Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Arizona football: Will Parks talks boxing, needs a nickname

This is your next star of the Arizona team

Last season, William Parks made a name for himself on the field, and he's starting to become a star off of it thanks to his beaming personality.

That's never been more evident than in these videos he did with Campus Insiders, where he talks about his off-season workouts, and the goals he has set for himself heading into his senior season.

One of his summer workouts is boxing, and I would imagine Will Parks is a pretty good boxer. But how good?

Well, he's prepared to step in the ring with Floyd Mayweather:

As a rising star in the college game, Parks is going to need an awesome nickname. He's already got a few, including "Philly Parks", but Shae Peppler has a couple of other suggestions.

What nickname do you like the best, or do you have any better suggestions?

This is just the beginning of Parks being promoted heavily this season by the football staff. Let's just hope that it turns some serious on-field success for not only him, but the rest of the secondary.



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Top 150 recruit Brandon Burton names top seven schools, includes Arizona

Arizona got some pretty exciting news on a Monday night

Recruits are starting to trim their list of schools to prepare themselves for official visits this fall. Monday night, Brandon Burton listed his top seven schools, with Arizona making cut.

One school is not like the others, but we're not complaining. Burton is a safety and wide receiver out of Junipero Serra (Gardena, CA), ranked as the No. 6 safety in the nation, No. 129 overall.

Arizona being on this list shows a few things. One, it shows how far Rich Rodriguez has come and where he's brought this program in just three years. Bringing in three consecutive 8+ win seasons, including a 10-win season this past year, Arizona is a youthful program trending up. It also shows that Arizona is able to compete with some of the top programs in the nation when it comes to recruiting. Arizona has yet to land that top prospect, but it's bound to happen in due time.

Lastly, this list shows how committed Khalil Tate is to the program, despite the speculation of him wavering on his decision, with 4-star pro-style quarterback Devon Modster committing a few weeks after him. Tate and Burton are teammates at Junipero Serra and have definitely already talked about playing together at the next level. Burton plays a little bit of receiver, and will be the recipient of many touchdowns thrown by Tate this upcoming season.

If you ever happen to scroll through Tate's Twitter, you'll see how hard he recruits for Arizona and how much of an ambassador he's become for the class of 2016. Both him and Sean Riley are constantly tweeting at other Arizona targets out of the Los Angeles area.

It'll be a pretty interesting and suspenseful recruitment process to follow, but seeing Brandon Burton in an Arizona jersey next year could be more likely than most people think.



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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/30)

Football crootin' season

It's time for football recruiting to ramp up a little bit heading into July, so there's a lot of that going on this week

Football

- Arizona target Jabari Watson will announce his decision on Wednesday. It seems to be between UA, Boise State, and SDSU

Gabe talked to Evan Weaver, who is planning on visiting Arizona in July

- Whet your appetite for Khalil Tate with this mixtape

Gronk was freestyling, wanting some girls as hot as crocodiles

- ESPN's Chantel Jennings goes in-depth with Nick Wilson

- According to NFL.com, Arizona has the third-best set of triplets this year

- Check out this video of super fan Andrew Valdez, who passed away last week

Basketball

Wildcat Authority gives a recap of the Nike Basketball Academy

Baseball

- Arizona commit Nate Sweeney called Arizona his "dream school". There's a lot of 'dream school's being thrown around with the baseball program these days

Other sports

- Softball has five players in the World Cup of Softball

Tucson news

- It's been two years since those 19 firefighters died near Prescott



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Monday, June 29, 2015

3-star defensive tackle Jabari Watson to announce commitment on Wednesday

Does Arizona land another defensive tackle for 2016 on Wednesday?

On Wednesday, we'll find out if Arizona can land another defensive tackle for the 2016 recruiting class, as 3-star Jabari Watson said he will announce his decision on that day.

As of now, it seems as if it's between Arizona, Boise State and San Diego State for the 6-2 255lb force.

I got a chance to talk to Jabari last week about his recruitment process, but it seems as if some things have changed since we last spoke.

"Well I was very happy when I got that offer," Watson said about his Arizona offer. "I was happy because that was my first Pac-12 offer and I love how the coaches are. They seem very interested in me and I really like that,"

When we talked, he said that he didn't have a frontrunner. "Well as of right now I haven't ranked my schools but Boise State is a school that's grabbing my attention right now, so is UCLA." However, there wasn't a timetable for his commitment process as of June 23rd. "I'll probably keep it open," Watson said about his recruiting process.

Watson is interested in the education he'll get from the school and how the coaching staff operates between themselves and the team. He said that he would really love to visit Tucson sometime soon to see the campus.

It's pretty interesting to know how a defensive lineman feels about the 3-3-5 scheme Arizona imploys. Although Watson has never played in a 3-3-5 scheme, he feels like players should be smart enough to catch on and learn a scheme fairly easy. It doesn't seem to phase him in his recruitment process.

He sees himself as a faster tackle that can shoot gaps really well and also go downfield and make some tackles. He wants to get stronger and faster off the ball, as well as work on play recognition to adjust from run to pass, and able to sniff out any screen passes in the flats. His junior year highlights are below.



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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star DE/LB Evan Weaver to trim his list of schools, Arizona likely to make the cut

A top defensive prospect for Arizona will trim his list of schools

Arizona has been recruiting defensive talent left and right for 2016, and are likely landing a commitment a soon. Evan Weaver, 3-star defensive end out of Gonzaga Preparatory (Spokane, WA), is set to trim his list of schools soon. And I believe Arizona will make the cut.

He holds offers to Boise State, California, Utah, and Washington State, among others. "I was really excited. I'm going down there July 18th to meet the coaches and check everything out," Weaver said when asked about his Arizona offer. "I like that they win and contend for championships."

At 6-3 230 lbs, Weaver is extremely versatile as he is able to line up at multiple positions. "Well, as of right now I might be a linebacker or rush end. [Arizona coaches] are not quite sure yet. I like both defensive end and linebacker and would be fine with playing either," when asked about the 3-3-5 defense Arizona runs.

We do know that Weaver will be trimming his list soon, but as of now, he has no plans to commit in the near future. "I'm not sure right now. I'm taking in as much information as I can on all my schools. I'll be able to find out a lot more when I go and visit them. I will probably start narrowing it down in July or August," Weaver said about his commitment process.

One major factor Weaver will consider when selecting a school is his role. "Do I fit in with the coaches, area and players? Could I see myself spending the next years there?"

"I see myself as an every down defensive end. I can rush the passer, but I'm also strong and big enough to hold my ground and make plays against the run. I try and model my game after JJ Watt. His explosiveness and speed are very impressive," he said.

