Official 2007 Arizona Wildcats OFFSEASON Basketball thread

[Renz]

Can anyone spell Miles Simon?

Simon graduated. Is Lute in charge of deciding who is academically eligible and who isn't. If Simon wasn't, then blame the NCAA, who cleared him to play.

Either way, all this Miles Simon stuff from 10 years ago is all you can come up with to bash Lute. That's weak, even for you.

 

[Lefty]

Looks like the UofA could be adding another gem to their recruiting class. Wow if they can snag him.
http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/pascoe/4313/ua-may-snag-key-big-man-after-all

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Lute is obviously over the hill.

 

[Russ Smith]

Looks like the UofA could be adding another gem to their recruiting class. Wow if they can snag him.
http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/pascoe/4313/ua-may-snag-key-big-man-after-all

That'll teach me to not read threads first I literally just sent Mao a PM about Withey and UA 2 minutes ago!

From what I hear UA is expected to be the leader for Withey because of Suzuki.

Again as always I'd much rather see him stay in the Pac 10 rather than go to Louisville.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Technically Suzuki is a UCLA booster due to him having Bruin season tickets as well as being an alumni but he does have a good relationship with UA's players and coaches due to him being Chase Budinger's trainer for the last decade.

Withey supposedly wants to stay close to home and play at an elite program which leaves Arizona and UCLA. In the frontcourt in UCLA already has Drew Gordon locked up in '08 and Kevin Love coming in next year who will likely play at least two years. Arizona has Jordan Hill and um...Jordan Hill? Mohamed Tangara and Alex Jacobsen are fringe Pac-10 players who probably could not beat out Withey now let alone in two years. Playing time, distance, and his long relationship with Arizona (Lute was the first coach to offer Withey) will in all likelihood be the difference.

 

[Russ Smith]

Technically Suzuki is a UCLA booster due to him having Bruin season tickets as well as being an alumni but he does have a good relationship with UA's players and coaches due to him being Chase Budinger's trainer for the last decade.

Withey supposedly wants to stay close to home and play at an elite program which leaves Arizona and UCLA. In the frontcourt in UCLA already has Drew Gordon locked up in '08 and Kevin Love coming in next year who will likely play at least two years. Arizona has Jordan Hill and um...Jordan Hill? Mohamed Tangara and Alex Jacobsen are fringe Pac-10 players who probably could not beat out Withey now let alone in two years. Playing time, distance, and his long relationship with Arizona (Lute was the first coach to offer Withey) will in all likelihood be the difference.

There's also the idea that some UCLA fans think howland "burned his bridges" with Withey last year after the UCLA skills camp. He was really playing poorly and some people said Ben basically was brutally honest with him, we don't think you're a UCLA level recruit, you're not in shape, you need to work harder etc. Immediately after the camp he pulled UCLA off his list.

The UCLA fan in me would like to think Ben's words inspired him to work harder, but I suspect what they really did was put him off UCLA. Even UCLA recruiting "gurus" say it's a longshot UCLA will be able to get involved with him again, they all think UA is the easy favorite.

Much better prospect than Jacbson, not much offense but he's a much better athlete than Jacobson.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

How exactly are Riley and Tedford "shady"?

Skkop, no ua fan will admit how shady Lute is, but them and USC are the first to proclaim Erickson as shady...Are ua and usc fans just scared of Erickson?

lol

Please enlighten us as to how shady Lute is...

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Latest on the fading Arizona program and it's over-the-hill coach, Arizona to no surprise landed former Louisville commit Jeff Withey over offers from UCLA, Kansas, and others. He's rankled anywhere from Top 25-50 by the recruiting services and is probably UA's best big man recruit since Loren Woods.

 

[Russ Smith]

Latest on the fading Arizona program and it's over-the-hill coach, Arizona to no surprise landed former Louisville commit Jeff Withey over offers from UCLA, Kansas, and others. He's rankled anywhere from Top 25-50 by the recruiting services and is probably UA's best big man recruit since Loren Woods.

Well UCLA didn't really offer him but largely because they thought he was going to UA. The reports on UCLA boards were he contacted UCLA but they decided it was pointless to recruit him because he's very tight with Trent Suzuki(UCLA grad) who trains Budinger and that they felt he was going to UA.
If they felt they had any chance at him I'm sure they would have offered.

Nice get, he's a terrific shot blocker and reportedly much more athletic than he was a year ago when UCLA stopped recruiting him and he committed to Louisville. He is light years ahead of Alex Jacobson. He's a kid that made a name for himself when his HS team beat the Lopez twins, he pretty much held his own against them. Then he had foot and leg injuries and got really badly out of shape and a lot of people got down on him.

