Arizona Football Recruiting: Wildcats offer Cal Commit Derrick Clark

Rich Rodriguez continuing to go after running backs for 2016

After sending out a few offers earlier this week, Rich Rodriguez continues to make moves. His latest offer goes to 3-star running back Derrick Clark out of Mission Bay (San Diego, CA).

Clark is the 75th-ranked running back in the nation and 98th-ranked recruit in the state of California. He holds offers to Bowling Green, Navy, Washington State, and California. He committed to the Golden Bears on April 11th.

Arizona has five commits for 2016, four on offense, two of which are running backs. This is an interesting offer, not only because Clark is already committed to a Pac-12 program, but because Arizona has 3-star all-purpose backs in Sean Riley and Russell Halimon.

So how does this make you feel? Do you like Rich Rod going after recruits who are already committed? A little weird, especially considering how strict Rodriguez has become about the word "commit". Another thing to keep in mind is how he might feel about the current situation at running back with this recruiting class going forward.

Clark's junior year highlights are below.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1DNDKuF
via IFTTT

Arizona Football Recruiting: Wildcats offer Lamar Jackson and Korey Banks

It's time to start recruiting on the defensive side of the ball for 2016

The Arizona Wildcats have recently sent out offers to two three-star players on defense in Lamar Jackson and Korey Banks. As of now, Arizona only has one commit for 2016 on the defensive side of the ball, which is an issue that Rich Rodriguez is currently working on.

We'll start with Lamar Jackson, a 6-3 205lb athlete out of Elk Grove, CA. He was offered by Arizona as a safety and ranks 44th in the nation among all defensive backs and 484th among all recruits in the nation. He currently holds offers to Arizona State, Boise State, Michigan, and USC, among others.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have any highlights of him playing safety, but there is footage of him playing quarterback and running back for what it's worth. His junior year highlights are below.

Next comes Korey Banks, a 6-1 180lb cornerback hailing from Tyrone, GA. Banks comes in ranked 81st in the nation among all cornerbacks and 849th in the nation overall. He's been gaining some attention lately as he was recently offered by Michigan just last month and took an unofficial visit to Michigan State. The offer from Arizona marks his first offer from the Pac-12.

What's interesting about Banks is his home state. This now marks the second prospect out of Georgia, the first being Russell Halimon, who has already pledged his commitment to Arizona. Although Halimon is currently unranked, it was interesting to see Arizona recruiting him so heavily. Yes, Halimon will definitely climb the ranks his senior year, but it also seemed as if the Arizona coaching staff was starting to infiltrate Georgia. This offer gives us some promise of a wide-reaching recruiting pipeline in the south.

Banks only has highlights of him outside at receiver and back returning kicks and punts. Here are his junior year highlights.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1P8g2yC
via IFTTT

Arizona baseball: Wildcats look to gain momentum after domination of ASU

We saw a completely different team on Tuesday night

Where has this Arizona baseball team been for the last month?

Nevermind the 17 runs and 20 hits. The atmosphere, the energy, the excitement, the fun. It's almost like a completely different set of guys showed up.

"We came in to this game knowing we had to win it," JJ Matijevic said after Tuesday night, where he drove in a career-high seven runs. "We had that mentality where we're not getting down on ourselves for these past sweeps, and we knew we had to get hot right now, and this game's a good start."

Perhaps the tone was set Sunday afternoon, when Robby Medel asked Andy Lopez for the ball on Tuesday night. While Medel has struggled a bit on the field as of late, coach has always praised his off the field mentality, saying his "It factor" is what Arizona has been missing.

"He says 'I want the ball, I want the ball' and then goes out and pitches well," Lopez added after Tuesday's game.

While Medel didn't actually start because Cody Hamlin needed to get some work in before Friday, the freshman transfer came in in the second inning, and went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run.

"It felt good to do my job," Medel said. "Coming out of the pen has taught me a lot, because I came here as a freshman, started right away. And coming out of the pen helped. It helped me get my confidence back, and I felt like I pitched with a lot of confidence today."

The pitching hasn't exactly been the problem the past few weeks, although having a guy like Medel in the bullpen gain some confidence back after a rough couple of months is something that Arizona will certainly need coming down the stretch.

The offense has been the problem, and 17 runs is one more than the combined total over the previous seven games for Arizona.

"It would be nice to play one month of really good baseball like we did earlier in the year," said Lopez. "Hopefully we get it going."

"I know one thing we told them after the game on Sunday was that we looked tentative," coach continued. "Come on, air it out. Get your money's worth. Get the ball out of the air, but get your money's worth."

"And they looked good."

"Lopez has just been saying to everyone let it fly, and that's what we did tonight," Bobby Dalbec added. "I think we're just playing a lot more loose now. Last weekend we were trying to win the series on one hit or one pitch, and obviously that didn't work out, so tonight we just got after it."

Even though it is a midweek game, where both teams can't exactly use their best arms, it could be just the confidence boost this team needs in all aspects. Look at a guy like Kevin Newman. He had just one hit all weekend against Cal, and then goes 5-for-5 in one night against ASU.

The pieces are there to make a late-season run. I think it's too late in the game to say that a big run would put Arizona back on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament berth, but stringing together some wins to close out the year would be a nice way to go out instead of looking like they did against USC, Oregon State and Cal the past month.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1EqDRyA
via IFTTT

Rich Rodriguez and Kenny Lofton place T-5 in Chick-fil-A golf tournament

So close to winning

The Arizona Wildcats combo of RichRod and Kenny Lofton came up just one stroke shy of being in the playoff for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge.

The Arizona team shot -8 on Tuesday, which placed them T-5 behind four teams that finished at -9.

The Georgia Tech team of Paul Johnson and Jon Barry won the tournament for the fourth time in five years.

RichRod and Lofton pulled in $40,000 worth of scholarship money with the performance.

You may remember that the two fared pretty well in the long drive contest on Monday.

It's nice that Arizona and RichRod get invited to this thing, seeing as it's almost exclusively SEC, ACC and Big Ten teams with the exception of Arizona and Cincinnati.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1GImb5r
via IFTTT

Arizona Basketball: Latest mock draft projections for former Wildcats

It seems as if we have two first rounders on our hands

We're just two months away from the 2015 NBA Draft and we're taking a look at some of the latest mock draft projections.

Stanley Johnson

Much like Aaron Gordon last year, Stanley is projected to go no later than 8th among almost every mock draft out there. However, with this draft class, it's hard to believe that Stanley can make the jump into the top five like Gordon did. If he doesn't go 7th to the Denver Nuggets, he's going 8th to the Detroit Pistons, which would actually be a great fit for him. Many scouts are comparing him to Kawhi Leonard, which is a pretty fair comparison. At 18 years old, Stanley Johnson has the ability to be great in this league. Sean Miller has yet to produce a super star in the NBA, but Johnson has the potential to be a perennial all-star, similar to that of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Rondae was projected to be a lottery pick this time last year. Now a year later, he definitely sharpened his skills, but has slipped to becoming a late first rounder. No mock drafts have him going before 20, with most having him go around 23. Rondae is by far one of the most athletic wings in the draft this year, which could elevate his draft stock during the evaluation period, but that could be said about any prospect in the process. Bruce Bowen seems to be a pretty reasonable comparison for Rondae, minus the three point shooting ability. But as a late first rounder, Hollis-Jefferson will be looking at a contract worth just over $1 million.

Brandon Ashley

One that many believe should have really returned, especially considering the slow start to his season after coming back from a season-ending injury last season, Ashley is going to really have to impress scouts at the combine, work outs and interviews to lift his stock. Many sites have him going undrafted, but Sports Illustrated has him coming in at 50 to the Atlanta Hawks. It's hard to tell how Ashley will translate to the pro game. He's someone who could thrive as a role player or just come in for typical reserve minutes.

T.J. McConnell

Despite his success, McConnell has never really been considered as an NBA player. The similarities to former Ohio State guard Aaron Craft are there, who went undrafted in 2014. McConnell's age, 23, certainly doesn't help his case here either, as most guys in the draft are around 20 years old. The way the draft system works nowadays makes it so that picks outside the lottery rarely make it to the team roster immediately unless it's a significant need of the team. Any pick in the second round has to be a perfect fit for the team in order for them to truly find success in the league. For TJM, it seems as if he'll be working his way through the D-League or go overseas. Unless, of course, he wants to return to Arizona and join the coaching staff somehow.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1bUyVc1
via IFTTT

Arizona baseball: JJ Matijevic has wild night as Wildcats down Sun Devils 17-6

An extremely fun night in an otherwise tough month

Man did Arizona baseball need this performance. It's safe to say that the entire roster went ham on ASU's core.

