2018-2019 Arizona Basketball

DrWildcat · Post by **DrWildcat** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:05 pm

If anything this kind of decision confirms that Akot wasn't likely to improve at Arizona if he stayed next year anyway. He was definitely not all in!

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:05 pm

He neither gains nor speeds up his eligibility. He’s throwing the rest of the season away. May provide some insight into why he wasn’t improving.

Alieberman · Post by **Alieberman** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:05 pm

So Ira Lee and Chase Jeter now REALLY REALLY need to learn to play without fouling....

Our thin front court is now wafer thin.....

Siempre Verde · Post by **Siempre Verde** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:07 pm

Sounds like an element of vengeance. Perhaps CSM dared to try to correct Akot’s shot or something. Either that or he was straight up about to get kicked off the team/suspended and this is his warped way of saving face. Who knows... Bizarre.

Frybry02 · Post by **Frybry02** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:08 pm

Next man up. I see you doutrive

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:09 pm

This is a big loss for this year's team. It makes very little sense for him to leave when he's getting playing time and gaims nothing.

A major WTF. We need DD and Luther to fill that spot.

CatFanOneMil · Post by **CatFanOneMil** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:10 pm

Well if there is any positive out of this it will be that an attitude virus just got antibiotics...there's no way that if he felt this way it was not affecting the team somehow...

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:20 pm

More development for Doutrive and Lee. Better for next year's team.

ByJoveByJingle · Post by **ByJoveByJingle** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:25 pm

Meh. He was just 5 fouls.

billk78 · Post by **billk78** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:27 pm

I mentioned earlier in the thread that I thought Miller might go to Ira at the 4 with Jeter at the 5 more often now with ira playing well. Perhaps Ira was going to start Thursday and that was the last straw for Akot. There were also rumors he would read social media and take it personally when something was written about him not playing well. Who knows. For all I could see Miller was giving him every opportunity to improve and help the team. And with no depth it wasn't like he was going to completely lose his minutes. Timing is very strange...I hope this isn't a quick emotional reaction to a lineup change or something. Wish the kid the best. Next man up.

dovecanyoncat · Post by **dovecanyoncat** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:30 pm

Did he want more than to start and get 19+ minutes per game? I don't get it.

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:31 pm

billk78 wrote:I mentioned earlier in the thread that I thought Miller might go to Ira at the 4 with Jeter at the 5 more often now with ira playing well. Perhaps Ira was going to start Thursday and that was the last straw for Akot. There were also rumors he would read social media and take it personally when something was written about him not playing well. Who knows. For all I could see Miller was giving him every opportunity to improve and help the team. And with no depth it wasn't like he was going to completely lose his minutes. Timing is very strange...I hope this isn't a quick emotional reaction to a lineup change or something. Wish the kid the best. Next man up.

Are you saying this board is responsible? Because we sort of resemble that remark.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:34 pm

Would love to know who this kid is getting shot and career advice from? This makes zero sense.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:37 pm

I’m just thankful to have something to talk about other than a 4-0 start to conference play. Now THIS feels more like Arizona basketball.

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:49 pm

I know this is a weird take, but he was celebrating and chest bumping on Saturday. He looked happy to be out there vs Cal, and now this. It's an odd turn, but this is all very odd.

Olsondogg · Post by **Olsondogg** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:53 pm

Every player has some dude in their ear telling them what they want to hear, and some pretty stupid decisions are made.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:10 pm

Olsondogg wrote:Every player has some dude in their ear telling them what they want to hear, and some pretty stupid decisions are made.

*whispers* Shoot just like Lonzo Ball, you'll be in the NBA in no time, it'll be awesome.

RawleArenas · Post by **RawleArenas** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:43 pm

This is a true head scratcher. It looked like after the Cal game that the team was in good spirits and on the right direction. I have a lingering feeling that the Thieleman situation had an impact on Akot this year.

Something was off about Akot's attitude this year. It was like there was some kind of riff behind the scenes that was affecting his game.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:48 pm

Oh well, already over it. Get to see more of Lee and especially Doutrive sounds great. This was kind of a lost year so just going to enjoy the circling of the wagons by the team and watch them ball out

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:50 pm

Finally this is a real Arizona basketball season

I thought Latimore transfering was bad. He is going to stay at Arizona for the semester???

