Arizona basketball: Nick Johnson to play for the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA Summer League

Arizona football recruiting: Darrius Smith verbally commits to the Wildcats

The Texas running back is UA’s sixth commitment in the 2018 class

The Arizona Wildcats have landed their second commitment of the week, reeling in running back Darrius Smith of Dawson High School (Pearson, Texas) on Friday.

#BearDown ⬇️ http://pic.twitter.com/Y7udyFtnMf

— ² (@1DarriusSmith) June 30, 2017

Smith checks in at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, and held offers to Alabama A&M, Howard and Texas Southern. Other schools showing interest included Baylor, Houston, Navy and Washington.

Smith is unranked in 247Sports’ database.

As a junior, he tallied 2,150 all-purpose yards and scored 20 touchdowns, earning District Offensive MVP honors. Smith runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, benches 275 pounds, and squats 405 pounds.

The staff has been making an effort to dig into Texas and it appears to slowly be gaining momentum there in this 2018 class. This is Arizona’s sixth commitment of the class and third on offense.

You can watch Smith’s junior year highlights below:

On Tuesday, Arizona landed junior college offensive lineman Maisen Knight. The 6-foot-5, 300 pound lineman expects to be eligible to play in the 2017 season.

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Arizona basketball: Gabe York to join Lakers for Las Vegas Summer League

College basketball recruiting: 2018 4-star forward Taeshon Cherry commits to USC over Arizona, others

It’s USC’s highest-ranked commit since DeMar DeRozan

Taeshon Cherry is taking his talents to the Pac-12, but he won’t be suiting up for the Arizona Wildcats.

The 2018 four-star forward committed to the USC Trojans on Friday.

Cherry is the No. 39 player in his class and the No. 6 player in California, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings. ESPN ranks Cherry 20th in its recruiting rankings, which means he is USC’s highest-ranked commit since DeMar DeRozan in 2008.

The San Diego, Calif. native picked USC over Arizona, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Oregon and Texas A&M.

Cherry is a huge get for USC, which is starting to establish itself as one of the top programs in the Pac-12.

The Trojans, who finished 26-10 and reached the Round of 32 last season, return their top eight scorers in 2017-18 plus add Duke transfer point guard Derryck Thornton and the 24th-ranked recruiting class to the mix, making them arguably the best or second-best team behind Arizona in the Pac-12.

And with Cherry in the fold for 2018-19, USC may be able to stick around as a Pac-12 title contender for years to come, which is good news for a conference that has been uninspiring in recent seasons.

USC’s 2018 recruiting class is now ranked eighth in the country. Aside from Cherry, the Trojans have a commitment from four-star forward J’Raan Brooks, who is the No. 95 player in the class.

Arizona’s 2018 recruiting class is ranked third.

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Arizona football: Projecting the Wildcats’ 2017 offensive depth chart

Arizona basketball: Brandon Ashley to play for Dallas Mavericks in 2017 Orlando Summer League

Taco Shop Co. named best 24-hour restaurant in Arizona by Cosmopolitan

Some delicious late night grub

As the downtown and Fourth Ave. areas in Tucson continue to evolve and modernize, there’s one mainstay of the Tucson nightlife that has survived unscathed.

That’s Taco Shop Co. on Broadway and Highland.

Anyone who has ever gone to The University of Arizona has surely been to Taco Shop at least once in their Tucson tenure. Whether it’s at 6 in the evening or 3 in the morning, Taco Shop is always there.

And it’s always there because it’s so great. Now it has been recognized for its greatness by a major magazine.

Cosmopolitan recently put out its top 24-hour restaurants in each state, and the representative for Arizona is none other than Taco Shop Co.

“If you’re trying to track down Tex-Mex eats, this is the place to be. Plates are piles with tacos, burritos and fresh toppings, which are best washed down with a glass of sweet horchata.”

This is a well deserved honor for Taco Shop. It will always be the best place to get fast Mexican food.

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Arizona basketball recruiting: Wildcats offer 2018 center Bryan Penn-Johnson

Penn-Johnson has a 7-foot-7 wingspan and is quickly rising in the rankings

After showcasing his talent this summer, Bryan Penn-Johnson has received an offer from the Arizona Wildcats.

The 7-footer is the No. 98 player in the 2018 class, per Scout.com, and the No. 10 center in his class. 247Sports lists him as the No. 38 player.

Penn-Johnson hasn’t played much basketball due to injuries and transfer rules, but he is finally getting an opportunity to make a name for himself and is “perhaps (the) biggest stocker raiser of (the) summer,” according to Jerry Meyer of 247Sports.

The Nevada native has a 7-foot-7 wingspan and a 9-foot-7 standing reach (he can touch the rim without jumping), and his length and ability to impact the game defensively have made him a hot commodity on the recruiting trail.

Perhaps biggest stock raiser of summer Bryan Penn-Johnson offered by Arizona. No. 38 in Top247. https://t.co/hLevf5Y8bb https://t.co/KpTcYPkCwA

— Jerry Meyer (@jerrymeyer247) June 27, 2017

Penn-Johnson will be transferring to Wasatch Academy in Utah (the same school as Emmanuel Akot) for his senior season and is described as “long and athletic and can run” by Wasatch head coach Curtis Condie.

“It’s exciting for Bryan to get an offer from Arizona,” Condie said. “He has quite a few offers from the Pac-12 and has an SEC offer from LSU.”

Those Pac-12 offers include Utah, Washington, and California.

"Washington and Utah. I hear from them every day," Penn-Johnson told 247Sports prior to the Arizona offer. “Saint Mary's has been in touch lately. Santa Clara talks with me. That's about it. I have 12 offers, but those other schools aren't talking with me."

A couple weeks back, Penn-Johnson participated in the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp and Condie raved about his play.

“He was one of the leaders in shot blocks in the camp and his athletic ability and size and length really helps with that,” the Wasatch Academy coach said. “He has really good timing when it comes to blocking shots. He is working more and more on his offensive skill.”

Condie said he will be using Penn-Johnson in an array of ways including post-ups and pick-and-rolls — though he expects most opposing teams will play zone against them, something Penn-Johnson would likely see at Arizona as well.

With the pipeline Miller has built with Condie through Akot’s recruitment, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Arizona staff work to get the big man on campus for an official once the weather cools down a bit.

Below you can see Penn-Johnson’s interview after the Pangos All-American Camp, plus a highlight video:

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Arizona basketball: Kyle Fogg to sign with Guangzhou Long-Lions for $2 million per year, per report

Pac-12 announces men’s basketball conference schedule pairings

Arizona doesn’t travel to Los Angeles and doesn’t host the Washington schools

Ever since the Pac-10 expanded to the Pac-12, there’s always been something disappointing with the Arizona Wildcats’ conference schedule.

This year is definitely no different.

Arizona will not travel to Los Angeles to face the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins this year, and will also not host the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars.

Here’s a look at the rough weekend pairings that the Wildcats will have this coming year:

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Week of Dec. 27-31

Arizona State at Arizona

Week of Jan. 3-7

Arizona/Arizona State at Colorado/Utah

Week of Jan. 10-14

Oregon/Oregon State at Arizona/Arizona State

Week of Jan. 17-21

Arizona/Arizona State at California/Stanford

Week of Jan. 24-28

Colorado/Utah at Arizona/Arizona State

Week of Jan. 31-Feb. 4

Arizona/Arizona State at Washington/Washington State

Week of Feb. 7-11

UCLA/USC at Arizona/Arizona State

Week of Feb. 14-18

Arizona at Arizona State

Week of Feb. 21-25

Arizona/Arizona State at Oregon/Oregon State

Week of Feb. 28-March 3

California/Stanford at Arizona/Arizona State

March 7-10

Pac-12 Tournament (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)

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Arizona not traveling to L.A. is bad for the game of college basketball, seeing as that U of A and UCLA should be playing at least twice a year. It’s the best basketball rivalry in the west, and the Pac-12 is ruining it.