He has a big senior year ahead of him, coming off a 10-2 season for Gonzaga Prep after their season was ended in the Washington State Playoffs. This season, he'll be working on three things to prepare him for the next level: strength, speed, and leadership.

His junior year highlights are below:



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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/29)

Things are getting slow

We're approaching dangerously slow times for Arizona news, but here's a quick roundup for you hardcore people out there.

Basketball

- Sean Miller and the USA U-19 team are off to a 2-0 start at the FIBA World Championship. Allonzo Trier scored 17 points in their latest game

- Five-star shooting guard D.J. Harvey will be on campus at some point this week. He'll also be visiting Arizona State

Football

- Arizona gained a walk-on offensive lineman in the form of Chase Hanlon. Seems like there could be a lot of Long Beach City College guys on their way to Tucson in the coming years

- Diddy fell at the BET Awards, so naturally, there's a vine of him getting knocked over by a kettlebell

Baseball

- Nick Hundley's batting average dropped below .300 with an o-for-4 day

- Scott Kingery went 2-for-5 in a 9-0 win for Lakewood. He's now hitting .353 in his short pro career

Other sports

- Liz Patterson finished second in high jump at the USA Track and Field Championships, but has not qualified for the Team USA going to World Championships yet

Tucson news

- Some pastor went homeless for a few days for some reason



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Sunday, June 28, 2015

Sonoran Hot Reads (6/28)

Where we're hoping to cash in like T.J. some day

Basketball

- Brandon Ashley has ditched the idea of going with the Lakers and will now play summer league ball for the Atlanta Hawks

- T.J. McConnell is going to be with the Sixers, and he is going to make a pretty good chunk of change either way

- Stanley Johnson will be sporting No. 3 in Detroit for the Pistons

- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson doesn't have a number yet, but he does have these photos from after being traded to the Nets

- 2016 point guard Frank Jackson is down to six schools, and Arizona is one of them

- Matt Korcheck is apparently going to play Australian Rules Football

Football

- Terrell Burgess, one of the top players in the class of 2016, tells Gabe where Arizona is on the radar right now

- Ted Miller talks Arizona's chances of repeating as Pac-12 South Champs and Scooby Wright III

Baseball

- Scott Kingery is 4-for-12 in his first three games at Class-A Lakewood. He was assigned a step above Williamsport, ending the thought of that cliche story of him returning there after being a part of an Ahwatukee Little League team that went there for the LLWS

Kevin Newman is only 5-for-25 at Low-A West Virginia

- Xavier Borde remains unsigned according to this

Other sports

- Here are Arizona-centric recaps from Team USA Track and Field action on Friday and Saturday

- A local product is leading the soccer program to bigger things

Tucson news

- Monsoon season is here!



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Saturday, June 27, 2015

2015 NBA Draft: Brandon Ashley changes course, will play for the Atlanta Hawks in Summer League

It appeared B-Ash was headed to play for the Lakers in Summer League, but a recent report says he'll now play for the Hawks

It was reported right after the NBA Draft that Brandon Ashley was going to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Summer League, but it appears he has had a change of heart and will now play for the Atlanta Hawks.

It's not that unusual for a player to do this. It is vital for Ashley to make sure he'll get a significant amount of playing time in the Summer League to showcase his talent, and if he felt he wasn't going to get enough minutes with the Lakers, switching teams is certainly the right move.

The Hawks are actually a better fit anyway, in my opinion, since Ashley's playing style of a "stretch four" is conducive to the way the Atlanta Hawks play. They love to spread the floor and have their big men to shoot from the perimeter, and if Ashley makes the NBA it will be because of his shooting ability at his size.

The Las Vegas Summer League starts on July 10th.



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Friday, June 26, 2015

Top 100 corner Terrell Burgess has his eye on Arizona

A rising corner who could be taking his talents to Tucson

Arizona already has one cornerback commit for 2016 in Isaiah Hayes, and the coaching staff is looking to match him up with another corner. A potential option for that role could be Terrell Burgess, top 100 corner out of San Marcos High School.

At 6-0 180lbs, Burgess is a well-built corner, holding offers to schools including Nevada, Oregon State, SDSU and Wisconsin. Utah and Utah State are starting to show interest in Burgess, but he said he has only been in contact with one coach on each of those staffs.

Burgess picked up an offer from Arizona on May 29th. "I was actually pretty excited. Prior to the offer, they were telling me to come out to a camp. About a week after they said that they had seen all they need and that was good to hear", Burgess said while elaborating on his offer from Arizona. "It probably opened the eye of other Pac-12 schools which is pretty cool too."

"Arizona is definitely one I'm interested in", Burgess said when asked about his top choices. He's trying to take a visit in July and has no timetable to commit. "It would definitely be nice to commit to relieve some stress but I feel like my commitment will come throughout the season."

The idea of a 3-3-5 defense is intriguing to Burgess. "I like that there are more defensive backs on the field. A lot more speed and range. More chances for plays to be made." Arizona is fairly creative with their defensive backs on the blitz, which is also something Burgess likes. "The way schemes are, you can send a defensive back on a blitz from anywhere on the field to confuse the offense."

Burgess sees himself as more of a coverage corner and tries to model his game after Darrelle Revis and Joe Haden (who's little brother is sophomore running back Jonathan Haden). Burgess is very instinctive and can match up well in one-on-one situations. He also displays great speed on offense and in the return game.

His highlights are below.




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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/26)

Well now that's behind us

The NBA Draft was on Thursday night, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tried to steal the show early on when he showed up in that suit. He was then the 23rd player taken on the night, but the Trail Blazers shipped him to the Nets, making this exchange, which took place literally seconds before the trade broke, even more hilarious

Nets Daily breaks down the trade, which included Mason Plumlee

- Stanley Johnson was taken 8th by the Detroit Pistons.

- The guys at Detroit Bad Boys have a lot on Johnson. There's some really good stuff in their StoryStream, including the current players welcoming himStan Van Gundy talking Stanley, and what will be really fun, Stanley vs. Chad Ford

Pistons.com breaks down the pick

- Unfortunately, both T.J. McConnell and Brandon Ashley did not have their names called

- Ashley will join the Lakers for Summer League. McConnell will head to the Sixers

Football

Special teams should be good this year

Baseball

- Three years ago this week, Arizona was still good at baseball

- Shelley Duncan is doing alright as manager of the Hillsboro Hops

Other sports

- Cross country finalized its schedule

Tucson news

- I drove by this as the helicopter was landing to get this guy

- An F-16 out of DM crashed outside of Douglas



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Thursday, June 25, 2015

2015 NBA Draft: T.J. McConnell to join the Sixers' Summer League team

T.J. will have a great shot to make the team from his home state

We already learned that Brandon Ashley will reportedly be joining the Lakers for Summer League, and his former teammate T.J. McConnell just got a new home as well. He'll be joining the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA Summer League, per Bruce Pascoe:

The Pittsburgh-native will have a chance to represent his home state, and honestly has a great shot to make the team. The Sixers used the 3rd overall pick to select Duke center Jahlil Okafor, and they have a major shortage of guards on their team. Their projected starting point guard as of now is Ish Smith, a career journeyman.

