Daughter of Yankees Legend Puts Arizona in List of Final Five Schools
Head coach Adia Barnes has been active on the recruiting trail looking to secure a top class for the Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team in 2025.
Jumping into the Big 12 Conference this season will present a whole different set of challenges to the ninth-year head coach, so landing some of the best recruits around the country should help them compete early in their tenure.
While they have gotten some disappointing updates in this cycle, they also are firmly in the mix for one of the best players in this class.
Now, Arizona got some more good news when four-star guard Lena Girardi included the Wildcats in her final schools list as she narrows down her choices before making her commitment decision.
Top 2025 recruit Lena Girardi (@LenaGirardi) has narrowed her list to five finalists, she told @On3sports.
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) August 9, 2024
Finalists: UNC, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Virginia Tech
Read: https://t.co/hDOmBlQTBI pic.twitter.com/uIXYsGnbVj
For those who might think her last name sounds familiar, that is for good reason.
The 6-footer is the daughter of New York Yankees legend, Joe Girardi, who was the manager of the team when they won their last World Series title in 2009. He also won three championships as a player with the Yankees from 1996-1999.
But now, his daughter is looking to make a name for herself on the hardwood.
"I'm such a competitive person. I take pride in being the hardest worker on any team I'm on. That's what got me to where I am today. I'm someone who’s very good at attacking downhill and drawing fouls – that's one of my biggest things," she told Talia Goodman of On3.
Arizona will have some competition to close out this recruitment, going up against North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, and Virginia Tech.
Currently enrolled at IMG Academy in Florida, the No. 79 ranked player in the country by ESPN discussed what she's looking for throughout her process that will make her decide on which school will be her next home.
"The biggest thing for me is the culture. I think a lot of people say that, but when you visit the school, you can tell if a school has it or not. I'm hardworking. I want to win. A family environment is also really big ... It's bigger than basketball. I'm a human and that needs to come first," she said.
Girardi has an official visit scheduled to Arizona on September 28. They will be the fourth school she has visited on this list as she's still working on getting something set up with North Carolina.
She also opened up about what has drawn her to the Wildcats thus far.
"Adia is awesome. I loved her from the second she called me. She has this cool personality where you can tell she really cares about the kids she coaches, but she's no BS. She has this swag and this pop and I really like that. I like how competitive she was on the court too. I play with that same edge, so what I love about her is her edge," Girardi said.
This will certainly be a process to monitor.
