GOAZCATS.com was on the road in Southern California for a few basketball and football events, so this edition of the War Room will be heavy on information from each.
But first a look at the latest team news.
Basketball team news
* It’s that time of the year where schedules for the upcoming season are starting to be finalized. While the Wildcats have not officially released their schedule just yet, it is now known that UA will will travel to the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion at UCLA on March 2 and will head to USC earlier that week on Feb. 28.
The Bruins will head to Tucson earlier in the season on Jan. 24.
* Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell has arrived, landing in Phoenix Saturday and drove out to Tucson. McConnell’s locker will be right next to Nick Johnson’s and the point guard will wear No. 4 but of course will not be eligible until the 2013-14 season, per NCAA transfer rules.
Brandon Ashley was on a flight to Tucson as of Sunday afternoon.
Gabe York, who has been working out at The Sports Performance Lab in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will not arrive until July 7. Although he will likely play shooting guard, York has still not been informed whether he will play both guard positions his freshman year.
Among the areas he is most concentrating on this offseason are his ball handling and defense - two areas that would endear him to the coaching staff and help get him on the floor more in his debut season given the amount of talent and experience in front of him at both guard positions.
* Head coach Sean Miller was back home this weekend in his native Beaver Falls, Pa., for induction into the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League for his contributions as a player at Blackhawk High School. He was inducted alongside his father, John, who was his high school coach.
Football team news
* After Arizona already added copper to the color scheme for helmets, a stir was caused on Twitter after JC transfer B.J. Denker snapped a photo of an all-red model - including the face mask - with the block “A” logo on the side. Denker’s tweet read: “Oh baby! Red helmets?! #beardown” followed by the link to his Instagram account.
Three hours later, however, athletic director Greg Byrne jumped on his Twitter account and said: “RED HELMETS - That was a mock-up that we had in the equipment room. At this point, they are not on the radar screen. #AZisWildcatCountry”
But remember when Byrne rolled out the copper helmets and told GOAZCATS.com that it generated some buzz and it caused the likes of Sports Illustrated to call him the next morning to ask about it? Well, I’m here to tell you that this is no different.
While Byrne and Co., may have not wanted the news to be leaked like that - although, why allow the helmets to be out in the open long enough for the players to snap photos? - make no mistake that Arizona fully intends to add the helmet to the collection. Think about it - wouldn’t someone have told the players specifically to not to talk about something that has not yet been finalized? And would a new player really be so bold to disobey an order if he was told?
Maybe a little alteration here and there takes place but get ready to see some red domes somewhere down the line.
* The process of grading the field at Arizona Stadium was started last Wednesday as the construction crew continues to prepare the facility for the 2012 season.
* Incoming freshman and offensive lineman Beau Boyster made his way to Tucson from his hometown of Placentia, Calif. Also now on campus are: Jamar Allah, Javelle Allen, Jarrell Bennett, Cayman Bundage, Bryan Harper, Zach Hemmila, Anthony Lopez, Dwight Melvin, J.T. Washington, Lucas Petrullo and Jack Nykaza.
Petrullo, if you remember, is a walk-on athlete from Chaparral. Meanwhile, Nykaza is someone who has not had much publicity. A 6-1, 177-pound pro-style quarterback, Nykaza also is a walk-on who even played wide receiver during his junior year at Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier.
* One of the more interesting incoming freshmen is Dylan Cozens, the three-star defensive end from Chaparral who also is entertaining the idea of playing baseball professionally and is waiting to make a decision until after the MLB First-Year Player Draft, which will be held Monday through Wednesday.
Cozens, a right-handed pitcher, is not ranked among the top 500 prospects by Baseball America. Just 12 prospects in the state are in the top 500, including Wildcats right-handed ace Kurt Heyer (eighth in the state, No. 294 in the nation) and outfielder Robert Refsnyder (10th in Arizona and No. 369 overall). Cozens is ranked 23rd in the state.
However, the indication right now is that it will not take much for Cozens to sign a baseball contract if interest is shown. So we’ll see what happens.
Baseball team news
Speaking of baseball, Arizona advanced to its third Super Regional in school history - and first since 2008 - with a 16-3 rout over Louisville in front of 3,485 fans Sunday night at Hi Corbett Field.
In three regional contests in their home park, the Wildcats erupted for 47 runs on a whopping 58 hits. UA scored no less than 15 runs in a single game, knocking off Missouri in the opener and Louisville - twice - to advance in the tournament.