Also, don’t you want Sean Miller back in Pauley after that late timeout in the Pac-12 Tournament last year?

It’s also bad for Arizona’s level of competition. It’s likely that USC and UCLA are the two best teams not named Arizona in the conference next year, so the Wildcats miss out on a couple of road tests.

On the flip side, Washington not traveling to Tucson ruins the Lorenzo Romar narrative, but at least he’ll be traveling to Seattle. Missing out on that grouping at home isn’t such a big deal since the UW/WSU combo is usually the weakest in the Pac-12.

This will also be the third time in the last four years that Arizona opens conference play against ASU. The last time it happened in Tucson, Arizona won 73-49.

You can find the entirety of the Pac-12’s weekly pairings here.

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Arizona basketball: Archie Miller to earn higher salary than Sean Miller at Indiana

This doesn’t seem fair

Despite being a head coach for seven years fewer than his older brother, Archie Miller is set to make substantially more than Sean Miller at his new gig with the Indiana Hoosiers.

According to the Indy Star, Archie’s contract at IU, which runs through March 2024, is worth up to $24 million and will pay him an average of $3.35 million per year and could pass the $4 million mark after incentives.

Sean’s contract at Arizona, which was extended in February, currently pays him about $2.6 million and is set to increase to at least $2.9 million by 2020.

The discrepancy makes sense when you consider that Indiana’s athletic department hauled in approximately $95 million in revenue in 2016, while Arizona reeled in $81 million, hence giving the Hoosiers more capital to spend on their coaches.

In total, Archie is the eighth-highest paid coach in college basketball among those that reached the NCAA Tournament last year, per USA Today.

While Sean is the highest paid public employee in the state of Arizona, it’s clear that he could make more money elsewhere, which is why some fear he could leave Tucson eventually.

However, Sean was not interested in the Ohio State job this offseason, and its new coach, Chris Holtmann, makes more than Sean now too, so money evidently isn’t his No. 1 priority.

New Arizona president Robert C. Robbins also said OSU would have to get Sean over “his dead body,” so the UA head coach shouldn’t have too much trouble getting raises in the future.

Still, it must feel odd that Archie — who was an assistant coach under Sean at Arizona for a few years before leaving for Dayton — is now the higher paid coach.

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Arizona basketball recruiting: Shareef O’Neal creating his own path

No need to follow in Shaq’s large footsteps

The son of Hall of Fame big man, and arguably the most dominant big man in NBA history Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef O’Neal has decided he's not going to follow in his father’s footsteps and attend LSU. He has instead committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats starting in 2018.

Shareef, one of the most coveted prospects in the 2018 class, has continued to rise up the class rankings, jumping into the top-20 and earning a five-star rating, according to ESPN.

Shareef is 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds with terrific basketball length, and although he isn't nearly as big as his father, he possesses some of the same strengths we now remember Shaq for.

Shareef is a terrific athlete who has a huge motor and likes to get up and down the court. He is your typical NBA stretch four — athletic enough to take big men off the dribble and explode to the rim, but also capable of stepping outside and knocking down the 3-ball.

At 17 years old, he is still growing as a player as well. In fact, his own dad has already said that his son is way better than he was at that age.

This season, playing for Crossroads School in California, Shareef posted great numbers averaging 14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. With loads of potential, it's not hard to see why so many people have taken notice of him.

Whether it's playing AAU basketball for the Cal Supremes, posting insane numbers along with Bol Bol (who also might be interested in Arizona), or playing basketball with the rap star Quavo from Migos, this kid sure has game and is going to be a pleasant addition to Arizona’s basketball team in 2018.

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Arizona basketball: Chance Comanche still ‘evaluating offers’, isn’t currently on Memphis Grizzlies’ NBA Summer League roster

The former Arizona Wildcat is still looking for a place to begin his pro career

After going unselected in the 2017 NBA Draft last Thursday, Chance Comanche is still looking for a place to begin his professional career.

Comanche’s mother told the Arizona Daily Star that the former Arizona Wildcats big man is “still evaluating offers.”

Earlier in the week, Comanche posted a picture of Memphis Grizzlies gear on his Snapchat, but Ari Alexander of KVOA reports that Comanche is not currently listed on Memphis’ Las Vegas Summer League roster, which will be released to the public soon.

“I'm not sure if he won't (be), but as of right now he isn't,” tweeted Alexander, who used to cover the Grizzlies for WMC-TV in Tennessee. “Basically, no mention of him on any current roster given to team PR.”

It would be surprising if Comanche were unable to land on an NBA Summer League roster, but time is running out.

Orlando Summer League, which features eight NBA teams, begins July 1. Utah Summer League, which features four NBA teams, begins July 3, and Las Vegas Summer League, which features 24 teams, begins July 7.

Summer League is a crucial showcase for undrafted free agents, because it can help them earn an invite to NBA training camp and/or lucrative offers from international teams, who monitor the event closely.

Gabe York, for instance, signed in Italy after playing with the Charlotte Hornets in Summer League last year.

Comanche may simply be searching for the right Summer League team to join, one that will provide an ample amount of playing time.

The 6-foot-11 big man shockingly left the Arizona Wildcats after two seasons, forgoing his final two years of eligibility, and even though he has the physical tools to play in the NBA, he lacks a considerable amount of polish.

Thus, Comanche has been criticized for entering the NBA Draft in the first place, but he would have been behind Dusan Ristic and DeAndre Ayton on the Wildcats’ depth chart in the 2017-18 season, plus he had academic issues, as he was suspended indefinitely in November for a “lack of academic responsibility.”

Ultimately, that suspension forced him to miss an exhibition game.

“As a member of our basketball program, you are a student and an athlete, and you are expected to do the best of your ability in both areas,” head coach Sean Miller said in a statement at the time. “It is not an option to compete and be held accountable on the court but not in the classroom.”

Comanche averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in his sophomore season after playing just 6.0 minutes per game as a freshman.

The Beverly Hills, Calif. native was a four-star recruit in 2015.

Former teammate — and fellow undrafted free agent — Kobi Simmons has signed with the Memphis Grizzlies and will be with the team for Las Vegas Summer League.

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Arizona basketball: Jud Buechler to coach Lakers in NBA Summer League; LA officially hires Miles Simon

The Lakers are loaded with former Arizona Wildcats

With Luke Walton as their head coach and Miles Simon, Jud Buechler, and Jesse Mermuys on staff as assistant coaches, the Los Angeles Lakers have become a haven for University of Arizona graduates.

Their Summer League team is no exception.

Buechler, who L.A. hired last summer, will be coaching the Lakers in Las Vegas Summer League, according to Mark Medina of the Southern California News Group.

After playing at the University of Arizona from 1986-1990 under Lute Olson, Buechler spent 12 seasons in the NBA and is most notable for winning three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

However, he is entering just his second year as a coach at a major level.

L.A. is expected to have one of the better rosters in Las Vegas, headlined by former UCLA Bruin Lonzo Ball and former Duke Blue Devil Brandon Ingram, who were both No. 2 overall picks.

The Lakers also have former Utah Ute Kyle Kuzma, who they selected late in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, and former Villanova star Josh Hart.

They begin Summer League play against the LA Clippers on July 7 at 5:30 p.m. PT, and will square off against Kadeem Allen and the Boston Celtics on Saturday, July 8 at 5:30 p.m. PST.

Both games will be televised on ESPN.

Lakers officially hire Miles Simon

In May, it was reported that Miles Simon would be joining Luke Walton’s coaching staff in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, the Lakers officially announced the hire.

