Sonoran Hot Reads: Derrick Williams joins the Cleveland Cavaliers

Now there are three Wildcats in Cleveland

A few weeks ago, it appeared the Cleveland Cavaliers tried to add a third former Arizona Wildcat to the roster by proposing a trade for T.J. McConnell. Well, now they’ve accomplished creating an Arizona trio with Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson by adding Derrick Williams to the roster on a ten-day contract. He played 22 minutes in his debut, and his play offered a “glimmer of hope” as the team’s missing piece. It’s also the first time he’s been on a winning team:

"Since I've been in the NBA, I haven't been on a team with a winning record," Williams said. "This is my first day, but you can just feel the energy as soon as you step in the locker room. Everyone is ready to play. That's the championship mentality everyone has here."

- Someone who is playing winning basketball, T.J. McConnell, was called the clutchest player in the history of the NBA by Joel Embiid

- Allonzo Trier has moved all the way up to 19th on CBS Sports’ latest mock draft. Here’s a look at where he is on other sites

- This is a pretty interesting read on how Oregon has tried to get out from Arizona’s shadow. Unfortunately for them, they’re back in second after stumbling to the finish line against UCLA on Thursday

- Arizona will look to remain in first place with a win over Cal. Expect to see plenty of zone though even if Cal doesn’t usually do that

Football

- I can’t imagine that Aiulua Fanene gets drafted, but here is an interview that he did with the website NFL Draft Diamonds

- A lot of interesting advanced stats ranking comparisons came out this week. Arizona fell from 28th to 61st in offensive ranking, which was the 21st biggest drop in the country, but not as bad as UCLA or Stanford. Also, the Pac-12 South ranked 7th among divisions based on average S&P+ ranking

- Overall, the Pac-12 was the second-best conference in the recruiting rankings this year

- ESPN has Arizona’s non-conference schedule as the third-easiest among Pac-12 teams

- So, would you get more into football season if Samajie Grant and Nate Phillips were actually named co-WRs coaches for next year?

Baseball

- Arizona’s 2019 recruiting class ranks 18th on Perfect Game’s updated standings

- JuCo transfer Seve Romo has a long-lasting relationship with Arizona’s coaches even if this is just his first year in Tucson

Softball

- The Cats are out to a 2-0 start on the season thanks to a dominant performance from Danielle O’Toole on Thursday, and one by Taylor McQuillin on Friday. Be sure to follow Ryan for complete coverage from the Hillenbrand Invitational

Other sports

- Women’s tennis is now 6-0 after picking up a road win at San Diego. They’re back in action on Sunday at UC Santa Barbara

- Men’s tennis lost to Utah State 4-3. They’ll play Marquette and GCU on Sunday

- Gymnastics took down Cal for their first Pac-12 victory of the year

Tucson news

- Cars driving along I-10 had rocks thrown at them this past Monday

- A staff member at Catalina Foothills High School has resigned following the discovery of an inappropriate relationship with a student

- Oro Valley PD is looking for tips on a man that stole a purse out of a car

- It’s been very noisy around Davis-Monthan because of some training programs going on

Southwest state of mind. (photo: Instagram/kevinchristiana4) http://pic.twitter.com/E4lsKpdUcT

— JW Starr Pass (@JWStarrPass) February 9, 2017

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