The ’Cats, who likely will host the Supers after St. John’s knocked off North Carolina, will find out Monday at 8 p.m., when the NCAA officially announces the host sites.
* Aside from just the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, Calif., over the weekend, we were at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village for a football event exclusive to the Rivals brand that featured recruits from all over Southern California including a number of UA targets.
Here’s a few photos from the Pangos camp
Here’s a few photos from the SoCal Showcase
And now, here’s Matt Moreno’s recruiting breakdown from both events and more:
GOAZCATS.com was on the road for the last 10 days in California and we were able to see quite a few basketball and football recruits in action. On the basketball side of things, we were at the Magic Memorial Festival in Garden Grove, Calif., as well as Pangos.
As for football, we were at the Southern Cal Rivals.com Showcase. In this week’s recruiting update, we’ll give you a rundown of what we saw and heard while on the road.
Football recruiting
With Arizona recruiting prospects all over the country, it’s sometimes hard to get out and see them in person. The Rivals.com showcase gave us a chance to do that and a few Wildcat targets were some of the event’s top performers.
* Who we saw: Darius Allensworth (UA commit), Devin Holiday, Jermaine Kelly, Viliami “Ami” Latu, A.J. Latu, Brandon Cox, Cameron Judge and Zachary Green.
Judge had just performed in a 7-on-7 tournament, so he didn’t participate in the event. Green also didn’t participate in the event, but he’s friends with Allensworth and Cox so he was there in support of them.
Here’s a look at each of those prospects and where they stand in their recruitments as of the weekend:
Brandon Cox: The three-star prospect threw the ball well after a slow start. One thing that stood out about the 6-foot-2 signal caller was his accuracy on deep passes. As a dual-threat recruit, the Pasadena, Calif., standout performed well in the various drills that made him use his feet.
Cox ended up taking home the quarterback most valuable player award after his solid day at Oaks Christian. One negative about Cox’s performance was that some of his passes weren’t tight spirals. However, he admitted beforehand that he’s still trying to adjust to throwing a football after coming back from playing baseball.
After he got over those initial struggles, he looked fine and was really the most impressive quarterback at the event Saturday.
As far as his recruitment goes, Cox recently picked up offers from Maryland and Iowa State. If you remember, UA was the first to offer the three-star prospect and it was his only offer for some time. He wanted to throw in front of some more college coaches in hopes of pulling in some more offers.
That has happened now, so what does it mean for the Wildcats?
Cox told GOAZCATS.com Saturday that the Wildcats remain at the top of his list and he doesn’t expect that to change at this point in the process. He said that UA adding Anu Solomon doesn’t affect the way he feels about the ‘Cats.
He does want to wait out the process a little bit longer to see where things go, but the Wildcats are in a good spot with the 2013 recruit.
Ami and A.J. Latu: The twin linebackers from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., also performed fairly well. They showed solid footwork on the individual drills and even mixed in a little work with the defensive ends at one point. One thing that stood out about the twin brothers is that they look like linebackers. They aren’t carrying too much weight and know how to play within their skills.
During the passing drills they both got beat a couple times, but they came back with good execution the next time around.
UA recently offered both brothers and playing in the Pac-12 is something that appeals to them. As of now the brothers are a package deal to whichever school they end up, but an offer from UCLA could change things.
Ami likes the Bruins and he might find it difficult to not commit even if his twin brother doesn’t receive an offer from them.
As of now the Wildcats are doing a good job with the twins, but a decision is still a while away. For now they are two linebackers to keep an eye on.
Jermaine Kelly: We’ll have more on Kelly later in the week but as of now he doesn’t feel he has a true offer from UA. The Los Angeles (Calif.) Salesian prospect performed well with the defensive back group and showed an ability to make plays on that side of the ball. Although he wasn’t as impressive as Holiday or Allensworth, he performed well enough to be the next guy in line as the more impressive cornerbacks at the event.
Kelly hopes to visit Tucson at some point, but he said Hawaii is one offer that’s sticking out early in his recruitment. UA is definitely not out of it though.
Darius Allensworth: Saturday’s event marked the first time we were able to see the UA commit in person and he was impressive. While you can see big plays, his playmaking ability and other aspects of his game on film, there are some skills that simply can only be seen in person.
A couple things that stood out about Allensworth were is toughness and composure. He didn’t get rattled easily, even when opposing receivers were jawing at him during one-on-ones. But he also played with a bit of an edge, which is something that UA would like to see in all its defensive players.
