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“I want to always surround myself with people that are smarter and better at things than I am,� said Burke, whose team opens the 2025-26 season Thursday vs. UC Riverside.

Burke’s staff features a former NCAA Tournament MVP, the all-time leading scorer in Arizona high school girls basketball history, a longtime assistant with Texas ties, someone who worked for Burke, someone who played for her and someone who did both.

Let’s meet the Wildcats’ staff:

Julie Brase Hairgrove

Title: Assistant coach/director of player development

The skinny: Brase Hairgrove is the granddaughter of former UA men’s basketball coach Lute Olson. She left Catalina Foothills High School with 2,913 points, still the most in state annals. She played at Arizona from 1998-2003 under Joan Bonvicini, helping the Wildcats make three NCAA Tournament appearances. Brase Hairgrove spent 18 seasons (2005-2022) as an assistant coach with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, helping them win three titles. Her primary duties on Burke’s staff are individual player development and opponent scouting.

James Ewing

Title: Assistant coach

The skinny: Ewing spent the past two seasons working with Burke at Buffalo, his hometown, where he helped Burke and the Bulls win the 2025 WNIT championship. Ewing played college basketball at Toledo and Mercyhurst and professionally in Belize before transitioning to coaching. Before Buffalo, he spent time at Bryant & Stratton College, Daemen College and St. Bonaventure. “He recruits his butt off,� Burke said. “He’s got connections across the country, across the world.�

Jenna Knudson

Title: Assistant coach

The skinny: A native of Sterling, Colorado, Knudson played for Burke at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, where she was part of the launch of the women’s basketball program. Knudson was a three-time all-conference pick and set the program record for steals. She coached at Quincy and Drury universities in the Midwest before reuniting with Burke. “It's like a homecoming for me, being back with my head coach who recruited me, who I got to play for,� Knudson said. “And it's nice to be able to relate to the players: ‘I've done exactly what you're doing.’�

Michelle Marciniak

Title: General manager

The skinny: Marciniak played for Pat Summitt at Tennessee, capping her college career with a national championship and NCAA Tournament MVP award in 1996. Marciniak played on multiple USA Basketball squads and in the WNBA before becoming an assistant coach at South Carolina, where Burke was . (Burke ultimately ended up at Louisville.) In 2007, Marciniak and former South Carolina head coach Susan Walvius co-founded , a multimillion-dollar bedding and sleepwear company. Marciniak is the first general manager in the history of UA women’s basketball.

Ashley Odom

Title: Associate head coach

The skinny: Odom spent the past five seasons at Texas Tech, where she worked under Krista Gerlich. Odom also coached under Gerlich at UT Arlington, where they helped turn the Mavericks into Sun Belt title contenders. Odom is from Texas, a critical state for recruiting now that Arizona is part of the Big 12 Conference. The former Ashley Crawford played and coached at Lamar in the city of Beaumont, Texas. She’s affectionately known as “Coach AC.�

Allese Williams

Title: Director of basketball operations

The skinny: Like Knudson, Williams played for Burke at Embry-Riddle. Williams subsequently earned a master’s degree at Alabama, where she worked as an operations intern for the men’s basketball program and in the sports information department. Williams spent the past two seasons as the director of basketball operations at Buffalo. She’s originally from Canyon Country, California.