Between the Iowa home game and Josiah Turner's official visit, it's hard to remember one home weekend as big as this one for Arizona basketball and football in recent years. Both the football and basketball programs could take steps to the next level nationally by Monday.
Basketball:
* Arizona weathered the storm and now has its shot at Josiah Turner.
To recap, Turner officially visited UCLA last weekend, which was a big concern considering that the Bruins, for a week and a half straight, had accumulated significant momentum in the recruitment, to the point where in reality, they were the team to beat.
Josiah and his mother Doris Ward made it through the visit with no commitment and the Bruins now appear to once again be on the outside looking in.
The next warning period was on Monday, when Turner and Ward welcomed the Kansas coaching staff in its home. Again, they made it through the in-home with no commitment.
Both of these outcomes meant everything for Arizona, which has reestablished its momentum ever since its in-home last Thursday. Sean Miller made a return visit to Sacramento on Wednesday, and now everything is set for this weekend, when UA will host Turner and his AAU teammate, Arizona commit Nick Johnson.
In our 8/27/10 War Roomhttp://arizona.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2661&tid=135978248&mid=135978248&sid=974&style=2 we broke down what a commitment from Turner would mean for the Wildcats moving forward, so we won't discuss that any further.
Actually, we're not going to discuss Turner any further in this War Room. Arizona fans know what's on the line, the coaching staff has done a great job in this recruitment and we'll have updates on the Premium Hoops Suitehttp://arizona.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=974&fid=961&style=2 of anything noteworthy throughout the weekend.
In the scenario that Arizona lands a commitment, then at that point there will be plenty to talk about. Until then, less is more.
Moving on...
* All of the sudden, Arizona's 2011 recruiting list has significantly expanded. Here's a breakdown of the other recruits on UA's list and the latest with them:
Quinn Cook, PG: Arizona's other main target at point guard, Cook has rescheduled his official visit for Oct. 1. Of course, UA is only taking one point guard in this class, so this official visit will only happen if the Wildcats don't land Turner. That said, Arizona has made progress with Cook and in the event that Turner falls through, the Wildcats would have a legitimate chance with Cook.
Norvel Pelle, PF/C: James Whitford was at Pelle's school last week and the Wildcats have an in-home visit set up with him for Sept. 21. He is a longshot but will listen to the UA staff. He's had one of the strangest recruitments in the 2011 class and it's hard to get a read for what he's going to do.
Angelo Chol, PF/C: Arizona will do an in-home with Chol on Sept. 29. He's a longshot but UA has made progress and he could officially visit in December or January, depending on how Arizona's recruitment of him goes over the coming weeks.
LeBryan Nash, SF: The 4th ranked prospect in 2011, Nash has agreed to officially visit Arizona on Sept. 24. We'll caution that while Book Richardson has done a very good job making up ground with him, this recruitment still has to be considered in its initial phase, which means a changed visit date wouldn't be a complete surprise. There's also a general perception that Nash is going to go to Oklahoma State, so if he shows up on UA's campus, it's because Arizona has done its due diligence and has a legitimate chance.
DeAndre Daniels, SF/PF: Arizona is recruiting him and he's shown interest but he's another longshot.
Amir Williams, PF/C: Arizona will do an in-home visit with Williams next week. The Wildcats have done a good job of getting more in the picture over the past month, but the key will be getting him on campus for an official visit. A good in-home could pave the way for that, so the in-home is crucial here.
* There has been a question of scholarships, and the answer is simple: UA isn't in position as a program to turn any of the above players down, regardless of the numbers. The roster will work itself out and if one of the above players want to join Turner or Cook (assuming UA lands one of the two) then the staff would take them.
That said, Arizona is much more likely to really push for any player who is making a spring decision, since the scholarship situation will likely be different at that time than it is now.
* Arizona's staff has had a busy week recruiting. Players whose schools have been attended by UA coaches (not including the names above) since the last War Room include Rosco Allen, Shabazz Muhammad, Grant Jerrett, Anrio Adams, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Shaquille Clare, Roschon Prince, Brandon Ashley, Aaron Gordon, Gabe York and Rasheed Sulaimon.