The three-star prospect has seen his recruitment pick up since committing to the ‘Cats, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. After talking with Allensworth this weekend, it feels like his commitment is becoming more and more solidified as time goes on. I’m hearing that his family really likes UA and what Rich Rodriguez has done in the past at both Michigan and West Virginia.
It will be interesting to see where his recruitment goes as the the summer comes around. At this point, Allensworth said he still wants to talk things over with his family to decide what his ultimate decision will be.
He talked quite a bit about interest from USC this weekend, but it’s unclear if that will ever turn into an offer. There is also a chance that his ranking continues to improve, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he eventually earns a fourth star.
At this point there is not much to be too concerned about just yet when it comes to Allensworth.
Devin Holiday: The San Marcos (Calif.) Mission HIlls prospect was the most impressive UA recruit in attendance Saturday as he put on a very good defensive back display at the showcase. Whether it was short routes he was covering or deep pass plays, Holiday had his man covered all the way up the field. His frame isn’t very big, but he’s got some serious speed that allows him to stay with his man until the play is over.
One interesting thing about his performance was that he mentioned before the event got underway, he wasn’t sure how much he had left in the tank after a busy week of practice with his high school team. It really didn’t have much of an effect on him as Holiday took home the defensive back MVP award.
The three-star prospect recently picked up an offer from Cincinnati and he continues to draw interest from different programs all over the country.
Holiday took a visit to UA Sunday and he said things went well on his trip. We spoke with the cornerback prospect before he left on his visit and he had some interesting things to say about the ‘Cats that we had not heard before.
The talented 2013 recruit stopped short of saying UA was his dream school, but he does think highly of the Wildcats.
“Actually growing up it was my favorite school,” he said. “So that started it off, then getting the offer was surprising. And I really have a lot of interest in that school.
“I like the fact that it’s close, and I know Shaq Richardson and he said he really likes it there. He’s kind of like a mentor to me, so I like that.”
Holiday added that getting an opportunity to see the facilities at UA was one of the things that he wanted to take an advantage of on this unofficial visit.
“Definitely the coaching staff,” he said about who he wanted to meet on his visit. “I want to meet everybody on the coaching staff, and I want to check out the facilities. I heard they’re doing something new and they’re getting a new football complex. So I’d like to see the blueprint for that, and really just everything including academics.”
Another aspect of both Holiday’s and Allensworth’s recruitments is that they have become friends through different events in Southern California. Holiday said that the duo has talked about the possibility of playing together previously.
“I met him at a camp and we just keep in touch, so we’ve built a friendship,” he said. “We hang out quite a bit, so he’s a good friend. I have thought about [playing with Allensworth] a lot and we talk about that a lot.
“We talk about recruiting a lot and that’s a great friendship to have. If I do go to school with him that will be great because that’s somebody I already know.”
At this point, Holiday said he wants to make his decision before his senior year starts, but he’s not opposed to taking longer to decide. Although he visited Tucson Sunday, he will likely take at least two more trips out to UA before making his decision.
* Although outside linebacker Cameron Judge didn’t participate in the Rivals.com showcase, he was in attendance and he said he’s getting close to naming his top five. One program that is standing out right now is UCLA, but I’m hearing that the Bruins might be cooling off their recruitment of the talented Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian standout.
The Wildcats were the first to offer Judge and he said they will most likely also be included in his final five. We’ll have more on Judge later this week, but the Wildcats are still in good position to eventually land him. The Bruins are likely the biggest competition for UA in this recruitment.
* Zachary Green also was at Oaks Christian this weekend, but he too didn’t participate in the event. However, we spoke with the UA commit and he remains solid in his pledge to the ‘Cats. In fact, he has taken on the role of recruiter for the Wildcats as he continues to work on Southland prospects for his future squad.
* UA hosted a 7-on-7 passing tournament over the weekend and there were a number of recruits to pick up offers. Among the many prospects offered by the ‘Cats were J.R. Hunt, Kyle Allen, Trevor Wood, Paul Elvira, Andrew Mike, Nate Phillips and Alex Arnold.
Basketball recruiting
While in California, GOAZCATS.com attended two basketball events and there were numerous UA recruits at each event. Here is a rundown of the notable prospects we saw and a little bit of what they had to say:
* Jaron Hopkins: We saw the three-star prospect at both the Magic Memorial Festival as well as the Pangos All-American Camp, and he had two different types of performances at each.
A week ago Hopkins played very well and made a ton of nice plays off the dribble to go along with his numerous dunks. However, at the Pangos camp the versatile prospect struggled to find what he really wanted to do during the games we watched.
