Bear Down Wildcats

dcZONAfan wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote: I'd say that's a good crunch time lineup. I don't really love the Harrisons, but I like them better when neither has to play the point. They have plenty of flexibility b/c the Harrisons and Booker can all play the 3 if necessary. Working through rotations and getting people to share the ball would be big.

I agree with you but man would I love to see one of those three try to cover RHJ.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:
Actually, Cal has done a staggering job getting very talented guys to buy into the team concept. The man made DeMarcus Cousins look half sane. He's regularly had top 10 recruits in supporting roles and they accept it. Poythress was top ten and he basically didn't have a play run for him all year last year.

Cal gets a bad rap, but he puts together pretty cohesive teams for the talent level. Only the Noel year did it really blow up in his face.

Olsondogg wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:
Actually, Cal has done a staggering job getting very talented guys to buy into the team concept. The man made DeMarcus Cousins look half sane. He's regularly had top 10 recruits in supporting roles and they accept it. Poythress was top ten and he basically didn't have a play run for him all year last year.

Cal gets a bad rap, but he puts together pretty cohesive teams for the talent level. Only the Noel year did it really blow up in his face.

They don't "buy into a team concept", they buy into a chance to be a lotto pick. Cal deserves the bad rap he gets. He runs the largest AAU program in the nation.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:
Actually, Cal has done a staggering job getting very talented guys to buy into the team concept. The man made DeMarcus Cousins look half sane. He's regularly had top 10 recruits in supporting roles and they accept it. Poythress was top ten and he basically didn't have a play run for him all year last year.

Cal gets a bad rap, but he puts together pretty cohesive teams for the talent level. Only the Noel year did it really blow up in his face.

They don't "buy into a team concept", they buy into a chance to be a lotto pick. Cal deserves the bad rap he gets. He runs the largest AAU program in the nation.

Do you really think most top recruits are in it for the love of State U? It's hard to have a team with as much turnover and egos as he has and get the results he does. He uses the lure of the NBA absolutely, but it isn't easy or simple to get a AAU and high school superstar to become a lesser known dirty work guy in college. Yet he's gotten that out of guys like MKG, Poythress, etc.

Olsondogg wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:
They don't "buy into a team concept", they buy into a chance to be a lotto pick. Cal deserves the bad rap he gets. He runs the largest AAU program in the nation.

Do you really think most top recruits are in it for the love of State U? It's hard to have a team with as much turnover and egos as he has and get the results he does. He uses the lure of the NBA absolutely, but it isn't easy or simple to get a AAU and high school superstar to become a lesser known dirty work guy in college. Yet he's gotten that out of guys like MKG, Poythress, etc.

No, I think UK does the most fringe work to get the players that they get. There is a reason that Cal is a "great coach" and isn't his style or his X's and O's.

Additionally you seem to think Poythress is the next Jordan or something. Could just be me, but he isn't trending in the right direction...

Olsondogg wrote:You act as if Cal hasn't had transfers...

So he managed the ego of one highly rated HS player that stayed past a Sophomore year, and was relegated to the bench. Hats off to him for that, absolutely amazing work.

Jefe wrote:Probably a donation from Kerr/Iggy, Byrne was just in San Fran

ASUHATER! wrote:I'm rooting for $1,000,000,000. Give us the best athletic facilities for every sport in the world lol.

Olsondogg wrote:Latest rumors involve the new uni's being a "retro look" and going full retro, as in shorty shorts:

3goggles wrote:Where will the scoring come from?

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... to-scoring

3goggles wrote:Where will the scoring come from?

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... to-scoring

Beachcat97 wrote:

3goggles wrote:Where will the scoring come from?

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... to-scoring

Not a very good article. Ashley, SJ, TJ, and York can all hit big clutch shots. It seems like the author was desperate to find some weakness with this year's team. Not to say that we won't have some weaknesses; every team does. But I don't think clutch shooting will be one of them.

AZCatGirl wrote:That has to be the most boring article I've ever seen ESPN do about us. It's like Dana O'Neil was bored and realized there hadn't been any articles about us lately.