On Tuesday night, the Arizona Wildcats took down the Arizona State Sun Devils by a score of 17-6.

The star of the night was JJ Matijevic, who was certainly the most interesting man in the state of Arizona for four innings.

"How do I describe my day? Pretty great," Matijevic said afterwards. "I felt good coming into this game, my swing felt great. This past weekend I've been seeing the ball well, barreling balls up and came into this game just keeping the right approach."

With the bases loaded in the first inning, the freshman lefty drove a Ryan Hingst pitch to dead center field all the way out of Hi Corbett.

Then in the second inning, a two-run triple from Matijevic gave Arizona an 8-3 lead.

"I just kept trying to stay positive the entire game and just kept getting those crucial hits and crucial RBI."

Coming into the game with just 12 runs driven in all season, the freshman wasn't satisfied with just six against the Sun Devils.

In the fourth inning, he brought himself within a double of the cycle, and also picked up his seventh RBI of the game with a single to left. His seven RBI are the most in a single game by an Arizona player since Johnny Field in 2012.

After that single, Matijevic worked his way around to third base. With Justin Behnke up to bat with the bases loaded, a ball got past the ASU catcher, but a big rebound off the backstop allowed the catcher to pick the ball up and toss it to the pitcher to get Matijevic at the plate for the second out of the inning.

This wasn't the only bad thing to happen to JJ either. Three errors in the field were also committed by him; two on groundballs and one on a pickoff play. Remember, this is all in the first four innings of the game.

He came up in the fifth with a chance for the cycle, but instead flied out to left field.

"(The cycle)'s not something I think about," said Matijevic. "I was just trying to get on base honestly, and trying to help this team, and that's what we have to do right now."

Andy Lopez then took him out of the game in favor of the slightly better defensive option in Sawyer Gieseke.

All in all, Matijevic went 3-for-4 with 7 RBI, a grand slam, a triple, and three errors, and all of this in just five innings of action.

"His (errors) were pretty bad," Bobby Dalbec joked afterwards. "If he's gonna have eight RBIs a game, he can make a couple errors I think, but he's getting better. Tonight was just a tough one."

"He's gotta get better on defense man," Andy Lopez added. "But he had a great night offensively."

He was not the only Wildcat to leave the yard on the night. Scott Kingery led the fifth inning off with a home run, then after Kevin Newman and Riley Moore both walked, Bobby Dalbec launched one of the light stand beyond the 405 mark in right-center. That put Arizona up 14-4 at the time.

"I just knew it was a freshman arm and trying to be first-pitch aggressive," Dalbec explained of his home run. "I just got my pitch and hit it pretty good."

When Dalbec came up again in the sixth, ASU reliever Jordan Aboites plunked him right in the back, which led to some words being exchanged, but unfortunately, no fight.

"That's my fault," said Dalbec. "I kind of just blacked out I guess, and I talked to their guys and we're cool. Same thing happened after I hit a home run off (Tyger) Talley this summer, and then he plunked me on purpose the next at bat. I said the exact same thing that I can't repeat, but yeah, I gotta be better than that."

It did bring in a run because the bases were loaded. Michael Hoard also brought home a run when he was walked immediately afterwards. Dalbec finished the night with six RBI of his own.

One thing to not be overlooked was the performance of Robby Medel on the mound. Cody Hamlin pitched the first inning, and Medel came on in the second. He ended up going 6 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits but no walks. That resulted in one earned run (three total).

"Medel was outstanding," said Andy Lopez. "Kind of a neat thing, after the game on Sunday, he came to me and said 'I want the ball, I want the ball'. But for him to do that and then back it up by pitching like that is pretty good. That's that it-factor we're missing."

"I went up to him, and I asked for the ball for the start," Medel added. "A couple things happened and we had to change up the rotation a little bit which I understood, but I knew I'd have to come in today and eat a lot of innings, cuz we're just trying to win games and so we could go into the weekend healthy, and it felt good to do my job."

It's kind of impressive that Arizona won this game by 11 runs considering they committed five errors as a team.

The Wildcats will hopefully take some momentum from this 20-hit performance as a team to Pullman on Friday as they take on a hot Washington State team. The Cougars have won three-consecutive series, and will be coming off a rivalry win over Washington on Monday.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1bcF9D4
via IFTTT

Unique challenge awaits Sean Miller in '15-16

Fueled to overcome back to back Elite Eight losses, Sean Miller wasn't dealt any favors with four major contributors to his team departing at year end. With expectations in Tucson rising by the year, Miller looks ahead to one of his biggest challenges yet at Arizona.

Before this past season even began it was understood by nearly everyone that there would be significant roster changes to the team after the year. T.J. McConnell, the team's do-it-all point guard, was a senior who was the one surefire loss. Stanley Johnson was coming to Tucson as one of the highest regarded freshman in America and a projected lotto pick. Despite some considerations, Johnson ultimately followed through on that expectation.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a highly touted sophomore for his defensive prowess and athleticism who played well this season but stood a reasonable chance to return if his stock slipped. Ironically he was the first to announce his intentions to turn professional. So all in all, at this point nothing was really that alarming or surprising about the aftermath of the Wildcats' season and the roster turnover that would come from it. However, there was one more loss that in my opinion stung more than the others.

Brandon Ashley, Arizona's junior power forward who was lost during his sophomore year to a foot injury, perhaps looked at that incident and a pretty good healthy junior season as a justification to turn pro despite all but certainly being a second rounder at best with the chances of not getting drafted at all very possible. In Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski, the Wildcats would have had a senior front court consisting of two players who have played major minutes for Sean Miller dating back to their freshman year.

Tarczweski represents the one starter returning to Tucson, leaving Miller thin with experience and really void of any true veteran leader that has been a staple of his Wildcat teams in recent years. Part of Arizona's rise back to prominence in recent years has been, in part, Miller's elite recruiting, but also the constant presence of veteran leaders on the team that limits the amount of pressure on the star freshman to be great.

In 2012-2013 you had the likes of Ashley, Tarczewski and Grant Jerrett coming in as the hyped freshmen class that really kick-started Miller's reputation as an elite recruiter. Making life easier for those guys were Kevin Parrom, Solomon Hill and graduate transfer Mark Lyons.

The following year it was Aaron Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson coming aboard with All-American Nick Johnson and T.J McConnell (albeit in his first year with the team) as an experienced, veteran back court leading the way.

Then of course this season you had perhaps the easiest transition a freshman has had at Arizona with Stanley Johnson coming aboard a team with a senior, two juniors and a sophomore who played major minutes his freshman year. Stanley Johnson had his inconsistencies throughout the season, but he was never asked to carry the Wildcats the way a D'Angelo Russell, for example, was. It benefited him, and over the course of the year you saw the improvements in Johnson's game, most notably on the defensive end.

Is there hope for Kaleb Tarczewski or a Gabe York to be that guy next season? Sure, dreaming is free but all indications are this will be a team who can't wait for the freshmen to come along. Allonzo Trier, the most notable recruit, has to live up to the hype as an unconscionable scorer. Justin Simon, Ray Smith, etc, must contribute in year one. The sophomores back, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Dusan Ristic, don't have time to figure out the struggles they had as freshmen if Arizona wants to avoid a drop off.

It's to his own success and accomplishments that Sean Miller has put the Wildcats back into the position where a "rebuilding year" or "drop off" simply won't be accepted by the fanbase. Arizona is expected to contend for national titles, and in 2015-2016 will have to do it in a way that Miller teams generally haven't done it in the past few seasons. It's a unique challenge and one that Sean Miller most certainly is working at tirelessly this summer to try to make it as smooth as possible.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1GF6UCj
via IFTTT

Arizona baseball: Wildcats face Sun Devils for final time in 2015

One last chance to get a win against ASU

While the Arizona Wildcats have lost seven-straight at home, they'll have a chance to end that in a big way Tuesday night against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Time: 6 PM PT

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Announcers: Roxy Bernstein and Kevin Stocker (Stocker was in Seattle Monday night for WSU's win over UW)

Online: Pac-12.com

Mobile: Pac-12 App in the App Store and Google Play

Andy Lopez will send Robby Medel out to the mound for Arizona to face ASU's Ryan Hingst.