He literally fucking quit.

ByJoveByJingle · Post by **ByJoveByJingle** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:55 pm

If I were a head coach I wouldn’t allow him to transfer into my program. There are any number of reasons why he may have quit, but none of them reflect well on him or his future impact on a team.

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:56 pm

Bizarre.

A thin roster just got thinner.

I mean, it's not like Akot was a major contributor. I'd have preferred that he stay, but he must have his reasons.

I hope our starters can stay healthy the rest of the way.

WildcatStunner · Post by **WildcatStunner** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:56 pm

AZ has a bad luck history with any iteration of Emmanuel's.

-Emmanuel Negedu
-Emanuel Richardson
-Emmanuel Akot

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:00 pm

WildcatStunner wrote:AZ has a bad luck history with any iteration of Emmanuel's.

-Emmanuel Negedu
-Emanuel Richardson
-Emmanuel Akot

Negedu! Wow! You've got an amazing memory.

RawleArenas · Post by **RawleArenas** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:00 pm

ByJoveByJingle wrote:If I were a head coach I wouldn’t allow him to transfer into my program. There are any number of reasons why he may have quit, but none of them reflect well on him or his future impact on a team.

I understand if things don't work out with a player and the program. But there is a protocol to handle these sort of things, and this just smacks of immaturity/lack of foresight.

I wish all players who contribute to the program well, but this does not feel good at all. It's ironic because I was feeling that if Akot was able to turn the corner this year, this team could be quite dangerous.

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:01 pm

I'm also wondering how this impacts our 2019 class. Another scholie just opened up, right?

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:20 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:I'm also wondering how this impacts our 2019 class. Another scholie just opened up, right?

There was always going to be room.

Main Event · Post by **Main Event** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:26 pm

Hope everything works out for him

Postmaster · Post by **Postmaster** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:14 am

Do you think they will have that transfer play?
Don’t recall name but someone said he could play this semester instead of waiting until next season.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:19 am

Postmaster wrote:Do you the no they will have that transfer play?
Don’t recall name but someone said he could play this semester instead of waiting until next season.

Gettings? He’s only got one full year of eligibility left, so it doesn’t make sense to plug him in now. He’ll play the full season next year instead.

pokinmik · Post by **pokinmik** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:28 am

It’s crazy that Akot was rated so highly out of high school. He’s just another fendi onobun type player that looked the part but can’t ball. Kinda sucks for this year’s team solely because he was another athletic body to throw out there, but I doubt we miss him going forward.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:33 am

pokinmik wrote:It’s crazy that Akot was rated so highly out of high school. He’s just another fendi onobun type player that looked the part but can’t ball. Kinda sucks for this year’s team solely because he was another athletic body to throw out there, but I doubt we miss him going forward.

To be fair last season he dealt with a lot of knee issues, but was receptive to actual quality coaching and advice. This season though with the improvement in his knees came the lack of welcoming quality coaching and advice, but rather taking advice from outside counsel. I'm far from thinking Sean Miller's coaching and advice are the tell all be all, but the advice Akot has received and acted on....jesus christ...good luck kid.

DrWildcat · Post by **DrWildcat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:00 am

ChooChooCat wrote:
pokinmik wrote:It’s crazy that Akot was rated so highly out of high school. He’s just another fendi onobun type player that looked the part but can’t ball. Kinda sucks for this year’s team solely because he was another athletic body to throw out there, but I doubt we miss him going forward.
To be fair last season he dealt with a lot of knee issues, but was receptive to actual quality coaching and advice. This season though with the improvement in his knees came the lack of welcoming quality coaching and advice, but rather taking advice from outside counsel. I'm far from thinking Sean Miller's coaching and advice are the tell all be all, but the advice Akot has received and acted on....jesus christ...good luck kid.

The acted on is what gets me. These guys do have a mind of their own right? At 19 you should be able to see that this is a dumb decision on your own. Combine that with a shoot like Lonzo suggestion?...which happens to be one of the things he gets criticized the most on. Really? And you think the rest of their advice is legit after that?

