A look at Arizona’s recruiting targets now that Ziaire Williams is Stanford-bound

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Arizona Wildcats missed out on another recruit Sunday when five-star forward Ziaire Williams committed to the Stanford Cardinal.

The Wildcats only have nine players under scholarship for 2020-21, meaning they can add up to four more players, and they will have to swiftly move on to other targets with their recruiting board quickly thinning. They do have some quality fallback options, though obviously they don’t quite compare to the prospect of adding Williams, the No. 5 recruit in the country.

Here is a list of recruits/transfers the Wildcats are a known finalist for. With the way the transfer market moves, it probably won’t be long before they are connected to more.

Purdue graduate transfer Matt Haarms

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The Wildcats currently only have Jordan Brown, Christian Koloko and Ira Lee in their frontcourt, so they can definitely use some more firepower in the paint.

Enter Haarms, a 7-foot-3 center who averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 20.5 minutes with the Boilermakers this season, shooting 52 percent from the floor and 10 for 32 from 3.

Haarms, in addition to Koloko, would give the Wildcats another elite shot-blocker. His 12.6 block percentage was the ninth-best mark in the country.

“He can really run the floor and protect the rim,” one scout said of him (via Stadium). “He plays with energy and is a good shooter to the 3-point line, but needs to shoot the 3 at a higher percentage. He is an average rebounder and is also a good passer.”

Haarms is considering Arizona as well as nine other schools—Arkansas, Boston College, BYU, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Memphis, Minnesota, Texas Tech and UNC Greensboro. It is not clear when he will make his decision.

San Francisco graduate transfer Charles Minlend

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An all-WCC selection, the 6-foot-4 wing averaged 14.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3. Minlend would be a candidate to start at the 3 for Arizona.

“He’s a scorer, a high volume guy who needs to work on being more consistent with his shot,” one scout told Stadium. “When he’s willing to facilitate, he adds a dimension to his game.”

The Concord, North Carolina native is also considering Butler, BYU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Indiana and Gonzaga. It is unclear when he will pick a school.

4-star shooting guard Kerwin Walton

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Arizona can use some shooters, and Walton fits the bill. The 6-foot-5 Minnesota wing is the No. 97 player in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, which has this to say about him.

Good size and length for position. Projectable frame with room to gain strength. High level shooter who can hit shots off the catch and pull. Not a specialist but three-point shooting is best attribute. Respectable handle but more of a straight-line driver. Has midrange/floater game. Sees floor well and is a good passer for position. Moves feet well laterally and is plus on ball defender. Improvement throughout high school gives optimism for future. Projects as starter at high major program.

Arizona is in Walton’s final six, the other five schools being North Carolina, Creighton, Minnesota, Georgetown and Vanderbilt. He will make his decision on April 25.

It is not clear who the favorite is, as zero Crystal Ball predictions have been submitted for him. If there is one unique advantage Arizona has, it’s that Zeke Nnaji, Walton’s former teammate at Hopkins High School, just had a monster season with the Wildcats.

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