Just like last Wednesday, this will probably be a game determined by the bullpens. In two appearances against ASU this season, Medel has given up ten hits in seven innings, resulting in five runs, four earned. Hingst has made two starts, appeared in seven games this season, and has totaled 18 innings. He has given up 17 hits and allowed five earned runs to score against him so far.

ASU's strength for most of the season has been their bullpen, but Ryan Burr has struggled ever since giving up that epic Bobby Dalbec home run in the series finale in Tempe. Of course, Arizona has had its own share of bullpen problems this year, and a midweek game like this is not the ideal situation for the Wildcats.

Arizona needs a win here to get things turned around after being swept by Cal.

"It's never fun when you're behind and chasing runs," Scott Kingery said on Sunday. "Other than that, we try to find ways to stay behind each other, keep the intensity and do anything we can to push some runs across, so I wouldn't say it's not fun anymore. We're all playing baseball so we're all having a good time, but we need to figure out a way to win."

"(ASU)'s definitely going to be a test for us," continued Kingery. "We'll see how people respond from this weekend. That's definitely going to be what's going to happen Tuesday. We're going to see how people respond, and see who actually wants to get in the fight and take these next three weeks as a challenge and not pressure and get after it."

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1dpx8fF
via IFTTT

Rich Rodriguez and Kenny Lofton are out golfing together

Kenny Lofton going ham on the core of a golf ball

Rich Rodriguez is keeping himself busy this week by taking part in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge, where he's essentially golfing with Kenny Lofton for a few days.

Monday was the skills competition day, including the long drive and closest to pin competitions.

We're going to ignore the closest to pin results, because coach and Lofton did not do so great.

But the long drive competition had some notable things happen.

First off, Kenny Lofton is capable of hitting a golf ball 300 yards. The former Arizona basketball and baseball player hit his golf ball 300.5 yards. Bo Jackson won the celebrity competition with a 331.5 yards, because of course he did, it's Bo Jackson. Jon Barry was second at 318.4 yards.

RichRod almost took home the coach's competition, finishing just behind Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze drove his shot 287 yards, and Rodriguez finished second with a 273.3 yard drive.

Urban Meyer's golf game is weak sauce, as the most recent National Champion managed just 239.6 yards.

Tuesday is the big day, where the coaches and their celebrity counterparts compete for a share of $500,000 worth of scholarships and charitable donations. Guessing Lofton will be carrying the Arizona team, but as long as RichRod beats Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier, it's all worth it.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1GC7Vv0
via IFTTT

Arizona football: No Wildcats listed in NFL.com's seven-round mock draft

Is Arizona going to go without a player drafted in this year's NFL Draft?

NFL.com put out a seven-round mock draft ahead of this week's NFL Draft, and they have no Arizona Wildcats being selected by any of the 32 NFL teams.

When you get to the undrafted players tab, you'll find a former Wildcat in wide receiver Austin Hill.

The former Arizona star was the only guy who impressed scouts at Arizona's pro day, but it seems that probably was not enough to get Hill drafted this year.

When you get down to it, it's probably better for a player to go undrafted rather than going in the sixth or seventh round. If Hill, along with guys like Mickey Baucus, Steven Gurrola, and possibly a couple of others, go undrafted, they can then hand-select which team they go to, and what could be the best fit for them.

Hill has shown that he has versatility at wide receiver that not a lot of other guys can offer. After putting up 1,364 yards and 11 TDs in 2012, Hill returned to the field in 2014 after missing 2013 while recovering from a torn ACL. In his senior season, Hill learned to play a tight end role in the Rich Rodriguez offense, offering a big body closer to the line than where he lined up in 2012. That resulted in a less productive year, totaling 635 yards on 49 catches, but as Hill put it, he learned so much more about the game of football by taking on that role.

That could help him find a roster spot on an NFL team, and if he goes undrafted, it feels like he would have a better chance of making a roster than if he goes in the late rounds.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1POEBTu
via IFTTT

Pac-12 Baseball Power Rankings: Oregon State gets big series win

Are the Beavers getting hot at the right time?

It was an interesting weekend around the Pac-12. Every series except the Cal/Arizona series was even through Saturday, putting a lot of pressure on everyone on Sunday.

Oregon State got the big series win of the week, while Arizona was easily the most disappointing team.

The top four looks to be pretty much solidified heading down the stretch, but the race for 5-12 will certainly be an interesting one.

Here's a look at this week's power rankings:

1. UCLA Bruins (31-9, 16-5 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 1

It's a little concerning that UCLA dropped the Friday game to Stanford, but bounced back with wins of 10-0 and 9-3 to win their tenth-consecutive series. This is the Bruins' weekend off from Pac-12 play, as they'll take on Long Beach State, Gonzaga and Pepperdine before visiting ASU in two weeks.

2. USC Trojans (30-12, 11-7 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 2

Yes, they lost a series to Oregon State this weekend, but their body of work is still more impressive than what the Beavers have done. I still think we're looking at the two L.A. schools hosting regionals this year, which would make that a fun weekend to visit the city of angels. The Trojans travel to Utah this weekend after a midweek game with Cal State Fullerton.

3. Oregon State Beavers (27-13, 10-8 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 4

We've seen this show from OSU before. They hang around during the early part of the year, and then strike late. They've had a big couple home weekends taking down Arizona then USC. A trip to Seattle awaits the Beavs this weekend, where they can certainly make a statement that they are back for good.

And make sure to watch this catch, because it's insane:

Howard's catch. Is that an #SCtop10 and #12best play or what? #gobeavs http://ift.tt/1JLNeKs

— Oregon St. Baseball (@Beaver_Baseball) April 26, 2015

4. Arizona State Sun Devils (28-12, 13-5 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 3

Not great to lose a home game to Tennessee Tech. Add to that the recent ineffectiveness of Ryan Burr, and ASU may be looking at some struggles down the stretch as they have the toughest schedule remaining. First up is a trip to Cal, which is a team that certainly gained some confidence this weekend in Tucson. But it should be noted that ASU has only played one team in the top six of this week's power rankings, and that was Oregon State back on the first weekend of conference play. They'll definitely have their hands full coming down the stretch.

5. Washington State Cougars (23-19, 7-11 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 5

WSU went in to Utah and took two-of-three, which is pretty much exactly what I expected to happen. They still have a game against Washington on Monday night before welcoming in the struggling Wildcats for three this weekend. I'd expect WSU to take two-of-three again this week, and continue to make their way up the actual standings.

6. California Golden Bears (26-14, 13-8 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 7

Alright, so last week I said you couldn't convince me that Cal is better than Arizona. I was wrong. Very wrong. Now Cal didn't look so great, but Arizona looked bad. Very bad. The Bears will stay behind Washington State right now because the Cougs won that series earlier in the year, and I think those two teams are pretty similar despite the records. It'll be interesting to see what happens in this Cal/ASU series this weekend in Berkeley.

7. Oregon Ducks (25-19, 7-11 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 8

They won a couple close games against Washington this weekend, and now play another team that seems to have turned it around in Stanford. I don't know what to make of either of them though.

8. Arizona Wildcats (24-17, 9-12 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 6

A bad look for the Wildcats against Cal. They're rewarded with a Tuesday game against ASU followed by a trip to Pullman. Frankly, they stay up this high because I can't drop them below Stanford, a team they swept on the road earlier this year. But that feels like a lifetime ago.

9. Stanford Cardinal (18-23, 5-13 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 10

Winning a Friday game against UCLA is pretty impressive. I give this team credit though. They could have folded up the tents when they dropped to 0-9 in conference, but 5-4 since and a date with the Oregon Ducks this weekend.

10. Washington Huskies (23-18, 8-13 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 9

UW drops simply because Stanford won a Friday game against UCLA. They could have easily swept Oregon, but instead lost the final two games of that series to blow an opportunity to get close to .500 in conference. Now they'll have to host the rising Beavers before travelling to Tucson next weekend.