McConnell doesn't exactly have the best skill set for the NBA. He's not a consistent shooter, he's a little undersized, and lacks athleticism. However, he can counter that with an incredible motor, high basketball IQ, and above average point guard skills.

He'll put out a great effort at Summer League, and I expect him to get a training camp invite, and ultimately make the Sixers' roster.



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2015 NBA Draft: Brandon Ashley to join the Lakers' Summer League roster, per report

This is a major step towards making an NBA roster

Well, that was quick. Brandon Ashley just went undrafted along with T.J. McConnell, and it wasn't much of a surprise. The next step was to secure a Summer League invite, and it seems Ashley has already done so with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Shams Charania of RealGM:

Ashley worked out for the Lakers earlier this month, and it appears the Lakers saw something in him, hence their offer to add him to their Summer League roster.

The Summer League starts on July 10th in Las Vegas, and it will be extremely important for Ashley to showcase his skills. Not only will the Lakers be watching him closely, opposing GM's will be too, in the event that he doesn't receive a training camp invite from LA.

His former teammate, T.J. McConnell, will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers for Summer League.



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2015 NBA Draft: Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell go undrafted

Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell didn't hear their names called on Thursday night, but they'll still have the opportunity to make a team going forward.

Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell both went undrafted in the NBA Draft Thursday night. This isn't much of a surprise -- T.J. McConnell barely snagged an invite to the NBA combine, and most mock drafts suggested that neither Ashley nor McConnell would be drafted.

All is not lost, though. Going undrafted does not necessarily mean the NBA dreams are over for McConnell and Ashley. First, both of them will likely get invites to join a Summer League roster-- after all, Kyle Fogg, Brendon Lavender, and Kevin Parrom all played in the Summer League, and Ashley and McConnell are better NBA prospects.

From there, they'll need to perform well in Summer League in order to land a training camp invite. And obviously a training camp invite could lead to a spot on an NBA roster if they continue to impress. One player that has gone down this path that has been compared to T.J. McConnell is Matthew Dellavedova. He was undrafted out of St. Mary's, performed well in Summer League, made the roster, and subsequently played a large role in the Cavaliers' playoff success. Now he's scheduled to be a free agent this offseason, and is expected to get a nice contract and stay in the NBA long term.

Now even if McConnell and Ashley fail to make an NBA team, expect that both T.J. and Brandon will be playing professional basketball somewhere next season, whether it be overseas or in the NBA D-League. And if this is the case, specifically for Ashley, it does not mean that his decision to leave Arizona was a bad one. Making a living playing basketball is his dream, and it can still be accomplished whether he's in the NBA or not.

Good luck, guys.



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2015 NBA Draft: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson traded to the Brooklyn Nets

Looks like Rondae is on the move already

We thought Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was headed to the Portland Trail Blazers after being selected 23rd overall, but he has been dealt to the Brooklyn Nets instead, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

It's not that uncommon for players to be traded just after being drafted. This might end up being a good thing for Rondae since the Nets are a veteran team that desperately needs a wing defender like Rondae. I'd say there's a pretty good chance that he starts for the Nets alongside Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.

He'll be on a team that will just need him to defend, rebound, and bring intensity. Something he obviously does real well.

Rondae is from Pennsylvania and this trade will move him closer to home. Not to mention that the shimmy will now be in the LARGEST MARKET OF THE UNITED STATES.



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2015 NBA Draft: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson drafted 23rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers

The shimmy is headed to the Pacific Northwest

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd overall pick. Stanley Johnson was the first Arizona Wildcat off the board after being selected by the Pistons with 8th overall pick, and now Rondae becomes the second.

The Blazers are expected to go through a slight rebuild this offseason as they traded their starting SF Nic Batum to the Hornets, and star PF LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to leave via free agency. Starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews is also a free agent. As a result, Hollis-Jefferson may have the chance to get significant minutes from day one.

It was a joy to watch Rondae that past two seasons, and the shimmy will sorely be missed. While Rondae is moving on, he'll always be a Wildcat and we wish him luck in his professional career.

On another note, we'll continue to wait to see if Rondae will be the last Wildcat drafted tonight. Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell are still available, but neither are expected to be drafted.



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2015 NBA Draft: Stanley Johnson drafted 8th by the Detroit Pistons

Stanley Johnson is headed to Detroit.

As expected, Stanley Johnson became the first Arizona player drafted in the 2015 NBA draft, going eighth to the Detroit Pistons. Below, we look at what Stanley brings to the table and how he fits with Detroit.

What does Stanley bring to the table?

As we discussed in our draft profile, Stanley Johnson is a bull of a small forward. He's 240 pounds, dwarfing just about every other small forward prospect. He can shoot at a decent clip, making 37% of his three-pointers in college. And he is a very good (and versatile) defender who can guard twos, threes, and small-ball fours. As Grantland's Danny Chau talked about earlier today, Stanley fits nicely into the next generation of NBA basketball.

How does he fit in with Detroit?

Very, very well. Detroit desperately needs a three. Last year, Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince, Kyle Singler, and Anthony Tolliver all started at various points for Detroit. That's not great! Stanley fills that immediate need and supplements a very talented young core that includes Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Reggie Jackson.

In his post-draft interview, Stanley said he wanted to be the rookie of the year. Given the opportunity, he'll have to play immediately in Detroit, and he could very well make that dream a reality.



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Arizona football: Special teams will be crucial to success once again

Kickers are people too

Behind one of the most explosive offenses and one of the more improved defenses in the Pac-12 lies the Arizona special teams unit, led by Casey Skowron and Drew Riggleman.

Special teams often go unnoticed, but for Arizona, the kicking game helped lead the team to Rich Rodriguez' first 10-win season at Arizona.

We'll start with Drew Riggleman, who was one of the nation's leading punters. Overall, he was ranked 5th in the nation for total punting yards, and is only one of two punters in the top 10 of that category to have punted less than 80 times. Per punt, he averaged just over 46 yards, good for 4th in the nation.

