SMU Coach Apologizes for 'Unqualified' Mid-Major Hiring Comment After Arizona Exit
On April 5, the SMU Mustangs women's basketball team announced that they had hired Adia Barnes as their program's next head coach.
Barnes had been the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats women's team (where she also played in college) since 2016, and had taken them to four consecutive NCAA women's tournaments from 2021 to 2024, including a trip to the 2021 NCAA championship game, where they lost to Stanford.
Soon after Barnes' SMU hiring was announced, the Arizona Wildcats broke news that they had hired Becky Burke as their next head coach. Burke had been the head coach at the University of Buffalo (a mid-major school) since 2022.
In an April 9 interview after her introductory SMU press conference, Barnes made scathing comments that seemed directed at Arizona but which implicated coaches and programs across the country.
"It's just a fact, if you look across the country, if you look at all the recent hires, they've all hired mid-major, underqualified people, because they don't really care," Barnes said.
A clip of this comment has gone viral on X, and Barnes is getting blasted for not only taking a not-so-subtle jab at her former program and alma mater, Arizona, but also implicating dozens of schools seemingly out of nowhere.
New SMU WBB coach Adia Barnes (around the 0:18 mark):
— Raoul (@Raoul_000) April 12, 2025
"If you look across the country, if you look at all the recent hires, they've all hired mid-major underqualified people, because they don't really care."https://t.co/xi9eqrSRcw
Barnes took to social media on April 12 to issue an apology about her comments.
"I want to sincerely apologize for what I said the other day — it wasn’t what I meant at all. I have a deep respect for the incredible coaches at mid-major schools, and I recognize the hard work and talent across the board…," she said.
I want to sincerely apologize for what I said the other day — it wasn’t what I meant at all. I have a deep respect for the incredible coaches at mid-major schools, and I recognize the hard work and talent across the board…
— ADIA BARNES COPPA (@AdiaBarnes) April 12, 2025
She also responded to a comment by saying, "I didn’t mean it at all and I few really bad I meant that it’s just not a priority now but I also understand why. Ugh".
I didn’t mean it at all and I few really bad I meant that it’s just not a priority now but I also understand why. Ugh
— ADIA BARNES COPPA (@AdiaBarnes) April 12, 2025
It will be interesting to see what the response to Barnes' apology ends up being.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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