What did Becky Burke and Arizona players says at Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Days

The start of the 2025-26 season isn’t the only thing that’s new in Tucson this fall. The Arizona Wildcats are embarking on a new season with a brand new coaching staff and just one returning player on the roster. See what first-year head coach Becky Burke and Arizona Women’s Basketball players Noelani Cornfield, Mickayla Perdue, and Sumayah Sugapong said at their Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media days in Kansas City, both on the stage and in the Zoom press conference.

Becky Burke:

Burke on handling the fan and media attention surrounding Women’s Basketball in Tucson:

“I think it probably was something that crossed Desireé’s mind in the hiring process, but I think there’s a very certain type of person and coach that can deal with being under the microscope that we are at the University of Arizona and with a fanbase like ours, and I believe that I’m one of those people. So I’ve really enjoyed the interactions with the fans, the expectations, the standards that everybody’s got for our program. That’s something that I wanted to be around. That’s why I’m really excited to be at Arizona. And so it’s definitely been an adjustment – because it wasn’t like that at Buffalo, by any means – but a good adjustment, a welcomed adjustment, and one that I’m excited to make sure that we continue to make our fanbase proud and meet those expectations and exceed those expectations.”

Burke on opportunities facing the season heading into the season:

“Yeah, we needed every piece at every position, multiple of them. I think what people are going to see – like, literally what I’m even seeing walking around this building today, we’re small. Like, we’re going to be undersized. We’re going to have some things that don’t look to our favor on paper, but what I think they don’t know about our team is our competitiveness, our attention to detail, our blue-collar mentality, how gritty these guys are, the chip that they all have on their shoulder. We have a really good mix of mid-major studs, true freshmen, international players, power five transfers, that every single one of them has such a unique story, and such a big chip on their shoulder to come to Arizona and prove people wrong, or right, that I think it’s going to be something really, really special to see.

So, we know we got to be a blue-collar group. We got to get after it. We got to roll our sleeves up and get dirty this year and win the things that we can win and that we can control. Because we do have some deficiencies on paper, and that’s okay. We welcome that. We know that. We’re aware of it. But we also feel really good about our team.”

Burke on her assessment of the team ahead of the start of the season:

“I think we’re really good on the defensive end of the floor. I think we’re going to really be able to sit down and guard people and hold people below their average and make things difficult for an offensive team. Something that remains to be seen is are we going to be able to score it at a high enough clip every night? Right? Be consistent.

This is a team that I don’t think we’re going to have somebody that’s giving us 20 every night, right? If we can be a stat sheet where you’ve got seven, eight kids that are in double figures, or flirting with double figures, I think that’s going to be our best bet to win basketball games. And we’re going to have to do it by committee. We’re going to have to do it together. We’re not going to rely on somebody every night, like I said, to give us 20 or 25. That’s just not how this team is built.”

Burke on Arizona’s rotation:

“I don’t think we have a rotation necessarily locked in yet. We’re really still in the process of letting people earn stuff and figuring out which which seven or eight play the best together. That’s my job, no matter if I like you, if I don’t like you, if you’re going to help us win, you’re going to be in the rotation. And so you know that that’s where we’re at. I’m still looking to figure out who those seven or eight are, and looking for some consistency out of some people.”

Burke on being picked 14th in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll:

“If I had a team that didn’t mind being pick 14th, I’d be very, very, very alarmed. So, it comes out. It’s on social media. They see it. You got to address it. You got to talk about it. We talked about it one time. We’re bothered by it. I’m bothered by it. I don’t believe that that is anything that is worth any salt. Preseason rankings don’t mean anything. And so at the end of the day, we got to prove it. We got to earn it – as we should, as a new program, and with nobody returning, and all of those things.

And so we’re excited about the opportunity starting this Thursday with our first exhibition game, and heading into November 6, our first real game, to let everybody really be the judge for themselves when they see this team. Because ultimately those preseason rankings came off of not knowing a single thing about our team.”