11. Utah Utes (14-25, 6-12 Pac-12)

Previous ranking: 11

Frankly, if you had told me before the year that Utah would win six Pac-12 games, I would have called you crazy. They got one from Washington State this weekend, and now they'll spend another weekend at home, this time against USC.

12. Nevada Wolf Pack (33-11, 18-6 Mountain West)

Nevada has been wholly impressive this season, and has taken control of the Mountain West, holding a two-game lead over San Diego State, and also swept the Aztecs in San Diego two weeks ago. But Nevada gets the nod for honorary Pac-12 team of the week thanks wins of 12-0 and 27-2 over San Jose State this weekend, and then of course losing the third game 6-4. In that 27-2 game, the Wolf Pack had 25 hits, scored ten runs in the fourth inning, and scored all of their runs in the first six innings. Yeah, 27 runs in six innings. Nevada's only Pac-12 game this year was a close loss to Stanford, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them as a two-seed in a UCLA, USC or ASU regional.

Not a lot of great series this weekend around the Pac-12, but I guess the ASU/Cal one is the most intriguing. Cal came in last weekend struggling before sweeping the Wildcats, and ASU is trending down heading into a tough stretch. It'll be interesting to see how each of those teams respond.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1JLNh91
via IFTTT

Arizona Basketball Recruiting: Wildcats offer 4-star center Ike Anigbogu

Sean Miller starting to search for big men after missing out in 2015.

Just last week, Arizona sent out an offer to 2016 4-star center Ike Anigbogu. He's an interesting prospect in terms of size, as he's a bit short at 6-9, but holds his weight at 230lbs. With a commitment from TJ Leaf at power forward, it would force Sean Miller to go small at center and plug Anigbogu in.

He currently holds offers to Arizona State, New Mexico, UCLA and Vanderbilt. He's ranked 18th among all centers and 129th among all recruits.

This is a bit of an interesting offer here simply because Sean Miller hasn't exactly reached for recruits that are ranked less than 60th overall. But being the recruiting mastermind that he is, there's definitely something noteworthy about Anigbogu that Miller really likes. There is also plenty of time in the recruiting process, which will allow Anigbogu to raise his stock as well.

Anigbogu is a serious threat in the paint both offensively and defensively. He'll sit down low on offense and patiently wait to make his move. On defense, he hovers around the paint to come up with the swat and is extremely disciplined to stay straight up to defend against the drive.

HIs junior year highlights are below.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1FrtMUq
via IFTTT

Arizona Basketball: Justin Simon is the next starting point guard for the Wildcats

A look at Justin Simon before he arrives on campus

For the past two years, T.J. McConnell was the cornerstone to Arizona's success. Now, it'll be up to sophomore Parker Jackson-Cartwright and incoming freshman Justin Simon to take over and run the floor. But at 5-9, PJC can be a bit of a defensive liability, which makes 6-5 Justin Simon an intriguing option to start at point guard.

Simon is ranked as the No. 8 point guard in the country, 32nd regardless of position. He's an ultra-athletic guard that can attack the basket and finish at the rim. Simon has great vision when he's running in transition. Should he earn some valuable minutes, Arizona will have great length from 1-5 all game long. One thing he'll need to improve on is his shot development.

Although Jackson-Cartwright has some range, he needs much more space than usual just to get a shot off. But he is very elusive and can weave his way through the defense towards the paint, giving him the option of finishing himself or kicking it out beyond the arc. His experience as a freshman will carry him throughout the summer while Simon is making the transition, which will give Jackson-Cartwright a clear advantage in the battle for that starting spot.

But don't be surprised to see 6-5 Justin Simon starting the point from day one. Although Simon has been dropping in the rankings as of late, once being ranked as a high as 19th, he is probably the most athletic point guard in the Pac-12. As of now, it would be safe to say Simon is at least a three year guy at Arizona, giving him enough time to learn and develop the offense, should he sit behind Jackson-Cartwright for some time.

Some Justin Simon highlights from last summer are below

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1Km1HxE
via IFTTT

Arizona baseball: Three Up, Three Down: California-Berkeley series

What a cruel joke this team is

Sitting at Hi Corbett each of the last three days was absolute torture. The Arizona Wildcats were swept by the California Golden Bears at home, to extend the home losing streak to seven games. That's the longest such losing streak since 1998.

It was all about the lack of offense for the Wildcats, dropping Friday night's contest 3-1, Saturday night 4-0, and then the series finale Sunday afternoon 8-2.

Believe it or not, there were some guys that were good. Coming up with the three worst is going to be difficult, but here we go!

Three Up:

1. Cody Hamlin

Just going in order here with Hamlin and Bannister. Hamlin started the series with 7 1/3 innings of seven-hit ball, giving up just two earned runs while striking out six. It came down to one bad inning, giving up both of those runs in the fourth inning.

2. Nathan Bannister

Bannister followed up that outing by coming up just one out shy of a complete game. When you only give up four earned runs on a Saturday night, with the kind of hitters Arizona has, you should be winning that game 10-4. Not losing it 4-0. Just like Hamlin, Bannister ran into trouble in the fourth, giving up two runs of his own in that frame. He also gave up two in the fifth, but overall, another very impressive outing from the junior.

3. Scott Kingery

Kingery had came in on a relative "slump" for him, but a 7-for-13 weekend ends that discussion as he is still in the hunt for the national batting title. No extra-base hits though, which seems a little strange.

Three Down:

1. Kevin Newman

Earlier this week, I discussed Newman's historic lack of power for a probable Top 50 draft pick. But this week, he had no hitting at all, going just 2-for-11 at the plate. He also struggled in the field, resulting in his eighth error of the season on Sunday. If you're Newman, and you're supposed to be this great draft prospect with all the tools, how do you end up on a team that's going to miss the tournament all three years you're on it? How is that a thing that's happening? Be a team leader one time. You won't.

2. Bobby Dalbec

Dalbec failed to reach base in a game for the first time this season on Saturday. Just part of his 1-for-11 weekend at the dish. And then he went out and had a bad fifth inning on the mound on Sunday, even though Andy Lopez did say that Dalbec's tricep was tightening, which led to decreased velocity and getting smacked around the yard. It ended up being five hits allowed in 5 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs (two earned) and walking a guy.

3. Hitting w/ RISP

This series was not about Arizona's inability to get guys on base. They did just fine there, racking up 26 hits over the three games. It was about getting those runners home. How about a cool 6-for-49 with runners in scoring position as a team against Cal? The Bears were 14-of-50 in the same situations.

I don't know where this team is going to find the guts and the intensity to look like a decent college baseball team over the final month of the season, but they better find it Monday with ASU coming to town Tuesday. It's sickening to see a team that looked so promising just four weeks ago look so putrid now.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1buXFa1
via IFTTT

Q & A with future Wildcat hooper, Ray Smith

Get to know the dynamic incoming freshman forward

Ray Smith is the one of the highly touted players in Arizona's loaded 2015 recruiting class. 247Sports.com ranked Smith as the 12th best prospect in his in class.

"Ray is a terrific athlete who can really get up and down the floor. He has the size you want as a small forward, and he can really pass, shoot and dribble. He’s a very skilled basketball player with great size," Sean Miller said about the dynamic forward (via Arizona Athletics).

With the departure of Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to the NBA, he should have a major role on this year's team.

As a junior, Smith averaged 24.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and was named to Nevada's first-team all-state. Unfortunately, an ACL tear would force him to miss his senior season.

I know Wildcat fans are interested to see how his recovery is going, so we asked him that and some other questions. Here they are:

Q: Obviously the main thing Arizona fans have been wondering: How’s your recovery coming along? How close are you to being 100%?

Ray Smith:  My leg is fine. I'm able to do all things that I could do before, and I've also took the time to gain 20 lbs. I'm not a big percentage guy, but I would say I'm about 100%.

Q: How has being sidelined with an injury changed how you see the game?

RS: Being on the sideline just showed me really how to get easy buckets without having to do a lot, like cutting.

Q: You had a number of schools recruiting you, but obviously you chose Arizona. What were the main things about the program that impacted your decision?

RS: Damon Stoudamire is a big reason I came to the University of Arizona. He was there with me before I blew up, and I just have a lot of trust in him that he will get me right.

Q: What are some things you do best on the court, and what are some areas you would like to improve on?

RS: I feel like I can improve in all ways, and I also feel that I do everything well. It's just a matter of sharpening all parts of my game up.

