<p>TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes will receive $5.85 million as part of a five-year contract extension.</p>
<p>The terms announced Tuesday must be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents. No changes were made to the incentive structure of the contract.</p>
<p>Barnes has turned Arizona from an also-ran in the Pac-12 into a national championship contender. The Wildcats had the best season in program history in 2020-21, beating national powerhouse UConn in the Final Four to reach their first national championship game.</p>
<p>Arizona lost to Pac-12 rival Stanford by one in the title game.</p>
<p>“As this past season made perfectly clear, Arizona women’s basketball has joined the nation’s elite under Coach Barnes’ leadership and will remain there for a long time to come,” Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement. “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."</p>
<p>Barnes was Arizona’s all-time leading scorer when she returned to her alma mater in 2016. The Wildcats had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2005 and won three Pac-12 games the year before she arrived.</p>
<p>Barnes led Arizona to a WNIT title in 2019 and had the Wildcats in position to reach the NCAA Tournament last year before the postseason was canceled due to the pandemic.</p>
<p>Arizona had its highest ranking at No. 6 in The Associated Press Top 25 in 2020-21 and its deepest NCAA Tournament run.</p>
<p>Barnes is the first Arizona women’s basketball coach to have three 20-win seasons in her first five seasons. The Wildcats have gone 89-66 under her. </p>
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<p>More AP women’s basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball</a></p>
