Arizona's Becky Burke Brings in Impressive Coaching Staff

It was not just nearly a completely new group of players for Arizona women’s basketball under head coach Becky Burke. It is also a completely new coaching staff for the Wildcats with a mix of coaches coming from Buffalo with Burke as well as other places. 

Here is a look at the new general manager and assistant coaches for Arizona under Burke.

Michelle Marciniak - General Manager

The new GM for the Wildcats will lead the Wildcats’ global recruiting strategy, support NIL and brand-building efforts and oversee program operations, roster management, and strategic planning. 

She is a former student athlete herself, winning the national championship and earning the 1996 NCAA Tournament MVP with the Tennessee Lady Vols. She went on to play in two national championship games before playing professional basketball. She started playing in the women’s American Basketball League, which only lasted two and a half years. She later moved on to the WNBA where she played for the expansion team in Portland before signing with the Seattle Storm. 

Marciniak also helped co-found and led SHEEX, Inc., the world’s first athletic-performance bedding company where she served as the co-CEO for over 17 years. 

Ashley Odom - Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator

Odom spent the past five seasons on the coaching staff with Texas Tech, most recently as the associate head coach last year. She helped lead Texas Tech to a 19-18 record last year with juniors Bailey Maupin and Jasmine Shavers being named to back-to-back All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selections. 

Prior to her time with Texas Tech, Odom spent seven seasons on the coaching staff at UT Arlington. She helped lead them to a regular season Sun Belt championship and a WNIT appearance in the 2018-19 season.

Odom also played and coached at Lamar where she helped lead them to an NCAA Tournament appearance in her coaching career. 

Julie Hairgrove - Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development

Returning to Tucson as an Arizona alum, Hairgrove is a WNBA champion.

Hairgrove played at Arizona from 1998-2003 under head coach Joan Bonvicini. She served as the team captain for two seasons, helping lead the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament appearances. 

She spent 18 years as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Mercury from 2005 to 2022. She helped guide the Mercury to three WNBA titles in 2007, 2009 and 2014 under the guidance of five different head coaches across her time in Phoenix. 

Hairgrove also spent two years as a coach at Loyola Marymount where she led them to a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2004. 

Hairgrove is also the granddaughter of legendary Arizona men's basketball coach Lute Olson.

James Ewing - Assistant Coach and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator

Ewing followed Burke to Arizona from Buffalo after working with her since 2023.

Last season, he was part of the coaching staff with the Bulls to help lead them to a program-record 30 wins and a WNIT Championship. 

He joined Burke’s coaching staff at Buffalo two years ago after one season at St. Bonaventure three years ago and an assistant coaching job at Daemen College the year prior. 

As a former student athlete, Ewing played two seasons at Toledo from 2011-13 and two seasons at Mercyhurst from 2013-15. He was the leading rebounder as a senior at Mercyhurst in 2015, helping lead them to the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. 

Ewing went on to play professionally with the Buffalo 716ers in the Premier Basketball League. He later spent three years with the Dangriga Warriors and Orange Walk Running Rebels of Belize’s National Elite Basketball League. 

Jenna Knudson - Assistant Coach and Assistant of Player Development

Knudson played in college under Burke at Embry-Riddle. She was a three-time All-California Pacific Conference selection and set a program record for steals.

She now heads to Tucson this year after spending two years at Drury University. Knudson helped lead the Lady Panthers to a combined 47-14 record the past two years. 

Prior to those two seasons, Knudson spent four years on the coaching staff at Quincy University as an assistant coach and graduate assistant.