Q: Which player(s) do you model your game after?

RS: Paul George, Melo, and Kobe are the new guys that I am studying right now.

Q: What do you expect your role to be on this year’s team?

RS: Be a leader and work hard! Play great basketball.

Q: What has been your most memorable moment in your basketball career so far?

RS: That I have never lost a rivalry game in my basketball career.

Q: Other than basketball, what’s one of your other favorite hobbies?

RS: I just love hanging with family more than anything.

Q: Rondae’s "shimmy" before each free throw routine became quite a thing here at Arizona, do you have a unique free throw ritual or routine that could take its place?

RS: Nothing crazy. Just two dribbles, breathe, spin, and let it go.

Q: What’s one thing you want Arizona fans to know about you?

RS: Man, I just want to hoop, and if you see me say wassup!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want some visual proof that his knee's doing well, here you go:

Just a lil fun !!! #BearDown @simon_Says_so where you at? http://ift.tt/1A320XW

— 2⃣GOD (@raysmith2297) April 23, 2015

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1A320XY
via IFTTT

Cal vs. Arizona Sunday baseball recap: Bears complete sweep of Wildcats with 8-3 win

What a disaster

The Arizona Wildcats entered the weekend essentially needing to win two-of-three in each series from here on out to have any chance of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012 National Championship.

They won zero games.

Cal completed the sweep on Sunday afternoon in front of a lifeless crowd, beating the lifeless Wildcats by a score of 8-3.

Arizona took its first lead of the series in the bottom of the fourth. After Jared Oliva walked and stole second base, JJ Matijevic mashed a ball into left-center field to bring home the run and put the Wildcats up 1-0.

Matijevic was stranded there though after Zach Gibbons and Cody Ramer each made outs to end the inning.

That lead was short-lived as Cal responded right back in the top of the fifth. Bobby Dalbec had not allowed a hit to that point, but with one out, Mitchell Kranson hit a single to left. A double, a Kevin Newman error, and a single put Cal in front 2-1.

That wasn't all though as the Bears would tack on two more runs on a sac bunt and an Aaron Knapp single to right.

Then just one hitter into the sixth inning, Dalbec would come out after a visit from the trainer.

Cal added two more runs in the seventh off of Robby Medel. The combo of Cameron Ming and Tyger Talley gave up two more of their own in the 8th.

Arizona did have a major scoring chance in its half of the seventh. Justin Behnke led the inning off with a double down the left field line. After a wild pitch moved him to third, Scott Kingery drove him in with a single to right center.

Kevin Newman then flied out to the third baseman, and Dalbec walked. After a Cal pitching change, Riley Moore singled to load the bases with just one out.

Oliva struck out, and Matijevic grounded out to second because Arizona is the worst at hitting with the bases loaded.

The third Arizona run came in the ninth, when Riley Moore hit a one-out single to right to drive in Kingery.

Arizona, now 24-17 overall, and 9-12 in conference play, has pretty much seen any postseason aspirations evaporate with this horrible three-game performance. And they'll have to take on ASU Tuesday night at 6 PM before heading to Washington next weekend.

Just when you thought 2014 was a distant memory, all of the sudden this team is doing things more poorly than that team. What a mess.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1HKYtFL
via IFTTT

Cal vs. Arizona baseball recap: Bears shut out Wildcats 4-0 Saturday

Kind of hard to win without scoring a run

Andy Lopez said he was intrigued by how his guys would respond on Saturday after being dominated on Friday.

Well, they were dominated again, losing to Cal 4-0.

Just like Friday night's game, the scoring started in the fourth inning, when Cal brought two runners across the plate. Chris Paul started things with a single to left. Two batters later, Mitchell Kranson doubled to put two runners on for Devin Pearson.

The Cal left fielder smoked one down the line past Bobby Dalbec to bring both runners in and give Cal a 2-0 edge.

The Bears tacked on two more runs in the fifth on an RBI single from Paul and a sac fly to right by Brett Cumberland.

Unlike Friday, Arizona did not get very many runners into scoring position on Saturday. Tyler Krause got to second in the second, Justin Behnke made it to third with two outs in the third, and JJ Matijevic got to second base in the fourth.

Jared Oliva followed that Matijevic double with a single to left, and the freshman first baseman was waved home. Unfortunately, the play at the plate was not even close as Pearson gunned him down with about ten feet to spare.

Arizona starting pitcher Nathan Bannister had another great performance in just his second career start. He came up just one out shy of a complete game, being lifted with two outs in the ninth after having thrown 118 pitches.

Bannister surrendered those four runs, all earned, with nine hits and two walks while striking out five. Three of the final four Cal batters he faced struck out.

The Wildcats will try to salvage a game on Sunday afternoon if the rain doesn't come in. Bobby Dalbec is scheduled to take the mound for the home team at Noon PT. Dalbec will be looking to make up for his offensive performance on Saturday, which was the first game he failed to reach base all season.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1E78klk
via IFTTT

Cal vs. Arizona baseball recap: Wildcats fail to get timely hits, drop series opener to Bears

Arizona certainly had its chances on Friday night

In each of the first six innings of Friday night's game against Cal, the Arizona Wildcats put at least one runner on second base.

In each of those first six innings, and the next two, the Wildcats (24-15, 9-10 Pac-12) failed to score a run in support of Cody Hamlin. Cal (24-14, 11-8 Pac-12) took the series opener, and solidified themselves in fourth place in the Pac-12 standings with a 3-1 win.

Cal's only runs came in the fourth inning. After starting the frame with back-to-back singles, Mitchell Kranson dropped a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position.

A wild pitch would score Chris Paul for the first run of the night

After a Devin Pearson strikeout (one of three on the night), Preston Grand Pre got the first and only hit with runners in scoring position for either team. Grand Pre drove a single to right to bring in Brett Cumberland for run No. 2.

That was the only real trouble Hamlin ran into all night. Arizona's Friday night guy lasted 7 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits and no walks.

But just like last weekend at Oregon State, Arizona couldn't come up with a timely hit. The Wildcats were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position on the night.

The only starters to not record a hit on the night were Bobby Dalbec and Riley Moore, the 3-hole and 4-hole hitters respectively.

Cal would tack on a run in the ninth. Kranson led off with a double, and then three batters later, Nick Halamandaris hit a double that went off Jared Oliva's glove in left to drive in their final run of the night.

Arizona sort of responded in the ninth. An Oliva double was kicked by the center fielder to allow him to advance to third. Zach Gibbons then walked, and Justin Behnke his a liner back to the pitcher. Cal's closer tried to turn the double play, but Oliva scored when Behnke was safe at first.

Scott Kingery grounded to short to end the game. It appeared he was safe at first, but the umpire called him out.

Arizona will try to even the series on Saturday night as it sends Nathan Bannister to the mound. That game is scheduled to start at 6 PM PT.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1EBpavU
via IFTTT

Arizona Basketball Recruiting: Mark Tollefsen to transfer to Arizona

The graduate transfer is eligible to play immediately, and will provide much-needed front court depth for the Wildcats

Many believe it has been a relatively bad week for Arizona basketball with Stanley Johnson deciding to go pro, and Damion Lee heading elsewhere.

Fortunately, we have gotten some better news as San Francisco's Mark Tollefsen has decided to transfer to Arizona, according to Scout.com's Evan Daniels (although he spelled his name incorrectly):

Mark Tollefson tells Scout that he will transfer to Arizona. "It just felt right." Immediately eligible.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) April 25, 2015

Tollefsen will be a fifth year senior and therefore will only have one year of eligibility at Arizona. Nonetheless, the 6-9 forward will provide some much-needed depth behind Ryan Anderson at the four, and could possibly get some some minutes at the three too. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year.

The most intriguing part of Tollefsen's game is his ability to stretch the floor at his size. The lefty shot 37.8% from three last season, while attempting almost four of them per game. He's not just a shooter though, he's capable of scoring off the dribble and has some bounce too. Here's a highlight of him doing a reverse slam against the Pacific Tigers: 

Defensively, Tollefsen has great length, but his lack of strength has always limited his effectiveness on that end. He's 6-9, but is only listed at 199 lbs. Hopefully he can put on some weight before the season starts.

Sean Miller mentioned during Stanley Johnson's press conference yesterday that the team would likely add just one more player to the roster. This would point to Tollefsen being the final piece to the puzzle.