* Despite the long week on the road, the UA coaching staff - except Book Richardson, who was watching Nash practice on Thursday - made it back in town for the Wildcats' first full team practice of the 2010-11 season.
The UA now has up to two hours a week of practice time, which can be spent broken up in full team or small groups. On Thursday, UA worked out with the whole team for less than an hour.
A few notes from talking to sources in attendance:
- The majority of practice was spent on half and full court defensive drills, with only some midrange shooting done at the end of practice.
- The difference between last year's first practice and this year's first practice was night and day. The players knew the drills so Miller didn't have to constantly stop practice to teach players what to do. The players were loud and communicated to each other and the physical difference in all of them was very obvious.
- Miller told the team afterwards how significant the difference was between where the players were at last year compared to now.
- Despite a couple players nursing injuries during smaller group workouts, the entire team practiced, with everyone appearing to be fully healthy.
- Practice finished up with a handful of players doing the Riley Test, all of which passed.
- Construction on Richard Jefferson Gymnasium means that only one half of the court is available for practice for the near future.
- Arizona will run small workouts - not full team practice - on Friday, which its official visitors will attend.
* Arizona debuted new practice jerseys on Thursday.
New red jersey:
New blue jersey:
New practice shorts:
* Former players Damon Stoudamire, Channing Frye and Joe McLean will all be in town this weekend.
Football:
* This is a huge weekend for Arizona's football program in terms of respect and perception nationally. With a win, Arizona is finally seen as a legitimate Top 25 program again - A top 15 team, but a Top 25 program - and with that comes a significant amount of credibility recruiting wise.
That said, this isn't a must-win game by any means. The most important thing that Arizona can possibly do this season is get to the Rose Bowl and the Iowa game has no bearing on that one way or the other.
That isn't downplaying what a win would do for the perception of Arizona football, but it's also important to put the game in perspective. This game is big for the Arizona football brand, but for the Wildcats' Rose Bowl goals, nothing is changed regardless of outcome.
* Juron Criner and Adam Hall have both practiced this week, so UA is expected to be fully healthy for Saturday.
Other than that, it's a typically short news week so on to Jason Scheer's weekly recruiting update:
* At this time, Arizona is not set to have a long list of official visitors for this weekend. The reality of the situation is that Arizona is going to have a ton of big games this season and they will be against opponents that its recruits are likely also considering.
The official visit lists will likely pick up next week and we do expect some unofficial visitors this weekend.
As of now, the only official visitor is Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro athlete Brock Hamanhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Brock-Haman-100959.
Haman is not expected to commit on the visit and will likely make a trip to at least Arizona State before making a decision.
Arizona is probably ahead of Arizona State at this point, but that can change. Arkansas is also definitely a school to look out for as the Razorbacks are doing well in Arizona at this point in time.
Haman could go to any of his top four schools and a UCLA offer would complicate things a bit more. The fact that Haman did not commit to ASU upon being offered is a very good sign for Arizona as far as in-state schools go.
However, we can’t stress enough that Arkansas is a legitimate player in this one and a school to keep an eye on.
* Cincinnati Moeller defensive end Jesse Hayeshttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101159 is a player Arizona fans should have an eye on.
Oregon, Nebraska, and Wisconsin are the leaders, but Arizona is in a group that is fighting to get an official visit.
"There are some other schools that could get in it, but right now it could be Tennessee, Cincinnati, Arizona, California, and NC State," Hayes tells HuskersIllustrated.com. "I might be scheduling two more, but it's up in the air on who those last two might be."
It is possible that Hayes makes a final decision before he does so for his last two visits and that is something numerous schools are keeping an eye on.
“I can't say that at all because there are so many different situations and so many other things that come into play," he explained. "Especially other prospects about what they might do. I can't say right now."
Arizona would be happy to get a visit and go from there and considering this is the first year the Wildcats are truly recruiting Ohio, they seem to be making a legitimate impact.
* 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive lineman Chris Bryanthttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Chris-Bryant-107605 is still looking at all of his options.