“I'm so thankful and blessed to be able to have this opportunity to work for such a great franchise like the Lakers,” Simon tweeted.

I'm so thankful and blessed to be able to have this opportunity to work for such a great franchise like the @lakers #LakeShow https://t.co/aCS4do64ss

— Miles Simon (@milessimon) June 27, 2017

Here’s the press release in its entirety:

EL SEGUNDO - The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Miles Simon as an assistant coach, it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Simon joins Luke Walton’s staff after serving as a prep coach with USA Basketball. Most recently, Simon served as head coach of the 2017 USA Junior National Select Team for the Nike Hoops Summit, leading the USA to a victory over the World Select Team. Simon won gold medals as an assistant for the 2016 USA Men’s U17 World Championship Team, as well as the 2015 USA Men’s U16 National Team. In addition to his work with USA Basketball, Simon has spent each of the last nine NBA off-season’s working in a player development role with some of the league’s top talent and served as the Director of the Nike Basketball Academy last summer. Simon has also worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

The Arizona alumnus was the 1997 NCAA Tournament MOP after leading the Wildcats to a National Championship as a junior. Upon graduation, Simon played one season for the Orlando Magic (1998-99), before spending time playing oversees and in the CBA. At the conclusion of his playing career, Simon spent three seasons (2005-08) as an assistant coach at Arizona on Lute Olson’s staff.

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Arizona baseball: Scott Kingery off to strong start in Triple-A

Still slugging the ball around even at a higher level

Former Arizona Wildcats outfielder and second baseman Scott Kingery has been slugging the ball all year in Double-A, and on the second anniversary of his first professional game, was promoted to the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

His first two games for the squad have been incredible.

In his debut, he picked up his first hit at the highest level of Minor League Baseball, and also made a spectacular catch at second base.

He does from the dish, and he does it in the field...in other words @ScottyJetpax25 does it all, welcome to the Valley! http://pic.twitter.com/v8pA1TrKl7

— Whiz Kids (@IronPigs) June 27, 2017

That was his first at-bat and first ball hit in his direction with Lehigh Valley.

But wait! That’s not enough!

In his second game, Kingery regained his rightful place atop MiLB’s home run charts with not one, but two long balls on Tuesday.

We think @ScottyJetpax25 is gonna do just fine here in the Valley. He launches his first career Triple-A HR to lead things off tonight. http://pic.twitter.com/0Zg1W3dsW2

— Whiz Kids (@IronPigs) June 28, 2017

Scotty so nice, he homers twice! @ScottyJetpax25 launches his 2nd homer of the game, a 2-run shot to left. #AllHailTheKing http://pic.twitter.com/AngJW6KEwC

— Whiz Kids (@IronPigs) June 28, 2017

“Obviously I was just trying to get a hit or at least a couple,” Kingery said after the multi-homer game. “It’s funny because I was talking to people yesterday and said ‘Hey maybe I’m turning back into a singles hitter’ cuz I didn’t have any home runs the past ten or so games.”

#Phillies 2B prospect Scott Kingery talks about his 2 HR night in his second game for the #IronPigs. http://pic.twitter.com/mk8RYHFsk0

— Marc Narducci (@sjnard) June 28, 2017

It seems like a sure thing that Kingery will be a September call up at the least for this team. His problem is that the Phillies have a good second baseman in Cesar Hernandez right now, though he’s currently on the DL with an oblique injury. Howie Kendrick is also on the team and can be used at second base as well as in the outfield.

Either way, Kingery is making some serious noise and could be on the fast track to the big leagues.

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Arizona football: Ranking the Wildcats’ new uniform combos

Arizona football: Rich Rodriguez ranked 38th best college coach by Athlon

One spot behind Toddy G.

Despite being on the hot seat, Rich Rodriguez has not made his way very far down the list of best coaches in the game.

Athlon Sports recently put out a list ranking every single coach in FBS, and the Arizona Wildcats’ head man checks in at No. 38.

Unfortunately, that puts him one spot behind ASU’s Todd Graham.

Here’s what Athlon had to say about Rodriguez:

Arizona is just two years removed from the Pac-12 South title, but there is building pressure on Rodriguez. The Wildcats were hit hard by injuries and struggled to find the right pieces for a new defense last season, finishing with a 3-9 record and just one win in league play. The losing mark was Arizona’s first under Rodriguez, but the program is just 10-15 since winning the South title. Adding to the growing pressure for 2017 is a new athletic director. Through five years, Rodriguez is 36-29 with four bowl trips in Tucson. Prior to Arizona, Rodriguez was dismissed after a 15-22 record at Michigan but had a successful run at West Virginia (2001-07).

Despite being behind Graham, Rodriguez is actually ranked in front of a couple prominent coaches in the conference. USC’s Clay Helton checks in at No. 47 and UCLA’s Jim Mora is 74th. In addition, Cal’s Justin Wilcox 113th.

Houston and UTEP’s Major Applewhite and Sean Kugler are 117th and 118th, respectively. Arizona plays both of them in non-conference games this coming season.

Even though Rodriguez is ranked as the 38th best coach, Athlon has Arizona as the 66th best team in FBS this year. That’s right behind Oregon State, and directly in front of Appalachian State. The only Pac-12 team ranked below Arizona is Cal (76th).

It is interesting to see that Rodriguez is still pretty well thought of in regards to coaches, but the team is a different story. We’ll see what the Pac-12 ends up resembling more.

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Arizona women’s basketball: Washington transfer Aarion McDonald to bring diverse skill set and leadership to Wildcats

McDonald was mentored by Kelsey Plum at Washington

Aarion McDonald was watching closely as the Arizona Wildcats battled the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Tournament last March.

And not just because her team, the Washington Huskies, would be facing the winner in the quarterfinals — she was intrigued by what she saw from Adia Barnes’ Wildcats.

“They gave Oregon a run for their money and I was like OK, they’re competitive. They don’t want to lose,” McDonald said. “It was great to see Adia’s players work hard and want to win.”

The 11th-seeded Wildcats wound up losing a close game to the 6th-seeded Ducks, but Arizona won in a different way — three months later, McDonald would be one of “Adia’s players.”

The freshman point guard transferred to Arizona in June.

“No disrespect to Washington,” McDonald said, “but this campus is better.”

McDonald said she had thoughts about transferring after her freshman season concluded, and knew it was “time to go” when UW head coach Mike Neighbors left for Arkansas in April.

Arizona, though Pac-12 rivals with Washington, was a natural fit for McDonald because of her relationship with Barnes.

Prior to becoming UA’s head coach, Barnes was an assistant coach at Washington and helped recruit McDonald to UW out of Fresno, Calif.

The thought of playing under Barnes — and staying in the Pac-12 conference — was something McDonald couldn’t pass up.

“I want to play in the top conference and (the) competition,” she said.

The best part about playing for Barnes, McDonald said, is the freedom she offers her players. Barnes plans to give the 5-foot-7 point guard free reign in UA’s uptempo offense.

“The type of offense we run, I think she’s going to be great,” Barnes said. “She’s got experience and she’s smart, so who wouldn’t give a player like Aari freedom? She’s going to have freedom to play her game. I’m not going to pigeon-hole her in one thing. She’s going to be really valuable for us.”

McDonald’s game is characterized by dazzling speed and lockdown defensive ability, and she proved to be a dangerous scoring threat at Washington, too, as she was UW’s third-leading scorer, averaging just north of 9.0 points per game.

“I would say fast,” McDonald described her playing style.

Barnes interjected, “She is really fast. That’s an understatement.”

McDonald continued, “I have great defense and I might be small, but I love to rebound with the bigs.”

NCAA transfer rules will force McDonald to sit out the 2017-18 season before having three years of eligibility starting in 2018-19, and she plans to use the year off to help mentor Arizona’s five freshmen and develop her game.