He did have a couple of nice dunks during this weekend’s action and he continued to play hard on defense, but he could just never find his rhythm on offense.
Hopkins took visits to USC and UCLA over the weekend, but Arizona is still doing a good job in his recruitment.
Isaac Hamilton: We saw the 2013 prospect at both the Magic Memorial Festival and the Pagnos AA Camp. Hamilton’s Dream Vision team was eliminated early in the first event, so we only saw him for a couple games. He struggled to really get going in that event, like we’ve heard he can do.
However, the Pangoss AA Camp was a different story as the talented guard prospect looked much better this weekend. He has many different ways he can score and he was using them all over the weekend.
Hamilton has stayed in contact with UA as things are once again picking up with the two sides and he said the Wildcats remain a program he’s looking at.
Kameron Rooks: We saw Rooks on a few different occasions during the Magic Memorial Festival. The 6-foot-11 prospect saved his best performance for last as his team’s semifinal game against Compton Magic Elite really gave him a chance to do well. Rooks played the most amount of minutes of the weekend in that contest and he was really able to settle in on both ends of the floor.
There is still some work to do when it comes to his stamina, but Rooks has such good size that he remains a solid option at the next level. He recently took a visit to UA, and he said things went well. The staff wants to see him improve his ability to stay out on the court, but should the ‘Cats really pursue him hard they would likely be in good position to land a commitment.
Payton Dastrup: We saw the in-state big man prospect at Pangos and while the event is not set up for post players to have a lot of success Dastrup did a nice job of showing what he can do. He certainly is a recruit who hustles and makes all the little plays on the floor. Dastrup also showed that he could score in a couple different ways and those skills should certainly improve over the next couple of seasons for the 2014 recruit.
Dastrup recently picked up an offer from Arizona State and he said the two in-state schools are probably showing the most interest at this time. He likes what the Wildcats are doing right now and they will likely play a part in his recruitment.
Elliott Pitts: This was our first chance to see the Concord (Calif.) De La Salle standout and he was quite impressive. He can really shoot the ball well and he also showed a nice ability to make plays happen when he had the ball in his hands. There were times when he tried to force things a little too much, but he had a solid weekend overall.
Pitts didn’t play particularly well in the top 60 game Sunday, but he did enough throughout the camp to show why he will likely see his stock continue to improve.
The 6-foot-4 prospect said he’s remained in contact with UA and his plan is to visit this summer. At this point Pitts is still going through the recruiting process, but the Wildcats are certainly a program that intrigues him.
Chris McCullough: This was our first chance to see the 2014 prospect, and he is big. The five-star forward is every bit of the 6-foot-10 he’s listed at and while his skills as a player are still coming along, he has an imposing frame. McCullough played in the top 60 game on Sunday and it was good to see him play well.
He struggled a bit at times to find exactly what he wanted to do during the earlier games, but he figured it out in Sunday’s contest. The nation’s 10th-ranked prospect is certainly one to continue to keep an eye on as his career continues to roll on.
McCullough doesn’t exactly give away too much when it comes to his recruitment, but he did say that he likes the style of play at UA and that’s what appeals to him about the Wildcats. UA is one of the programs that has a very good chance of landing the five-star prospect, and for what it’s worth he was wearing a UA basketball shirt on Sunday.
It would be interesting to see how Sean Miller would use such a versatile prospect in his system, but he’s not yet nearing a decision so that will have to wait.
Shaqquan Aaaron: The four-star prospect had an up-and-down weekend during the Pangos camp, but he really turned it on Sunday morning and for the top 30 game. The four-star prospect is very skilled with the ball in his hand and he has a variety of moves he can use, which is more impressive with the frame that he has.
The 2014 prospect continues to stay in contact with UA and the Wildcats remain one of the programs at the forefront of his recruitment. Aaron is not close to a decision just yet, but the ‘Cats should continue to be a factor in his recruitment until the end.
Isaiah Briscoe: The Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict point guard was very impressive the entire weekend at Pangos. He simply doesn’t look like a 2015 recruit and he plays like a prospect who is much older already. Briscoe made things look easy at times whether he was getting the ball to his teammates for easy points, or making strong moves to the basket and getting to the free-throw line. He’s definitely a prospect who already has a nice feel for the game.
He told GOAZCATS.com over the weekend that he plans on visiting Tucson some time in July and the Wildcats remain one of the programs coming after him the hardest. UA offered early on his career and it remains one of the programs in play for his pledge. Syracuse could be tough to beat in this one, but UA has put itself in good position in the early going.[/URL][/URL][/URL]
But first a look at the latest team news.