Considering Arizona was ranked 89th in 3rd down conversions, getting a first down on just about 38% of third downs, Riggleman was called on a lot more than RichRod would have liked. Now, this number is a little easier to cope with when you consider two things: 1) Rich Rodriguez often elected to go for it on fourth down and 2) Arizona probably gets two or three more possessions per game compared to most teams with their offense.

Riggleman made the UCLA loss much closer than it should have been, with the Arizona offense stalling for the final 57 minutes of that game. He punted a total of 10 times that night, yes, 10 times against the Bruins, averaging almost 48 yards a punt. His consistency kept UCLA pinned deep in their own territory all game long.

There were many games this season where Riggleman got the bounce he needed, pinning opponents inside their own 20 yard line. We're going to need some big time punts to keep the momentum on Arizona's side after a three-and-out or stalled drive.

Now, whether you want to accept it or not, Casey Skowron put Arizona in position to win multiple games last season.

Yes, he missed the game winning field goal vs. USC, which would have put Arizona at 6-0 on the season. But prior to that, he put Arizona in position to be 5-0. Think back to the USTA game, where Arizona scored on the first play of the game on an 85-yard touchdown from Anu Solomon to Cayleb Jones. After that moment, Arizona scored just 19 points for the remainder of the game, 13 of which were accounted for by Skowron, going 4/4 on field goals when his number was called.

Next we go to the Cal game. There is no "Hill Mary" if Casey Skowron doesn't execute a perfect onside kick, putting Arizona in position to make it a one score game. Back to the USC game, where he pulled off another successful onside kick, this time putting himself in position to hit the game winning kick. But if Skowron doesn't convert that onside kick, there is no missed field at the end of the game, there is no hate, no criticism.

He did have a poor performance vs. USC in general, going 2/5. The three misses came from 48, 34 (blocked), and 36 yards out. UCLA was also a bad game, but nothing was going right for either team that day, in a complete struggle fest.

To this day, the Washington game is still a head-scratcher. There's no way Chris Petersen should have allowed Arizona to even have a chance to get the ball back. But, let us not forget Skowron's epic fake field goal touchdown run, leaving the fans, and Gus Johnson, enamored. And then, to top it all off, Skowron sealed the win with a 47 yard field goal to end the game.

Of course, the success of this team will rely heavily on the offense, but when the offense isn't going, Arizona will need the support of Skowron to put up some points, and the relief of Riggleman to win the field position battle.



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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/25)

It's Draft Day!

It's here. It's NBA Draft Day! Finally no more mock drafts.

Basketball

- Speaking of mock drafts, here's a roundup of where all four Arizona Wildcats are projected to get picked or not picked.

- All the viewing and streaming info is inside here

- David Potts joined Charlotte Hornets site At The Hive to talk about Stanley Johnson

- There was a lot of Stanley news on Wednesday. He told Andy Katz "I think I'm the best player in the class". He called mock drafts "Terrible" in an interview with DimeMag (I agree). Today's Fastbreak ponders if he's being overlooked. He'll also be running the Axe Twitter for a Q&A from 11:30am-12:30pm PT Thursday

CSN Philly wonders if Rondae Hollis-Jefferson can be the next Andre Iguodala

- Guys like Brandon Ashley may be able to withdraw from the draft next year

- Then those guys can go back to the ridiculous locker room in McKale

Zack Rosenblatt's draft flashback was Steve Kerr

Football

- We want to know who you think the best QB of the last three years has been

- Gabe caught up with recruiting targets DeVaughn Cooper and Calvin Tubbs, who seem to have totally different views of Arizona from each other

- Four-star safety Eric Burrell has Arizona in his top nine

Ted Miller wonders if the South will finally win a Pac-12 Championship

Baseball

- Terry Francona apparently ate 17 popsicles in one night recently

- Bobby Dalbec unloaded on a ball for Team USA

Other sports

- Arizona was named the 4th-best college for female athletes

Volleyball's schedule was released

Men's tennis season in review

Tucson news

Lots of people auditioned for American Idol

Mountain lions on Mount Lemmon

- Ted 2 apparently has ASU jokes



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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Arizona football recruiting: Linebacker Calvin Tubbs waiting on an Arizona offer

Calvin Tubbs has that Hard Edge

Arizona has been known to spot talent before any of the other Pac-12 school. Whenever you see a recruit being offered by Arizona, it's often the first Pac-12 offer they receive. This is no different for Calvin Tubbs, linebacker out of Liberty High School (Henderson, NV). He's been in communication with the coaching staff and is just coming off a strong showing at the latest Rich Rodriguez Camp in Tucson.

He's currently unranked on all major recruiting sites, but that doesn't stop him from the grind. He says he always plays with a chip on his shoulder, which definitely gives him the Hard Edge mentality Arizona so craves. Despite being unranked, he's received a lot of attention from other schools and is on the verge of receiving a handful of offers. He just came off an unofficial visit at Arizona State, and says that Oregon State, Utah, Utah State and Washington State have been talking to him as of late.

Tubbs is just waiting for his offer from Arizona to commit, claiming it as his dream school. "It's the best. I felt at home when I stepped on the field and I love Coach Casteel", he said when asked his thoughts on Arizona. "What really made them stick out is the school. I want to go there to study criminal justice, it's one of the best [programs] in the country".

He already has a few connections on the team, including redshirt freshman Marcus Griffin and All-American linebacker Scooby Wright. He even got some advice and motivation from Scooby the other week before he heads into his senior season.

I will not wait. I'm going to commit right away

Liberty is known as a football powerhouse in Nevada and Tubbs has a state championship on his mind. During his senior year, he wishes to bulk up and increase his speed. He'll be in good hands this year, as Ryan Claridge, former New England Patriot and UNLV Rebel, is their new linebackers coach.

Tubbs plays both linebacker and running back for Liberty, but says Arizona is recruiting him as a linebacker and will  watch him closely in his first few games of his senior season.

"I will not wait. I'm going to commit right away" when asked about the moment he receives an offer from Arizona.

Some of his linebacker highlights vs. Bishop Gorman are below.



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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star receiver DeVaughn Cooper has Arizona as a top choice

Arizona has a chance at landing another Narbonne prospect

The future at wide receiver is scary to think about once Samajie Grant, Trey Griffey, Cayleb Jones and Nate Phillips all leave in two years. Arizona does have a few receiver prospects coming up in the 2015 recruiting class, but there hasn't been much emphasis on receivers for the 2016 class, making DeVaughn Cooper a top priority for Arizona.