I wonder how his teammates are responding to this? I hope someone called him out on it. I would be pissed off.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:29 am

Just wild guessing on twitter.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:44 am

pokinmik wrote:It’s crazy that Akot was rated so highly out of high school. He’s just another fendi onobun type player that looked the part but can’t ball. Kinda sucks for this year’s team solely because he was another athletic body to throw out there, but I doubt we miss him going forward.

Please don't insult Fendi by comparing Akot to him.

Thanks.

EVCat · Post by **EVCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:51 am

I'm not, as a fan, freaking out at all about Akot leaving.

I recognize we are losing a strong off ball and, at times, on ball defender. We are losing potential.

But the clock was running out for him to make an impact. Zero hour is approaching for a lot of our players, including contributors. The face of this program changes drastically when the new freshman class + the youknowitiscoming transfer with immediate eligibility get here.

It is nothing against the guys here. It is kind of like the Unforgettables at UK in the 1991-92 season...they are part of a transition from something bad, and things will change drastically in the near future. But they have a chance to go down in our hearts and minds as one of the surprises of this run. Like 2011, but not nearly as far in the tournament...if this squad wins a PAC 12 title and gets to the NCAA tournament, maybe wins in Vegas too but the PAC regular season title being the biggie, they will be, or should be, beloved. They were the Forgotten Team, if you want to add a media label. The transition...and they have a chance, with lowered expectations, to add to our title total, to add to our NCAA tournament total, while having been handed a total shit burger, both in how things came to be, and what is to be around the corner.

Akot bailed early. That is unfortunate...I am not sure what that extra semester gives you, unless you are convinced you are going pro after your junior year anyway. But I am not really feeling it as any impact to the future Cats, and to this team, I say OK, someone else gets to step up. Who will that be?

I really like our scrappy little island of misfit toys squad this year. It is such a weird mash up...the senior midget from Alabama, the heir apparent PG who stuck with us who is neither the heir apparent to the PG or really a PG all that much at all, the enigma that is the brain of Brandon Randolph, the smarts and skill and footwork and serious lack of athleticism of our Duke/5 star transfer center, the hole that is the 4...will Luther ever figure out how to be a consistent impact when not the star, or will Ira Lee grow from puppy to dog and become the poor man's Zion....our bench of parts that work sometimes, not all the time, starting with the transfer shooting guard who can hit 10 threes in a row then miss 15 shots and throw the ball away passing to a person 2 feet from him, but sometimes locks down his guy in a way we simply don't have elsewhere on the bench, the Arizona kid who wasn't sure he was good enough, tore up the AAU circuit and proved he was, but looks scared on the court into his Sophomore year and who has been pigeon-holed into a role that isn't him (3 point shooter...he is more of a lane scorer), the enigmatic freshman with the funky name who looks to be a microwave on the offensive end, but can get Fendi-level lost on defense at times while also making dramatic recovery defensive plays that cause fans to look the other way....

That's our team now. We need to roll with it. We have a starting 5 with a potentially shifting 4 if we move Ira there instead of Luther, and a bench of 3 guards who all have their moments, but also have their moments of WTF.

Let's roll with this. I am looking forward to it. Sorry Emmanuel didn't feel it was in his plan to see this out.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:52 am

I'll miss the 5 fouls Akot could provide.

GTownCat · Post by **GTownCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:10 am

ChooChooCat wrote:I'll miss the 5 fouls Akot could provide.

Sad but true, i feel down the road we'll be saying "Man if only we had...." when one our guys foul out or something.

Additional question: How do you feel about Barcello? is he the next to leave (at end of the season)?

edit: grammar

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:34 am

GTownCat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:I'll miss the 5 fouls Akot could provide.
Sad but true, i feel down the road we'll be saying "Man if only we had...." when one our guys foul out or something.

Additional question: How do you feel about Barcello? is he the next to leave (at end of the season)?

edit: grammar

Barcello is still up in the air. There are reasons he'd stay at Arizona and reasons he'd leave. I don't think any decision has been made, ditto with Dylan Smith. There is one guy I'm quite confident will be gone after this year though.

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:37 am

ChooChooCat wrote:
GTownCat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:I'll miss the 5 fouls Akot could provide.
Sad but true, i feel down the road we'll be saying "Man if only we had...." when one our guys foul out or something.