Basketball team news
* It’s that time of the year where schedules for the upcoming season are starting to be finalized. While the Wildcats have not officially released their schedule just yet, it is now known that UA will will travel to the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion at UCLA on March 2 and will head to USC earlier that week on Feb. 28.
The Bruins will head to Tucson earlier in the season on Jan. 24.
* Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell has arrived, landing in Phoenix Saturday and drove out to Tucson. McConnell’s locker will be right next to Nick Johnson’s and the point guard will wear No. 4 but of course will not be eligible until the 2013-14 season, per NCAA transfer rules.
Brandon Ashley was on a flight to Tucson as of Sunday afternoon.
Gabe York, who has been working out at The Sports Performance Lab in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will not arrive until July 7. Although he will likely play shooting guard, York has still not been informed whether he will play both guard positions his freshman year.
Among the areas he is most concentrating on this offseason are his ball handling and defense - two areas that would endear him to the coaching staff and help get him on the floor more in his debut season given the amount of talent and experience in front of him at both guard positions.
* Head coach Sean Miller was back home this weekend in his native Beaver Falls, Pa., for induction into the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League for his contributions as a player at Blackhawk High School. He was inducted alongside his father, John, who was his high school coach.
Football team news
* After Arizona already added copper to the color scheme for helmets, a stir was caused on Twitter after JC transfer B.J. Denker snapped a photo of an all-red model - including the face mask - with the block “A” logo on the side. Denker’s tweet read: “Oh baby! Red helmets?! #beardown” followed by the link to his Instagram account.
Three hours later, however, athletic director Greg Byrne jumped on his Twitter account and said: “RED HELMETS - That was a mock-up that we had in the equipment room. At this point, they are not on the radar screen. #AZisWildcatCountry”
But remember when Byrne rolled out the copper helmets and told GOAZCATS.com that it generated some buzz and it caused the likes of Sports Illustrated to call him the next morning to ask about it? Well, I’m here to tell you that this is no different.
While Byrne and Co., may have not wanted the news to be leaked like that - although, why allow the helmets to be out in the open long enough for the players to snap photos? - make no mistake that Arizona fully intends to add the helmet to the collection. Think about it - wouldn’t someone have told the players specifically to not to talk about something that has not yet been finalized? And would a new player really be so bold to disobey an order if he was told?
Maybe a little alteration here and there takes place but get ready to see some red domes somewhere down the line.
* The process of grading the field at Arizona Stadium was started last Wednesday as the construction crew continues to prepare the facility for the 2012 season.
* Incoming freshman and offensive lineman Beau Boyster made his way to Tucson from his hometown of Placentia, Calif. Also now on campus are: Jamar Allah, Javelle Allen, Jarrell Bennett, Cayman Bundage, Bryan Harper, Zach Hemmila, Anthony Lopez, Dwight Melvin, J.T. Washington, Lucas Petrullo and Jack Nykaza.
Petrullo, if you remember, is a walk-on athlete from Chaparral. Meanwhile, Nykaza is someone who has not had much publicity. A 6-1, 177-pound pro-style quarterback, Nykaza also is a walk-on who even played wide receiver during his junior year at Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier.
* One of the more interesting incoming freshmen is Dylan Cozens, the three-star defensive end from Chaparral who also is entertaining the idea of playing baseball professionally and is waiting to make a decision until after the MLB First-Year Player Draft, which will be held Monday through Wednesday.
Cozens, a right-handed pitcher, is not ranked among the top 500 prospects by Baseball America. Just 12 prospects in the state are in the top 500, including Wildcats right-handed ace Kurt Heyer (eighth in the state, No. 294 in the nation) and outfielder Robert Refsnyder (10th in Arizona and No. 369 overall). Cozens is ranked 23rd in the state.
However, the indication right now is that it will not take much for Cozens to sign a baseball contract if interest is shown. So we’ll see what happens.
Baseball team news
Speaking of baseball, Arizona advanced to its third Super Regional in school history - and first since 2008 - with a 16-3 rout over Louisville in front of 3,485 fans Sunday night at Hi Corbett Field.
In three regional contests in their home park, the Wildcats erupted for 47 runs on a whopping 58 hits. UA scored no less than 15 runs in a single game, knocking off Missouri in the opener and Louisville - twice - to advance in the tournament.
The ’Cats, who likely will host the Supers after St. John’s knocked off North Carolina, will find out Monday at 8 p.m., when the NCAA officially announces the host sites.
