Salvo Coppa joined the SMU Women’s Basketball program in early April of 2025 and enters his first season as an assistant coach on the Hilltop. Coppa has been an assistant coach on Barnes’ staff for the past nine seasons.
Coppa’s professional experience includes coaching Italian First Division (A1), National teams in Europe and Asia and NCAA Division I college basketball. He has won three gold medals with three different teams. In seven seasons as the associate head coach of Trogylos Priolo, a professional club in Italian Division 1, he coached WNBA All-Star Tari Phillips. He also coached Michelle Greco, Kristine Haynie and Florina Pascalau, who all played in the WNBA.
Arizona's 2023-24 season saw the Wildcats' fourth NCAA Tournament berth in as many seasons, and the Cats led the Pac-12 in steals for the second consecutive season. The Wildcats additionally led the conference in opponent turnovers, forcing nearly 20 per game.
In the 2022-23 campaign, the Wildcats were the only program to have multiple members of the squad named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. The team led the league in steals and totaled the fourth-most in a single season in program history with 339, and the team's turnover margin of +5.66 was also conference-leading.
The 2021-22 season was another banner season for the Wildcats with Coppa as the top assistant. Arizona eclipsed the 20-win mark for a fourth consecutive season for the first time in program history while hosting and playing in the NCAA Tournament in McKale Center for the first time since 1998. The program continued its defensive prowess rankings second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, third in defensive rebounding, second in steals and first in turnover margin.
In his fifth season, Coppa was a key contributor to Arizona's success, which included a trip to the National Championship game. He led the defense, which was stout all season and especially in the NCAA Tournament and worked every day with three-time All-American guard Aari McDonald.
During the shortened 2020-21 season, Arizona still managed to win 20 games for the third year in a row, a feat that hasn’t been seen since 2005. The Wildcats were ranked in the AP Top-10 14 times as well as ranked in the top-25 all season long. Arizona finished in second place in the loaded Pac-12, their highest finish since the 2003-04 season when Arizona won the Pac-10.
Individually, Aari McDonald was named an All-American by the WBCA, Associated Press and the USBWA. The Wildcats also placed two on the Pac-12 All-Defense team.
In his fourth season as assistant coach, Coppa helped Arizona to one of the most successful seasons in school history as the Wildcats finished the season with a 24-7 record, tied for the second-most wins in school history.
For the first time since 2005, Arizona won at least 20 games for the second year in a row and won at least 23 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time this century. The Wildcats won three games over top-10 opponents for the first time in school history and also beat their first top-five team in program history after beating No. 4 Stanford in overtime at McKale Center.
Coppa was an integral part of Arizona's skill development program, specifically All-American Aari McDonald, who was named an All-American by the WBCA, the Associated Press and the USBWA. McDonald became the first Wildcat to be named a first-team All-American by the WBCA.
The Wildcats made 215 three-pointers during the 2019-20 season, which is the second-most in school history only behind the 236 Arizona made the year before in six more games. Additionally, Arizona set the school record in free throw percentage shooting 77.9% from the line.
During his third season at Arizona, Coppa helped Arizona’s defense become one of the best in the Pac-12. Opponents scored just 60.7 points per game against the Wildcats during the 2018-19 season, which was the second-fewest allowed in the Pac-12. Teams shot just 38% from the field while Arizona finished second and third in the conference in steals and blocks per game, respectively.
As the director of player development, Coppa spent a lot of his time at practice working with the post players of Arizona, and it showed as the Wildcats developed more of an inside presence. Under Coppa’s direction in 2016-17, the Wildcats had four post players and they averaged 32.8 points per game.
As the head coach of Ecocontrol Priolo in 2010, he won the B Italian Championship with an 18-2 record. He brought several regional championships home and reached the Italian State Finals twice as the head coach of Trogylos Priolo U-19 and U-17 teams.
Coppa’s first collegiate opportunity was at Montana State, where he served as an assistant coach in the 2013-14 season. He was in charge of opponent scouting, skill development of guards, was the defensive coach.
Prior to working at Montana State, Coppa spent a year as a skill development coach for the two time World Champion Seattle Storm in the WNBA and as a consultant to the head coach Brian Agler.
Before Coppa started coaching in the United States, he was the head coach of the Thailand Women’s National Team, who won the Gold Medal at the South-Eastern Asian Games in 2011. It was Thailand’s first Gold Medal in 16 years.
Coppa was the associate head coach for Trogylos Priolo, Professional Italian Club in D1 from 2003-10. He helped lead the team to five playoff appearances, which included one playoff final appearance, one semifinal appearance, and three quarterfinal appearances.
He also helped lead the team to the quarterfinals of the FIBA Cup in 2006. Coppa handled domestic and international recruiting, he was the defensive coordinator and he was also heavily involved with individual workouts and scouting.
In 2010, Coppa was the head coach for the Sicilia Women’s Basketball Team, who won the Gold Medal at the FIBA Island Games in Portugal.
From 2006-11, Coppa was also the head coach of the Trogylos Priolo Junior Team in Italy. He coached them to five-straight Regional Championships and went to the state finals in 2008 and 2011.
Coppa was also the head coach for the Malta Women’s U18 Team. During his time there, he led Malta to the Gold Medal at the European Championship C in 2007. It was Malta’s first European Championship.
Coppa earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Public Relations (Laurea in Relazioni Pubbliche) from IULM University in Milan, Italy.
Coppa is a FIBA Certified Coach and is fluent in Italian, English, Spanish and French.
Coppa is married to head coach Adia Barnes, and has one son, Matteo and one daughter, Capri. His father is the European legend of women’s basketball, Coach Santino Coppa.
