The dream of a long basketball career can be shattered in an instant. An Arizona junior is now facing that cruel reality. Over the years, we’ve seen top prodigies get sidelined from the hardwood and the only sport they love.

Arizona junior forward Montaya Dew, a No.8 recruit in the 2023-24 season, shared a post on Instagram to inform the basketball community about the tough decision to bid goodbye to basketball she is forced to make due to ongoing injury struggles. “Wildcat family, it is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my medical retirement from basketball,” Dew stated in her post.

“This game has given me so much more than I could have ever imagined. Wearing Arizona across my chest was truly an honor. And being a part of this program and community is something I will always be grateful for,” Dew added further while reflecting on her time at the Wildcats. “Thank you to my teammates, coaches, and trainers, and the entire Wildcats community for the love and support throughout the journey. The memories and relationships I gained here will stay with me forever.”

While Dew was on the team for three seasons, her injury limited her time on the court to just a solitary year (2024-25). Her first scar on this troubling list of injuries came before her freshman season in the 2023-24 season. The sophomore season was a tad positive for her in this regard. But just a few matches later, Dew’s disappointment compounded after she suffered a knee injury during a Texas Tech game in the regular season while trying to rebound a ball, forcing her to miss the entire 2025-26 season.

In her Instagram post, Montaya Dew highlighted how these injuries affected her mentally while recovering from the woes of back-to-back injuries. “Injuries tested me in ways I never expected. 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,” the caption of Dew’s post read.

In her only fit season for the Wildcats, Dew never emerged on the court as a starter. In the 29 games she played, she started in just 4. Limited time cut short her performance quotient immensely. The Wildcats junior logged 19.8 minutes per game in the season, recording 2.5 ppg, 1.8 assists, and 0.7 blocks. Besides that, Dew had strong expertise in glass, averaging 3.0 in the sophomore games she played, thanks to her 6’2 height.

But Dew’s impact on the Arizona Wildcats isn’t just bound by the box scores and statistics, as it means much more when the overall landscape is taken into account. Her recruitment alone, as the No. 8 overall recruit, helped the Wildcats achieve a unique feat: the highest-ever recruiting class in the program’s history. But that’s not even the important part.

Montaya Dew’s name became synonymous with the Wildcats over time, especially due to her loyalty to the program. It was even more prevalent ahead of her junior season in 2025-26, when she became the only Arizona player to return after head coach Adia Barnes left the Wildcats to become the SMU Mustangs head coach.

Despite her injuries, Dew always used to help her team in the gym, addressing the young players and helping them improve. All in all, Dew’s absence will leave a major void for head coach Becky Burke in her upcoming season.

Montaya Dew’s Departure Adds to a Bigger Problem for Becky Burke and Arizona

Besides Montaya Dew’s departure from the program, the event’s time frame is also a factor. New head coach Becky Burke is yet to solidify her footing in place of Adia Barnes. The Wildcats went 12-18 and 3-15 in her first season at the helm, one of the worst in their recent times, and more importantly, without any postseason Championships.

While this wasn’t enough, Dew’s medical retirement just takes away a significant level of experience from the Wildcats. More importantly, this comes at a time when we were looking to emphasize rebuilding and count on every player who returns to Tucson next season. The Wildcats are already suffering the loss of seniors Noelani Cornfield and Mickayla Perdue, their leading scorers this season.

According to reports, several other players, including Tanyuel Welch, Kamryn Kitchen, Mireia Jurado, and Blessing Adebanjo, are expected to enter the transfer portal and are highly likely not to return to the Burke-led program.

With just a handful of players available on the roster and Dew’s absence due to medical retirement, Burke has a heck of a job on her hands during this postseason to take her first stride towards improving the ceiling of the Wildcats. The transfer portal and landing top commitments are no longer essential for the Wildcats program if they want to solidify their position as a genuine basketball powerhouse under Burke.