* Aside from just the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, Calif., over the weekend, we were at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village for a football event exclusive to the Rivals brand that featured recruits from all over Southern California including a number of UA targets.
Here’s a few photos from the Pangos camp
Here’s a few photos from the SoCal Showcase
And now, here’s Matt Moreno’s recruiting breakdown from both events and more:
GOAZCATS.com was on the road for the last 10 days in California and we were able to see quite a few basketball and football recruits in action. On the basketball side of things, we were at the Magic Memorial Festival in Garden Grove, Calif., as well as Pangos.
As for football, we were at the Southern Cal Rivals.com Showcase. In this week’s recruiting update, we’ll give you a rundown of what we saw and heard while on the road.
Football recruiting
With Arizona recruiting prospects all over the country, it’s sometimes hard to get out and see them in person. The Rivals.com showcase gave us a chance to do that and a few Wildcat targets were some of the event’s top performers.
* Who we saw: Darius Allensworth (UA commit), Devin Holiday, Jermaine Kelly, Viliami “Ami” Latu, A.J. Latu, Brandon Cox, Cameron Judge and Zachary Green.
Judge had just performed in a 7-on-7 tournament, so he didn’t participate in the event. Green also didn’t participate in the event, but he’s friends with Allensworth and Cox so he was there in support of them.
Here’s a look at each of those prospects and where they stand in their recruitments as of the weekend:
Brandon Cox: The three-star prospect threw the ball well after a slow start. One thing that stood out about the 6-foot-2 signal caller was his accuracy on deep passes. As a dual-threat recruit, the Pasadena, Calif., standout performed well in the various drills that made him use his feet.
Cox ended up taking home the quarterback most valuable player award after his solid day at Oaks Christian. One negative about Cox’s performance was that some of his passes weren’t tight spirals. However, he admitted beforehand that he’s still trying to adjust to throwing a football after coming back from playing baseball.
After he got over those initial struggles, he looked fine and was really the most impressive quarterback at the event Saturday.
As far as his recruitment goes, Cox recently picked up offers from Maryland and Iowa State. If you remember, UA was the first to offer the three-star prospect and it was his only offer for some time. He wanted to throw in front of some more college coaches in hopes of pulling in some more offers.
That has happened now, so what does it mean for the Wildcats?
Cox told GOAZCATS.com Saturday that the Wildcats remain at the top of his list and he doesn’t expect that to change at this point in the process. He said that UA adding Anu Solomon doesn’t affect the way he feels about the ‘Cats.
He does want to wait out the process a little bit longer to see where things go, but the Wildcats are in a good spot with the 2013 recruit.
Ami and A.J. Latu: The twin linebackers from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., also performed fairly well. They showed solid footwork on the individual drills and even mixed in a little work with the defensive ends at one point. One thing that stood out about the twin brothers is that they look like linebackers. They aren’t carrying too much weight and know how to play within their skills.
During the passing drills they both got beat a couple times, but they came back with good execution the next time around.
UA recently offered both brothers and playing in the Pac-12 is something that appeals to them. As of now the brothers are a package deal to whichever school they end up, but an offer from UCLA could change things.
Ami likes the Bruins and he might find it difficult to not commit even if his twin brother doesn’t receive an offer from them.
As of now the Wildcats are doing a good job with the twins, but a decision is still a while away. For now they are two linebackers to keep an eye on.
Jermaine Kelly: We’ll have more on Kelly later in the week but as of now he doesn’t feel he has a true offer from UA. The Los Angeles (Calif.) Salesian prospect performed well with the defensive back group and showed an ability to make plays on that side of the ball. Although he wasn’t as impressive as Holiday or Allensworth, he performed well enough to be the next guy in line as the more impressive cornerbacks at the event.
Kelly hopes to visit Tucson at some point, but he said Hawaii is one offer that’s sticking out early in his recruitment. UA is definitely not out of it though.
Darius Allensworth: Saturday’s event marked the first time we were able to see the UA commit in person and he was impressive. While you can see big plays, his playmaking ability and other aspects of his game on film, there are some skills that simply can only be seen in person.
A couple things that stood out about Allensworth were is toughness and composure. He didn’t get rattled easily, even when opposing receivers were jawing at him during one-on-ones. But he also played with a bit of an edge, which is something that UA would like to see in all its defensive players.
The three-star prospect has seen his recruitment pick up since committing to the ‘Cats, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. After talking with Allensworth this weekend, it feels like his commitment is becoming more and more solidified as time goes on. I’m hearing that his family really likes UA and what Rich Rodriguez has done in the past at both Michigan and West Virginia.
