The search is over. Following Adia Barnes’ departure for SMU after nine seasons at the helm in Tucson, the Wildcats have found their next leader. Arizona announced on Wednesday that it has hired Buffalo’s Becky Burke to be the 10th women’s basketball head coach in program history. Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star first reported the news, and it was later released by the university.
At just 35 years old, Becky Burke has a breadth of experience, both as a player and as a coach. Burke spent the past three seasons at Buffalo, improving her win total in each season, finishing with a 12-16 record in Year 1, and a program-best 30-7 record this past season. She also led the Bulls to back-to-back WNIT appearances, including a title in 2025.
Prior to that, Burke spent two seasons (2020-22) at USC Upstate, where she orchestrated a 14-win improvement from her first to second season. She coached two seasons (2018-20) at Division II Charleston in West Virginia, where she took the Golden Eagles to the DII NCAA Tournament in 2019. Her head coaching journey began in the Grand Canyon State, where she spent two seasons (2016-18) starting the women’s basketball program at Embry-Riddle in Prescott. She has an overall record of 174-92 (.654) across all levels.
She also played for Louisville from 2008-2012, helping lead the Cardinals to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the national championship game in 2009.
Looking ahead to Arizona
Burke has a tall task ahead of her. For starters, she will need to follow-up one of the most successful runs in program history that is just four years removed from a Final Four victory and national championship appearance. There’s also the status of the roster and staff. With Montaya Dew currently listed as the only player on the 2025-26 roster, Burke will not only need to assemble her staff, but also put together a transfer portal class and construct a roster. Fortunately for Becky Burke, Adia Barnes cultivated a strong relationship between Arizona Women’s Basketball and the City of Tucson, which could give her some lightning in a bottle and instant support as she looks to pick up the pieces in Year 1 as head coach.
The details of her contract are not available, but her base salary at Buffalo in 2023-24 season was $250,000, eligible for up to $307,000 with bonuses. She signed an extension last year that would have kept her in Buffalo through the 2027-28 season, with a buyout of $500,000 as of April 1, 2024. The details of her buyout are not currently available.
“I would like to thank President (Suresh) Garimella and Desireé for this wonderful opportunity to lead Arizona Women’s Basketball, a program with such rich tradition,” Burke said in a statement released on Wednesday. “Wildcats’ fans fully understand the role that elite culture plays in building a program that wins championships. Our staff will be ready to make that a reality as we call Tucson home.”
[…] but that hasn’t stopped her from already hitting the ground running. After being named as the program’s new head coach on Wednesday, Burke has secured her first pickup from the transfer portal. On Friday, former […]
[…] the span of a week, Arizona Women’s Basketball has gone from searching for a head coach to being on the forefront of staffing and personnel in collegiate athletics. And while Becky Burke […]