Post by mhbruin on Aug 8, 2021 10:29:48 GMT -8
Next are the 5th place Arizona Wildcats. Last season they finished 5th in the Pac-12. That was their best finish in the last 3 season, and that wasn't enough in Tucson, so they showed Sean Miller the door. (He already knew where the door was, but you know what I meant.)
Stop me if you've heard this one before. There is a legendary head coach with a long-time assistant who is head coach in waiting. The assistant gets tired of waiting to be a head coach. He leaves to become the head coach of a Pac-12 team that just fired their head coach.
Is it Mike Hopkins of Washington or new Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd? It's both!
Coach Lloyd takes over a program under the shadow of an NCAA investigation. Will that buy him some patience with Wildcat fans? I would not count on it.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT
Williams was a 5-star out of high school, but a terrible injury had kept him from playing for two years. He didn't get drafted, but Williams is working out to prepare for the G League draft or other options ahead.
Good luck, Brandon!
TRANSFERRING OUT
James Akinjo is a HUGE loss. He led the team in scoring, assists, and steals. He had an excellent 2.4 to 1 A/TO ratio.
He pulled out of the draft, but he is on his way to Waco. Is Waco a better place to live than Tucson. I don't know. I've never been to Waco, but I've been to Tucson. (I've also never been to heaven, but I've been to Oklahoma.) I know that leaving Tucson is one of my favorite things to do in Tucson.
Tucson is the third-fastest-warming city in the U.S. Last they had one hundred and eight days above a hundred degrees—you can’t quite get your head around just how long that is. The average number of hundred-degree days that Tucson typically experiences is sixty-two.
Akinjo's 2.4 to 1 A/TO ratio was only second on the team, trailing Terrell Brown's 3.9. That was third best in the nation. He's taking his assists to Seattle. Good move!
Jordan Brown was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game off the bench for the Wildcats last season. Brown originally transferred to Arizona from Nevada after being a McDonald’s All American.
Arizona’s depth chart will see starting bigs Christian Koloko and Azuolas Tubelis back, as Koloko overtook Brown for a starting spot halfway through the season. Like Brown, both of those players have at least two years of eligibility left.
Daniel Batcho was the only member of the Wildcats’ international-heavy recruiting class who didn’t play this season. He underwent knee surgery in the preseason and, even though he had finished rehabilitation before the season ended, he still sat on the bench, with Miller saying he didn’t know the plays. Last February, Batcho averaged 14.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, and received MVP honors.
According to Bill Walton, Ira Lee was a great player. No one agreed, except the coaches at George Washington.
Görener appeared in eight games for a total of 30 minutes.
RETURNING
These is a good core of players for next season.
Tubelis had an OUTSTANDING freshman year. Since Lloyd is known as an excellent big-man coach, he should be a beast next season.
Kerr Kriisa joined the team late in the season. After the season, he put his name in the transfer portal, but then he withdrew it. He will stay at Arizona for another season. At this point he should know who Steve Kerr is.
Koloko wasn't a big scorer, but he has potential to be a very good big man. He led the team in blocks.
Dalen Terry was a starter early in the season in part because he could handle being a secondary ballhandler. However, Terry never lived up to his lofty recruiting ranking, and he was bumped out of the lineup by Mathurin’s emergence. Terry played some power forward in smaller sets, and the position could be an option for next season if Arizona opts to go small.
Lloyd recruited Bal when he was coaching at Gonzaga.
Two out of three members of Sean Miller's recruiting class decommitted after his firing. That included K J Simpson. In spite of a lot of noise on a pay service, Simpson was never going to get an offer from UCLA. He's on his way to Colorado.
Lloyd did a good job filling his roster with transfers. All three of these guys seem like Pac-12 level players.
Are we really going to have guy name Bal and a guy name Ballo on the same team? AND a guy name Kerr Krissa along with a guy named Justin Kier? ARGH!
It's not a shock that a kid like Ballo is transferring out of Gonzaga and following Lloyd to Arizona. Ballo is from Africa and Lloyd was know for handling the recruiting for overseas players. And Lloyd is know for developing big guys. It seems like a good fit. His arrival may have played a role in Jordan Brown' decision to take to the road again. Or Jordan Brown's decision convinced Ballo he would get PT at Arizona.
Ballo was highly-rated out of HS, but he didn't see much playing time behind Timme. And with Chet Holmgren on his way to Spokane, he wasn't likely to see a lot next season, either. With Jordan Brown transferring out, he will be the only substitute big for the Wildcats.