Eventually, she hopes to help put Arizona women’s basketball on the map. The Wildcats, entering Barnes’ second season, have not had a winning season since 2010-11.

“Just working on my vocal skills, and my shot, and my all-around game,” McDonald said. “I also want to help the freshmen. Just let them know that you gotta play hard, you gotta be vocal. That’s what’s important on the court.”

It’s a lesson McDonald learned from none other than Kelsey Plum, who she shared a backcourt with at Washington.

Plum, most known for being women’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, gave simple, yet resonating advice to McDonald.

“Don’t fear anyone and work hard,” Plum told her.

McDonald heeded the advice and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.

“Just watching Kelsey, it was so inspiring,” McDonald said shortly after arriving in Tucson. “She took me under her wing and just seeing her work hard — she’s in the gym early mornings and is the last one to leave — it’s inspiring and it definitely rubbed off on me.

“That’s definitely what I’m going to carry over here.”

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Arizona football: Wildcats’ new uniforms draw mixed reactions

Arizona football: Wildcats unveil new uniforms

Arizona football recruiting: Junior college offensive lineman Maisen Knight verbally commits to Wildcats

Some help up front

If there’s one position group the Arizona Wildcats need to replenish it’s offensive line, and they’ve at least done some of that by landing a verbal commitment from junior college offensive tackle Maisen Knight.

“Blessed to announce that I have committed to play football at the University of Arizona! #BearDown” Knight tweeted out on Tuesday.

Knight was on a visit to Tucson this past weekend after being offered by the Wildcat coaching staff on June 20th.

Maisen Knight @MaisenKnight of Ventura JuCo @VCPirateFB @ArizonaFBall Official visit @CoachMoose http://pic.twitter.com/ZG1aMqcqOt

— JuCo Football Forer (@JuCoFootballACE) June 23, 2017

Knight is listed at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, but is also currently attending Ventura College. He attended high school at Judge Memorial Catholic in Salt Lake City.

Here are his highlights from his first year of junior college play. At this point, it is unclear if he’s joining this year’s team, or will not be on campus until 2018. If you go by what Chris Singletary tweeted, Knight will be in Tucson this coming season. If you go by Knight’s profile on Scout, he will not join Arizona until after 2017.

Arizona’s current offensive line has just 12 total players, so any help this year is certainly welcome.

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Arizona basketball recruiting: 5-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly has ‘great visit’ to Tucson

He’s also a big fan of Baja Café

Last weekend was the hottest weekend of the year in southern Arizona, but that didn’t prevent five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly from taking an official visit to the University of Arizona — or from having a good time.

In his USA Today blog, Quinerly wrote he had “a great visit” and spent a lot of time hanging out with Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier.

“They welcomed me there as if I was family,” Quinerly said of Alkins and Trier. “They were mad cool and gave me the real about how it is there and what Coach Sean Miller wants to accomplish.”

After letting the players talk up the Arizona program, Miller did his part.

“Coach Miller and his staff gave me a great view of the system there and a great presentation,” Quinerly wrote.

Quinerly, the No. 5 point guard in the 2018 class, added that he was able to meet the entire coaching staff and had fun touring the campus.

But the highlight of the trip for him?

The food.

Of course we ate really well on the visit, but the best thing we had was Baja Café, they probably had the best pancakes I’ve ever had. I had a snickerdoodle with cinnamon sugar and frosting on the pancake.

Oh man that was sooooo good!

They took us to where to (sic) players eat lunch every day and there’s so much to choose from. They have seven different types of fish, strip steak, filet mignon, everything that you can imagine.

Quinerly doesn’t have any more visits lined up yet, though he said he’s working on it.

I’ve heard Miller is pushing hard to get a commitment from the five-star guard before any more visits occur.

Since Quinerly’s visit to Tucson, six Crystal Ball predictions project he’ll join the Arizona Wildcats.

His commitment would give the Wildcats three commits in their 2018 class and two five-star point guards — something Arizona has never had before.

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Arizona football: Rich Rodriguez one of 10 coaches ‘under most pressure to win in 2017’

The pressure on Rich Rod isn’t just coming out of Tucson anymore

The 2017 season could be a make-or-break year for Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez.

After winning the Pac-12 South and reaching the Fiesta Bowl in 2014, Arizona football has experienced a significant downturn, posting a 7-6 record in 2015, and then a dismal 3-9 record in 2016, including a 1-8 Pac-12 record.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s recruiting efforts haven’t generated much optimism that the program will recover — the Wildcats’ 2016 and 2017 classes were both ranked ninth in the Pac-12, not to mention many of Rodriguez’s top recruits have left the program or have not developed as planned.

Arizona isn’t expected to have much success in the 2017 season, either, so as SB Nation’s Bill Connelly put it, the Wildcats are “checking every box on the Program Collapse Checklist.”

For those reasons, Sports Illustrated pegs Rodriguez as one of 10 coaches “under most pressure to win in 2017.”

Here’s what SI’s Joan Niesen wrote:

“It’s year six for Rodriguez at Arizona, and after he quickly built the program back up in 2012–14, things have taken a downturn the past two years. The Wildcats peaked in 2014, going 10–4 and 7–2 in conference play and winning the Pac-12 South. Since then, they’ve won a total of 10 games. A three-win season like the one they had in 2016 simply won’t cut it, and it doesn’t help that the athletic director who hired Rodriguez, Greg Byrne, left Arizona earlier this year for Alabama.

“Rodriguez has a $9 million buyout clause after this season, which is a relatively steep price for a program like Arizona. Still should the Wildcats repeat their one-win mark in Pac-12 play or only marginally improve upon it, it’s easy to see Rodriguez being let go. And with a tough schedule coming—one of Arizona’s three non-conference games is against Houston, and the Pac-12 slate won’t yield any sure wins—the situation don’t look too rosy in Tucson.”

As Niesen pointed out, Greg Byrne’s departure to Alabama could play a significant factor in Rodriguez’s future. New Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke has no ties to Rodriguez, and will likely be more willing to make a coaching change than Byrne was.

Rodriguez’s $9 million buyout could be an obstacle, but seeing how vital UA’s football program is for generating revenue, sitting back and watching its demise continue could prove to be more costly than forking over the cash to let Rodriguez go.

Rodriguez holds a 39-38 record in five seasons at Arizona, but just a 19-26 Pac-12 record.

The numbers project Arizona will finish 6-6 in 2017, but would that be enough to save Rodriguez’s job? That’s the $9 million question.

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The entire list of coaches on the hot seat

Here is Sports Illustrated’s list of coaches on the hot seat in its entirety. ASU’s Todd Graham and UCLA’s Jim Mora made the cut along with Rodriguez:

1. Huge Freeze, Ole Miss
2. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame*
3. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
4. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
5. Todd Graham, Arizona State
6. Jim Mora, UCLA
7. Dave Doeren, NC State
8. Butch Jones, Tennessee*
9. Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
10. Doc Holliday, Marshall

*hired by Heeke in the past

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Arizona football recruiting SitRep: Wildcats attacking offensive line depth issue

Jim Michalczik was busy this past week

It was another busy week for the Arizona Wildcats. Summer camps are coming to an end with a small dead period beginning on Monday and ending July 9th. That meant plenty of offers going out to open lines of communication with recruits.

Let’s get to it in this week’s SitRep.

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Armani Adams

Adams became, at the time, Arizona’s sixth commitment of the 2018 class when he gave his verbal pledge. That was until Adam Plant reopened his recruitment, dropping the total number back down to five.

We caught up with him and he stated that his relationship with Arizona’s coaching staff, specifically his future position coach Jahmile Addae, is the reason why he chose U of A. He has not yet visited Tucson but is excited to visit in late July. He also likes the idea of playing under Rich Rodriguez and is excited to experience a new place in the west.