"Michigan and Stanford are rising up for me,” he tells TheWolverine.com. “They have impressed me a lot. Illinois looked pretty good the other day against SIU too, but Michigan and Stanford are really impressing me right now… Arizona also."
Those schools have long been rumored to be Bryant’s favorites and this is a confirmation of sorts. We expect these to be Bryant’s finalists and the official visits could be a deciding factor.
Arizona likely has the same chances as Stanford and Michigan, although some may feel that the Wildcats are running in third. There seems to be plenty of time, however, and visits will definitely play a major role.
* Columbus (Ohio) Walnut Ridge lineman Austin Traylorhttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=106929 still has the Wildcats among his favorites.
"I'm not really looking at Kentucky anymore," he tells SpartMag.com, adding his remaining suitors are even. "There are pretty much about eight of them still.
“I do want to knock all of my visits out during the season, so right after the season, if not towards the end.”
Arizona obviously has major competition in this recruitment, but the Wildcats have been on Traylor for a while.
Like most recruitments, the item to watch here is Traylor’s official visits. Since he is going to take his time to decide where he will visit, Arizona will be in true contention if he decides he wants to see Tucson.
* Chicago Curie defensive end James Adeyanjuhttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101227 is still taking his three official visits and then proceeding from there.
"I'm still going to take official visits to both Boston College and Nebraska and those are the only visits I have set for now,” he tells EdgyTim.com. “I'm still very interested in both Illinois and Northwestern and they want me to set up official visits. I'm just not sure if I really need to burn an official visit to either school since I'm so close and I can drive up to either schools anytime I want.
“I've also been to both schools a bunch of times already. I'm going to take all three official visits and see how things feel and I'll move forward from there."
Arizona’s biggest hope in the recruitment is that Adeyanju decides to take more official visits. Although he claims official visits are not an indication of favorites, it is hard to believe that Adeyanju would choose Arizona without having the official visit.
When Adeyanju visited Arizona unofficially, he raved about it, so it is a bit surprising that he does not mention the Wildcats with an official visit. However, the recruitment is far from over and the Wildcats are going to put forth full effort to try to get one.
This post was edited on 9/17 9:21 AM by Josh Gershon
Basketball:
* Arizona weathered the storm and now has its shot at Josiah Turner.
To recap, Turner officially visited UCLA last weekend, which was a big concern considering that the Bruins, for a week and a half straight, had accumulated significant momentum in the recruitment, to the point where in reality, they were the team to beat.
Josiah and his mother Doris Ward made it through the visit with no commitment and the Bruins now appear to once again be on the outside looking in.
The next warning period was on Monday, when Turner and Ward welcomed the Kansas coaching staff in its home. Again, they made it through the in-home with no commitment.
Both of these outcomes meant everything for Arizona, which has reestablished its momentum ever since its in-home last Thursday. Sean Miller made a return visit to Sacramento on Wednesday, and now everything is set for this weekend, when UA will host Turner and his AAU teammate, Arizona commit Nick Johnson.
In our 8/27/10 War Roomhttp://arizona.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2661&tid=135978248&mid=135978248&sid=974&style=2 we broke down what a commitment from Turner would mean for the Wildcats moving forward, so we won't discuss that any further.
Actually, we're not going to discuss Turner any further in this War Room. Arizona fans know what's on the line, the coaching staff has done a great job in this recruitment and we'll have updates on the Premium Hoops Suitehttp://arizona.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=974&fid=961&style=2 of anything noteworthy throughout the weekend.
In the scenario that Arizona lands a commitment, then at that point there will be plenty to talk about. Until then, less is more.
Moving on...
* All of the sudden, Arizona's 2011 recruiting list has significantly expanded. Here's a breakdown of the other recruits on UA's list and the latest with them:
Quinn Cook, PG: Arizona's other main target at point guard, Cook has rescheduled his official visit for Oct. 1. Of course, UA is only taking one point guard in this class, so this official visit will only happen if the Wildcats don't land Turner. That said, Arizona has made progress with Cook and in the event that Turner falls through, the Wildcats would have a legitimate chance with Cook.