UA and UCLA are lining up monster classes.

 

[Mrh182]

Latest on the fading Arizona program and it's over-the-hill coach, Arizona to no surprise landed former Louisville commit Jeff Withey over offers from UCLA, Kansas, and others. He's rankled anywhere from Top 25-50 by the recruiting services and is probably UA's best big man recruit since Loren Woods.

:notworthy

 

[Lefty]

Latest on the fading Arizona program and it's over-the-hill coach, Arizona to no surprise landed former Louisville commit Jeff Withey over offers from UCLA, Kansas, and others. He's rankled anywhere from Top 25-50 by the recruiting services and is probably UA's best big man recruit since Loren Woods.

Just got back from vacation and this made my day!!! Looks like Lute has a top-5 recruiting class.

 

[Russ Smith]

How many rides does UA have? I'm hearing that they may be more interested in Willie Warren instead of Derozan (who apparently likes ASU a lot) and Warren may end up there too?

That would be Jennings, Lavender, withey, Ngedu(spelling) and Warren do
they have that many rides?

 

[Russ Smith]

Interesting comments from Brandon Jennings. UCLA fans are all up in arms about it but honestly this is what I liked about this kid(I wish UCLA had not dropped out recruiting him) I think you have to have this kind of confidence to be great.

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As far as the players, Gibbons said, “I’d say Brandon Jennings is the best player here. Talent-wise, he’s just head and shoulders above the other point guards,” noted Gibbons.

Jennings himself agreed with that assessment. “Having former pros teaching you is real exciting, but to be honest, I’ve had my way with everyone at this camp so far. Nobody here has really been any competition for me,” said the cocky Cali lefty. “I think I’m the king of [high school] point guards right now.”

“I don’t respect West Coast point guards; they’re too Hollywood for me. I’m more of an East Coast, flashy-type point guard,” continued the rising senior at Oak Hill, arguably the most exciting player in the class. “Someone like Jrue Holiday [another top-ranked Cali guard], he’s real smooth, goes to work in the first three quarters–but he’s not a killer yet. Me, I’m a killer.”


------------------------

http://slamonline.com/online/2007/06/the-nbpa-top-100-camp/


I always felt Jennings was the best PG in the class. note, I think Jrue is a better overall player and if he plays PG in college I'd move him ahead of Jennings, but right now Jrue is a SG so I consider Jennings the #1 PG.

Tim Floyd is going to rue the day he pushed Jennings too hard and lost him even if he's only a 1 year guy, he's going to punish the Pac 10 for that one year.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI per Seth Davis, Budinger was so impressive at the Kobe Bryant camp recently that Kobe gave him a personal invite for a 5:30 am workout the last day.

And Miles Simon told Davis that Jordan Hill is going to have a breakout season.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Past his prime Lute Olson somehow got the 14th best 2009 player in the country to ignore his shaking and Parkinson's rumors and commit to the UofA. Abdul Gaddy is also the only Top 50 player in the country according to rivals that has given a verbal commitment thus far. It's quite nice to see recruiting seems to be on the upswing despite Lute getting older. Good call Skkorp!

www.arizona.rivals.com

 

[Lefty]

Past his prime Lute Olson somehow got the 14th best 2009 player in the country to ignore his shaking and Parkinson's rumors and commit to the UofA. Abdul Gaddy is also the only Top 50 player in the country according to rivals that has given a verbal commitment thus far. It's quite nice to see recruiting seems to be on the upswing despite Lute getting older. Good call Skkorp!

www.arizona.rivals.com

Lute is "The Man!" Another top point guard to replace Jennings.

 

[Russ Smith]

Lute is "The Man!" Another top point guard to replace Jennings.

The UCLA scout guys really like this get for UA, they say Gaddy is right now the #2 PG on their list behind Elijah Johnson(in the West) and could very well pass Johnson before they're out of HS. And they say he's not going to have the headcase problems that say Shakur had, much more level headed kid apparently.

I've also read UA is close to getting 2-3 more commits not sure if they're all in the 09 class or not.

The Pac 10 keeps rolling, it looks like this probably means Peyton Siva will pick UW since he and Gaddy both had UW in their top lists and Gaddy picked UA.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I've also read UA is close to getting 2-3 more commits not sure if they're all in the 09 class or not.

PM me on this, por favor.

 

[Russ Smith]

PM me on this, por favor.

I don't know the names neither did the person who posted it on BRO he said UA fans say they're close on 2-3 other kids and was asking if any of them were prime UCLA targets(Gaddy was not because UCLA has 3 guards in the 08 class).

As long as none of them are named Hollis Thompson or Reeves Nelson I'd be fine those are really the 2 guys in the 09 class I want the most at UCLA.