SAN ANTONIO – Arizona Wildcats women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes said on Saturday that she has nothing to apologize for after using her middle finger and swearing in a post-game meeting with her team in moments of joy after a victory by 69-59 over UConn in the last four.
The moment, captured by ESPN cameras, went viral immediately after winning Friday night, guaranteeing the Wildcats a spot in the national championship for the first time in the school’s history. In his post-game press conference, Barnes admitted “I said a bad word. The bad word is basically, ‘Forget everyone. … Forget everyone if they don’t believe us, because we believe in us.'”
During a call from Zoom on Saturday to preview the national championship game against Stanford on Sunday, Barnes said he thought he was sharing a private moment with his team after pulling the turn.
“Honestly, I had a moment with my team and I thought it was a more intimate encounter,” she said. “I told my team something that I really felt and I know they did, and it looked different on TV, but I’m not apologizing for it because I don’t feel that I need to apologize. It’s what I felt with my team at the moment. I don’t I would go back. We went to war together. We believe in each other. I’m in those moments and I’m like that, so I don’t apologize for doing that. It’s just me, and I have to be just me. “
Barnes and his players said they felt disrespected several times over the course of the tournament, culminating in the NCAA leaving them out of a promotional video previewing the women’s Final Four earlier this week.
“After riding round, winning more, getting more love and then thinking that we finally got some respect and, obviously, the video, other things that happened, was like a dagger,” said Arizona striker Sam Thomas. “So I think we’re just now, we’re in it for ourselves. If people want to support us, we love it. If people want to hate us, I mean, we’re in the national championship, so what else can you say?”