Norvel Pelle, PF/C: James Whitford was at Pelle's school last week and the Wildcats have an in-home visit set up with him for Sept. 21. He is a longshot but will listen to the UA staff. He's had one of the strangest recruitments in the 2011 class and it's hard to get a read for what he's going to do.
Angelo Chol, PF/C: Arizona will do an in-home with Chol on Sept. 29. He's a longshot but UA has made progress and he could officially visit in December or January, depending on how Arizona's recruitment of him goes over the coming weeks.
LeBryan Nash, SF: The 4th ranked prospect in 2011, Nash has agreed to officially visit Arizona on Sept. 24. We'll caution that while Book Richardson has done a very good job making up ground with him, this recruitment still has to be considered in its initial phase, which means a changed visit date wouldn't be a complete surprise. There's also a general perception that Nash is going to go to Oklahoma State, so if he shows up on UA's campus, it's because Arizona has done its due diligence and has a legitimate chance.
DeAndre Daniels, SF/PF: Arizona is recruiting him and he's shown interest but he's another longshot.
Amir Williams, PF/C: Arizona will do an in-home visit with Williams next week. The Wildcats have done a good job of getting more in the picture over the past month, but the key will be getting him on campus for an official visit. A good in-home could pave the way for that, so the in-home is crucial here.
* There has been a question of scholarships, and the answer is simple: UA isn't in position as a program to turn any of the above players down, regardless of the numbers. The roster will work itself out and if one of the above players want to join Turner or Cook (assuming UA lands one of the two) then the staff would take them.
That said, Arizona is much more likely to really push for any player who is making a spring decision, since the scholarship situation will likely be different at that time than it is now.
* Arizona's staff has had a busy week recruiting. Players whose schools have been attended by UA coaches (not including the names above) since the last War Room include Rosco Allen, Shabazz Muhammad, Grant Jerrett, Anrio Adams, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Shaquille Clare, Roschon Prince, Brandon Ashley, Aaron Gordon, Gabe York and Rasheed Sulaimon.
* Despite the long week on the road, the UA coaching staff - except Book Richardson, who was watching Nash practice on Thursday - made it back in town for the Wildcats' first full team practice of the 2010-11 season.
The UA now has up to two hours a week of practice time, which can be spent broken up in full team or small groups. On Thursday, UA worked out with the whole team for less than an hour.
A few notes from talking to sources in attendance:
- The majority of practice was spent on half and full court defensive drills, with only some midrange shooting done at the end of practice.
- The difference between last year's first practice and this year's first practice was night and day. The players knew the drills so Miller didn't have to constantly stop practice to teach players what to do. The players were loud and communicated to each other and the physical difference in all of them was very obvious.
- Miller told the team afterwards how significant the difference was between where the players were at last year compared to now.
- Despite a couple players nursing injuries during smaller group workouts, the entire team practiced, with everyone appearing to be fully healthy.
- Practice finished up with a handful of players doing the Riley Test, all of which passed.
- Construction on Richard Jefferson Gymnasium means that only one half of the court is available for practice for the near future.
- Arizona will run small workouts - not full team practice - on Friday, which its official visitors will attend.
* Arizona debuted new practice jerseys on Thursday.
New red jersey:
New blue jersey:
New practice shorts:
* Former players Damon Stoudamire, Channing Frye and Joe McLean will all be in town this weekend.
Football:
* This is a huge weekend for Arizona's football program in terms of respect and perception nationally. With a win, Arizona is finally seen as a legitimate Top 25 program again - A top 15 team, but a Top 25 program - and with that comes a significant amount of credibility recruiting wise.
That said, this isn't a must-win game by any means. The most important thing that Arizona can possibly do this season is get to the Rose Bowl and the Iowa game has no bearing on that one way or the other.
That isn't downplaying what a win would do for the perception of Arizona football, but it's also important to put the game in perspective. This game is big for the Arizona football brand, but for the Wildcats' Rose Bowl goals, nothing is changed regardless of outcome.
* Juron Criner and Adam Hall have both practiced this week, so UA is expected to be fully healthy for Saturday.