Kentucky has been the topic of conversation in college basketball during the past two weeks, but there’s a different group of Wildcats that just might be the best team in the country. Though Arizona lost its top two scorers in Pac-12 Player of the Year Nick Johnson and NBA lottery pick Aaron Gordon (who combined to account for 39 percent of the Wildcats’ points), coach Sean Miller’s team returns three starters and the best sixth man in the country in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

What Miller has is a mature, deep team with one of the best point guards in the country in T.J. McConnell and a five-man recruiting class that includes three ESPN 100 prospects (featuring No. 7 overall player Stanley Johnson). The talented freshmen will provide Arizona with the versatility it was missing at the end of last season.

The Wildcats are an old-school group -- they are hard to score against, commit only 10 turnovers a game and rarely take bad shots. Defensively, they ranked No. 3 in the nation last season in efficiency, allowing 90.2 points per 100 possessions. It should be similar in 2014-15, given the talent and length on this roster.

I'll argue that if you wanted an early model for a team built for a Final Four run, it would look something like this season’s Arizona squad. It's a physical and tough team that can play at more than one speed, can score both out of its defense and off a missed shot. Miller’s group also has a designated shooter off the bench and has players willing to embrace roles. It has everything needed for a deep run in April.

Let's take a look at crucial team factors, and the players.

Managing the roster, expectations

Expectations are a good thing. High expectations mean your team is positioned to have a special year. How a staff manages those expectations is pivotal. With a deep roster, it will be important for Miller to get everyone on the same page. Hollis-Jefferson, Johnson and Kadeem Allen can't get caught up in positions; they'll need to focus on what they can do to help the team win. They can't get caught up in thinking about the next level, individual statistics or the static that goes with being an elite player.

Hollis-Jefferson does not have to show NBA scouts that he has 3-point range, just that he is a versatile, winning player. Allen and Johnson need to understand that what they accomplished in junior college and high school, respectively, is in the past. They now have new roles and should focus on playing for a national championship, not their personal goals. How they embrace their roles and give up a little of themselves for the good of the group could determine how good these Wildcats can be.

Backup post

Arizona occasionally played last season with Gordon at the center position and was able to defend and rebound better than most frontcourts in the country. In fact, the Wildcats finished No. 9 in the nation for rebound percentage (54.6 percent).

But that may not be the case in 2014-15. Kaleb Tarczewski is a 28- to 32-minutes-a-game player, but who’s behind him?

Freshman Dusan Ristic will need to give Arizona 10 solid minutes a game. He does not need to get outside himself. Rustic must concentrate on defending, rebounding both ends and setting good screens. Brandon Ashley (6-foot-8) potentially could play alongside 6-7 Craig Victor, but that would be an undersized frontcourt that could struggle defending the post. One major advantage Arizona has is its wings; Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson are big, long and excellent rebounders.

Consistent shooting

This is a good but not great shooting team. Nick Johnson was Arizona's most consistent perimeter threat (36.7 percent from the perimeter), but he left early for the NBA. The designated zone buster, Gabe York, has been inconsistent. Miller’s perimeter players need to be committed to not settling, but dictating the shot they want. At the same time, the Wildcats' frontcourt players and weakside wing must be in position to get to the offensive glass.

Now a quick scouting report on key players.

Point Guard
T.J. McConnell | Senior

McConnell, a fifth-year senior, is one of the most underappreciated players in the country. He’s a bulldog on and off the ball defensively. McConnell is hard to beat off the dribble and has great hands, averaging 1.7 steals a game last season.

Offensively, McConnell does a good job of being an extension of Miller. He has a high basketball IQ and does an excellent job of managing the game, feeding the post and is best in late situations. He’s quick enough to beat his man off the bounce and has excellent vision. McConnell reminds me of former Ohio State guard Aaron Craft, but he comes with a quicker release and a more consistent jump shot.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright | Freshman

Jackson-Cartwright is a terrific defender who has a great feel for the game. He’s the best high school point guard to sign with Arizona since Mike Bibby. The 5-8, lighting-quick guard reminds Southern California scout Frank Burlison of former UCLA point guard Tyus Edney. The ESPN 100 point guard is a complete player, has a high basketball IQ and good leadership skills. He will back up McConnell, and I expect them both to be on the floor in late-game situations.