Noelani Cornfield:

Cornfield on the culture Becky Burke is trying to build in Year 1:

“I think the culture that she’s trying to build is discipline. Obviously, as all of our first year here at Arizona, she’s still building from the ground up, but what she wants it to be is discipline, detail-oriented, living your day-to-day. She always says ‘how you do one thing is how you do everything,’ so just living up to standards each and every day, and just holding yourself to the highest you can be and doing everything she expects of you.”

Cornfield on the increased media attention since arriving in Tucson:

“As a student-athlete, I think there’s always eyes on you no matter where you are. There’s always going to be some type of fan, some type of media looking for you. So I think just having our resources and supporters and our staff helping us being trained with, like, how to carry ourselves, representing our brand, representing our school.”

Cornfield on something she wants fans to know about her game:

“I’m pretty small, but I think I want everybody to know that I can very much stand my ground and I can very much guard anybody who’s bigger than me.”

Cornfield on emerging as a leader for Arizona:

“I think all three of us (Cornfield, Perdue, Sugapong). I think that’s why we’re here. All three of us are really good stepping up as leaders. We’re really the ones that are always coming in, consistent setting the tone, make sure everyone is living up to the standard that coach Burke wants us to, and make sure we’ll just hold everybody accountable and being player led.”

Mickayla Perdue:

Perude on the preseason engagement from Arizona fans:

“I came from a school where we probably averaged about 300 – 400 fans, and now we’re probably going to be averaging around 5,000, so it’s definitely going to be different, but it’s gonna feel good to see everybody there and just feel that support. And like I’ve talked a lot about is the fans’ loyalty, like we’re a whole new team, and they’re still coming to games, they’re still coming to meet-and-greet(s)…that’s just telling a lot about the fans’ character and how good of people they are.”

Perdue on her fit with Becky Burke and Arizona:

“Number one, I’m a scoring guard. And I think that’s one of the main reasons she recruited me. And also just how gritty I am, how much I love the game. I bleed the game. I love this game. And how I’m going to do everything and anything that she asks of me, whether that’s going out there and scoring, going out and facilitating, and then obviously playing defense.

I was in a zone for the last two years. This year, we’re in a man-to-man. I have to relearn those man-to-man principles. And she’s done a great job at pushing me, talking a little stuff here and there about how maybe I can’t defend. But, I’m always going to show her that I can and that I’m willing to do whatever it is and whatever it takes to do that.”

Perdue on leading by example for Arizona:

“I think it’s been a smooth transition. I think it’s pretty easy, because she tells you exactly what she wants, how she wants it done, and you either get with it or get left. So I think it’s been a pretty easy transition, especially just plenty of years playing college basketball, so you kind of know what the standards are.”

Perude on competing against Anthony Dell’Orso in the three-point shooting contest at the Red-Blue Showcase:

“It was a good experience to be a part of, because I’ve never been a part of something like that, especially like shooting off racks. Never did that before, so it was brand new to me. But you could feel the support, even though it was a men’s game, you could still feel all that support for the women, too. And you know my teammates were on the sideline recording, screaming, cheering. After that first rack, I was a little nervous the first time, but then that second time around, I felt like I got a little bit used to it and ended up losing by one. I could have just hit one more money ball, but maybe another time.”

Sumayah Sugapong:

Sugapong on fan and media attention for Arizona Women’s Basketball:

“I think I came from a school who had maybe like less fans at our games than [Perdue]. But I mean, it’s just really exciting to sort of know what we’re gonna be walking into once you get started playing in McKale. And as far as, like media, it’s a lot of fun. It gives us a chance to put our faces out there to kind of show people what we’re about basketball wise, but also off the court as just people.”

Sugapong on stepping into a leadership role for the Wildcats:

“I think just me as a person outside of basketball, I’m normally kind of quiet, kind of reserved. But basketball really just brings out a different side of me. I think my main leadership skill is leading by example. I try to go out and there and whatever Coach Burke needs on the floor, I’m there to do that. The past two years, and considering my international experience, I have grown into my voice. If I see something, I’m able to tell my teammates. I think we built a sort of mutual trust, mutual respect where I can dish it out and people can take it. Also just being a sponge from the older girls [Cornfield and Perdue] and the rest of my teammates as well.”