Since Arizona plays at Gonzaga next season, it's worth mentioning that Tollefsen has experience playing against the Zags as a West Coast Conference player. He notably had a 21 point, 8 rebound performance against them on March 7th.

Here's another highlight video/interview of Tollefsen:

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1OmpB1K
via IFTTT

Arizona basketball: Kaleb Tarczewski seeks to becoming winningest player in Wildcats' history

Bet you can't name the winningest player in Arizona history right now

Now that Kaleb Tarczewski is officially going to be a member of the 2015-16 Arizona Wildcats, there's certainly an interesting storyline that'll come up in the middle of the center's senior season.

In Jeff Goodman's article announcing the return of Arizona's big man, Goodman points out that Tarczewski is just 18 wins shy of becoming the winningest player in the history of Arizona basketball.

"That's crazy to me," Tarczewski told Goodman, "especially when you look at all the great players that have played here."

But there is no mention of who the guy is that currently holds that distinction.

That guy is none other than....Matt Muehlebach.

Muehlebach, who was at Arizona from 1987-91, was part of 117 Wildcat victories, including 64-straight at home, making him the only four-year player to never lose a home game according to the book 100 Things Arizona Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die.

Tarczewski currently has 94 wins, which actually puts him 24 shy of the record as Steve Rivera points out, not 18. Kaleb has also been a part of 49 wins at McKale Center, putting him 15 shy of Muehlebach in that category.

Either way, Arizona fans should be excited to have Tarczewski back in the low post. Having a senior leader at center will certainly be a crucial part of the team's mission to advance past the Elite Eight in 2016.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1HyOGmc
via IFTTT

Ka'Deem Carey on the transition from Arizona to the NFL and Amari Cooper

Hey look, it's Ka'Deem!

Former Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey sat down with Campus Insiders to talk about the upcoming NFL Draft, and his transition from college to the Chicago Bears:

He also says the Bears should draft Amari Cooper, cuz why not?

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1KdRVxz
via IFTTT

Stanley Johnson involved in car accident

Scary situation right after announcing his future

Not long after he announced he was entering the 2015 NBA Draft, Stanley Johnson appears to have been in a pretty scary looking car accident.

Johnson is in fact okay after car accident (photo credit: @JBTheJet) @WildcatSports @WildcatHoops http://ift.tt/1IOKdZQ

— Justin Spears (@Hercules_52) April 24, 2015

Here is a picture of Johnson's car at the scene of the crash. (Photo credit: @JBTheJet) @WildcatSports @WildcatHoops http://ift.tt/1bzjdTv

— Justin Spears (@Hercules_52) April 24, 2015

Not really sure what this is all about from Cayleb Jones though

@_5Gauge he's good no worries, no car wreck around here! #1love http://ift.tt/1bznMNR

— Cayleb S Jones (@1caylebjones) April 24, 2015

Here's a closeup video of the involved car after the wreck:

Jlevine live on the scene: Stanley Johnson gets into car wreck just hours after declaring for NBA draft http://ift.tt/1bznMNT

— Jordan levine (@jlevine23) April 24, 2015

Glad that it appears Stanley Johnson is okay, but will be interesting to see what Cayleb Jones has to do with it.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1IOKfRn
via IFTTT

Arizona forward Stanley Johnson officially declares for NBA Draft

As expected, Stanley is one-and-done at Arizona

As many have speculated since the second he committed to Arizona, Stanley Johnson will be one-and-done in Tucson and head to the NBA Draft after his freshman season.

Johnson made the decision official at a press conference on Thursday after nearly a month of wishing and waiting from Arizona fans.

Johnson led the team in scoring in 2014-15, averaging 13.8 points per game in his 28.4 minutes play per contest. The star freshman was also second on the team in assists (63) and steals (57), but also had the most turnovers of any player (82).

DraftExpress currently has Johnson projected as the ninth overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, just ahead of Frank Kaminsky. ESPN has the Arizona forward ranked as the 11th-best prospect in this year's Draft.

Good luck to Stanley wherever he may end up when draft day rolls around.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1HtLOHa
via IFTTT

Arizona Basketball Recruiting: Damion Lee passes on Arizona for Louisville

The roster is nearly set

The number one graduate transfer is off the market. Earlier today, Drexel's Damion Lee announced via Twitter that he'll be going be joining the Louisville Cardinals in his final year of eligibility:

#Agent0 http://ift.tt/1HwnTVV

— Damion Lee (@DameX_0) April 23, 2015

Aside from Arizona and Louisville, Lee was reportedly also considering Marquette, Gonzaga, and Maryland.

With Stanley Johnson expected to announce his decision to enter the NBA Draft, Lee was seen as a prime candidate to replace Johnson in the starting lineup. The 6-6 forward averaged an impressive 21.4 points per game this past season.

But now that Lee is out of the picture, incoming freshman Ray Smith appears to be the natural fit to start at the three this year if Sean Miller wants a traditional small forward. It's also certainly possible that Miller goes with three guards alongside Ryan Anderson and Kaleb Tarczewski too, since the roster is loaded with talented backcourt players.

With that being said, Arizona still has a couple scholarships to offer and since the frontcourt depth is still a bit thin, it's likely that Arizona will now make San Francisco's Mark Tollefsen, another graduate transfer, their top priority.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1GnzpSa
via IFTTT

Arizona Football Recruiting: 3-star linebacker Jacob Colacion receives offer

Checking in on Arizona's latest offer

Arizona has been able to pull in some pretty solid recruits at linebacker, as well as develop their own fair share. Arizona landed the 4-star linebacker duo out of Salesian High School (Los Angeles, CA) in Marquis Ware and Jamardre Cobb back in 2013. They were also able to get the most of out guys like unranked Jake Matthews, 2-star Cody Ippolito, 3-star Derrick Turituri and of course, 2-star Scooby Wright III.

Arizona's latest offer went to 3-star linebacker Jacob Colacion out of La Habra, California. He now holds offers to Boise State, Illinois, Indiana, and Washington State, among others. He is currently unranked among all recruits in the nation, as well as all linebackers.

Colacion is a big-hitting outside linebacker who can drop back into coverage. He also gets a few reps playing up top at safety. His junior year highlights are below.

Depsite Arizona's success on the field, they're still pursuing the OKG's with the hard edge mentality. This has worked the past three years for Arizona, as we've seen records of 8-5, 8-5 and 10-4 without a top 30 recruiting class.

Yes, Arizona has the capability of going after the 4-star guys and we've seen that with Keenan Walker, Devon Modster and a few others over the last few years, but it's perfectly fine for Rich Rodriguez to continue to reach out to these undiscovered guys because they are guys he's worked best with. A strong blend of recruits can go a long way for this program.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1Pqityu
via IFTTT

Arizona Football Recruiting: No. 1 ranked offensive guard Jack Anderson receives offer

A big time offer for the class of 2017

Arizona's offensive line has been pretty reliable over the past couple of years. With great size and experience, The Wildcats have been able to protect the quarterback and guide Ka'Deem Carey and Nick Wilson to success.

Arizona has been continuing to develop offensive linemen throughout their past few recruiting classes. They're looking to continue this trend with 2017 4-star offensive guard Jack Anderson. He is the No. 1 ranked offensive guard in the nation coming in at 6-5 285lbs, hailing from Frisco,TX.

He holds offers to Texas A&M and Texas Tech, who seem to be the leaders, as well as Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Auburn, among others. His stock has soared this winter, coming from 116th in the nation among all recruits, to currently being ranked 53rd. Since March 9th, he's received nine offers to power five conference schools.

This would be a huge get for Arizona, but it seems as if Anderson is wanting to stay within the state of Texas. You never know what can happen in the recruiting process of a 16 year old kid, but we can hope that Arizona makes a strong impression on Anderson. We can count on 4-star dual-threat quarterback Braxton Burmeister, who is already committed for 2017, to help recruit some of the top players in the nation.

Anderson's sophomore year highlights are below.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1yXPEpg
via IFTTT

Stanley Johnson Watch, Day 25

No, Stanley Johnson has not declared for the draft yet. Let's speculate wildly.

After the Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin, we all expected that Stanley Johnson would declare for the NBA Draft. Thus far, that hasn't happened. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson declared. Brandon Ashley declared. Kaleb Tarczewksi seems to be staying, though he has not announced anything yet. And yet nothing from Stanley.