Cooper, a 3-star receiver out of Narbonne High School (Harbor City, CA), picked up an offer from Arizona back on April 12th. Since then, he's received a lot of attention from Michigan, Colorado and both Washington schools. At 5-11 175lbs, he posted a 4.61 40, able to play with the strength to match up on the outside, or play inside on the slot. His junior year highlights are below.

Arizona currently has six commits for 2016, four of which are on offense. One of those four is Sean Riley, running back out of Narbonne, who has been recruiting Cooper himself to come join him in Tucson. Cooper plans to take a visit to Tucson soon, but isn't too sure when it'll happen.

He plans to keep his recruiting process open and has no timetable to commit, but as of now "[Arizona] is one of my top choices", said Cooper. "It's very tempting", when asked about his thoughts of playing in a Rich Rodriguez offense.

When it comes to the decision making process, Cooper will be keeping his eye on individual player statistics, team record, and coaching. In one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, and with three incoming 4-star quarterbacks, there's a lot to like about Arizona as a receiver.



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2015 NBA Mock Drafts: Where do the experts have the Arizona players going?

No one actually seems to know anything

As the NBA Draft draws nearer by the minute, here's a roundup of where the experts have the various Arizona players getting drafted on Thursday night.

Stanley Johnson

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Brandon Ashley

T.J. McConnell

  • Does not appear in any

So basically, no one has any idea where Stanley is going, Rondae will go somewhere between 18 and 25, and it's not likely that Ashley or McConnell have their names called. Soon enough, we'll have all the answers, and both Ashley and McConnell will likely sign up to play in the summer league with a team.



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Arizona basketball: The new locker room is insane

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Who is the best quarterback of the Rich Rodriguez era?

If you could pick one of the three starting quarterbacks in the Rich Rod era for one year, who would you pick?

This is the first time Rich Rodriguez will be returning a quarterback in his fourth year at Arizona. It started with Matt Scott in year one, with a transition to B.J. Denker, and now moving forward with Anu Solomon for the next couple of years.

But out of those three, who is the best quarterback? The easiest way to think about this would be to pick which quarterback you would want to have for one year, barring any injuries. Let's take a look at each of the starting quarterbacks in the Rich Rodriguez era.

Matt Scott

Scott was a pretty ballsy quarterback to say the least. He was fearless in the pocket, could take a hit, and wasn't afraid to sling it deep, giving his receiver and only the receiver a chance at the ball on the vertical routes. Bet Austin Hill misses those days. He wasn't the most mobile QB, but he had the brains to work his way through the pocket and move if he needed to extend the play.

Looking back, Arizona played a brutal schedule that season. No. 18 Oklahoma State, at No. 3 Oregon, No. 18 Oregon State, at No. 18 Stanford, No. 10 USC, at No. 25 UCLA, and then capped things off with the Territorial Cup Game. He wasn't a flashy quarterback that put up big numbers, but was fairly consistent all season long. He led the upset over No. 10 USC and finally got things together in the New Mexico Bowl vs. Nevada, but he never had that signature game where he took over.

Matt Scott threw for a total of 3,620 yards, with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also went on to add 506 yards on the ground with 6 touchdowns. He also completed 60% of his passes. His leading receivers were Austin Hill and Dan Buckner, with a huge drop off to David Richards and Garic Wharton.

B.J. Denker

I doubt anyone would actually pick B.J. Denker as the starting quarterback for the year, but let's try and make a case for it anyways.

The amount of head-scratching throws he made was far too many for a collegiate quarterback. But, for being an unranked quarterback and being told he'd never play Division I football, he made it. He beat out the competition and won the job.

He played a near flawless game against Oregon, going 19-22 for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and picked up 104 yards on the ground on 14 carries. But his worst performance just so happened to come at the end of the season, against Arizona State, in the most important game of the season. He went 15 for 30 for 175 yards, throwing a season-high three interceptions.

His speed definitely made up for some of the accuracy he didn't have, making Pac-12 defenses respect his mobility. But there were just too many times where he didn't give his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball.

Denker is the most mobile quarterback of the three, and he had another layer of versatility in the option game. He took advantage of his speed, accounting for 949 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. He competed 61% of his passes for 2,516 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He did have some talent around him with the freshman duo of Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant. Trey Griffey also started to emerge, and Terrence Miller provided the size and senior leadership for the group.

Anu Solomon

He led Arizona to a 10-win season and kept the Pac-12 in check as a redshirt freshman. However, he was hurt throughout the second half of the season, which definitely hindered his performance.

Like Scott, Solomon was fairly consistent, but he mixed in some elements of B.J. Denker that were not so welcome. He entered the scene against UNLV, where he threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns. It ended up not being such a big deal, as UNLV only went on to win two games in 2014. Of course, there's the Cal game, where he threw the infamous "Hill Mary" and totally took over the second half of that game. He also had a solid performance against Oregon, notching Arizona's second win vs. the Ducks in 10 months.

And then, he left a sour taste in our mouths with the Pac-12 Championship Game and Fiesta Bowl. The defense did all it could in the first half during the Pac-12 Championship Game before the floodgates opened. As for the Fiesta Bowl, there were just some bone-headed moves by Solomon that ultimately put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.

Solomon completed 58% of his passes for 3,793 yards, throwing 28 touchdowns with just 9 interceptions. His ground game wasn't nearly as good as the two previous quarterbacks, rushing for 291 yards and just two touchdowns. But, he undoubtedly had the best group of receivers, with new faces including Cayleb Jones and DaVonte' Neal, while returning Samajie Grant, Trey Griffey, Nate Phillips and David Richards, as well.

Verdict

Personally, I'll take Matt Scott. He played in a brutal schedule with not nearly as much talent surrounding him.  Yes, he did have Ka'Deem Carey behind him, but Matt Scott just had better accuracy, decision making, and command of the offense that made Arizona successful in year one of the Rich Rodriguez era. Let us know what you think in the comments below.



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2015 NBA Draft: Time, TV, streaming, viewing info and more

How to watch the NBA Draft

There are four Arizona Wildcats hoping to hear their names called at the 2015 NBA DraftTwo of them will be in New York City, with the other two holding on to hope that they'll be drafted before the night is over.

Here's how you can watch it:

Date: Thursday, June 25th

Time: 4 PM PT

TV: ESPN

Streaming: Watch ESPN

Mobile: Get the Watch ESPN App in the App Store or on Google Play

Draft Board

Draft Profiles

Stanley Johnson

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

T.J. McConnell

Brandon Ashley

For updates throughout draft night on where the Arizona players go, be sure to check out our StoryStream.

