Carter knew that if she decided to transfer and play in 2019-20, everything would be new, from the system to the coaches and their tendencies.
She finally put her name in the transfer portal and was looking for a change of scenery and a faster pace of play. Carter narrowed her options down to three schools: Georgia, Virginia Tech and Arizona.
“All three were in different conferences, had different styles and amazing coaches (Joni Taylor at Georgia, Kenny Brooks at Virginia Tech, and UA’s Adia Barnes),” said Carter, a 5-foot-8-inch guard. “I ended up going with my gut. I think Arizona will be a great experience for me.
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“She gives us another shooter, another shooter who can create her own shot like Aari (McDonald) — and that is really, really valuable for us in the direction this program is going in. We need players who can do that,” said Barnes.
Barnes and Washington — Carter’s former coach — are friends whose WNBA playing careers overlapped. In doing her research, Barnes reached out to Washington, who was hands-on in Carter’s development over the last four years.