So, now we know how Arizona gets back to the scholarship limit. Incoming freshman wing Terry Armstrong has decided to turn pro rather than attend UA and it means the Wildcats are back down to 13 scholarships for the time being – assuming Jake DesJardins moves back to walk-on status which is the expectation. It also brings a new wrinkle to UA's upcoming season adding to all the shifts within the roster that have taken place.
In all there will be eight new players on the roster this season although Stone Gettings joined the team in January but will only become eligible to play this season. Throw into that some uncertainty with Brandon Williams and it will be an interesting summer as the pieces all come together.
I've had a chance to watch Armstrong in person and have a solid idea what his game is about and what he would have added to the Wildcats this season, so I thought it would be good to give my instant reaction to the official word of his departure from the program and how it impacts UA moving forward.
Positives
To start, the first positive is that it clears out some room to help the Wildcats get back to the scholarship limit ending all the roster movement that took place over the offseason. Building a roster the way Miller has forced himself to do over the last several years can be difficult and the Wildcats have been running out of players who have experience playing in the system especially after the recent departure of sophomore wing Devonaire Doutrive. This at least sets the Wildcats on a course where they know who is on the team and can give the coaching staff a chance to get the rotations figured out to see which combinations of players fit best.
Armstrong's camp has been adamant that there are no academic issues with the four-star prospect, but that has quietly been a concern in the background. It if it did at least some part in his decision to turn pro that will only benefit the Wildcats and help avoid any further issues with him moving forward should it have become an issue at the college level.
Negatives
The biggest negative that comes from Armstrong's decision is that it takes a big body off the wing that Arizona could have really used. Josh Green will add some length to one of the positions on the wing, but having another 6-foot-6 prospect to throw out there would have given Miller and his staff even more flexibility to go big with some of its looks and go more traditional in others. Now that has been taken away and the rest of UA's wings aren't necessarily the same type of player that Armstrong is in regards to his skill set. Defensively, it means UA will not have that extra length to matchup with bigger wings that could create some matchup problems down the line.
Despite UA needing to open up a roster spot losing Armstrong hurts the depth on the wing, which was the team's deepest and most clogged position at one point. Now it doesn't look quite as deep with Doutrive and now Armstrong leaving. Should Williams have to miss time at all that would only leave a handful of players on the wing and not a lot of depth.
It would put more pressure on point guard Nico Mannion to be even more of a scorer than anticipated and make the front court even more important than it already is.
Lastly, this one has nothing to do with the team on the floor but rather perception. Losing a player like Armstrong, who is a four-star recruit, is going to get people talking and trying to connect the dots of his departure and tie it to something involving the FBI investigation or the future of the program. The two don't have anything to do with each other but some of the comments on social media after Armstrong's decision have shown the conclusion people outside the fan base are going to jump at.
Final word
I am not of the crowd that this is a devastating loss to Arizona. All along it felt like Armstrong was going to be stepping in as the Devonaire Doutrive of this season meaning someone who showed flashes when he was able to see the floor making him a bit of a fan favorite but those minutes being more scarce. That changed some when Doutrive decided to leave and there were naturally going to be more minutes. I never viewed Armstrong as being a starter on this year's team. It just wasn't going to be in the cards.
Not having Williams available would change that, but even then it feels like Miller and his staff would be much more comfortable playing a combination of Josh Green and Max Hazzard on the wings over having two freshmen out there. I do think he had the potential to be a valuable piece because of his versatility and that's something the Wildcats will always take advantage of.
He has really good size and Arizona could definitely use that on the wing. Should Williams be OK to play this season with no issue the minutes still would have been more scarce with Hazzard, Williams, Green and even Dylan Smith likely ahead of him on the depth chart. As the last few months played out it eventually just felt inevitable that something would happen that would keep him from taking the floor at McKale Center.
We now have that something and everyone will move on. For UA that means working to stay healthy and find the right combination of players while hoping that Williams is able move forward without worry about his knee issue.
In all there will be eight new players on the roster this season although Stone Gettings joined the team in January but will only become eligible to play this season. Throw into that some uncertainty with Brandon Williams and it will be an interesting summer as the pieces all come together.
I've had a chance to watch Armstrong in person and have a solid idea what his game is about and what he would have added to the Wildcats this season, so I thought it would be good to give my instant reaction to the official word of his departure from the program and how it impacts UA moving forward.
Positives
To start, the first positive is that it clears out some room to help the Wildcats get back to the scholarship limit ending all the roster movement that took place over the offseason. Building a roster the way Miller has forced himself to do over the last several years can be difficult and the Wildcats have been running out of players who have experience playing in the system especially after the recent departure of sophomore wing Devonaire Doutrive. This at least sets the Wildcats on a course where they know who is on the team and can give the coaching staff a chance to get the rotations figured out to see which combinations of players fit best.
Armstrong's camp has been adamant that there are no academic issues with the four-star prospect, but that has quietly been a concern in the background. It if it did at least some part in his decision to turn pro that will only benefit the Wildcats and help avoid any further issues with him moving forward should it have become an issue at the college level.
Negatives
The biggest negative that comes from Armstrong's decision is that it takes a big body off the wing that Arizona could have really used. Josh Green will add some length to one of the positions on the wing, but having another 6-foot-6 prospect to throw out there would have given Miller and his staff even more flexibility to go big with some of its looks and go more traditional in others. Now that has been taken away and the rest of UA's wings aren't necessarily the same type of player that Armstrong is in regards to his skill set. Defensively, it means UA will not have that extra length to matchup with bigger wings that could create some matchup problems down the line.
Despite UA needing to open up a roster spot losing Armstrong hurts the depth on the wing, which was the team's deepest and most clogged position at one point. Now it doesn't look quite as deep with Doutrive and now Armstrong leaving. Should Williams have to miss time at all that would only leave a handful of players on the wing and not a lot of depth.
It would put more pressure on point guard Nico Mannion to be even more of a scorer than anticipated and make the front court even more important than it already is.
Lastly, this one has nothing to do with the team on the floor but rather perception. Losing a player like Armstrong, who is a four-star recruit, is going to get people talking and trying to connect the dots of his departure and tie it to something involving the FBI investigation or the future of the program. The two don't have anything to do with each other but some of the comments on social media after Armstrong's decision have shown the conclusion people outside the fan base are going to jump at.
Final word
I am not of the crowd that this is a devastating loss to Arizona. All along it felt like Armstrong was going to be stepping in as the Devonaire Doutrive of this season meaning someone who showed flashes when he was able to see the floor making him a bit of a fan favorite but those minutes being more scarce. That changed some when Doutrive decided to leave and there were naturally going to be more minutes. I never viewed Armstrong as being a starter on this year's team. It just wasn't going to be in the cards.
Not having Williams available would change that, but even then it feels like Miller and his staff would be much more comfortable playing a combination of Josh Green and Max Hazzard on the wings over having two freshmen out there. I do think he had the potential to be a valuable piece because of his versatility and that's something the Wildcats will always take advantage of.
He has really good size and Arizona could definitely use that on the wing. Should Williams be OK to play this season with no issue the minutes still would have been more scarce with Hazzard, Williams, Green and even Dylan Smith likely ahead of him on the depth chart. As the last few months played out it eventually just felt inevitable that something would happen that would keep him from taking the floor at McKale Center.
We now have that something and everyone will move on. For UA that means working to stay healthy and find the right combination of players while hoping that Williams is able move forward without worry about his knee issue.
