It’s been a relatively heads down summer for Becky Burke and the Arizona Wildcats. The new squad is using the summer settling into Tucson, getting into the gym, and building rapport and camaraderie with one another. But like any coach, while Burke is preparing the team for the 2025 season, she’s also making sure the pipeline of talent continues to flow for 2026 and beyond. On Saturday, Arizona received a commitment from 2026 forward Priyanka Ponnam.
The 6-foot-3 forward currently preps for the Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, while also playing for the AAU club Northeast. Per MaxPreps.com, in 25 games last season, Ponnam averaged 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. As junior, the post player shot a staggering 48.0 percent from the field, including 41.4 percent from three-point range.
Popular recruiting sites ESPN Hoopgurlz and Pre Girls Hoops list Ponnam as a prospect in the class of 2025, where she is a three-star prospect with a 90 scouts grade. While it is unclear exactly when she reclassified to the class of 2026, it appears she did so around July of 2023, when she transferred from the George School to Blair Academy.
Per her social media, Ponnam held offers from a number of Division I programs, including Arizona, Boston College, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wake Forest, and more, before ultimately choosing the Wildcats.
Priyanka Ponnam is now the second player committed to the Arizona Wildcats’ 2026 recruiting class, joining Spanish guard Somto Okafor, who pledged her commitment under the previous coaching staff. Ponnam is also the first pickup in the class of 2026 for Becky Burke and the new coaching staff.