Full Interview

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AIGA Foundation and the Polynesian Showcase

Arizona has a long history of Polynesian players in Arizona Stadium. From the Desert Swarm era to the present, Polynesians have called Tucson their home. The Wildcats haven’t had as much success recently in recruiting Poly players but that is not stopping them.

They worked with the AIGA Foundation (a non-profit organization) and former Desert Swarm quarterback George Malauulu to host a camp at the beginning of June. The Foundation helps players of Polynesian descent gain recognition and earn offers.

The camp went well with players showing up from Hawaii to New Jersey. It is a step in the right direction for the ‘Cats and the Foundation is already committed to host the camp in Tucson again next year.

Full Article/Interview

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Recruiting Notes

• Arizona made the Top 10 for Jemaurian Jones, 3-star cornerback from Brookhaven High School (Brookhaven, MS). It is an interesting list that has Florida State, Memphis, Georgia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCLA, and Oregon State alongside U of A. He did state that the list can change and that his decision date is December 31st.
• Another player whose shortened list included Arizona is Paul Maile, 3-star defensive tackle from East High School (Salt Lake City, UT). The other six schools on the list include Utah, Utah State, California, Vanderbilt, Washington State, and Wisconsin. With the release of his shortened list, Maile stated that he is closing his recruitment to focus on his select schools. The talk is Utah is the favorite but the Wildcats are doing quite well with Maile. The ever important next step for the staff is to get Maile on campus for a visit.
• The Wildcats had a big visitor this past week in Ventura College offensive lineman Maisen Knight. Originally from Salt Lake City, Knight quickly set up his visit after receiving his offer. Knight is a full qualifier for this year so if he were to commit he could come to Tucson right away. The visit seemed to go well and this is a recruitment to pay attention to.
• Arizona continued their rounds in Texas as receivers coach Theron Aych made his way to San Antonio. The camp was hosted on the campus of Incarnate Word and appeared to be a success. Aych came away happy and impressed with the players that he saw at the camp so I’d expect to see more Texas offers go out.
• Arizona linebacker commit Issaiah Johnson received an invite to play in the Paradise Classic in Honolulu. The game will be played in January.

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2018 Offers (8)

Running Back

• Ja’Veon Marlow: Winter Haven HS (Winter Haven, FL)/5-foot-10/200 pounds/3-star

Offensive Line

• Garrett Curran: Granite Hills HS (El Cajon, CA)/OT/6-foot-5/265 pounds/3-star
• Aaron Frost: Long Beach Poly HS (Long Beach, CA)/OG-DT/6-foot-5/300 pounds/3-star
• Maisen Knight: Judge Memorial Catholic HS (Salt Lake City, UT)/OT/6-foot-5/311 pounds/3-star/Ventura College
• Donovan Laie: Oceanside HS (Oceanside, CA)/OT/6-foot-6/290 pounds/3-star
• Jarrett Patterson: Mission Viejo HS (Mission Viejo, CA)/OT/6-foot-5/275 pounds/3-star
• Jake Levengood: Vacaville HS (Vacaville, CA)/OT/6-foot-4/250 pounds/Unranked

Defensive Line

• Junior Fehoko: St. Francis HS (Mountain View, CA)/DE/6-foot-4/235 pounds/3-star

2020 Offers (1)

Defensive Back

• Lejond Cavazos: IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)/S/6-foot/185 pounds/Unranked

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Arizona basketball: Grant Jerrett to play for Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA Summer League

The former Wildcat is getting another look

After playing in China last year, former Arizona Wildcats center Grant Jerrett has a spot in the NBA Summer League with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Several former Jazzmen playing summer league: Bryce Cotton (ATL), Grant Jerrett (CLE), Jack Cooley (SAC), Treveon Graham (CHA). https://t.co/NGR27jAl6o

— David J. Smith (@davidjsmith1232) June 25, 2017

Jerrett was drafted 40th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, but has only played in eight games at the NBA level (5 w/ Oklahoma City, 3 w/ Utah). He played a grand total of 51 minutes in those eight games.

In college, Jerrett played just one year, averaging 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.8 minutes in the 2012-13 season. His numbers certainly didn’t indicate that he would be a one-and-done guy, but sure enough, he left Tucson after just one year.

Solomon Hill was the other Arizona player that was drafted that year, going 23rd to the Indiana Pacers.

According to Basketball Reference, Jerrett made a little over $1.7 million in two years with the Utah Jazz before being waived in October of 2015. Last year, he was signed with the Portland Trail Blazers from August 17th to October 22nd before being waved once again.

He then played ten games in the D-League last year for the Canton Charge (the Cavs’ affiliate). There he averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in 37.0 minutes. After being picked up by the club on November 20th of last year, he was bought out on December 16th to go overseas.

From there, Jerrett went to China and played on the same team as Stephon Marbury, Beijing Shougang. That team also featured the 6-foot-11 Kentucky Wildcat Randolph Morris, but Jerrett led them in rebounding, pulling down an average of 10.2 boards in 18 games played per RealGM. Jerrett also averaged 17.8 points, one block, and 0.8 assists per game. He only shot 32% from three in China (down from 40% in college and w/ Canton).

It will be interesting to see if Jerrett can find his three-point stroke and stick in the U.S., or if he’s bound to go back overseas after this.

Here is the Cavs’ Summer League schedule. All of their games will be played in Las Vegas:

• Fri. July 7th, 3:30 PM PT vs. Bucks — Thomas and Mack Center — ESPN2
• Sat. July 8th, 7 PM PT vs. Rockets — Cox Pavilion — ESPNU
• Mon. July 10th, 5:30 PM PT vs. Warriors — Thomas and Mack Center — NBATV

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Arizona basketball: Gabe York added to Charlotte Hornets’ 2017 Orlando Summer League roster

York spent the 2016-17 season with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D-League

Former Arizona Wildcats guard Gabe York will join the Charlotte Hornets for NBA Summer League, it was announced Monday.

York is one of 15 players on the Hornets’ roster, which will participate in Orlando Summer League starting on July 1.

Here’s the entire roster (which includes a familiar face in Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski):

OFFICIAL: Your 15-man Hornets roster for 2017 Orlando @NBASummerLeague starting July 1! #BuzzCity

https://t.co/6zPG6gxrVy http://pic.twitter.com/7BcjAqxE7H

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) June 26, 2017

York was with the Hornets in Orlando Summer League last year, too, where he averaged 9.8 points per game in five games.

York spent the 2016-17 season with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D-League. In 44 games, he averaged 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from 3.

On Dec. 15, York sank 10 3s in one game, shattering the BayHawks’ all-time record.

Prior to his stint with the BayHawks, York spent time with Italy’s Vanoli Cremona in Serie A, where he averaged 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in six games before parting ways with the club.

Summer League is not only a potential stepping stone to the NBA for York, but international teams closely watch it too, which could help him land a more lucrative deal overseas.

Here’s the Hornets’ entire Orlando Summer League schedule. All games will be televised on NBATV:

• Saturday, July 1 vs. Miami Heat — 11 a.m. EST
• Sunday, July 2 vs. Indiana Pacers — 5 p.m. EST
• Tuesday, July 4 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — 1 p.m. EST
• Wednesday, July 5 vs. Detroit Pistons — 3 p.m. EST
• Thursday, July 6 | TBD

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Arizona football: Wildcats’ offensive line depth takes another blow

Another potential body is no longer with the team

Coming out of spring, maybe the biggest takeaway for those that were watching Arizona Wildcats practices was the lack of bodies on the offensive line.

Throughout practices, there weren’t even enough guys to field a third line in drills, and with the lack of offensive linemen in the 2017 recruiting class, this became a big concern for Rich Rodriguez.

