in practice we are going to be way better defensively than we were last year, because last year we were very offensive minded, but my team has invested and we’ve been very defensive minded. So they’re going to play hard. They’re coachable. They want to play. They want to win.”

Senior leader Helena Pueyo on her decision to come back for one final season with @ArizonaWBB. pic.twitter.com/TJN5SLrrut

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) October 10, 2023

HELENA PUEYO ABOUT BECOMING A FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR LEADER

Back for more pic.twitter.com/3X4JpQzvqz

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 10, 2023

“For me, I think talking about leadership, I think having these four years playing in this conference, I think all the experience from that I can take and bring it to my new teammates. Also I think I’m the only one from the national championship game (in 2020-21), so I think all that experience and like helping them and teaching them how to play in our system, I think that will be a really good part.”

ESMERY MARTINEZ ABOUT BEING A LEADER IN HER SECOND YEAR AT ARIZONA AFTER TRANSFERRING FROM WEST VIRGINIA

"I made it, and they can do it too." – Esmery Martinez on what it means to be the first in her family to graduate from college. #BearDown | @ArizonaWBB pic.twitter.com/esgXDZ1dLW

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) October 10, 2023

“For me, I think I didn’t give enough last year, and I think I could do better, and I feel I needed another opportunity, and for school, too, that’s why I’m coming back because I want to go have my degree. [made it. … It’s complicated to be a leader because to lead you’ve got to have everything. But I’m just trying to do the best that I can and trying to work hard so that the freshmen can see I’m going to work hard, and they can see a good leader on them. Well, I’m focused this year to be the best leader. I’m excited. I’m excited to see all the young players. I’m just happy. I feel really comfortable playing with them. I feel like they’re really good. They’re tough. Like they’re good.”