It will be interesting to see where his recruitment goes as the the summer comes around. At this point, Allensworth said he still wants to talk things over with his family to decide what his ultimate decision will be.
He talked quite a bit about interest from USC this weekend, but it’s unclear if that will ever turn into an offer. There is also a chance that his ranking continues to improve, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he eventually earns a fourth star.
At this point there is not much to be too concerned about just yet when it comes to Allensworth.
Devin Holiday: The San Marcos (Calif.) Mission HIlls prospect was the most impressive UA recruit in attendance Saturday as he put on a very good defensive back display at the showcase. Whether it was short routes he was covering or deep pass plays, Holiday had his man covered all the way up the field. His frame isn’t very big, but he’s got some serious speed that allows him to stay with his man until the play is over.
One interesting thing about his performance was that he mentioned before the event got underway, he wasn’t sure how much he had left in the tank after a busy week of practice with his high school team. It really didn’t have much of an effect on him as Holiday took home the defensive back MVP award.
The three-star prospect recently picked up an offer from Cincinnati and he continues to draw interest from different programs all over the country.
Holiday took a visit to UA Sunday and he said things went well on his trip. We spoke with the cornerback prospect before he left on his visit and he had some interesting things to say about the ‘Cats that we had not heard before.
The talented 2013 recruit stopped short of saying UA was his dream school, but he does think highly of the Wildcats.
“Actually growing up it was my favorite school,” he said. “So that started it off, then getting the offer was surprising. And I really have a lot of interest in that school.
“I like the fact that it’s close, and I know Shaq Richardson and he said he really likes it there. He’s kind of like a mentor to me, so I like that.”
Holiday added that getting an opportunity to see the facilities at UA was one of the things that he wanted to take an advantage of on this unofficial visit.
“Definitely the coaching staff,” he said about who he wanted to meet on his visit. “I want to meet everybody on the coaching staff, and I want to check out the facilities. I heard they’re doing something new and they’re getting a new football complex. So I’d like to see the blueprint for that, and really just everything including academics.”
Another aspect of both Holiday’s and Allensworth’s recruitments is that they have become friends through different events in Southern California. Holiday said that the duo has talked about the possibility of playing together previously.
“I met him at a camp and we just keep in touch, so we’ve built a friendship,” he said. “We hang out quite a bit, so he’s a good friend. I have thought about [playing with Allensworth] a lot and we talk about that a lot.
“We talk about recruiting a lot and that’s a great friendship to have. If I do go to school with him that will be great because that’s somebody I already know.”
At this point, Holiday said he wants to make his decision before his senior year starts, but he’s not opposed to taking longer to decide. Although he visited Tucson Sunday, he will likely take at least two more trips out to UA before making his decision.
* Although outside linebacker Cameron Judge didn’t participate in the Rivals.com showcase, he was in attendance and he said he’s getting close to naming his top five. One program that is standing out right now is UCLA, but I’m hearing that the Bruins might be cooling off their recruitment of the talented Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian standout.
The Wildcats were the first to offer Judge and he said they will most likely also be included in his final five. We’ll have more on Judge later this week, but the Wildcats are still in good position to eventually land him. The Bruins are likely the biggest competition for UA in this recruitment.
* Zachary Green also was at Oaks Christian this weekend, but he too didn’t participate in the event. However, we spoke with the UA commit and he remains solid in his pledge to the ‘Cats. In fact, he has taken on the role of recruiter for the Wildcats as he continues to work on Southland prospects for his future squad.
* UA hosted a 7-on-7 passing tournament over the weekend and there were a number of recruits to pick up offers. Among the many prospects offered by the ‘Cats were J.R. Hunt, Kyle Allen, Trevor Wood, Paul Elvira, Andrew Mike, Nate Phillips and Alex Arnold.
Basketball recruiting
While in California, GOAZCATS.com attended two basketball events and there were numerous UA recruits at each event. Here is a rundown of the notable prospects we saw and a little bit of what they had to say:
* Jaron Hopkins: We saw the three-star prospect at both the Magic Memorial Festival as well as the Pangos All-American Camp, and he had two different types of performances at each.
A week ago Hopkins played very well and made a ton of nice plays off the dribble to go along with his numerous dunks. However, at the Pangos camp the versatile prospect struggled to find what he really wanted to do during the games we watched.
