Revamped Arizona women’s basketball roster has Wildcats thinking big ahead of season

Head coach Becky Burke says it’s possible.

“That's my plan for this group and I feel like that's something that could very, very well happen,” Burke told media on Tuesday. “So, the goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. The goal is to be an NCAA Tournament team and they know that we know that. We put our schedule together so that is the result at the end of the season. We put ourselves in the best position and make sure we control what we can to make that happen.”

Ahead of the upcoming basketball season this fall, Burke held a preseason press conference on Tuesday to recap the team’s summer training sessions and what’s next for the Wildcats. 

Burke says she’s “excited, happy and thankful” for the upcoming season and believes the Wildcats, who finished 12-18 overall last season, are in a “much better place than last year.”

Much of that excitement comes from a mostly new team.

The current Wildcats roster features 10 new faces and two key returners in guards Sumayah Sugapong and Molly Ladwig (who will be wearing a numbered jersey this year in case you missed Arizona Athletics’ joke earlier this week).

Some of the newcomers who could make an impact this season are Gerda Raulusaityte, a transfer from USC; Aliyahna "Puff" Morris, a transfer from UC Berkley; and Breanna Williams, a transfer from Maryland.

Plus, true freshmen include Jasleen Green, Callie Hinder, Makayla Presser-Palmer, Priyanka Ponnam and Arynn Finley, who Burke says are “the best freshman class in the Big 12.”

“We've got almost a brand new group,” Burke said. “We've got players that are returning. We've got players that transferred in. We've got true freshmen. We've got a mix of it all. More than anything, it's really a group that we brought together for a purpose, that we had time to recruit, that we really, really were selective and picky about, and I think it's shown through our seven weeks of practice. I'm very grateful for this group. 

“We have chemistry, we have positivity, we have players that are connected; they care about one another, but most importantly, they care about wearing the Block ‘A’ across their chest and they prove that every single time they come out and they practice and they show it. This is one of the most coachable groups I've had. This is one of the most enjoyable groups that I've had, and we've got really good basketball players. I will say that we have great human beings, great students, and young women with great character. We have not had to deal with anything this summer that most coaches have to deal with. We've been able to coach basketball. We've been able to keep it business because they take care of their business.”

With a revamped roster, Sugapong and Ladwig have stepped up as leaders for the new Wildcats this summer.

“These two have led for seven weeks and had a voice and understood what the assignment was, what our culture needed to be, and they've not shied away from that,” Burke said of Sugapong and Ladwig.

Both Sugapong and Ladwig opted to return this season due to being comfortable — with Burke, her playing style and being a Wildcat. Sugapong also wants to continue building off of what they did last year, she said.

“I thought there are too many positives here,” Ladwig said. “So why would I leave?”

Last season, Ladwig shot 41% from the field and recorded a career-high 10 points at Iowa State and Baylor.

Sugapong wrapped up her junior season by recording a career-high 31 points against Utah. She also logged her 1,000th career point last season.

Despite having a tougher schedule this season, the guards have the same goals as last season: win.

“I made the same goal as last year,” Sugapong said. “We want to win a Big 12 championship. And I think we're a lot more confident going into this year, and (we want to) just win more games in general, and I think a lot of stuff Coach Burke had on earlier about us being in really close games last year, I think with our new squad and the talent level of these girls, we're going to be able to put ourselves in much better positions in these close games.”

Tucsonans will get a peek at the refreshed Arizona women’s basketball team in late October during a series of exhibition games at McKale Center at Alkeme Arena.

The Wildcats kick off the regular season against Stanford on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas for the Hall of Fame series, followed by a tough nonconference schedule that includes the defending national champions, UCLA.

“I think I learned a lot,” Burke said of reflecting on this past season. “I think I learned a lot through last year, and last year wasn't anything significantly harder or different than how it’s been Year 1 anywhere else. But you don't quite remember how hard it is until you're in it. … It's difficult to sit here and try to tell you everything I learned. I mean, I'd be talking for two hours.

“What I think it's done more than anything is make me appreciate this group and I think they feel it. And I think especially Sumayah and Molly can feel the shift in energy from me and from our staff because we are so grateful for this group and who they are and what they value and how they come out and their approach every single day. It's made me more joyful in that practice. It probably made me more enjoyable to be around at practice. But I want to reciprocate that gratitude and show them that I appreciate them and everything they're bringing every single day because of what we may or may not have had last year. So I think that's probably the biggest difference.”