“I probably worry more than he does,” Rodriguez said about his thoughts on the depth compared to offensive line coach Jim Michalczik’s level of worry. “I think we need to get deeper there but if we keep seven or eight guys healthy we’ll be okay.”

Well, another blow was dealt to the team’s depth in that particular group when redshirt freshman Harper Sherman decided to leave the team. He, along with linebacker Kahi Neves, are no longer with the program.

The team’s online roster now has 12 offensive linemen listed (two new walk-ons), but also returns six players that made starts in 2017.

So there’s good and bad to what’s happening with this group. But when you’re talking about combining practice with games, that’s a lot of physical punishment that the offensive line is going to take with its overall lack of bodies. That makes injuries more likely, and, well, exposing the lack of depth even more.

Arizona’s success in 2017 will come down to its offensive line play. The offense as a whole struggled in 2016, and a big reason why was the lack of quarterback protection. If the Wildcats can get some protection and also some decent blocking for the running backs, the offense could take a giant step up from last year.

But if there’s not enough guys, that makes things so much harder.

Great group of young men! Love having them over for dinner. #ArizonaOL http://pic.twitter.com/wt0lJytaeK

— Jim Michalczik (@FBCoachM) June 24, 2017

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Arizona football: Projecting the Wildcats’ 2017 defensive depth chart

Arizona basketball recruiting: Taeshon Cherry to commit Friday, Wildcats among six finalists

Arizona football recruiting: Wildcats coaching staff made decision easy for Florida-based Armani Adams

Jahmile Addae’s relationship with Adams was key

The Arizona Wildcats landed their first commitment from Florida about a week ago. Armani Adams, 3-star safety from Lakewood High School (St. Petersburg, FL), had a great relationship with his future position coach and that is a huge reason he decided to commit.

“The coach that was recruiting me (Jahmile Addae), he’s my position coach as well,” Adams said. “That was big because I will be playing for him.”

“He really liked me and we started talking everyday,” Adams continued. “Not just about football but other things that are going on.”

In the Rich Rodriguez era, the Wildcats have made it a point to make headway in Florida. Addae, who is from the Tampa area, has been spearheading the effort in the Sunshine State.

“He’s from the same area where I’m from so there is a connection there,” Adams said of his future position coach.

Adams likes that Arizona is looking to bring him in at safety instead of cornerback. But the relationship with the staff and position aren’t the only things that Adams likes about the Wildcats.

“I will like Arizona because I’ll be moving out of state and I want to go to college out of the state,” the future Wildcat explained. “I won’t get distracted easily like if I were to go to a school in-state where I know a lot of people. So I’m looking forward to meeting new people and doing new things.”

“Also Coach Rodriguez has a great history of winning so he knows how to win,” Adams said about the UA’s head coach. “I feel he’s someone I’d like to play for in the near future.”

Adams committed to the ‘Cats sight unseen. But he is looking to take a visit this upcoming month and is ready to see Tucson.

“I’m taking a visit sometime around July 21st,” Adams explained. “I’m just excited to see the school and the surroundings. I’ve never been out west so it’ll be a fun experience to get to see new things. I also want to see the facilities just as much as the school.”

Academically, Adams has a few things he is looking at as a major. A recent class addition, sport analytics, will help Adams during his pursuit of his degree.

“I would like to be a sports trainer, sports agent, or sports attorney. Something to do with sports.”

In ten games as a high school junior, Adams picked up 76 total tackles, 14 for loss. He also had three sacks, three interceptions, and five pass deflections.

You can check out some of his highlights from last season here.

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2018 NBA Mock drafts: Three Arizona Wildcats projected to get selected next year

It could be an unprecedented year in Tucson

There were two Arizona Wildcats selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, but next year’s team is set to one up that.

It’s likely that Arizona has three draft picks on the 2017-18 squad, including one of the top prospects in the form of DeAndre Ayton.

Allonzo Trier, who has already said he’ll be in next year’s draft, and Rawle Alkins will likely join Ayton in the NBA in a year.

There were plenty of mock drafts that made their way out onto the interwebs after this year’s actual draft, so let’s take a look at where these three guys are projected to be taken next year:

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SB Nation (first round only)

• Ayton: 3rd
• Alkins: 17th
• Trier: N/A

DraftExpress

• Ayton: 3rd
• Alkins: 44th
• Trier: 35th

CBS - Reid Forgrave (first round only)

• Ayton: 1st
• Alkins: N/A
• Trier: 27th

CBS - Gary Parrish (first round only)

• Ayton: 3rd
• Alkins: N/A
• Trier: 21st

NBA Draft Net

• Ayton: 3rd
• Alkins: 23rd
• Trier: 27th

Yahoo (first round only)

• Ayton: 2nd
• Alkins: N/A
• Trier: 27th

Bleacher Report (first round only)

• Ayton: 3rd
• Alkins: 29th
• Trier: N/A

NBA Draft Room

• Ayton: 3rd
• Alkins: 20th
• Trier: 21st

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Arizona has never had three first round draft picks in the same year. The Wildcats have had two players go in the first round in 1989 (Sean Elliott and Anthony Cook), 1998 (Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson), and 2015 (Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson).

There’s also only been three years where Arizona had three or more players selected in the entirety of the draft since it was reduced to two rounds in 1989. Those years were 1996, 1998, and 2001.

So if this team really were to have three first round guys, it would be something that has never been seen in Tucson before, and is just one of the reasons why the 2017-18 squad will have so much hype surrounding it.

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Arizona football recruiting: Wildcats attempting to re-establish Polynesian Pipeline

Arizona is definitely taking steps in the right direction

The Arizona Wildcats have had a long history of having several Polynesian players on their football team. As a matter of fact, if you look at the Pac-12 in general, you will see teams loaded with players of Polynesian descent.

Right now, Arizona has three Poly players on its roster in redshirt freshman offensive lineman Michael Eletise, junior nose tackle Sione Taufahema, and freshman linebacker Anthony Pandy.

In the 1990s, it was a different story.

On Dick Tomey’s Desert Swarm teams in that era, the Wildcats had a host of standout Polynesian players. George Malauulu, who played QB at UA, helped establish that Polynesian connection to Tucson. Joe Salave’a, Van Tuinei, Pulu Poumele, Manuia Savea, and Brandon Manumaleuna were other huge Desert Swarm standouts during that era, as were Edwin Mulitalo, Joe Tafoya, and Makoa Freitas. The list goes on and on.

Move to the 2000s, where the Polynesian Pipeline continued to flow for Arizona, as it landed a trio dubbed the “Tackling Tuihalamakas.” Sione Tuihalamaka was a force along the defensive line. He totaled over 120 tackles and seven sacks in 50 games for the Wildcats from 2009 to 2013. Sione’s cousin, Vuna Tuihalamaka, racked up 95 tackles in 26 games. Sione’s older brother, Apaiata, played for the Wildcats in the mid-2000’s and led to the subsequent commitments of Sione and Vuna.

Other notable players include Keola Antolin and Willie Tuitama. And we can’t forget recent players such as Sani Fuimaono, Aiulua Fanene, and Freddie Tagaloa.

Even though the ‘Cats only have three Poly players on the current team and seem to not have as strong of ties to the Poly players, major steps are being made to re-establish that pipeline. At the beginning of June, Arizona and the AIGA Foundation hosted the first annual Rich Rodriguez Polynesian Showcase in Tucson. This camp was made possible by the one of the foundation’s founders, former Wildcat George Malauulu, and defensive line graduate assistant Davy Gnodle.

“Basically Davy Gnodle, who is on staff there at the University of Arizona, is a member of my foundation (AIGA). They were talking in some of the meetings about some kind of showcase to help bring Polynesians back to Arizona,” Malauulu explained about how the camp came to fruition. “He just asked me if I wanted to do anything in Arizona. I said ‘Man, I’d love to since that’s my alma mater!’ We just kept talking about it and figuring out a way to go about doing it. One thing led to another.

