Buffalo Bulls head coach Becky Burke works the sideline during the first half of the Mid-American Conference Tournament women's championship game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona WBB Offers Major 2026 Forward Recruit

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Troy Hutchison | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Since being hired as the head coach of the Arizona women’s basketball program, Becky Burke has been busy building the roster for the 2025-26 season and finalizing her coaching staff with high-level assistant coaches from across the country.

Before Arizona, Burke was a successful head coach at four different programs where she was able to turn things around and get them back on track. Overall, she has a record of 174-92 since the start of her career in 2016.

“I would like to thank President (Suresh) Garimella and Desireé for this wonderful opportunity to lead Arizona Women’s Basketball, a program with such a rich tradition,” Burke said. “Wildcats’ fans fully understand the role that elite culture plays in building a program that wins championships. Our staff will be ready to make that a reality as we call Tucson home.”

Alex Gould / USA TODAY NETWORK

After the Wildcats had an underwhelming 2024-25 season as the team went 19-14 and missing the NCAA Tournament completely, Burke saw most of the previous season’s roster leave the team with only forward Montaya Dew staying with the team.

So, Burke had to work hard to build up the upcoming season’s roster with a mix of transfers and recruits she was able to land late in the process compared to the rest of the country.

With the roster set, Burke has shifted her focus to recruiting classes in order to get the program headed in the right direction and back in the NCAA Tournament.

As of right now, Arizona has received two commitments for the 2026 recruiting class in Priyanka Ponnam and Callie Hinder with Burke trying to rebuild the program.

Arizona has been busy on the recruiting trail and has offered multiple high-level prospects from across the country.

Now, Burke and her staff have re-offered 6-foot-1 forward Terri’a Russell, who is part of the 2026 recruiting cycle.

BTN Scouting Service Update

26' Terri’a Russell 6'1 Forward from Oakland Tech (CA) is re-offered by Arizona (@ArizonaWBB) (@beckyburke11) (@Coach_A_C)

read more+: https://t.co/gL85ZFlm3f @Caballaz2005 | @BTNScouting pic.twitter.com/gI4YAYNiRA
— BTN Scouting (@BTNScouting) August 27, 2025

If you look at the recruiting rankings, Russell is listed as a four-star recruit out of Oakland, Calif., who goes to Oakland Technical High School.

The fact that Burke and Arizona are in the conversation for so many high-level players is a sign of her success at other programs and her ability to be a dynamic recruiter despite the program coming off of an underwhelming season.

At this moment, there is no official visit date for Russell, who is still in the middle of narrowing down her list before going off on visits.

This article first appeared on Arizona Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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