Kier played 3 years at George Mason before transferring to Georgia where he was a full-time starter. He only shot 39% from the field, but a decent 37% from the arc. He got decent stats otherwise for the Bulldogs and the were accumulated playing in the SEC. He led them in steals. This is a good pickup for Lloyd.
I thought Arizona was fixing their roster name issues when they got rid of both Browns. However, now they have Kerr Kriisa and Justin Kier. A Kurse upon them!
CONCLUSION
This is a pretty talented roster with six 4-star players. They have to integrate some new players and learn a new system, so there could be growing pains. Although I suspect Lloyd will be a good coach, he has yet to prove that. Many assistants don't replicate the success of their head coach.
I am picking them to finish 7th and be unable to go to the NIT because the NCAA came calling. Less1Brain and Wilner predict 9th. The computers like them more than the people do. Torvick picks 3rd, and Vrooman says 5th. That averages out to 6th or 7th.
This isn't likely to be a great season at You Of Ay, but they will still sell out. What else is there to do in Tucson?
Stop me if you've heard this one before. There is a legendary head coach with a long-time assistant who is head coach in waiting. The assistant gets tired of waiting to be a head coach. He leaves to become the head coach of a Pac-12 team that just fired their head coach.
Is it Mike Hopkins of Washington or new Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd? It's both!
Coach Lloyd takes over a program under the shadow of an NCAA investigation. Will that buy him some patience with Wildcat fans? I would not count on it.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Brandon Williams |
Williams was a 5-star out of high school, but a terrible injury had kept him from playing for two years. He didn't get drafted, but Williams is working out to prepare for the G League draft or other options ahead.
Good luck, Brandon!
TRANSFERRING OUT
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
| James Akinjo | 35 | 16 | 2 | 5 | Baylor |
| Jordan Brown | 20 | 9 | 5 | 1 | Louisiana |
| Jemarl Baker | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Fresno State |
| Terrell Brown Jr. | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Washington |
| Ira Lee | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | George Washington |
| Daniel Batcho | Texas Tech | ||||
| Tibet Görener | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | San Jose State |
James Akinjo is a HUGE loss. He led the team in scoring, assists, and steals. He had an excellent 2.4 to 1 A/TO ratio.
He pulled out of the draft, but he is on his way to Waco. Is Waco a better place to live than Tucson. I don't know. I've never been to Waco, but I've been to Tucson. (I've also never been to heaven, but I've been to Oklahoma.) I know that leaving Tucson is one of my favorite things to do in Tucson.
Tucson is the third-fastest-warming city in the U.S. Last they had one hundred and eight days above a hundred degrees—you can’t quite get your head around just how long that is. The average number of hundred-degree days that Tucson typically experiences is sixty-two.
Akinjo's 2.4 to 1 A/TO ratio was only second on the team, trailing Terrell Brown's 3.9. That was third best in the nation. He's taking his assists to Seattle. Good move!
Jordan Brown was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game off the bench for the Wildcats last season. Brown originally transferred to Arizona from Nevada after being a McDonald’s All American.
Arizona’s depth chart will see starting bigs Christian Koloko and Azuolas Tubelis back, as Koloko overtook Brown for a starting spot halfway through the season. Like Brown, both of those players have at least two years of eligibility left.
Daniel Batcho was the only member of the Wildcats’ international-heavy recruiting class who didn’t play this season. He underwent knee surgery in the preseason and, even though he had finished rehabilitation before the season ended, he still sat on the bench, with Miller saying he didn’t know the plays. Last February, Batcho averaged 14.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, and received MVP honors.
According to Bill Walton, Ira Lee was a great player. No one agreed, except the coaches at George Washington.
Görener appeared in eight games for a total of 30 minutes.
RETURNING
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Azuolas Tubelis | 26 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 1 | So | 4 | 57 |
| Benedict Mathurin | 26 | 25 | 11 | 5 | 1 | So | 4 | 129 |
| Kerr Kriisa | 8 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 2 | So | 4 | 85 |
| Christian Koloko | 26 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Jr | 3 | 178 |
| Dalen Terry | 26 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 2 | So | 4 | 52 |
These is a good core of players for next season.
Tubelis had an OUTSTANDING freshman year. Since Lloyd is known as an excellent big-man coach, he should be a beast next season.
Kerr Kriisa joined the team late in the season. After the season, he put his name in the transfer portal, but then he withdrew it. He will stay at Arizona for another season. At this point he should know who Steve Kerr is.
Koloko wasn't a big scorer, but he has potential to be a very good big man. He led the team in blocks.
