Mar 15, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Arizona Wildcats mascot performs for the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship game at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Arizona Women's Basketball Loses Player on Roster

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Ari Koslow | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Arizona women's basketball freshman Ogheneruona 'Miracle' Akpotayobo is no longer listed on the roster for the upcoming season. There has been no reason given yet as to why she is no longer with the program. She has also appeared to disable her personal Instagram and X accounts.

Akpotayobo had originally committed to Auburn last year before the Tigers fired their head coach in Johnnie Harris, which led to her deciding to decommit. It was announced back in April that she committed to new Arizona coach Becky Burke as she continued to build out her new roster in Tucson.

Background

Originally from Nigeria, Akpotayobo came to the United States to play high school basketball. She played for four different rosters, including Life Prep Academy in Kansas and DeSoto High School in Texas. At the time of her commitment, she had been the second African-born player to join Arizona's program under Burke, alongside Achol Magot from South Sudan, who was raised in Tucson.

Blessing “Adde” Adebanjo, who is originally from Nigeria, was also recently added to the women's basketball roster.

With the current addition of Adebanjo and loss of Akpotayobo, the women's basketball roster currently has 13 players listed on the roster.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It remains an unpredictable season for the Wildcats. They lost coach Adia Barnes in April, who is now coaching SMU. It did not take long for athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois to find the program's next coach, as she hired Becky Burke less than a week later, who had

It was an uphill battle for Burke coming to Tucson, as Arizona lost almost its entire roster from last season under Barnes. She has done enough to put together a full roster as she looks to help rebuild the program.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The non-conference schedule for Arizona was announced in August. The Wildcats will be hosting two exhibition games at home against West Texas A&M on October 23 and Cal State LA one week later on October 30.

The regular season in non-conference play will open up against UC Riverside on November 6, followed by a game against UC Irvine on November 9. The Wildcats will take a week off before facing Grambling State on November 16. They have 11 games announced so far on the schedule in the regular season.

What are your thoughts on the hire of Burke so far and what are your expectations for Arizona women's basketball heading into her first year this season? To let us know, be sure to follow our X account by clicking on the link.

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

More must-reads: