Bear Down Wildcats

Put your news, speculation and other bits of tid here.

I'll go first. I see Parker, Ristic, York returning. Can see all of the rest leaving, including Pitts. But have no inside info. Presume the redshirts -- Anderson and Allen - will join team, along with Simon, Trier, Smith and Comanche.

One front line returnee would be great.

I will feel good about Miller and the team next year if one of Ashley, Tarc or RHJ stay.

I wouldnt mind seeing Pitts go. If that means we can keep somebody else in his place

I bet everyone returns except Stan, Rondae, and Ashley.

I am going to channel all my positive thinking and say that Zeus and Ashley both return. Ashley becomes Solo v2.

I'd prefer not to speculate on anyone transferring out...

It's a pipe dream I know but man would I love for everyone to return after getting kicked in the nuts like we did yesterday! Could you image PJC, Simon, york, trier, Allen, SJ, RHJ, bash, Anderson, Zeus, Dusan, smith. Pitts transfer and chance redshirt!!!!! Fuck!!!

Stanley and RHJ are gone for sure.

Ashley is most likely gone.

Zeus might come back.

Pitts is a ?

Exodus news should be coming soon. Agent signings. Dropping classes. Is there still a declaration deadline for draft?

Nba draft early entry deadline isn't for another 30 days. Got a month til we may know who stays.

Why would Pitts transfer? He played a lot like York last year. Too many guards maybe?

I'm staying

When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

classes end on May 6 with final ending on May 14th

Alieberman wrote:I'm staying

Elite Eights are certainly better accomplishments than exiting the tourney in earlier rounds, or missing the tourney altogether. But Elite Eight exits are the hardest to take. What are we, 0 for 4 over the past decade? Scary to think the amount of hope and time went into all that. This community and the individuals that comprise it are awesome. But the good times that keep you coming back just make it harder to break away. Especially since I refuse to use Facebook.

Coming back for all the people you like has a cruel way of reifying our superfandom. A couple of decades ago, we'd have gone to the games or watched them on TV, read about them in the local paper, and followed things through magazines. That alone took too much of our time, but nothing compared to how much we get sucked in today. I've got some add-on extensions on my browsers that I can set to block this site and all basketball-related sites. But I probably just don't have the fortitude to go through the withdrawal. Hell, I don't even have the imagination to conceive of what else I'd do with that time. Be like everyone's sister-in-law and start to follow movies, fashion, and the that stuff with that blissful non-awareness of the existence of sports without any of their details, and without any care to understand what or why anyone else knows something about them?

I'm probably just beyond repair at this point. But I like to think I'm capable of doing something else, even if I'm not.

In the end, we are all staying...it doesn't matter what players do, we are all committed. Sure, it's sad to see some great basketball players move on...but such is life. In a month, every team accross the nation will be saying goodbye to some of their favorite players.

If we had won yesterday, and then lost the next game, we could have felt good with the consilation prize of a Final 4. Perhaps that would have taken out the sting of losing a bit, but really...we would all still be upset about not winning.

I said it before the game yesterday, but all I want is more. More basketball. More chances to watch the program that consumes a large portion of my time not spent on friends, family and work.

Life is a moving train. Sometimes you gotta look out the window and enjoy the scenery.

Longhorned wrote:

Alieberman wrote:I'm staying

Elite Eights are certainly better accomplishments than exiting the tourney in earlier rounds, or missing the tourney altogether. But Elite Eight exits are the hardest to take. What are we, 0 for 4 over the past decade? Scary to think the amount of hope and time went into all that. This community and the individuals that comprise it are awesome. But the good times that keep you coming back just make it harder to break away. Especially since I refuse to use Facebook.

Coming back for all the people you like has a cruel way of reifying our superfandom. A couple of decades ago, we'd have gone to the games or watched them on TV, read about them in the local paper, and followed things through magazines. That alone took too much of our time, but nothing compared to how much we get sucked in today. I've got some add-on extensions on my browsers that I can set to block this site and all basketball-related sites. But I probably just don't have the fortitude to go through the withdrawal. Hell, I don't even have the imagination to conceive of what else I'd do with that time. Be like everyone's sister-in-law and start to follow movies, fashion, and the that stuff with that blissful non-awareness of the existence of sports without any of their details, and without any care to understand what or why anyone else knows something about them?

I'm probably just beyond repair at this point. But I like to think I'm capable of doing something else, even if I'm not.

0-5 since the last final 4. 1-6 since the title in 1997.

Merkin wrote:When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Can Ristic play the 4?

We probably need someone to plug in behind Anderson. From what I've seen/ heard/ read...Zeus, Dus, and Chance are all strictly 5s.

dmjcat wrote:

Merkin wrote:When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Where did you hear that about Smith?

Chicat wrote:

dmjcat wrote:

Merkin wrote:When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Where did you hear that about Smith?

Pure speculation on my part. The jump from being a Senior in HS to college is tough enough, but to go from -a Junior in HS to college (after suffering a bad knee injury) is even worse. Quite a bit of this kids 5-Star ranking was based on his athleticism......which is usually not positively affected by ACL blowouts.

phenom5 wrote:Can Ristic play the 4?

We probably need someone to plug in behind Anderson. From what I've seen/ heard/ read...Zeus, Dus, and Chance are all strictly 5s.

I would be shocked if Miller isn't out there beating the bushes, especially since he doesn't know who is going pro at this point. Earlier this month it was reported that AZ is pursuing another Euro:

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.s ... d_mor.html

phenom5 wrote:Can Ristic play the 4?

We probably need someone to plug in behind Anderson. From what I've seen/ heard/ read...Zeus, Dus, and Chance are all strictly 5s.

He can play the 4 on offense, but he can't defend a 4. As you know, Miller won't zone to make that happen. It's pretty clear that a grad transfer will be added.

dmjcat wrote:

Merkin wrote:
If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Looks like we're losing a lot of height. And we'll miss SJ's imposing size at the guard. However, I like the idea of PJC and York cementing the back court for a few years. The big guys will take care of themselves if the back court stays together.

Longhorned wrote:
Elite Eights are certainly better accomplishments than exiting the tourney in earlier rounds, or missing the tourney altogether. But Elite Eight exits are the hardest to take. What are we, 0 for 4 over the past decade? Scary to think the amount of hope and time went into all that. This community and the individuals that comprise it are awesome. But the good times that keep you coming back just make it harder to break away. Especially since I refuse to use Facebook.

Coming back for all the people you like has a cruel way of reifying our superfandom. A couple of decades ago, we'd have gone to the games or watched them on TV, read about them in the local paper, and followed things through magazines. That alone took too much of our time, but nothing compared to how much we get sucked in today. I've got some add-on extensions on my browsers that I can set to block this site and all basketball-related sites. But I probably just don't have the fortitude to go through the withdrawal. Hell, I don't even have the imagination to conceive of what else I'd do with that time. Be like everyone's sister-in-law and start to follow movies, fashion, and the that stuff with that blissful non-awareness of the existence of sports without any of their details, and without any care to understand what or why anyone else knows something about them?
I'm probably just beyond repair at this point. But I like to think I'm capable of doing something else, even if I'm not.

That's the anchor point for me as well. What else is worth spending time on? Following the Bachelor? The time would more likely go into ventures I'm already confined to anyway - church, work, business travel, reading. None of that demands more time then I'm currently offering.

I know Ashley wants to go pro, but I'm curious if making the jump this year is set in stone, or if he is going to give serious consideration on returning. I've heard his draft stock isn't that high, but I imagine he'd still make plenty in Europe and eventually get a shot to work his way onto an NBA roster.

Imagine this discussion on Kentucky board. Calipari is staying ... and ... um ...

When TJ came off yesterday (obviously gone) it was hugs and tears with the coaches. Rondae came off, the same. Ash came off and just went to the bench. Zues stayed on the floor to the end. This has to mean Ash and Zues are both back.

mrqsjhnsnsux wrote:When TJ came off yesterday (obviously gone) it was hugs and tears with the coaches. Rondae came off, the same. Ash came off and just went to the bench. Zues stayed on the floor to the end. This has to mean Ash and Zues are both back.

Not necelery.

Well you would think both of those guys would declare but maybe not hire an agent if the feedback is not as positive as they would like

No hug for Stan. He's back! Start spreading the news.

dmjcat wrote:

Chicat wrote:

dmjcat wrote:

Merkin wrote:When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Where did you hear that about Smith?

Pure speculation on my part.

I know.

I don't know if anyone else caught it during Miller's post game presser yesterday, but when he was talking about TJ and Rondae, he said they "both" will be missed. I know it's been pretty widely speculated that Rondae would declare after this year, but I wonder if that was a slip, or if it's just a given between the coaching staff and Rondae that he is leaving.

