While there are plenty of questions about what the roster will look like next season, particularly in the front court still, Becky Burke has now finalized the staff heading into her second season in Tucson. And with the last coaching position filled, the Wildcats are loading up the staff with experience. On Monday, Arizona Women’s Basketball announced it is hiring Devan Newman as an assistant coach.
“I am thrilled to welcome Devan to our staff,” Burke said in a release from the program. “She has a wealth of knowledge and experience at every level of college basketball. She comes from a basketball family, and I have a long-standing relationship with her.
Burke added, “She is going to be an excellent addition to our program and somebody that I am very excited that our players get to be around every single day. She’s of great character and about all the right things. Arizona women’s basketball just got better!”
Newman comes to Tucson after spending the past two seasons in the ACC with the Pittsburgh Panthers, which made a head coaching change after finishing last season season with an 8-23 record, including 1-17 in conference play. Prior to that, she spent eight seasons at Binghamton University, including five as associate head coach. Newman also served as an assistant coach at Weber State from 2011-2018, helping lead the Wildcats to a program-record 23-win season and Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) championship game appearance during the 2015-16 season.
She began her coaching career at Louisville, where she worked as a graduate assistant, assistant director of operations, and special assistant to the head coach. It’s also where she meet Burke, played at Louisville from 2008-2012.
“I am overjoyed and grateful to be joining Becky and her staff at the University of Arizona,” Newman said. “I have known Becky from her playing days at Louisville and her passion for the game, fierce competitiveness, and relentless work ethic is infectious. She is a winner and I can’t wait to get in the trenches with her and grind every day to help the Wildcats program achieve success.”
Devan Newman will be the third new member of the staff next season, joining associate head coach Todd Starkey and Director of Basketball Operations Peyton Klauber. Arizona will not backfill Michelle Marciniak as general manager, who stepped down to care for her mother who is battling Alzheimer’s disease. Burke is instead using the open headcount to bring Newman on to the staff.