Additional question: How do you feel about Barcello? is he the next to leave (at end of the season)?

edit: grammar
Barcello is still up in the air. There are reasons he'd stay at Arizona and reasons he'd leave. I don't think any decision has been made, ditto with Dylan Smith. There is one guy I'm quite confident will be gone after this year though.

It has to be Randolph that's gone. It would shock the crap out of me if Smith returned, for basically the same reasons I figure Randolph is gone. I guess maybe there's some PT left for Smith if both Randolph and Akot leave.

I guess. On the heels of such a WTF decision by Akot, it feels like nothing is certain.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:51 am

I thought Choo said previously it was Jeter who was leaving.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:53 am

Merkin wrote:I thought Choo said previously it was Jeter who was leaving.

No, his status for next year is up in the air. I ultimately expect him to return, but it's not a for sure thing.

Alieberman · Post by **Alieberman** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:19 am

It sounds like Miller wants to see more lineups with both Lee and Jeter...

Does that mean DesJardins might see a couple minutes here and there to spell Jeter from time to time?

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:21 am

Alieberman wrote:It sounds like Miller wants to see more lineups with both Lee and Jeter...

Does that mean DesJardins might see a couple minutes here and there to spell Jeter from time to time?

DesJardins is more likely to spell whoever is playing the 4 at the time, but I don't imagine we see him unless foul trouble.

cats101 · Post by **cats101** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:43 am

Longhorned wrote:I’m just thankful to have something to talk about other than a 4-0 start to conference play. Now THIS feels more like Arizona basketball.

Yes, an Arizona Basketball season wouldn't feel complete w/o some sort of drama.

I'll miss the fouls as well. I think that's important to this years team. Well see how this plays out.

EVCat · Post by **EVCat** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:48 am

As for Barcello...it really comes down to what he sees as important.

If he wants to go star somewhere, he is gone. Because that isn't coming here. But if he is happy to learn from this squad, grow in a support role, and be near friends, family, and finish his schooling here?

Honestly...I would see Alex more likely to senior transfer if he accelerated to get his degree in 3 years than transferring this year. But that is not based on information. More the lack of any conflicting information.

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:03 pm

EVCat wrote:As for Barcello...it really comes down to what he sees as important.

If he wants to go star somewhere, he is gone. Because that isn't coming here. But if he is happy to learn from this squad, grow in a support role, and be near friends, family, and finish his schooling here?

Honestly...I would see Alex more likely to senior transfer if he accelerated to get his degree in 3 years than transferring this year. But that is not based on information. More the lack of any conflicting information.

I don't know his scholastic track, but if Barcello left, he would be a perfect grad transfer candidate for a midmajor or a P5 team with a bigger role to fill.

The issue with a one year transfer from a player's perspective is you don't know if there will be more competition for your spot when you're ready to go. The grad transfer avoids that, and I think Barcello would draw interest.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:57 pm

EVCat wrote:As for Barcello...it really comes down to what he sees as important.

If he wants to go star somewhere, he is gone. Because that isn't coming here. But if he is happy to learn from this squad, grow in a support role, and be near friends, family, and finish his schooling here?

Honestly...I would see Alex more likely to senior transfer if he accelerated to get his degree in 3 years than transferring this year. But that is not based on information. More the lack of any conflicting information.

A couple hours ago, I saw what appeared to be an undergrad employee enter a secured door at McKale, and then turn around and notice Barcello approaching the top of the stairs. So she did him the favor of stopping and holding the door open for him. In response, he increased his pace down the stairs toward the door, at which point the employee got lazy and started to close the door to just a narrow crack. So he ran toward the closing door and opened it.

I should have recorded it and sent it to the coaching staff, who should sit him down in the film room to make him watch it over and over again.

