Arizona basketball: Sean Miller relying on newcomers for success

There are seven guys on this roster who we've never seen play before

Arizona will be without their top four scoring leaders from 2014-15, and will now need some new faces to step in and take on a bigger role. For the past two years, it was supposed to be "Arizona's year", falling short in the Elite 8 to the Wisconsin Badgers both times.

This year, the Arizona Wildcats can't be expected to win their second National Championship in program history, and that's largely due to the fact that there are so many new, unproven guys. You can say all you want about the guys, but the fact of the matter is that no one has ever seen these guys play in an Arizona jersey, so now, it's time to take a look at each of them.

Guys like Allonzo Trier, Kadeem Allen, Ryan Anderson, Mark Tollefsen, Justin Simon and Ray Smith can really play.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) July 21, 2015

Kadeem Allen

First there's Kadeem Allen, the Junior College Player of the Year back in 2014, who has received high praise from his teammates, as well as the media. Last season during the tournament, T.J. McConnell had said that Kadeem Allen was one of the toughest players to guard.

And that makes sense, as he's a true, volume shooter kind of guy, who averaged over 25 points a game back at Hutchinson Community College. His redshirt season last year might prove to be very valuable, having now two summers and an entire season to learn the Arizona way. He'll be able to play both the one and two guard spots, and we've heard many analysts and experts from across the nation say good things about him, so we'll see how he delivers in the Pac-12.

Allonzo Trier

Allonzo Trier was actually the highest-ranked recruit of this incoming freshman class, ranked 13th overall, and the No. 2 shooting guard in the country. He's another volume shooter that we don't know much about either. This is a guy who has been labeled as a late first round talent after one year at Arizona, but I can't see it happening.

Trier was one of the best scorers in high school, and dropping 30+ a night would not be uncommon. He's worked under Sean Miller before with the USA U18 National Team, and averaged just over 12 points per game in five contests, clinching the gold medal.

His numbers at Arizona will probably be very similar to that, but not any better. Sean Miller's system probably won't allow for him to control the ball that often, or get as many looks as he's used to. And if he starts getting reckless, or even lazy on defense, much like Stanley Johnson, Miller will have no problems in pulling him.

Justin Simon

Justin fell hard in the recruiting ranks throughout his senior year. Once a 5-star, top 25 recruit, he dropped down to 49th overall, losing a star rating in the process, but slowly climbed his way back to 34th in the nation.

He's a long guard, at 6-5 200lbs, and Sean Miller has said he's in the mix for the backup point guard role, with Parker Jackson-Cartwright having firm command as the starter. He's a crafty guard and will use his length in the paint on both offense and defense.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't imagine him having a huge role this season. With guys like Gabe York, Allonzo Trier, Kadeem Allen and Elliott Pitts crowding the backcourt, it wouldn't surprise me if Justin Simon takes a backseat.

Ray Smith

I'm not one to ever buy into hype, and Ray Smith has had a lot of hype surrounding him this offseason, but I think he is the real deal, and could be even better than Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He's over a year removed from his torn ACL and has come back even stronger in his recovery.

He's 6-8, and probably has a wingspan close to 7-0. He will be the defensive staple that Sean Miller will love to have, and his length and athleticism will help guide him to the rim for points. Depending on what the NBA scouts see, Ray Smith has a shot at being a one-and-done, and if you're an Arizona fan, you're hoping that's not the case.

Mark Tollefsen

It's crazy to think that this guy was a two-star recruit out of high school, with his only offer coming from the University of San Fransisco. Now, he'll end his collegiate career in Tucson, Arizona, with the hopes of making an impact and getting to the league. He's an athletic freak that will show just a hint of Aaron Gordon.

He got progressively better each year at USF, finishing his final season averaging 14 points and five rebounds. We've seen smaller conferences like the West Coast Conference bring out a lot of decent teams, which includes many of Arizona's non-conference regulars, as well as talented teams like BYU and Gonzaga highlighting the conference.

But the West Coast Conference is no Pac-12. With just a few months working with Sean Miller and learning the system, we'll see how he is utilized, and how he adjusts to the new-found competition.

Ryan Anderson

Another guy to receive high praise this offseason. He's had the benefit of being in the system for two summers and a season, sitting out for his one year after transferring from Boston College.

The word I have gotten out of Arizona is that BC transfer Ryan Anderson has looked as good as anyone. Also completely changed his body.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) October 12, 2015

In both seasons at Boston College, he averaged over 14 points and seven rebounds a game. He's someone who will remind us a lot of Brandon Ashley, showing off decent range to go with his length. Anderson was by far the only good thing Boston College had going for them, so obviously we can't expect him to replicate those numbers at Arizona, given the talent surrounding him.

He might be the most sure thing Arizona has in these new guys, because he's had success in an ultra-competitive ACC, and has been able to work with the team over the last 16 months or so.

Chance Comanche

Since his senior year of high school, to his arrival in Tucson, he's apparently grown two inches. Listed at 6-9 on all recruiting service websites, he's now listed at 6-11 on the official basketball roster.

Chance is a defensive-minded center, and could easily play power forward as well, which might be necessary given the depth at that position.

But with Kaleb Tarczewski and Dusan Ristic at the center position, and a combination of Ryan Anderson, Mark Tollefsen and Ray Smith at the four, it's not clear as to how much Comanche will really play, and might see just as much playing time as Craig Victor did in his first half-season.

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As for returners, it's a mixed bag. Gabe York has been severely under-appreciated, and his fearless shooting was exactly what Arizona needed last year.

And then you think of Zeus. Last year, he was frustrating to watch, and many would have said Dusan Ristic was better than him. But as soon as Rondae, Brandon Ashley and Stanley Johnson all decided to declare for the draft, and Kaleb announced he was staying, no one could have been happier to have Zeus back for another year, fearing the loss of all five starters.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright's size is definitely a concern, making him a defensive liability going up against bigger guards, and a scary option on offense as a shooter. But he's proved to be a crafty guard and can find his way to the bucket. You just wonder how he'll do in an extended role, considering he was only playing about seven minutes a game last season behind T.J. McConnell.

And then there's Elliott Pitts, and with this depth, his playing time might make a cut. But there's something Sean Miller obviously likes in him, as he had the confidence in playing him throughout the NCAA Tournament this past year and kept him in during crucial moments.

Expectations for this season are unclear, but this should be an exciting season, being able to watch these new guys become the face of Arizona for the next two or three years, and put Sean Miller on track to reaching his first Final Four.

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