The Pac-12 reprimanded Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes on Tuesday for public comments she made about the officiating after a game over the weekend.
Following the Wildcats’ 68-66 overtime loss at Oregon on Saturday, Barnes questioned the referees, telling reporters she thought her team got “homered.”
“It is what it is, and that’s what the Pac-12 is — we’re going to get homered at different places and that was clearly going on today,” Barnes said. “There was a lot of inconsistency. It was just tough for us to play, but not an excuse at all. We have to know on the road, it’s like this. Probably some teams feel like that when they come to Arizona.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff said there are protocols for coaches to follow when they want to provide feedback about the officiating. He added that the conference “is responsible for enforcing rules established by the Pac-12 membership, one of which prohibits coaches from publicly commenting about officiating.”
Barnes apologized on Twitter after the game for gesturing toward Oregon coach Kelly Graves with her middle finger.
“Tonight was a battle! It was a very emotional game! I apologize for being out of character and letting my emotions get the best of me,” Barnes wrote in the post.
Later, she added: “Despite the disrespect and being cussed at numerous times, I should not have responded back.”
While Barnes didn’t specify what Graves said, Arizona’s Shaina Pellington later tweeted that Barnes was “cussed at … in the most VULGAR ways the ENTIRE game by Kelly. We could hear it from the floor while PLAYING, in the most HOSTILE environment. He needs to be held accountable. Simple.”
Pellington has since gone private.
On Monday, after Oregon defeated UConn 72-59 for its second straight win over a top-10 team, Graves said the situation “was blown out of proportion.”
“Whatever happened after the game has been blown up, to be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t think it was anything more on either side. That’s what competitors do. We compete, and sometimes that’s not always pretty. But I think it was blown out of proportion.”
Arizona and Oregon meet again on Feb. 4 in Tucson, Ariz.
Adia Barnes is getting a raise.
The head coach of the University of Arizona women’s basketball program reached an agreement with the school, amending her previously agreed upon contract extension through the 2025-2026 season.
The modified five-year contract upped Barnes’s base salary to $5.85 million.
Barnes’s new compensation agreement comes after she led the Wildcats to the 2021 NCAA national championship game, where the team lost to Stanford by a single point.
On top of Arizona’s record-breaking success in this year’s NCAA tournament, Barnes has consistently won games in her five seasons as head coach, boasting an 89-64 record. She is also an Arizona alum, having played for the Wildcats from 1994-1998 before embarking on a WNBA career.
“I am honored to coach at my alma mater and represent Tucson, a city where it all began for me. This contract is a commitment to our sport, Arizona Women's Basketball, and this University.”
— Arizona Women's Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) May 4, 2021
- @AdiaBarnes pic.twitter.com/1tce8MMaMZ
In a released statement, Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke said that Barnes’s pay raise represents Arizona’s newfound status as an elite program.
“This new contract demonstrates our continued commitment to our women’s basketball program, and to Adia, who has revitalized our program and brought the excitement and energy to a whole new level,” says Heeke.
Barnes will head into next season without star Aari McDonald, but has a top-ranked recruiting class joining key transfers, like Oregon’s Taylor Chavez, to fill the void.