Rumors have swirled around Stanley. He apparently met with Jay-Z to discuss representation. He wants assurances that he's a top ten pick. He's leaning towards staying. He doesn't want to leave after losing in the Elite Eight. His high school coach has been telling him to stay. Despite all of this information circling around, there hasn't been any word of a decision.

Stanley hasn't exactly helped things. He retweeted this:

@_5Gauge A plea from your #1 four year old fan Ellie Brown from Los Angeles. #beardown4onemoreyear http://ift.tt/1d5258D

— Eric Brown (@EricBrown715) April 19, 2015

And this:

Stanley Johnson made a great decision......he ate at Guadalajara. Also taking pics with fans too. Chimichangas > NBA early entry.

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) April 18, 2015

And this:

@_5Gauge wouldn't mind seeing this for another year http://ift.tt/1DTN1DM

— Ron Mestichelli (@RoboticRon) April 8, 2015

He's acknowledging how badly fans want him to return -- that's not something I'd expect from someone who is planning to leave.

Do you want cryptic tweets? Stanley has cryptic tweets, too:

Thinking out loud..

— Stanley Johnson (@_5Gauge) April 17, 2015

Finally, Stanley has been retweeting/shouting out Allonzo Trier, Arizona's top-rated recruit for 2016. Obviously the only way for Stanley to ever play with Trier would be if Stanley stayed, so this means he's staying, right?

Well, probably not. If I had to guess (and this is all pure speculation), I would guess that Stanley leaves for the NBA. He's a sure-fire lottery pick, and returning to school would just give scouts another year to pick him apart or, worse, a year to potentially get injured. Some players have returned to school under similar circumstances (Marcus Smart, for example), but that's the exception, not the rule.

Even if Stanley leaves, Arizona will be fine. Damion Lee is not a possibility after having picked Louisville, but it's also not bad for Arizona to successfully shepherd one-and-done players like Stanley from high school to the lottery -- it makes it more likely that Arizona lands similar one-and-dones in the future (that's basically Kentucky's whole schtick).

But man, if Stanley comes back, he's a national player of the year candidate. He was the best player on Arizona in stretches last season and, with an extra year of experience and maturity, he could have a Mike Bibby-esque sophomore season. If Stanley returns, Arizona is one of the top national championship contenders next year.

The deadline for early entry players to declare for the NBA Draft is April 26. Within a week, we'll know what Stanley is doing. Until then, though, I will continue to obsess over every tweet, speculate wildly, and dream of Stanley returning to lead Arizona to a national championship in 2016.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1DTN2Y5
via IFTTT

Arizona baseball recap: Wildcats drop midweek game to Sun Devils 6-5

Man this team needs to find some consistent pitching

After a pretty good pitching performance overall in Corvallis, the Arizona Wildcats returned back to Tucson on Wednesday night, but the pitching did not.

Saturday starter Nathan Bannister can only do so much. He went two innings to start the game, but the rest of the staff did not fare so well as the Arizona State Sun Devils clinched the season series with a 6-5 victory.

Arizona scored four of those runs in the second inning, giving the bullpen a 4-0 cushion. ASU walked four guys in a row to start the inning, and a Scott Kingery double to left-center made it 3-0.

Watch Scott Kingery drive in 2 with bases loaded double #BearDown #ASUvsUA http://t.co/7MGmasNI1X

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) April 23, 2015

A Kevin Newman groundout to third resulted in another out on the base paths, ending the threat at 4-0.

And that wasn't going to get it done.

The next guy up on the mound was Robby Medel, who went three innings, giving up a run in the fourth. Medel then gave up two singles to start the sixth, which brought in Austin Schnabel.

Schnabel failed to record an out, having a liner go off his calf, and then threw the ball away on a sac bunt when he tried to get the lead runner at third.

Cameron Ming was next, who gave up a sac fly and an RBI single to give ASU the 5-4 lead. He then got a run charged to himself in the 7th after surrendering a leadoff double.

Matt Hartman allowed that Ming runner to score, giving up an RBI double that went off the left field wall. Tyger Talley cleaned up the mess, retiring the next two batters. That means Hartman was the first reliever to not have a run charged to him, which is hilarious since he didn't get an out and gave up two hard hits.

Talley went 2 2/3 scoreless, striking out the side in the ninth. If there was a way to only pitch Bannister and Talley every night, Arizona wouldn't lose. Ever.

Arizona threatened in the ninth, thanks to Kingery, Newman, and then a Dalbec single through the left side to make it 6-5. But a Riley Moore pop to right and a Zach Gibbons grounder to second ended the game.

The highlight of the night for the Wildcats ended up being this, a Scott Kingery throw in the second inning.

Scott Kingery gets it done http://ift.tt/1Oghnbr

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) April 23, 2015

Games that actually count in the Pac-12 standings resume on Friday, when the Cal Bears come to Tucson. That game will start at 6 PM. This is a very frustrating team to watch right now though.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1Oghnbt
via IFTTT

ASU vs. Arizona baseball Open Thread

Another Territorial Cup matchup at Hi Corbett

The Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils square off for the fourth time this season Wednesday night.

While you're watching it on Pac-12 Networks, be sure to chat about the game with us in the comments section!

Lineups:

Little more than an hour before first pitch. Here's a look at the Wildcats' lineup tonight! #BearDown http://ift.tt/1FftVKu

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) April 23, 2015

#Devils lineup for tonight's #TerritorialCup matchup http://ift.tt/1FftU9e

— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) April 23, 2015

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1FftVKy
via IFTTT

Hanna + Steve Wedding at Montelucia Resort & Spa Paradise Valley, Arizona

I so loved getting to spend the day with Hanna & Steve for their gorgeous spring wedding at Montelucia Resort & Spa. Hanna is so warm-hearted and kind, and such a child-magnet, as in children L-O-V-E her. (And she them). Kind of like being around the Queen of Hearts. She and Steve make such a […]

from Scottsdale wedding & portrait photographer Jennifer Bowen http://ift.tt/1PkINdb
via IFTTT

ASU vs. Arizona baseball: Time, TV and previewing the Wildcats against the Sun Devils

Game four of the five-game season series.

The first of two midweek games between the Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils goes down on Wednesday night at Hi Corbett Field.

Arizona will send Saturday starter Nathan Bannister to the mound because it is his regular bullpen day. ASU will counter with David Graybill.

Time: 7 PM

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Streaming: Pac-12.com

Mobile: Pac-12 App in the App Store and Google Play

Radio: 1290 AM in Tucson, 1060 AM in Phoenix

Bannister is coming off of a great start on Saturday in Corvallis. He will not go long on Wednesday because he'll still need to be ready to go on Saturday against Cal. Graybill has pitched just 5 2/3 innings all season long, including the final two outs of the Monday Arizona game after Ryan Burr got roughed up. The ASU righty has given up just one earned run in those almost six innings of work.

This game and next Tuesday's game are huge for Arizona if they still have NCAA Tournament on the brains. If you can pull off a season-series victory over a team like ASU, that would be a big statement, even though both of these games left are at home.

Behind Bannister, I would guess that Austin Schnabel would be the next guy out of the bullpen given how Xavier Borde did against ASU just a week and a half ago. Robby Medel is another name to expect running out of the 'pen on Wednesday.

I would expect this game to be relatively high-scoring since neither starter will probably last very long. It'll just come down to who can actually capitalize on every scoring chance.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1bvpnEj
via IFTTT

Arizona Football: Freshmen to look out for in 2015

This incoming class has a few game changers who can come in right away to make an impact

We're just a few months away from having the entire recruiting class of 2015 on campus. Rich Rodriguez was able to string together a pretty balanced class, which was ranked 41st in the nation, but just 8th in the Pac-12.

With 12 straight games this season, Arizona is going to need great depth at all positions. Rodriguez has said that he wants to get around 22-24 guys in on the defensive rotation. The way things look now, there's about 20 guys who have a role carved out. This gives some incoming freshmen a chance to compete and crack the rotation. As for offense, it's pretty much solidified. Arizona returns virtually all receivers and running backs, but there's one guy who could get some valuable snaps throughout the season.

