At some point all this giddiness will come to a halt. After all, honeymoons all do.

But until then Arizona men’s basketball coach Sean Miller will take it all in and enjoy all the pat-on-the-back press. Not that you can notice he’s doing that. He’s too polished and poised to show that he’s enjoying the national press. He’s not going to them; they’re coming to him.

But, it’s coming from everywhere – and it’s early. Heck, annual preseason media day was Wednesday.

Just in the last week, CBSsports.com and Sportsillustrated.com waxed poetic on Miller’s potential and the Wildcats chances this season. Arizona was one CBSsports.com’s five programs on the rise. (Note to self: how far did UA fall? Wasn’t it in the Sweet 16 last season?)

SI’s Luke Winn had some pretty good insight to what’s happened in the last six months – recruitingwise – on how things have fallen into place for Miller.

Short version: Miller agreed to a $2 million contract in April. USC’s Tim Floyd, turns UA job down before Miller’s decision, obviously; and then resigned and three potential Trojan players – MoMo Jones, Derrick Williams and Solomon Hill – decide Arizona is the place to be. Isn’t timing everything when it comes to success? Of course, a little – OK, a lot – of elbow grease helps. Miller and his staff have provided the work. Luck just happened.

Sportsline’s Garry Parrish said, “Mark my words: Sean Miller will kill it at Arizona.’’ Not exactly stop-the-presses information, but he’s right. But many of us have known that for awhile. He’s going to be amazing. Right now, it’s all good news. After the first loss, we’ll see how it goes.

But this is the most anticipated season in some time for the Wildcats. Maybe 2002-03 when Luke Walton, Jason Gardner and Ricky Anderson were seniors and the Cats were the No. 1 team in the country to start the season matches it.

No question this is different than last season when it was all about Lute Olson’s return after he sat out a season. He lasted less than 48 hours and decided to retire after 24 years as the Cat coach. Russ Pennell and Mike Dunlap led UA to its 25th consecutive NCAA tournament nearly six months later.
So here we are six months after that, re-doing it all again, minus all the uncertainty and with a coach that brings in a new era. It’s comforting.

That said, Arizona will get to 20 wins. Arizona will finish in the upper half of the Pac-10 Conference race. And, Arizona will make it to its 26th NCAA tournament.

“The streak is the streak and you can’t get past that,’’ said MoMo Jones, in speaking about Arizona’s elephant-in-the-room topic. “It’s in the back of your mind but at the same time we have to focus on the goal ahead and having a successful season. You can’t worry about whatever everybody is thinking; whatever everybody else is expecting.’’
And Arizona basketball means there are expectations. Big ones.

“There are expectations everywhere,’’ said Jones. “Hearing those expectations you get a little bit riled up. … Everybody on our team has those expectations built up in the two months we have been in school. There is no doubt in my mind those expectations are in the back of our mind but we have to slow down and work as a team before we can say we will continue anything.’’

Nonetheless, college basketball is such that Arizona will be a feel-good story most of the season.

It’ll win some games never thought possible; it’ll also lose some you never thought would happen. But isn’t that every year. Even in very good times?

But Miller, who is pretty good at the media game, says he wants fans to know that because success has come easy at UA over the last quarter century – say that again: QUARTER CENTURY – it doesn’t mean all the success will continue.

“It’s very important for our program and me and our staff to not ride the coattails of what’s happened here before,’’ Miller said.

Miller, a Pittsburgh native, went as far as saying the NFL’s Steelers are not guaranteed anything this season after last season’s run to NFL championship just to make a point.

“I think our program has to go from today forward,’’ Miller said. “We have some good, young players that have to get better. We have some returning players that are very hungry and what that all means in three to four months I’m not sure. But I think the greatest challenge as a staff and a team is bridging the gap of unfamiliarity across the board.’’
It starts Friday in the team’s first official practice. Sure the team has gotten together for other practices but Friday is the official start. Miller’s hope – as is with all coaches – is that every day and every week they get better.
Clearly, Miller said, he’s “not anxious to see a game’’ anytime soon. In a month, the first official game – Northern Arizona – starts it all. But with a collective nine freshmen or sophomores on the roster anything can happen.

“We’re excited to get to it; we have a lot of work to get to,’’ Miller said.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 7:17 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.