Good luck to all four guys, and hopefully they can all realize their dreams of playing in the NBA.



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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/24)

We're talking bas...ket...ballll

It's finally less than 48 hours until the NBA Draft, so there's a lot of basketball going on in Arizona land this week

Basketball

- Lewis finished up our draft profiles with a look at T.J. McConnell. Find the rest of our NBA Draft coverage here

- The NBA SB Nation sites did a mock draft. Stanley Johnson was taken 10th by the Sixers, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 20th by the Toronto Raptors

- You can generate your own (usually accurate) draft profile

Sports Illustrated profiled the one starter left from last year, Kaleb Tarczewski

Flashing back to the times of Mike Bibby with Zack Rosenblatt

- Andre Iguodala was on Jimmy Kimmel Live

- Nick Johnson is holding a basketball camp at Highland HS in Gilbert

- This could be the most successful draft in Arizona history...maybe

Football

- Gabe picks ten Arizona targets that have the best chance of making it to campus

- Tyler Slavin is on the Rams. Turf Show Times wonders if he'll make the final roster

- Arizona's run/pass ratio changed greatly from 2013 to 2014. Like, one of the biggest changes in the nation

Baseball

- 2016 RHP Nate Sweeney committed to Arizona

- Johnny Field went 1-for-5 in the Southern League All-Star Game

Other sports

Student athletes of the month were given out

- 13 Arizona athletes will compete at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Tucson news

- That guy who started a car chase shouldn't have been out of jail in the first place



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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Arizona football recruiting: 10 recruits Arizona has the best chance of landing

Some names you need to watch out for in the recruiting game

1. Josh Allen (defensive end)

Recently ranked the No. 1 junior college player out of California and No. 1 defensive end in the nation, Josh Allen had said in an exclusive interview with AZ Desert Swarm that Arizona is currently the leader in his recruitment process. Arizona State, Boise State and Washington State have been coming at him pretty hard, but he’s already set up an official visit to Tucson on July 18th. At 6-4 250lbs, Allen would be able to contribute immediately on the defensive line.

2. Michael Eletise (guard)

Arguably Arizona’s top recruiting prospect at the moment, Eletise has Arizona in his top 10 and has a strong chance at landing him. His sister currently attends GCU, so Arizona is an ideal location. It's important to note that Arizona State was not in his top 10, however he has started to receive some attention from them. There are quite a few others that are grabbing his attention, but if I had to pick based on what I know and have seen and heard from him, I’d say Arizona is at least in the top four for Eletise.

3. AJ Hotckins (linebacker)

One of the top junior college linebackers in the country, ranked No. 2 in the country, Hotchkins has been receiving a lot of attention from across the country. Easily one of my favorite recruits to have analyzed and watched film on. He’s like a Scooby Wright IV. I don't want to give him the high praise already, but he definitely has the OKG mentality and could be a perfect fit in the linebacker corps. He’s been picking up some steam in the Pac-12, now holding offers from five of the 12. But as for now, Arizona might just be the leader for Hotckins.

4. Matthew Gutwald (guard)

It’s down to Oregon and Arizona for Mr. Gutwald. He seemed to have a pretty good trip to Eugene this past weekend according to his Twitter, and he'll be coming to visit Tucson sometime in July. It’ll come down to early playing time and his relationship with the staff at Arizona, which is something he’ll be paying attention to this upcoming season. He has no timetable to commit, and is likely to wait until his season is over after he pulls in more offers. Oregon is a tough program to compete with when it comes to football recruiting. In this situation however, it might be best for Gutwald to come to a program that could really use his help sooner rather than later, instead of risking being drowned out by the top recruits of Oregon.

5. Jake Burton (defensive end)

At 6-6 250 lbs, this is the size on the defensive line that Arizona has been longing for in the Rich Rodriguez era. He’s been picking up quite a few offers, most recently Vanderbilt and Boise State. In an interview he told me that he has Arizona as one of his top choices and feels like he could fit into the defensive scheme perfectly. I would agree with Mr. Burton, simply because a commitment would be, quite literally, huge for the defensive line.

6. Jacob Colacion (linebacker)

Arizona is probably his biggest offer at the moment, however he has been receiving some attention from a few other schools. On the Twitter, he’s been pretty friendly on the retweets when it comes to Arizona. Boise State is probably the biggest threat to Arizona for Colacion, but if this were my crystal ball prediction, I’d put my money down on Arizona.

7. DeVaughn Cooper (receiver)

A good look at wide receiver here for 2016, possibly one of the few Arizona will really go after. His teammate at Norbonne High School is Sean Riley, who committed back in the spring and has been turning a lot of heads in the offseason. In an interview with Cooper, he told me that Michigan is also a school that’s really drawing his interest, as well as Colorado and both Washington schools. Arizona seems like it would be a dream school for a wide receiver, especially considering the depth in two years, when Grant, Griffey, Jones and Phillips will all be gone. In an offense that runs close to 90 plays per game, along with having four 4-star quarterbacks in the next two years (Anu Solomon, Khalil Tate, Devon Modster, and Braxton Burmeister), Arizona seems like a good fit. Michigan and Washington might be catching the eye of Cooper, but Arizona is still very well in the mix.

8. London Iakopo (safety)

Teammate of Josh Allen at Long Beach City College, the two have talked about playing together at Arizona already. Iakopo already had some interest in Arizona, and Allen's interest could definitely help him sway Iakopo to Tucson. Rich Rodriguez has been a fan of JUCO's on defense this year, giving us good reason to believe he'll land at least one. Iakopo is currently ranked No. 6 among all junior college products in California. If I had to guess now, I'd say London Iakopo to Arizona.

9. Chanse Sylvie (safety)

Former teammate of incoming freshmen Shun Brown and Orlando Bradford at Calvary Baptist, Chanse has already been hearing some recruiting pitches from his friends. At the safety spot, he would be in a pretty good position to see the field relatively early at Arizona. He has a few other offers to big time programs including Baylor, Ole Miss, TCU and Tennessee, but don’t count Arizona out just yet.

10. Byron Murphy (corner)

A while ago, it seemed as if Murphy was all about Arizona. But recently, he's picked up a lot of attention, which has led to offers. In the second semester, he picked up offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Florida State, Michigan and Texas, among others. He's ranked as the No. 8 corner in the nation, coming in at 5-11 160 lbs. He hails from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and would be a huge in-state get. Right now, it seems as if Arizona's window is closing, but there's still hope to land the precious 4-star corner that Arizona could pair up with Cam Denson.



