SMU’s Adia Barnes: My sideline style has evolved along with my coaching career

In Andscape’s new series “From Closet to Court,” NCAA women’s basketball coaches open the doors to their style playbook, breaking down the wardrobe pieces, personality and purpose behind their game day looks.

SMU head women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes’ fashion sense is equal parts edgy, unique, and unapologetically comfortable.

A mother of two, Barnes balances game day preparation with parenthood, all while crafting a sideline style that turns heads. Barnes, a former standout player at Arizona, spent nine seasons as head coach at her alma mater, leading the program to the 2021 national championship game and compiling a career record of 169-114.

Barnes left the Wildcats in April to become head women’s basketball coach at SMU in Dallas. Now in her first season with the Mustangs, she is tasked with rebuilding a program coming off a 10-20 campaign in the ACC.

She earned her first SMU victory on Nov. 4 against Grambling State University, and SMU’s record is 3-5.

Barnes’ sideline wardrobe includes tailored women’s suits, bedazzled jackets, sleek Italian luxury labels, and a rotation of graphic tees she incorporates into her outfits.

In her younger days, heels were a staple, she said; now, she leans toward stylish sneakers that offer both high design and comfort.

“You mature. You don’t care as much as people think – you want to be comfortable [and] cute,” Barnes said. “I think when I was younger, my feet would kill and I’d wear heels. Now I’m not doing that.”

Barnes is half Black and half Italian. She and her husband’s shared Italian heritage, along with her years playing professional basketball in Italy, continue to shape the bold aesthetic she brings to Dallas. She likes the Italian brand Golden Goose because she loves the look and tailoring of European garments, and she has watched some older clothing and accessories recycle back into current fashion.

As a taller, curvier woman, the 5-foot-11 Barnes understands that not every brand will make apparel that fits her body type, so she sticks to brands she knows will, such as her go-to fashion staple Alice + Olivia.

Her players don’t always co-sign every outfit. Barnes laughs about the generational fashion debates in the locker room, acknowledging that her style has evolved as much as her coaching career.

“Last year I thought I was so cute. I was like, ‘This is a preppy outfit’ – it was, like, plaid. And they didn’t tell me at the time [but] they all talked about me for the whole year. … They were like, ‘That was so ugly,’” Barnes said with a laugh. “There’s a couple times where I thought something was cute and they were like, ‘That’s not cute.’ But then other times I walked out, they were like, ‘OK, I see it.’

“They’re younger. They don’t really understand fashion anyways. I don’t like the stuff they wear either.”

Barnes understands Black female coaches don’t get as many opportunities to lead Power 4 conference programs and said she’s intentional about using every platform she has to push back against that reality. By investing in her relationships with her players and modeling confident, empowered leadership through her fashion choices, Barnes hopes to inspire the next generation of Black female coaches.

“You’ve got to do the right things on and off the court, and you have to lead these women in the right way,” she said. “It’s a lot of hats. So we’re so blessed and we need to use this platform to reach back, help the next woman, and to mentor and to teach my players, leave my program better.”

In Episode 2 of From Closet to Court, Barnes discusses her “mom fashion,” how her Italian roots have shaped her style, and her first season at SMU.

The post SMU’s Adia Barnes: My sideline style has evolved along with my coaching career appeared first on Andscape.