Devon Brewer

Brewer joined the team this semester and participated in spring activities. At the spring game, he was playing up top at free safety and looked fairly polished for a true freshman. He's a guy who will definitely mesh with the secondary and get some snaps in a quarterback-driven conference. Out of all the freshmen in this class, it seems as if Brewer will be the one to see the most reps.

Antonio Parks

Antonio Parks is a freak athlete who can utilize his speed. He really caught my eye and impressed me when he committed and signed his letter of intent. Whether it's in the return game or coming in as a corner reserve, Parks can certainly find a role on the team this season. The depth at corner is a concern, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a freshman rise at that position.

Shun Brown

A pure athlete that can play wide receiver or cornerback for Arizona. It seems as if Rich Rodriguez will put him on offense, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the mix at corner this summer. He has a very similar skill set to Tyrell Johnson, which will make it difficult to avoid a redshirt year should he stick to offense. Corner will put him in the best position to compete, given a strong summer performance.

Kendall Franklin

He has the versatility to fill in at defensive end or come off the edge on the outside as a linebacker. He has a solid frame at 6-1 220lbs with room to grow and match up against Pac-12 offensive linemen. He has great awareness and recognition, which allows him to attack the quarterback and cause havoc in the backfield.

Orlando Bradford

Jared Baker is most likely the one to backup Nick Wilson this season, but Rich Rodriguez likes to give a third back some reps throughout the season. This will most likely leave Bradford and Jonathan Haden battling it out for the third spot. Both Bradford and Haden play a similar style, using their shiftiness to get through the line or escape out of the backfield to get into open space.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1E9cx9e
via IFTTT

MLB Draft 2015: Kevin Newman's stock going up despite historic lack of power

What's behind the surge in Kevin Newman's draft stock?

Despite playing on an Arizona Wildcats team that will probably not play in the postseason in any of the three years he's been in Tucson, junior shortstop Kevin Newman is continuing to draw major interest from MLB scouts and draft pundits from around the country.

It was a huge shock when ESPN's Keith Law ranked Newman as the second-best prospect in the 2015 MLB Draft. If you take just his Cape Cod League performances, where he's the only player to win two-straight batting titles, it makes sense to have Newman that high.

But as Law points out, Newman has no power:

He stays at short, has hit everywhere he's played (including two summers leading the Cape Cod League in batting average) and is a plus runner. He doesn't have any power, but his wide stance may be the reason, and closing it could unlock some doubles power in no time.

Newman's only career collegiate home run came just two weeks ago at ASU. Of his 57 hits this season, only 14 have gone for extra bases, resulting in a surprisingly low .481 slugging percentage. By contrast, his middle infield counterpart Scott Kingery is slugging .660.

But a great analytics article from Baseball America explains that Newman's lack of power is a rarity among top MLB draftees.

Baseball America does not have Newman as high as Keith Law does, ranking him 28th on their draft prospects list, and is just the fourth-best shortstop.

In the analytics piece by BA, they share that Newman has the lowest career ISO (isolated power rate) among the top 50 prospects at .078. This is calculated by how often he records an extra-base hit (14 in 154 at bats this season is .091).

That .078 number would be the second-lowest accumulated by a Top 50 pick in the last ten years, and his one career home run would be by far the lowest, with the next-highest being four career home runs by fellow class of 2015 prospects Kyle Holder (San Diego) and Richie Martin (Florida).

A couple of notable guys on these lists are Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, and Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Cliff Pennington. After being drafted out of Virginia in 2005 with a career ISO of .116, Zimmerman has put up a career slugging percentage of .475 at the MLB level. He slugged .553 in the minors. On average, MLB teams are slugging .386 this year.

Zimmerman is easily the most successful of the lowest career ISO guys getting drafted so high, as he's set to make $14 million this season.

Now we go back to what Law said, pointing out that narrowing Newman's stance may fix the issue. It also may be something like standing him more upright, like what the Yankees did with Robert Refsnyder.

If scouts see this as a simple change, now you can understand why Newman is still a guy that's going to go in the first round despite his extreme lack of power. Add to that his range and arm at shortstop, and you've got yourself a high draft pick, even though he hasn't done a lot of winning in Tucson.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1yNekAz
via IFTTT

Arizona Basketball Recruiting: 5-star combo guard Josh Langford receives offer from Sean Miller

Another top notch swingman could be heading to Tucson

Josh Langford is the No. 14 recruit in the nation for 2016 and holds offers to Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Texas, and Virginia, among others. You can now add Arizona to this list after Damon Stoudamire visited him on Sunday.

He is ranked as the No.1 player in Alabama out of Madison Academy.

At 6-6 200 pounds, Langford is the prototypical swingman for Sean Miller. You look at guards/wings like Kevin Parrom, Solomon Hill, Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and think about the success they had in Sean Miller's system.

The shooting guard and small forward position has solid depth going forward into 2016. Both Elliott Pitts and Kadeem Allen will be entering their final season as a Wildcat.

The question marks at the 2 and 3 position would be Allonzo Trier and Ray Smith, who would be sophomores in 2016. Both have the potential to declare for the NBA Draft after just one season, but neither are surefire lottery picks such as Aaron Gordon and Stanley Johnson.

It's so early in the recruiting process that it's hard to tell where guys will land in 2016. There are a few names out there that Arizona has given some attention and Josh Langford is certainly one name to pay attention to.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1DJXaCM
via IFTTT

Top high school football prospects 2016: Nos. 101-110

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1GcDGaK
via IFTTT

Players react to Adrian Wilson's retirement

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1HpMDzg
via IFTTT

Mac: Vikings are asking too much for Peterson

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1HpMDz4
via IFTTT

Adrian Wilson retires as an Arizona Cardinal

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1HpMBr9
via IFTTT

ASU banks on Bobby Hurley's pedigree

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1GcDE2I
via IFTTT

Top high school football prospects 2016: Nos. 101-110

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1JorP9Z
via IFTTT

Travel deals: Allegiant Air, Florida and Tucson

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1JorP9V
via IFTTT

Photos: Old West spirit still alive in Tombstone

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1E4rl9d
via IFTTT

Caballo Blanco: 'Run Free' movie depicts running icon Micah True

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1E4ridA
via IFTTT

Scottsdale cancer patient extends Boston Marathon streak

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1JorMet
via IFTTT

D-Backs realize broken hands can't be avoided

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1E4rids
via IFTTT

50 Flawless Examples of Industrial-Inspired Interior Design

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1JorMel
via IFTTT

You Don't Have To Give Up Style To Have A Smart Watch

from Remarkable Guidance http://ift.tt/1E4rkSA
via IFTTT

D-Backs realize broken hands can't be avoided

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y3qH
via IFTTT

50 Flawless Examples of Industrial-Inspired Interior Design

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4pqVi
via IFTTT

You Don't Have To Give Up Style To Have A Smart Watch

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4psfR
via IFTTT

Players react to Adrian Wilson's retirement

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y3a2
via IFTTT

Mac: Vikings are asking too much for Peterson

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4psfK
via IFTTT

Adrian Wilson retires as an Arizona Cardinal

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y2Tv
via IFTTT

ASU banks on Bobby Hurley's pedigree

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4ppk2
via IFTTT

Top high school football prospects 2016: Nos. 101-110

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y0uS
via IFTTT

Players react to Adrian Wilson's retirement

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4pp3v
via IFTTT

Mac: Vikings are asking too much for Peterson

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y0eg
via IFTTT

Adrian Wilson retires as an Arizona Cardinal

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4powF
via IFTTT

ASU banks on Bobby Hurley's pedigree

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9xZXO
via IFTTT

Top high school football prospects 2016: Nos. 101-110

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4pog8
via IFTTT

Travel deals: Allegiant Air, Florida and Tucson

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y2ms
via IFTTT

Photos: Old West spirit still alive in Tombstone

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1J4pnZr
via IFTTT

Caballo Blanco: 'Run Free' movie depicts running icon Micah True

from Arizona Wonderful Secrets http://ift.tt/1D9y264
via IFTTT

Scottsdale cancer patient extends Boston Marathon streak

Only 240 days after brain surgery to remove a tumor and less than two months removed from chemotherapy, Scottsdale’s Nona Cerveny finished her 30th straight Boston Marathon.

      

 

 

from Phoenix - Travel & Explore http://ift.tt/1O8S8HS
via IFTTT

from Phoenix Fine Advice http://ift.tt/1P7DZYD
via IFTTT