Dalen Terry was a starter early in the season in part because he could handle being a secondary ballhandler. However, Terry never lived up to his lofty recruiting ranking, and he was bumped out of the lineup by Mathurin’s emergence. Terry played some power forward in smaller sets, and the position could be an option for next season if Arizona opts to go small.
RECRUITS
(#81 class, #11 in Pac-12)
| Name | Size | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Shane Nowell | 6-5 190 | SG | 4 | 80 | Oklahoma, Washington, Washington State |
| Adama Bal | 6-6 180 | CG | Unranked | Cincinnati, Georgia, Colorado, Marquette |
Lloyd recruited Bal when he was coaching at Gonzaga.
Two out of three members of Sean Miller's recruiting class decommitted after his firing. That included K J Simpson. In spite of a lot of noise on a pay service, Simpson was never going to get an offer from UCLA. He's on his way to Colorado.
TRANSFERRING IN
Lloyd did a good job filling his roster with transfers. All three of these guys seem like Pac-12 level players.
| Player | Size | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Kim Aiken, Jr. | 6-7 215 | 31 | 11 | 8 | 2 | Eastern Washington | Sr | Unranked | |
| Pelle Larsson | 6-5 208 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 2 | Utah | So | 3 | 183 |
| Oumar Ballo | 6-10 245 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Gonzaga | So | 4 | 78 |
| Justin Kier | 6-4 190 | 31 | 10 | 4 | 2 | Georgia | Sr 5 | Unranked |
Are we really going to have guy name Bal and a guy name Ballo on the same team? AND a guy name Kerr Krissa along with a guy named Justin Kier? ARGH!
Aiken committed around 2 hours before Sean Miller was fired. Then on April 21, he changed his mind and committed to Washington State instead. However that was not the end of the Aiken saga. Then he was not admitted to his graduate program at Washington State. So once again he was achin' to go to Arizona.
Pelle Larsson looked very good as a freshman at Utah, starting 18 games. I thought he would be a star at Utah, and he could be one at Arizona. He shot 47% from the field and 46% from the arc last season, and shot 88% from the FT line. I HATE the fact that he is at Arizona.
Pelle Larsson looked very good as a freshman at Utah, starting 18 games. I thought he would be a star at Utah, and he could be one at Arizona. He shot 47% from the field and 46% from the arc last season, and shot 88% from the FT line. I HATE the fact that he is at Arizona.
It's not a shock that a kid like Ballo is transferring out of Gonzaga and following Lloyd to Arizona. Ballo is from Africa and Lloyd was know for handling the recruiting for overseas players. And Lloyd is know for developing big guys. It seems like a good fit. His arrival may have played a role in Jordan Brown' decision to take to the road again. Or Jordan Brown's decision convinced Ballo he would get PT at Arizona.
Ballo was highly-rated out of HS, but he didn't see much playing time behind Timme. And with Chet Holmgren on his way to Spokane, he wasn't likely to see a lot next season, either. With Jordan Brown transferring out, he will be the only substitute big for the Wildcats.
Kier played 3 years at George Mason before transferring to Georgia where he was a full-time starter. He only shot 39% from the field, but a decent 37% from the arc. He got decent stats otherwise for the Bulldogs and the were accumulated playing in the SEC. He led them in steals. This is a good pickup for Lloyd.
I thought Arizona was fixing their roster name issues when they got rid of both Browns. However, now they have Kerr Kriisa and Justin Kier. A Kurse upon them!
CONCLUSION
This is a pretty talented roster with six 4-star players. They have to integrate some new players and learn a new system, so there could be growing pains. Although I suspect Lloyd will be a good coach, he has yet to prove that. Many assistants don't replicate the success of their head coach.
I am picking them to finish 7th and be unable to go to the NIT because the NCAA came calling. Less1Brain and Wilner predict 9th. The computers like them more than the people do. Torvick picks 3rd, and Vrooman says 5th. That averages out to 6th or 7th.
This isn't likely to be a great season at You Of Ay, but they will still sell out. What else is there to do in Tucson?
I met Lute twice when he was still coaching Arizona, once through my work and a second time on a chance encounter at a restaurant in Los Angeles. He made a positive impression. Always carried a positive energy around him. Sean Miller is definitely more prickly, it seems, and I've never met the man. I remain a little unsure exactly what he did to get himself fired. I've read many articles about similarly shady happenings at Kansas, Duke and LSU, and none of them fired their coach. Maybe Miller ran afoul of Arizona's administration or something. I'd never even heard of Tommy Lloyd until he was hired at Arizona. Seems like a strange choice, but who knows. Maybe firing Miller made that job a little less attractive.