It was a tough day for Arizona women’s basketball. Montaya Dew, the highest ranked recruit in program history, announced her medical retirement shortly after freshman guard Mireia ‘MJ’ Jurado announced her intention to transfer.
Dew had a difficult tenure at Arizona. The No. 8 player in the class of 2023 enrolled early, foregoing possible honors like McDonald’s All-American status as a high school senior. Mere weeks after arriving in Tucson, her mother lost her battle with cancer. A few months later,
Dew suffered the first of two knee injuries and was out for what would have been her true freshman season.
Dew worked hard to come back and stepped back onto the floor in 2024-25. It took her a while to look like she felt comfortable. Then, the basketball gods took it away again.
Dew suffered her second knee injury in what was probably the best game of her college career. She skied for a rebound against Texas Tech and came back to the floor. It was clear she was in pain as she crawled to the baseline. A few weeks later, she was the only Wildcat who opted to stay at Arizona when former head coach Adia Barnes left for SMU.
Dew tried hard to get back on the court in Becky Burke’s first year as head coach, but she suffered several setbacks. Her return to basketball wasn’t in the cards, and her departure brings to a close the most successful era in Arizona women’s basketball.
“Injuries tested me in ways I never expected,” Dew wrote in her Instagram post. “Rehab rooms became just as familiar as the gym. There were moments of frustration, doubt, and exhaustion where I had to rebuild myself more than once. Those seasons were not glamorous, but they built a strength in me that nothing else could. They taught me patience, perspective, and helped me realize that I am more than what I can physically produce.”
Burke will have to find size in the transfer portal when it opens next week. She has freshman Priyanka ‘Pri’ Ponnam on the way and freshman Callie Hinder has been in town for months. That’s the sum total of the size on next year’s roster with Daniah Trammell, Achol Magot, and Blessing ‘Adde’ Adebanjo on their ways to the portal.
Jurado also posted her news to Instagram. She thanked Burke for giving her the opportunity, the assistant coaches for their guidance, her teammates, the support staff, and the Wildcat fans who packed McKale Center in ever greater numbers even when the wins didn’t come.
The loss of Jurado hits the backcourt, but Burke’s squad is in much better shape there. The Wildcats have Jasleen Green, Mikayla Presser-Palmer, and new commit Arynn Finley on the way. All are ranked in the top 100 by ESPN. They still have Sumayah Sugapong and Molly Ladwig in the fold. An unknown international commit could shore up either the frontcourt or the backcourt.