Shooting Guard/Small Forwards
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | Sophomore

Hollis-Jefferson is a unique talent with a high motor. He’s a lockdown defender who can defend multiple positions, run the floor, and finish, and he is hard to keep off the glass. He reminds me of former UNLV player Stacey Augmon.

He also might be Arizona's third-best ball handler. Hollis-Jefferson’s versatility makes him one of the most complete players in college basketball. Last season, in only 25 minutes a game, he averaged 9.1 points and almost a rebound every four minutes. With the departure of Nick Johnson and Gordon, I expect him to have an even greater impact in 2014-15.

The nation’s No. 1-ranked small forward recruit is a big, physical and skilled wing who comes from an elite basketball program at Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California). He can shoot the ball at the 3-point line and can attack the basket off the bounce. Johnson plays to and through contact. His versatility will fit into the Arizona motion, with opportunities to play on the perimeter off screens as well post against smaller defenders. He rebounds his position and will fit well in Miller’s system.

Gabe York | Junior

York comes off the bench to open the floor and spread the defense. Last season he shot 38.5 percent from the 3-point line. York understands and accepts his role.

Kadeem Allen | Junior

Allen is the X factor for the Arizona backcourt. The former two-time junior college player of the year at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College is a 6-3 athletic guard who can score. Last season he averaged 25.9 points a game, and he can shoot the ball to 3-point range and has a middle game.

Allen had 13 games of 30 or more points last season and is Hutchinson’s No. 2 all-time assists (324) and steals leader (157). An active defender, he is also second in career steals. The junior is important for Arizona because when Nick Johnson left, the Wildcats lost their most consistent shooter.

Frontcourt
Kaleb Tarczewski | Junior

Tarczewski is a 7-foot, 235-pound junior who has been a two-year starter. He’s a big man who is comfortable being a low-post player. Tarczewski has improved significantly during the past year, averaging 9.9 points per game. An excellent screener on and off the ball, Miller is not afraid to play through Tarczewski. He’s an active and physical defender who does a nice job as a help defender.

Brandon Ashley | Junior

Ashley's season was cut short when he had ligament surgery in his right foot 22 games into the season. A healthy Ashley gives Arizona a versatile forward who can shoot the ball. Last season he averaged 11.5 points a game while shooting better than 52.2 percent from the field and just under 37.9 percent from long range. Though Ashley did a nice job rebounding the ball (5.8 a game), he needs to do a better job of attacking and getting to the free throw line. A healthy Ashley could be for Arizona what a healthy Willie Cauley-Stein is for Kentucky -- another mature player who returned to help his team win and compete for a national championship.

Craig Victor | Freshman

Victor, a 6-7 forward from New Orleans, will give Arizona depth in the frontcourt. Though he’s not a great athlete, Victor is a competitive and blue-collar big man who can play on the block and in the high post. In a perfect scenario, he could have an impact on Arizona the way Nigel Hayes did with Wisconsin last season.

Dusan Ristic | Freshman

Ristic is a young developing post. He’s physically strong, boasting a major-college body. He will remind the Arizona faithful of a young but less athletic Tarczewski.

Puerco wrote:High praise for PJC. Interesting. I was thinking he might be an afterthought given all the recruiting of higher rated players that Sean & Co. have been doing.

gumby wrote:How soon Jason Gardner is forgotten. PJC better than him as a high school point? Better than Skakur as a high school point?

Both of them were Mickey Ds.

Or is he projecting this?

gumby wrote:How soon Jason Gardner is forgotten. PJC better than him as a high school point? Better than Skakur as a high school point?

Both of them were Mickey Ds.

Or is he projecting this?

Spaceman Spiff wrote:Other than leaving Pitts out, that's a good preview.

Puerco wrote:High praise for PJC. Interesting. I was thinking he might be an afterthought given all the recruiting of higher rated players that Sean & Co. have been doing.