Other than that, it's a typically short news week so on to Jason Scheer's weekly recruiting update:
* At this time, Arizona is not set to have a long list of official visitors for this weekend. The reality of the situation is that Arizona is going to have a ton of big games this season and they will be against opponents that its recruits are likely also considering.
The official visit lists will likely pick up next week and we do expect some unofficial visitors this weekend.
As of now, the only official visitor is Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro athlete Brock Hamanhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Brock-Haman-100959.
Haman is not expected to commit on the visit and will likely make a trip to at least Arizona State before making a decision.
Arizona is probably ahead of Arizona State at this point, but that can change. Arkansas is also definitely a school to look out for as the Razorbacks are doing well in Arizona at this point in time.
Haman could go to any of his top four schools and a UCLA offer would complicate things a bit more. The fact that Haman did not commit to ASU upon being offered is a very good sign for Arizona as far as in-state schools go.
However, we can’t stress enough that Arkansas is a legitimate player in this one and a school to keep an eye on.
* Cincinnati Moeller defensive end Jesse Hayeshttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101159 is a player Arizona fans should have an eye on.
Oregon, Nebraska, and Wisconsin are the leaders, but Arizona is in a group that is fighting to get an official visit.
"There are some other schools that could get in it, but right now it could be Tennessee, Cincinnati, Arizona, California, and NC State," Hayes tells HuskersIllustrated.com. "I might be scheduling two more, but it's up in the air on who those last two might be."
It is possible that Hayes makes a final decision before he does so for his last two visits and that is something numerous schools are keeping an eye on.
“I can't say that at all because there are so many different situations and so many other things that come into play," he explained. "Especially other prospects about what they might do. I can't say right now."
Arizona would be happy to get a visit and go from there and considering this is the first year the Wildcats are truly recruiting Ohio, they seem to be making a legitimate impact.
* 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive lineman Chris Bryanthttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Chris-Bryant-107605 is still looking at all of his options.
"Michigan and Stanford are rising up for me,” he tells TheWolverine.com. “They have impressed me a lot. Illinois looked pretty good the other day against SIU too, but Michigan and Stanford are really impressing me right now… Arizona also."
Those schools have long been rumored to be Bryant’s favorites and this is a confirmation of sorts. We expect these to be Bryant’s finalists and the official visits could be a deciding factor.
Arizona likely has the same chances as Stanford and Michigan, although some may feel that the Wildcats are running in third. There seems to be plenty of time, however, and visits will definitely play a major role.
* Columbus (Ohio) Walnut Ridge lineman Austin Traylorhttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=106929 still has the Wildcats among his favorites.
"I'm not really looking at Kentucky anymore," he tells SpartMag.com, adding his remaining suitors are even. "There are pretty much about eight of them still.
“I do want to knock all of my visits out during the season, so right after the season, if not towards the end.”
Arizona obviously has major competition in this recruitment, but the Wildcats have been on Traylor for a while.
Like most recruitments, the item to watch here is Traylor’s official visits. Since he is going to take his time to decide where he will visit, Arizona will be in true contention if he decides he wants to see Tucson.
* Chicago Curie defensive end James Adeyanjuhttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101227 is still taking his three official visits and then proceeding from there.
"I'm still going to take official visits to both Boston College and Nebraska and those are the only visits I have set for now,” he tells EdgyTim.com. “I'm still very interested in both Illinois and Northwestern and they want me to set up official visits. I'm just not sure if I really need to burn an official visit to either school since I'm so close and I can drive up to either schools anytime I want.
“I've also been to both schools a bunch of times already. I'm going to take all three official visits and see how things feel and I'll move forward from there."
Arizona’s biggest hope in the recruitment is that Adeyanju decides to take more official visits. Although he claims official visits are not an indication of favorites, it is hard to believe that Adeyanju would choose Arizona without having the official visit.
When Adeyanju visited Arizona unofficially, he raved about it, so it is a bit surprising that he does not mention the Wildcats with an official visit. However, the recruitment is far from over and the Wildcats are going to put forth full effort to try to get one.
This post was edited on 9/17 9:21 AM by Josh Gershon