It's a given that Rondae came back for one more year. And now it's over.

dmjcat wrote:

Chicat wrote:

dmjcat wrote:

Merkin wrote:When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Where did you hear that about Smith?

Pure speculation on my part. The jump from being a Senior in HS to college is tough enough, but to go from -a Junior in HS to college (after suffering a bad knee injury) is even worse. Quite a bit of this kids 5-Star ranking was based on his athleticism......which is usually not positively affected by ACL blowouts.

It will be interesting to see if Smith will ever be right again. Hopefully, he will be a solid contributor down the road, but It probably won't be next year.

FWIW, 97 has said Tarc, Ashley, SJ, and RHJ are all leaving.

dmjcat wrote:

phenom5 wrote:Can Ristic play the 4?

We probably need someone to plug in behind Anderson. From what I've seen/ heard/ read...Zeus, Dus, and Chance are all strictly 5s.

I would be shocked if Miller isn't out there beating the bushes, especially since he doesn't know who is going pro at this point. Earlier this month it was reported that AZ is pursuing another Euro:

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.s ... d_mor.html

I wonder if Miller brings in another Korcheck type?

Why would anyone want Pitts to transfer? The kid is a fantastic shooter and plays some defense. His shooting will be quite valuable moving forward; depth at the guard position will be important next year assuming the frontline doesn't score the way it did the past few years. If Pitts was a liability, Allen would not have been given the red shirt this past season, and Pitts would not have seen decent minutes throughout the season.

It is very clear that SJ and RHJ are leaving; particularly because they are likely to be first rounders. BA and Tarc are for whatever reason, projected to be very low second rounders, or not referenced at all on some lists. Yes, 97 said Tarc is gone, but no one should rule out the possibility of his return. BA on the other hand seems to really want to make the jump and start his path to a NBA roster; whether through the draft, Europe, or the D league. As someone else mentioned, he may want to avoid a career ending injury in college and give the a pro career a shot now while he is healthy. It seems as though there would be more security at AZ and a chance to continue to develop, but some kids don't have the patience.

I think "fantastic shooter" is overstating it by a fanboy or two...

catgrad97 wrote:I think "fantastic shooter" is overstating it by a fanboy or two...

It is.

And stating that it does not matter if Tarc comes back because he could not stop Frank Kaminsky is a overstating it by a contrarian intellectuals or two as well. Aside from the fact that Kaminsky is not the reason we lost, we have no one on the team - or on the radar- that could have stopped him either. Unless Willie Cauley-Stein decides to transfer.

So we'd have problems matching up with a 6'11" dude that can shoot from deep, put it on the floor, and also has great touch and footwork around the basket. Fortunately, we won't likely see any of them next year - or in the several after.

Against almost ever other team, getting Zeus back would matter. A lot.

I love how Pitts had a couple brainfarts on defense and some of you people just assume he is transferring. I'm going to have to take a break from this stupidity for a while.

splitsecond wrote:I love how Pitts had a couple brainfarts on defense and some of you people just assume he is transferring. I'm going to have to take a break from this stupidity for a while.

Don't forget that he also seemingly forgot how to make shots in the second half of the season and then pretty much stopped taking them altogether.

But that's not the reason why I think Pitts should or would transfer. The word "logjam" comes to mind.

Chicat wrote:

splitsecond wrote:I love how Pitts had a couple brainfarts on defense and some of you people just assume he is transferring. I'm going to have to take a break from this stupidity for a while.

Don't forget that he also seemingly forgot how to make shots in the second half of the season and then pretty much stopped taking them altogether.

But that's not the reason why I think Pitts should or would transfer. The word "logjam" comes to mind.

Yea we are going to be loaded with some talented young guards, plus PJC and York. Like others have said, I don't see how Trier doesn't play because he is a stud. Pitts might play a decent amount next year but his final year he'll most likely be riding pine...his ceiling is just way lower, nothing personal or anything.

Regarding what 97cats always said about the starting 5 being gonzo, I always assumed that was if this group accomplished the ultimate goal of a Final Four and championship. I could see Zeus coming back again to give it another run. A senior Zeus would be a huuuge asset. By that point he'll be the oldest guy on the floor, man against boys frequently. I could see Ashley coming back too, but not nearly as likely as Zeus. SJ and RHJ are first round locks. They are gone and I'm gonna enjoy following their careers in th NBA for the next 10-15 years.