He did have a couple of nice dunks during this weekend’s action and he continued to play hard on defense, but he could just never find his rhythm on offense.
Hopkins took visits to USC and UCLA over the weekend, but Arizona is still doing a good job in his recruitment.
Isaac Hamilton: We saw the 2013 prospect at both the Magic Memorial Festival and the Pagnos AA Camp. Hamilton’s Dream Vision team was eliminated early in the first event, so we only saw him for a couple games. He struggled to really get going in that event, like we’ve heard he can do.
However, the Pangoss AA Camp was a different story as the talented guard prospect looked much better this weekend. He has many different ways he can score and he was using them all over the weekend.
Hamilton has stayed in contact with UA as things are once again picking up with the two sides and he said the Wildcats remain a program he’s looking at.
Kameron Rooks: We saw Rooks on a few different occasions during the Magic Memorial Festival. The 6-foot-11 prospect saved his best performance for last as his team’s semifinal game against Compton Magic Elite really gave him a chance to do well. Rooks played the most amount of minutes of the weekend in that contest and he was really able to settle in on both ends of the floor.
There is still some work to do when it comes to his stamina, but Rooks has such good size that he remains a solid option at the next level. He recently took a visit to UA, and he said things went well. The staff wants to see him improve his ability to stay out on the court, but should the ‘Cats really pursue him hard they would likely be in good position to land a commitment.
Payton Dastrup: We saw the in-state big man prospect at Pangos and while the event is not set up for post players to have a lot of success Dastrup did a nice job of showing what he can do. He certainly is a recruit who hustles and makes all the little plays on the floor. Dastrup also showed that he could score in a couple different ways and those skills should certainly improve over the next couple of seasons for the 2014 recruit.
Dastrup recently picked up an offer from Arizona State and he said the two in-state schools are probably showing the most interest at this time. He likes what the Wildcats are doing right now and they will likely play a part in his recruitment.
Elliott Pitts: This was our first chance to see the Concord (Calif.) De La Salle standout and he was quite impressive. He can really shoot the ball well and he also showed a nice ability to make plays happen when he had the ball in his hands. There were times when he tried to force things a little too much, but he had a solid weekend overall.
Pitts didn’t play particularly well in the top 60 game Sunday, but he did enough throughout the camp to show why he will likely see his stock continue to improve.
The 6-foot-4 prospect said he’s remained in contact with UA and his plan is to visit this summer. At this point Pitts is still going through the recruiting process, but the Wildcats are certainly a program that intrigues him.
Chris McCullough: This was our first chance to see the 2014 prospect, and he is big. The five-star forward is every bit of the 6-foot-10 he’s listed at and while his skills as a player are still coming along, he has an imposing frame. McCullough played in the top 60 game on Sunday and it was good to see him play well.
He struggled a bit at times to find exactly what he wanted to do during the earlier games, but he figured it out in Sunday’s contest. The nation’s 10th-ranked prospect is certainly one to continue to keep an eye on as his career continues to roll on.
McCullough doesn’t exactly give away too much when it comes to his recruitment, but he did say that he likes the style of play at UA and that’s what appeals to him about the Wildcats. UA is one of the programs that has a very good chance of landing the five-star prospect, and for what it’s worth he was wearing a UA basketball shirt on Sunday.
It would be interesting to see how Sean Miller would use such a versatile prospect in his system, but he’s not yet nearing a decision so that will have to wait.
Shaqquan Aaaron: The four-star prospect had an up-and-down weekend during the Pangos camp, but he really turned it on Sunday morning and for the top 30 game. The four-star prospect is very skilled with the ball in his hand and he has a variety of moves he can use, which is more impressive with the frame that he has.
The 2014 prospect continues to stay in contact with UA and the Wildcats remain one of the programs at the forefront of his recruitment. Aaron is not close to a decision just yet, but the ‘Cats should continue to be a factor in his recruitment until the end.
Isaiah Briscoe: The Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict point guard was very impressive the entire weekend at Pangos. He simply doesn’t look like a 2015 recruit and he plays like a prospect who is much older already. Briscoe made things look easy at times whether he was getting the ball to his teammates for easy points, or making strong moves to the basket and getting to the free-throw line. He’s definitely a prospect who already has a nice feel for the game.
He told GOAZCATS.com over the weekend that he plans on visiting Tucson some time in July and the Wildcats remain one of the programs coming after him the hardest. UA offered early on his career and it remains one of the programs in play for his pledge. Syracuse could be tough to beat in this one, but UA has put itself in good position in the early going.[/URL][/URL][/URL]
