Adia Barnes 'proud' of Arizona's accomplishments despite title game loss

Arizona's historic run to the NCAA Tournament title game came to an end Sunday night with a one-point loss to Stanford. It was a difficult way for the Wildcats to finish what was a miracle run through the tournament as a No. 3 seed that featured wins over some of the top programs in the country such as Texas A&M and UConn.

UA's wire-to-wire victory over the Huskies in the Final Four was arguably the biggest win of the tournament and propelled the Wildcats into the national spotlight. Star guard Aari McDonald became a household name over the last several weeks as she put together a scoring barrage that allowed her team to continue to advance throughout the various rounds of the tournament.

She nearly pulled off what would have been the greatest play in program history in the final seconds of Sunday's game with her off balance 3-point heave that eventually just missed the mark.

Arizona saved its best for last with the Wildcats playing their best when it mattered most this season. Coming from winning just six games a few seasons ago to within one basket of a national title left the Wildcats feeling proud of the progress the program has made in a short amount of time.

"We're leaving San Antonio with a lot of pride," McDonald said as she fought through tears during Sunday's post-game press conference. "We're going to walk out of here and leave with our heads up just knowing how far we came, how far we've come as a program and as individuals.

"We have nothing to hang our heads for. We competed. We battled. We just lost to a very great team, an experienced team with talented players in all positions. They're led by a pioneer to the game. Just got to look back and we just look at the positives, look how far we've come."

Adia Barnes knows her program is ahead of schedule as her fifth season as head coach comes to a close. She took over her alma mater when the program had very little expectations. All she could sell was a vision and this season the vision has been realized. That will bring about a different feeling for the Wildcats.

"The reality is with this season, one person is going to walk away happy with the season and they're national champions, everyone else is going to walk away disappointed," the UA head coach said. "We got this close, so definitely disappointed. We all wanted to hoist the trophy and make history. It would have been almost next to a miracle for us to do that. We had an opportunity to do that. That's all I could ask for.

"So the bar is high. We want to come back here. I'm trying to build a program like Tara has, build a program like Geno and Dawn, all the other trailblazers in this profession. I'm not satisfied with just being here, being in the tournament; I want to build a program where you're surprised when they don't win. Like when you look at Tara, Geno, Dawn, it's surprising if they don't win a championship; it's a disappointment. I don't want to come here once and be done. I want to be back here. I think in the future, Arizona will be back."

For now, Barnes will get some time to appreciate what her group of underdog players has accomplished this season.

"Just proud of this team, our resiliency, our mental toughness, our want to win," she said when asked what she will remember most about this group. "The way they fought for me. They never had a doubt. They looked me in the eyes and fought. I love them. I wouldn't ask for anything. I wouldn't change anybody. I wouldn't get bigger, change my players. Don't care if we can't shoot here, can't post, I don't care because we fight, and that's all I can ask."

Arizona's women's basketball team will welcomed home with a special celebration at Arizona Stadium on Monday at 11:15 a.m. MST to commemorate the Wildcats' Final Four win and run to the title game.

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