“We got a lot of the different guys that are in our organization that are from Utah, Northern California, and Hawaii to commit to doing this event on June 9th and 10th,” Malauulu continued. “Before you knew it, it just kind of took off like a wildfire.”

The Wildcats hosted players from all across the country. Players came from places as close as Utah, California, Hawaii, and Arizona to as far away as New Jersey.

The showcase was a success and Malauulu came away pleased.

“It was a great first event because after your first one, that’ll dictate how the second one’s going to look like,” he said. “We poured all our efforts in. We just made sure ‘If I were to go to the camp what would I do that will be entertaining to the kids?’ At the same time you get in all the tutorials, the football stuff, and include some fun activities. Had to juggle both and sure enough came up with a good turnout and good plan of attack to get these kids over there from different states at the same time.”

As for future camps in Tucson, AIGA is committed to another camp next year.

“As of right now we’ve already talked to Rich Rodriguez and we are committed for next year,” Malauulu explained. “Rich Rod was excited and he definitely would love for the event to take place again next year. On that note we are saying ‘Let’s make it bigger and better next year.’ He (Rich Rod) has a lot of good ideas and if we come to the table with good intentions I think we’ll have a another successful year come next year.”

Social media also helped with the foundation’s attempt to attract attention and interest to the showcase. Malauulu sees the value in social media and helping the young players get further exposure. He also thinks that, because of it, the second showcase will have more interested parties.

The AIGA Foundation was established in 1997 by Malauulu and a duo of brothers from George’s hometown of Carson, California after their football careers were over. They noticed that Poly players in Carson and surrounding cities were not playing football and wanted to set up a camp to peak interest in the sport. They brought in guest speakers such as four-time Super Bowl champ Jesse Sapolu and former Wildcat Joe Salave’a to speak at the camp. The event was a huge success, drawing in over 400 players.

The foundation is a non-profit organization in which the main focus is to help players of Polynesian decent get recognized and earn scholarships. Its initial goal was to help increase interest in football for Polynesian student athletes. One would say the foundation has succeeded and will continue to succeed in that regard. Polynesian athletes draw major interest from Pac-12 and Mountain West schools. However, more Midwest and East Coast schools have been showing increased interest over the past few years.

The showcase is a major step forward for bringing the Polynesian Pipeline back to Tucson. Arizona’s coaching staff understands the importance of recruiting these athletes, and so far this cycle some signs of their efforts are showing. Arizona is currently sitting nicely in the recruitments of defensive linemen Tyler Manoa (Mountain View, Calif.) and Paul Maile (Salt Lake City, Utah). The ‘Cats were also the first Pac-12 offer for Manoa’s teammate Viliami “Junior” Fehoko, which was big for the St. Francis standout.

With these continued efforts and some aggressiveness, the UA staff could bring the Polynesian connection back to Desert Swarm-era levels.

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Lauri Markkanen given 22/1 odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year

His role could allow him to put up some big numbers

Former Arizona Wildcats forward Lauri Markkanen is heading to the Chicago Bulls after a draft night trade, which could allow for him to play a lot as a rookie in the NBA.

But the Las Vegas oddsmakers don’t see him as a huge threat to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award next season, giving him 22/1 odds.

Here’s a look at the chances Bovada gives some of the top incoming rookies:

• Lonzo Ball - 5/2
• Ben Simmons - 3/1
• Markelle Fultz - 5/1
• De’Aaron Fox - 7/1
• Josh Jackson - 9/1
• Jayson Tatum - 9/1
• Jonathan Isaac - 16/1
• Malik Monk - 16/1
• Dennis Smith Jr. - 16/1
• Zach Collins - 20/1
• Justin Jackson - 22/1
• Lauri Markkanen - 22/1

The Bulls, who are excited about adding Markkanen’s shooting ability, offer potential early minutes for Lauri as a rookie.

"He’s mobile, he’s got a motor, he’s a worker," Bulls VP John Paxson said. "And we just thought he was, at that spot, gonna be a fit for the direction we’re headed and a guy that fits with how we want to build this team and fits in today’s NBA."

So maybe Markkanen will be a good value pick in more ways than one if you’re looking to put some money down on a former Arizona player.

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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star defensive end Adam Plant decommits from Wildcats

Arizona takes a big step back in recruiting

We’ve heard this line before. The Arizona Wildcats have lost one of their top commitments of the class. Ryan Bartow of 247Sports reported that 3-star defensive end Adam Plant of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) will open his recruitment, decommitting from Arizona.

Plant is ranked as the No. 7 recruit in the state of Nevada, and 53rd best defensive end in the nation.

Breaking Scoop: Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman defensive end Adam Plant opens up his recruitment, de-commits from #Arizona.

— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) June 20, 2017

Plant committed back in April despite holding offers to Penn State and USC. He’s had a productive offseason coming off his junior season. In late April he was named Defensive Line MVP at a Rivals camp and this month he won Defensive Line MVP at a USC summer camp.

The 6-foot-4, 240 pound defensive end received his USC offer back in 2016, which might not have carried too much weight back then. Originally from the SoCal area, he named USC as his dream school.

Now given his strong offseason, it seems like things could be heating up with the Trojans. Playing at powerhouse Bishop Gorman will also give Plant plenty of exposure throughout his senior season.

This leaves Arizona with five commitments for 2018 as we approach July, which is well below the usual number of commitments Rich Rodriguez has held over the past few years.

As it stands now, 3-star quarterback Jamarye Joiner seems like another potential decommitment. The Tucson product blew up after a huge year at Cienega High School in his first season as the starter.

Joiner was just recently offered by Arizona State and is open to playing wide receiver or safety for the Sun Devils. Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington have all been actively recruiting him as well. He has previously referenced Oregon, TCU, and Texas A&M as “dream schools”.

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2017 NBA Draft: Kobi Simmons to sign with Memphis Grizzlies as undrafted free agent, per report

Simmons still has a shot to make an NBA roster

Kobi Simmons is signing with the Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical.

The Arizona Wildcats’ freshman guard was one of two Wildcats to go undrafted Thursday, with Chance Comanche being the other.

They, along with Brandon Ashley, are the only Arizona players ever to leave college early and not get selected in the NBA Draft.

“I think he made a mistake coming out,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said of Simmons after the draft.

Regardless, Simmons will have a shot to make the Grizzlies’ roster and will likely play on their Summer League team in early July, with hopes of earning a training camp invite.

The 6-foot-5 guard has considerable strides to make to be an NBA-caliber player, especially on defense, but Draft Express called Simmons a “sleeper prospect” because of his ability to score at a high volume in short spurts.

Simmons got off to a scintillating start at Arizona, but his playing time waned significantly after Allonzo Trier returned from a 19-game suspension. He played fewer than 10 minutes in six of Arizona’s last seven games.

The Atlanta native wound up averaging 8.7 points in 23.5 minutes per game with an uninspiring 39.5 shooting percentage.

Simmons’ decision to declare for the NBA Draft and forgo his final three years of eligibility was unsurprising to head coach Sean Miller, however.

“Kobi and his family are very transparent and I think they wanted to get it (his professional career) started,” Miller said. “He’s one of the most athletically talented, gifted kids we’ve had. If you look at where he is now physically, it’s scary to think where he’ll be three or four years from now.

“He’s continuing to make that transition from high school point guard to pro point guard. So there’s a development process he’s going to go through whether he was here or whether he’s in the NBA game or wherever he’s at.”

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Arizona basketball: Chicago Bulls ‘excited’ about Lauri Markkanen’s shooting ability and potential

The Bulls were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA last season

Even though he’s a 7-footer, Lauri Markkanen’s favorite players growing up were shooting guards, not big men.