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2015 Draft Prospect Profile: Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell

Can T.J. sneak into the second round? And if not, why are NBA GM's so bad at their jobs?

You love T.J. McConnell and I love T.J. McConnell. Coaches all over the country love T.J. McConnell and Sean Miller really, really loves T.J. McConnell. T.J. McConnell's parents love T.J. McConnell and my parents love T.J. McConnell. What I am getting at here is that virtually everyone that cares about basketball and has seen T.J. play loves him and would absolutely want him on their team. The only people that may disagree with that statement are unfortunately, the people who are about to decide how McConnell's basketball future plays out -- NBA Scouts and General Managers.

As I watched this year's NBA Finals, all I could think about while watching Matthew Dellavedova go off was: 'this is definitive proof that T.J. McConnell should be in the NBA'. Delly's biggest advantage over McConnell are those two extra inches of height that unfortunately can't be taught. However, they have many similarities in their game and I can't help but think McConnell is actually the superior player. The bulldog defense, the toughness, the willingness to sacrifice their body for their team, and the fairly ugly shot that goes in more than you would expect are all traits that clearly apply to both men. Much like the rest of Wildcat Nation, I'm just hoping T.J. gets a chance like Dellavedova did in the NBA.

Weaknesses

But there are a lot of knocks against McConnell as well. He's 23 years old, his wingspan is the same as his height (6'2), and neither of those are impressive for an NBA point guard. His vertical and his quickness are not elite, and he has not proven himself to be a reliable 3-point shooter. All of these may well be true, but McConnell is not in the running to be the next Stephen Curry. McConnell will never be an MVP candidate or potentially even an NBA starter, but those who have watched him play the past two seasons know that he can play with anyone and that your team is always better with him on the floor.

Strengths

He has harassed many NBA lottery picks like D'Angelo Russell into terrible games, and he has beautifully orchestrated offenses with his shot-making and play-making abilities against plenty of top teams. He has proven himself to be clutch, and he wants the ball in the big moment. Plus his leadership, decision-making, and basketball IQ are second to none in comparison to this draft class. In fact, his basketball IQ is so high that he is one of the rare point guards that is truly deserving of being described as a 'a coach on the floor'.

How does he project at the next level?

I know I am a big homer on this topic, but I think the NBA has evolved a great deal in the past few years, and all of the recent changes are going to be helpful for McConnell. The Warriors and the Spurs have taught the basketball world a lot in these past two seasons and the trends may be enough to give T.J. a legitimate shot to make an NBA roster.

The Warriors and the Spurs have shown that pure size doesn't always win. Going small in the NBA is fine now as long as you fill the floor with team-first players with high basketball IQs. T.J. McConnell is the epitome of a team-first player with a high basketball IQ.

The Warriors and Spurs have also shown that playing team defense, being smart on defense, and buying into a defensive system are all incredibly important. The days of being a pure one-way player are numbered and ending shortly. The guys that 5-10 years ago would have been drafted strictly because of their offensive prowess and explosive athletic ability may not be making rosters any more if they can't give maximum effort on defense and if they can't be extremely coachable. T.J. McConnell is the epitome of a guy who always tries on defense and is extremely coachable.

The Warriors and Spurs have both shown the importance of a good bench. With the grind of an 82-game season, it's important to not run your stars into the ground. Having deep and capable back-ups that know their role, and will happily sacrifice individual glory for the team and bring their absolute best effort every night is no longer a nice bonus, it's a necessity. T.J. McConnell is the epitome of a player that knows his role, will happily sacrifice individual glory for team success, and will always bring his absolute best effort every night.

I realize that McConnell not getting drafted does not mean he will never make it. McConnell is a guy who could really, really shine in a Summer League or training camp setting and if his name isn't called Thursday, I will not think this is the end of the line for his NBA career.

With that said, just like every other Arizona Wildcat fan, I will be rooting hard for T.J. to get picked in the Draft, and I hope at least one GM out there is smart enough to know that if you put the ball in T.J. McConnell's hands, good things will happen.

Collegiate accolades

Per ArizonaWildcats.com: Cousy Award finalist (2014, 2015), NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team (2015), First-team All-Pac-12 (2015), Second-team All-Pac-12 (2014), Pac-12 All-Defensive Team (2014, 2015), Pac-12 All-Tournament Team (2015), Third-team All-Atlantic 10 (2012), Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team (2012), Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year (2011)

Highlights



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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/23)

Yo what is Diddy doing?

Thank goodness Arizona doesn't have this problem....Diddy was arrested after allegedly attacking UCLA strength coach Sal Alosi. Jim Mora had to put out a statement, and this is going to be fun, because guys like 50 Cent are already all over this.

Anyways, here's actual Arizona news:

Basketball

- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson will both be at the NBA Draft on Thursday

Football

- Washington quarterback Cyler Miles will end his career due to a hip injury. That's unfortunate, and somehow not even close to the biggest story in the Pac-12 on Monday.

- AZ Central has a slideshow of the players from Arizona currently on the Wildcats' roster

Baseball

- Bobby Dalbec had another hit for Team USA in a losing effort against Chinese Taipei

Tucson news

- American Idol auditions are going down at TCC on Wednesday

- A person died in a crash with a Sun Tran bus

Anything you feel we missed? Let us know!



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Monday, June 22, 2015

2015 NBA Draft: Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson among 19 players that accept invites to attend

Pretty good news for Rondae here

19 players have decided to accept invites to attend the 2015 NBA Draft, and there will be two Arizona Wildcats in the green room in New York City.

Both Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will be at the draft on Thursday. They are two of just three Pac-12 players attending.

Here's a look at all 19 guys that have accepted invitations.

Devin Booker, Kentucky

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky

Sam Dekker, Wisconsin

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona

Stanley Johnson, Arizona

Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin

Kevon Looney, UCLA

Trey Lyles, Kentucky

Emmanuel Mudiay, Democratic Republic of Congo

Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Kelly Oubre, Jr. Kansas

Cameron Payne, Murray State

Bobby Portis, Arkansas

Kristaps Porzingis, Latvia

D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State

Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

Myles Turner, Texas

Justise Winslow, Duke

Since invites go out to prospects based on feedback from NBA scouts, this is a good sign for Rondae's draft chances, as it seems people within the game expect him to go in the top 20.

Three players declined invites to the draft. They are Delon Wright, Tyus Jones, and R.J. Hunter.

You can watch Rondae and Stanley find out their futures Thursday night on ESPN at 4 PM PT.



