How SMU Rebuilt Women’s Basketball Overnight

It felt more like the first day of a revolution than the first week of practice.

New faces. New energy. New era.

When SMU athletic director Damon Evans walked into the Crum Basketball Center this spring, he didn’t mince words:

“This is a sleeping giant.”

Now, it’s starting to stir.

After finishing dead last in the ACC and enduring over a decade without an NCAA Tournament appearance, SMU women’s basketball hit the reset button. And it wasn’t subtle. The Mustangs went from forgotten to formidable, practically overnight thanks to one seismic move: hiring former Arizona head coach Adia Barnes.

The Blueprint for a Basketball Revival

Barnes didn’t need a campus tour to be sold on SMU. She saw the vision. Evans had it mapped out.

Just two weeks after his hiring, Evans made Barnes his first major move. Coming from Maryland, a women’s basketball powerhouse, Evans understood what real investment looks like. Barnes, who took Arizona to the national title game in 2021 and led the Wildcats to elite national standing, brought instant credibility and fire.

Within days of her hiring, Barnes assembled an entirely new 14-player roster. Two freshmen. Twelve transfers. Three former Arizona players. ESPN called SMU a “transfer portal winner.” The speed of the transformation stunned even longtime analysts.

“She told me she was going to make this road, and I said, ‘I’m there,’” said junior forward Sahnya Jah, one of Barnes’ loyal transfers.

And Barnes didn’t stop with familiar faces. She attacked the Dallas recruiting trail, securing local stars like Duncanville’s Jazzy Gipson and DeSoto’s Ayanna Thompson. The depth of talent in the D-FW metroplex wasn’t lost on her.

“In Dallas, there’s 25 top players every year,” Barnes said. “I could only recruit in Dallas and be a top-10 team.”

A Spark in the Heart of Texas

Barnes is not just building a team. She’s trying to build a movement, something that stretches beyond Moody Coliseum.

At Arizona, she regularly drew 8,000 fans per game. At SMU, she sees the same potential, even if it means building from scratch.

Her goal? Increase season ticket sales by 800%.

A lofty number, sure, but the tide is turning.

And SMU? With a roster flipped, a fanbase re-engaged, and Barnes at the helm, it may be ready to take its place in the city’s basketball boom.