“I just try to take small moves from different players, but when I grew up I really liked Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade,” he said in December. “But obviously they’re not players in my position, but mostly when I grew up I played the 2 and the 3.”

Fittingly, Markkanen’s NBA career will begin where the best shooting guard ever spent the majority of his NBA career (and where Wade currently plays).

The Finnish big man was selected 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

"I'm really honored to be a part of this organization," Markkanen told reporters. "I can't wait to go there and do what I can. It's just a blessing to be here. And of course Michael Jordan, the greatest player ever to play, so it's huge to be a part of it."

The Bulls are equally excited to have the sweet-shooting big man. They finished tied for 25th in the NBA in 3-point percentage last season, connecting on just 34 percent of their 3-point attempts.

Markkanen shot 43.2 percent from distance in his lone season with the Arizona Wildcats.

“Lauri Markkanen is a very good basketball player. We’re really excited about his potential,” Bulls vice president John Paxson said. “Maybe as good a shooter that was in the draft this year. And the way our game is going, those big, mobile guys that can space the floor give your guards opportunity to create and find gaps.”

Markkanen should be an immediate contributor on a Bulls team that is headed for a rebuild. Chicago dealt All-Star guard Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to Markkanen, along with guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine who are in their early-20s.

Plus, the Bulls don’t exactly have a plethora of talent at power forward. They have Bobby Portis, Paul Zipser, and Nikola Mirotic currently manning the position.

Portis, entering his third season in the NBA, has just 17 career starts. Zipser, a 2016 second round pick, appeared in just 44 games in his rookie season.

Mirotic is the most experienced player in the trio, having just finished his third season in the league, but he is set to hit restricted free agency. And like Markkanen, Mirotic is known for his ability to space the floor, so the Bulls may not want to spend the money to re-sign him after drafting the Arizona forward.

Markkanen believes his shooting ability will translate immediately to the NBA game — and it’s hard to imagine why it wouldn’t — but acknowledged he wants to become a more well-rounded player.

Most pre-draft evaluations claimed Markkanen needed to improve on defense and as a rebounder.

"Definitely my biggest strength is stretch the floor, make shots and help the team," Markkanen said. "I'm trying to be a complete player. Much of it is staying in the weight room and getting stronger."

The Bulls posted a 41-41 record last season and reached the NBA Playoffs, but are expected to take a step back in 2017-18 after dealing Butler for younger pieces.

Thus, Markkanen will have ample opportunities to showcase his skills, and the Bulls believe he will take advantage of it.

"He’s mobile, he’s got a motor, he’s a worker," Paxson said. "And we just thought he was, at that spot, gonna be a fit for the direction we’re headed and a guy that fits with how we want to build this team and fits in today’s NBA."

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Arizona basketball: Kadeem Allen selected 53rd overall by the Boston Celtics; Chance Comanche and Kobi Simmons go undrafted

Kobi Simmons and Chance Comanche went undrafted

Avery Bradley is one of Kadeem Allen ’s favorite NBA players, and now he’ll be teammates with him.

The Boston Celtics selected Allen with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.

It’s a pleasant surprise as the Arizona Wildcats’ guard was projected to go undrafted in virtually every mock draft.

Still, Allen, 23, was labeled as a “sleeper prospect” by Draft Express because of his defensive ability, as the 6’3” guard has a 6’9” wingspan with impressive lateral quickness and instincts.

Head coach Sean Miller said that Allen is one of the best defenders he has ever coached.

Allen profiles as a “3-and-D” guard in the NBA and will need to consistently hit jump shots to stay in the league.

The Wilmington, North Carolina native was a career 40 percent 3-point shooter in two seasons at Arizona, but he only took 125 3s.

Nonetheless, considering Allen’s backstory — he is the first person in his family to graduate from college and he willingly redshirted at Arizona to help the team after transferring in from Hutchinson Community College — it’s nice to see him get a shot in the NBA.

Allen will presumably debut in a Celtics uniform on July 3 in the Utah Summer League in Salt Lake City.

Allen is the 71st draft pick in Arizona history after Lauri Markkanen was selected 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls earlier in the night.

He averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, a team-high 1.76 steals per game in his senior season, being named a member of the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.

Teammates Kobi Simmons and Chance Comanche went undrafted and will likely be signing as undrafted free agents.

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2017 NBA Draft: Former Arizona Wildcat commit Terrance Ferguson selected 21st overall by Oklahoma City Thunder

Meanwhile, Ivan Rabb’s decision to stay in school may prove to be costly

In an alternate universe, the Arizona Wildcats had two first-round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft.

After Lauri Markkanen was taken 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls, former Wildcat commit Terrance Ferguson was selected 21st overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Of course, Ferguson passed on the UA to play professionally with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia’s National Basketball League, where he struggled mightily.

The bouncy 19-year-old forward averaged just 4.6 points in 15.2 minutes while shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3, but he called playing overseas the best decision of his life, which is understandable.

Ferguson played against better competition, earned hundreds of thousands of dollars and signed an endorsement deal with Under Armour, and still ended up being a first-round pick in the NBA Draft (and if you’re critical of his decision, you should read his piece on Player’s Tribune to see his perspective).

“An injury or a bad year can ruin your career,” Ferguson wrote, “and I’m trying to take care of my family.”

Would Ferguson have been selected higher had he gone to Arizona? It’s obviously impossible to tell since there are so many factors to consider, but if he had struggled in college the same way he did in Australia, it seems unlikely that he would’ve been a first-round pick.

That said, one could make the argument that Ferguson may have fared far better in college playing against those his age, thus boosting his draft stock.

Either way, it’s hard to knock his decision if he’s content with it, plus it’s not a given that Ferguson would have qualified academically to play at Arizona anyway.

The 6-foot-7 forward is slotted to make roughly $1.5 million next season and is guaranteed over $5 million in the next three years.

Rabb not selected in first round

California Golden Bears sophomore forward Ivan Rabb did not hear his name called in the first round, instead being selected 35th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.

The former Arizona recruit was projected to be a lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but chose to return to Berkeley for his sophomore year, which may prove to be a costly decision.

The Golden Bears missed the NCAA Tournament and Rabb’s per 40 minute numbers were roughly the same as his freshman numbers, while his field goal percentage sharply dipped from 61.5 percent to 48.4 percent.

Rabb may still go on to have a successful NBA career, but he’s proof that returning to school isn’t always the best option.

As a lottery pick last season, Rabb would have been guaranteed at least $5.4 million in his first three seasons in the league.

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Arizona basketball: Allonzo Trier ‘promises’ to be in 2018 NBA Draft

Lauri Markkanen had the Finnish flag sewn into his NBA Draft suit

2017 NBA Draft results: Lauri Markkanen selected 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls

The 7-footer is headed to the Windy City

Lauri Markkanen has a knack for staying even-keeled, but he was all smiles Thursday as he walked on stage and shook NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The former Arizona Wildcat was selected 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Bulls acquired the pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade for All-Star guard Jimmy Butler.

Markkanen is the 70th Arizona Wildcat to be drafted and the 22nd Wildcat to be selected in the first round.

He is also just the second player from Finland ever to be drafted in the NBA as well as the only current Finnish player in the league.

Markkanen joins a Bulls team that went 41-41 and made the playoffs last season. However, Chicago appears to be set for a rebuild, having acquired Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for Butler.

Markkanen averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in his lone season at Arizona, shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3, making a case to be college basketball’s best shooting big man ever.

His shooting stroke should translate immediately to the NBA game, though he does have room to improve as a defender and rebounder.

Markkanen will suit up in a Bulls jersey for the first time on July 8 in Las Vegas Summer League.

Three reasons to love Lauri Markkanen

Lauri is off to the Chicago Bulls

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Thursday, June 22, 2017

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