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Sonoran Hot Reads (6/22)

2014-15 college sports end this week :(

The last couple days of the 2014-15 college athletics season are upon us as the College World Series winds down with a Championship Series rematch between Virginia and Vanderbilt starting Monday night at 5 PM PT.

I'm telling you this because there wasn't a ton of Arizona news on Sunday

Football

- A small QB in Ruban Servin received an offer

Faitele Faafoi has been removed from the online roster

- Former running back commit Kendall Williams is heading to Iowa State

Basketball

What does your all-time Arizona roster look like?

Pacific Takes has a recruiting roundup

Zack Rosenblatt looks back at Sean Elliott. Also, Jason Terry

- Ricky O'Donnell talks all things USA U-19 team

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson worked out with the Kings

Baseball

- Bobby Dalbec homered in a 7-5 loss for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team

D1Baseball previews UVA/Vandy

Other sports

- The U.S. Open was nuts. Arizona alum Jim Furyk finished T-42nd at +7

Tucson news

- Nothing going on here when it's 100 degrees by 10:30 am



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Sunday, June 21, 2015

Sonoran Hot Reads (6/21)

Dog days of summer

In honor of Mathew Troupe announcing he's leaving Arizona, enjoy that picture of a dog in Dodgers gear as we officially reach the dog days of summer.

Basketball

- Gabe continued our draft profile series with his take on Brandon Ashley's future

- I tried to find out what everyone from the 2002-03 basketball team is up to now, and ran into some problems

DraftExpress has video of T.J. McConnell working out, where he also says he thinks he's going to go undrafted

- The ABA's Tucson Buckets held tryouts, and you too can tryout in July. This is not going to go well

Football

Super fan Andrew Valdez passed away

Baseball

- Johnny Field has this message about making his league's All-Star team

Other sports

- Swimmer Lacey Nymeyer-John sat down for a Q&A with Jon Gold

- Jim Furyk is T-47th at +7 in the U.S. Open

Tucson news

- The guy involved in the car chase and shooting has been identified

- You may want to avoid these two restaurants

Still really hot



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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Arizona baseball: Mathew Troupe transferring to Cal State Northridge

Arizona will lose another crucial member of the pitching staff.

Mathew Troupe, the closer of the 2012 National Championship Arizona team, will be finishing his college career at Cal State Northridge he told me on Saturday.

It's been a tough couple of years for Mathew Troupe, struggling with Tommy John Surgery recovery and then a shoulder injury this season. In total, he's pitched just a total of four innings the past two seasons, recording just one out in 2015.

In 2012 and 2013, Troupe recorded a total of 15 saves for Arizona while posting a 12-1 record. He led Arizona relievers with 44 strikeouts in the 2012 season.

He also was on the mound when Arizona clinched the National Championship, pitching the final 1 1/3 innings of the second game against South Carolina. He also earned the win in the 12-inning game against Florida earlier in that College World Series.

Troupe had several options this summer. Either stay at Arizona, take a job offer in Georgia, or this, which is transfer. And especially transfer to Cal State Northridge, as that's where he went to high school.

Hopefully Troupe will be able to find good health, regain the stuff he had in both 2012 and 2013, and find himself getting picked in the 2016 MLB Draft.

Thanks for everything Mat, and good luck at CSUN.



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Where are they now?: 2002-2003 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball

That old Anaheim curse was in full effect for this team

With Andre Iguodala winning the NBA Finals MVP this week, let's find out where some other guys that were on the 2002-03 team are now.

That team went 28-4 overall, falling in the Elite Eight to the Kansas Jayhawks by a score of 78-75. That game was played in Anaheim, which 100% explains why the one-seed Arizona team failed to reach the Final Four that season. Of course, Arizona was sort of fortunate to get that far in the first place, after taking two overtimes to down Gonzaga in the round of 32.

Jason Gardner was the only player to start every game that season, and led the team with 14.8 points per game. Iguodala played in all 32 games, but started just four of them.

Let's take a look at what the guys on that team are doing now:

Jason Gardner

Gardner is now the head basketball coach of the IUPUI Jaguars. This last season was his first as the head man at IUPUI, and led the team to a 10-21 overall record, 6-10 in the Summit League.

After that 2003 season, Gardner went undrafted, and ended up playing professionally overseas until 2011, when he entered the college coaching ranks as an assistant at Loyola.

Channing Frye

In 75 games played for the Orlando Magic this season, Frye averaged 7.3 points per game, while getting 24.9 minutes. His minutes were up from his career average, but his ppg, rpg and blocks were all down. His three-point percentage was slightly better though, as he hit on 39.3% of his long-range attempts.

Salim Stoudamire

Stoudamire has not played professionally anywhere since 2013, when he played for the Guaros de Lara in Venezuela. After getting picked in the 2005 Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Stoudamire played in the NBA for three years, then spent some time in the D-League.

Salim himself seems to be out of the news lately, but one of his cousins is becoming one of the top high school players in Oregon.

Rick Anderson

Luke Walton

Of course, Luke Walton is currently on the assistant coaching staff for the Golden State Warriors. This was his first year on an NBA bench, after spending part of the 2011 lockout on Josh Pastner's Memphis staff. Maybe he'll get a shot as a head coach in the NBA eventually, but he seems pretty content with being on Steve Kerr's staff for now.

Hassan Adams

It's never good when you get googled and the first thing that comes up is "What Went Wrong?". Hassan Adams played in three games for the Jobstreet.com Singapore Slingers in 2014, where he averaged 11 points in 19 minutes per games. He was then released on August 11th because he "struggled with his fitness and health once he began training with the team." Sounds about right.

Andre Iguodala

Even though he did not start a single game this year until Game Four of the NBA Finals, Iguodala averaged nearly 27 minutes per game in the regular season. His scoring (7.8 ppg) fell way off from his career total of 14 points per game, but in the playoffs, it came back up to 10.4 in the 21 postseason contests. It's possible that Andre could end up having the best post-Arizona career of anyone, and a Finals MVP only helps that case.

Isaiah Fox

I like the idea of Fox stealing a bagel and candy bar worth $2.58 from campus in 2003, and facing up to a $2,500 fine and six months of jail for it. He only ended up paying a $90 fine, but still. Fox did help Arizona's APR this year, after finishing his degree in 2013-14.

Chris Rodgers

Rodgers changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Awwel in 2013, and played on a Nogales team that season. The same Nogales team saw Kevin Parrom come through it this yearAccording to this, Parrom has moved on from that team.

It's interesting to see that players from one team are still playing at various levels, and are now coaching at various levels as well. A lot of different characters made up that team, but it was still a great one, even if it came up just shy of making the Final Four.



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