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:01 pm

I guess it only took a week of Stone Gettings on the practice squad to figure out his situation next season. Mannion, Williams, Gettings, Armstrong and Green are all getting more mins than Akot would have. But at least wait until the season is over. Good luck E-Man

BTW has anyone looked at Stone's stats last year? Damn

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... e-gettings" target="_blank

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:08 pm

https://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildca ... -top-story" target="_blank

Sean Miller confirms Emmanuel Akot quit Wildcats after Bay Area trip

Arizona coach Sean Miller confirmed Tuesday that sophomore forward Emmanuel Akot has quit the Wildcats, saying he told the coaching staff on Sunday after they returned from their Bay Area sweep of Cal and Stanford. Miller said Akot will stay in school and plans to transfer at the end of the spring semester, but would not take questions about Akot's motivation or the timing of the move, which leaves UA with just three post players at midseason. Akot could not be reached for comment.

"We will continue to support Emman this spring while he’s here academically as a student,” Miller said. “He’s an outstanding student, currently in good academic standing, and we want to ensure that when he transfers that that remains the same for him.

“Emman is a great young man and I wish him continued success and more success on his journey ahead. If you’d like to ask me questions about our team, the guys who are here, I’d be more than happy to answer but that’s my statement as it applies to Emmanuel making his decision.”

“Emman, that’s my guy,” Coleman said. “He’s still our brother. We still reach out to him as one and I’ve also been through the transferring process as well. So losing Emman we wish him the best. We still gonna support him the best way we can because he’s still family. We just come to practice and get better every day as we did before. Nothing changes.

“He kind of talked to us as a group and told us why he wanted to leave …. But we also told him we still loved him as one. He still is a part of us as he would be so we told him we gonna encourage him throughout the process.”

Akot started 11 of 17 games for the Wildcats, averaging 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. He appeared in danger of losing minutes or possibly his starting role with the emergence of sophomore Ira Lee, who made several key plays down the stretch at Stanford on Wednesday.

If Akot leaves in good academic standing at the end of the spring semester, he will only cost UA one demerit in the Academic Progress Rating, which measures both retention and academic eligibility from semester to semester.

Arizona also lost Belgian wing Omar Thielemans in October, though Thielemans finished up the fall semester academically before transferring to Wright State.

Miller said he would look to Lee and Luther to take more minutes without Akot around, possibly starting Luther on Thursday against Oregon, while guard Dylan Smith would also fill a "jack of all trades" role that could include emergency stints at power forward.

"I think we’ll move Ryan Luther into the starting lineup though we still have a couple of days before the game," Miller said. "Ira Lee could potentially be that guy. Dylan Smith also could be that guy.

"Ira Lee has played some outstanding basketball. He was headed in that direction before we went to the Bay area and he continued to deliver and play really good in the Bay. We’re playing him about 15 minutes a game and right now he’s earned more minutes. So playing with Chase Jeter -- not just for him -- is something that we were moving towards anyway and I feel like that will happen more and more."What that addresses for us is more rebounding, the ability to get second shots, and defensively when a shot goes up having our two best defensive rebounders per minute play in the game at the same time which we’ve not done a lot this year."

Miller said that when Luther has played well, generally Arizona has been at its best this season. Luther's best game was probably against Iowa State, when had 12 points and eight rebounds against Iowa State in Maui, and that game has been Arizona's biggest win so far.

Luther also had 10 points, hitting 4 of 5 free throws, at UConn and had 10 points and three rebounds at Stanford. "Headed down the stretch of his college career, I hope that this additional opportunity can bolster his play," Miller said. "So you have Ira and then you have Ryan. The one thing that we want to make sure that we don’t lose is quickness defensively at that spot where we can switch pick-and-rolls. There’s so many today."

That's where Smith may come into play at power forward.

"A lot of teams in the Pac-12 play with a smaller group and that four position is really a small forward and sometimes even a guard. Oregon does that," Miller said. "We’ve experimented with Dylan Smith being in that role already big moments at Stanford and even at Cal we played him at that role. "What’s deceiving about Dylan is for our guards he’s not only our best defensive player but he’s also our best defensive rebounder. And with Ira Lee and him able to play more minutes, I think that’s something that can go quietly our direction is our ability to rebound the ball. But these are our circumstances... (It's giving) Ira Lee a bigger opportunity and Ryan Luther more of an opportunity, more of the same. And certainly Dylan being able to be that jack-of-all-trades guy where we can count on him at the end of games, against Utah for example, Dylan was somebody we really, really trust so that’s kind of what we're doing."

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