Chicat wrote:

splitsecond wrote:I love how Pitts had a couple brainfarts on defense and some of you people just assume he is transferring. I'm going to have to take a break from this stupidity for a while.

Don't forget that he also seemingly forgot how to make shots in the second half of the season and then pretty much stopped taking them altogether.

But that's not the reason why I think Pitts should or would transfer. The word "logjam" comes to mind.

Exactly. I don't think anyone is saying he's gonna transfer because he didn't play well Saturday. There's speculation he's going to transfer because we have about 6 guys who can play the 2 next year, and he's likely near the bottom of that depth chart.

2
Trier
York
Allen
Simon
Pitts

3
Smith
Simon
Allen
Pitts

I don't care what Tarc says - Allen is a complete and total mystery. Current players can hype up a redshirt player to help with his transfer. The question isn't whether Allen or Pitts will transfer. The question is whether both of them will. There's not a minute to be had at the 2 after Trier and York, and if there is, it's Simon's. The only time available at the 3 is for when Smith is on the bench and Simon is at the 2, which may not ever happen.

Chicat wrote:

dmjcat wrote:

Merkin wrote:When does the semester end?

Pitts could be 4th on the depth chart at the 2G behind York, Trier and Allen. Like I mentioned in another thread, Zane Johnson saw that too and transferred to Hawaii where he had a nice career. Zane said he didn't want to spend his senior year on the bench.

Ashley and Zeus are off the draft charts or nearly so. From reading between the lines I still think Ashley is gone, and Zeus is staying.

If Miller reverts to a 3 guard rotation (very possible as he may not have the front court players and Smith may need another year to rehab) then Pitts would likely see significant minutes. I could see the following rotation:

PG: PJC/Simon
2G: York/Trier
3G: Allen/Pitts
PF: Anderson/Ristic
C: Tarc/Ristic

If one of the starting guards is hurt or gets into foul trouble during the year Pitts could well see many more minutes than he did this year.

Where did you hear that about Smith?

Smith is doing fine.

Daryl Zero wrote:Smith is doing fine.

His father said that he's pretty close to 100% right now and at this point it's all about shaking the rust off his basketball skills.

I'll take that over dmjcat's rampant and irresponsible speculation.

Dude has long arms:

http://zonazealots.com/2015/02/20/arizo ... yor-simon/

stands 6 foot 5 inches, weighs 185, and has a 6-foot-11 wingspan.

I imagine eventually he can cover the 1, 2 and 3.

Longhorned wrote: I don't care what Tarc says - Allen is a complete and total mystery

I was thinking the same thing. We heard a lot of buzz about TJ during his redshirt year, but nothing really about Allen.

Merkin wrote:Dude has long arms:

http://zonazealots.com/2015/02/20/arizo ... yor-simon/

stands 6 foot 5 inches, weighs 185, and has a 6-foot-11 wingspan.

Buying shirts must be a pain in the ass.

Merkin wrote:Dude has long arms:

http://zonazealots.com/2015/02/20/arizo ... yor-simon/

stands 6 foot 5 inches, weighs 185, and has a 6-foot-11 wingspan.

I imagine eventually he can cover the 1, 2 and 3.

Longhorned wrote: I don't care what Tarc says - Allen is a complete and total mystery

I was thinking the same thing. We heard a lot of buzz about TJ during his redshirt year, but nothing really about Allen.

I've seen a couple interviews and articles in the last month or so where a couple guys say Kadeem is one of the best scorers they've had to guard in games or practice.

ASUHATER! wrote:

Merkin wrote:Dude has long arms:

http://zonazealots.com/2015/02/20/arizo ... yor-simon/

stands 6 foot 5 inches, weighs 185, and has a 6-foot-11 wingspan.

I imagine eventually he can cover the 1, 2 and 3.

Longhorned wrote: I don't care what Tarc says - Allen is a complete and total mystery

I was thinking the same thing. We heard a lot of buzz about TJ during his redshirt year, but nothing really about Allen.

I've seen a couple interviews and articles in the last month or so where a couple guys say Kadeem is one of the best scorers they've had to guard in games or practice.

Then Pitts is very aware of it too then. I don't see anyone demanding Elliott leaves, but he can see the writing on the wall better than any of us can so I don't expect him to stick around. Miller may also tell him the same thing on their end of season face to face.