Wild About AZ Cats

Here we are, the fall signing period over, and the lone Class of 2010 recruit inked is Phoenix North High School shooting guard Daniel Bejarano. I thought I would never write this line but — Who woulda thunk it?

At the turn of October, the UA coaches had not even talked to the one-time 5-star recruit (as rated by Rivals.com). In about a week, Bejarano de-committed from Texas, had a scholarship offer from ASU taken away, visited Arizona and committed to the Wildcats. UA coach Sean Miller was fortunate to quickly land a player of Bejarano’s caliber after recruiting top-notch Class of 2010 talent for almost six months, including the July evaluation period.

Arizona theoretically has one scholarship remaining to fill for next year’s class (that’s if Dondre Wise’s scholarship is only a one-year deal). So the recruiting for the Class of 2010 is not over, although only a handful of players remain, including Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum Jr.

A quick analysis of the Class of 2010 recruiting developments for Miller and Co.:

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

• For whatever reason, the relationship between Portland Jefferson (Ore.) standout forward Terrence Jones and Arizona became non-existent after Jones did not immediately agree to an official visit to Tucson.
• I placed Jones as the primary disappointment although the UA had a player commit (Concord, Mass., Middlesex School forward Rod Odom) then de-commit and then sign with Vanderbilt. Jones, in my opinion, was too good to let get away, but it appears to be a case in which the UA coaches believed they were fighting a losing battle. Look for Jones to play close to home at Oregon or Washington.
• Odom’s about-face in a matter of a couple of weeks was peculiar in that he and his father said academics were not an issue when he committed to Arizona. When Odom opted for Vanderbilt, he claimed that academics and distance from home were factors in de-committing from Arizona. I contend it was only a case of distance from his East coast home in New York City. The mind of a 17-year-old has a funny way of working when the distance to friends, especially one of the opposite sex, comes into play.
• Losing McCallum to another school will be a disappointment unless the young playmaker chooses in the spring to play for his father at Detroit Mercy.
• San Diego-area product James Johnson decided to attend Virginia after taking an official visit there. A visit to Arizona was forthcoming but he canceled that. It appeared that Miller and his staff made Johnson a priority after the July evaluation period — they were the first to schedule an in-home visit with the redheaded star.
• Indianapolis product Dominique Ferguson, who talked about his respect for former UA guard Jason Gardner — who hailed from Indy — early in the recruiting process, abruptly committed to Isiah Thomas at Florida International shortly after the July evaluation tournaments. He and McCallum talked about joining Trey Zeigler in Tucson as a trifecta when they played together in a Las Vegas tourament. It appears that not one of them will be with the Wildcats next season.

NO SURPRISES

• The fact that Arizona was unable to be a major player for standouts such as Cory Joseph of Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep, Zeigler of Mount Pleasant (Mich.) and Keala King of Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei, to name a few, is disappointing but not surprising. These three and others were recruited by Arizona but they never really had the Cats in their plans because of the unknown of Miller at Arizona and the lack of available scholarships. Once Miller establishes an identity this season in Tucson things will be different.

PLEASANT SURPRISES

• Class of 2011 power forward Sidiki Johnson of New Your committed early to Arizona. Will he honor that commitment over almost two years? No reason to believe he won’t, but don’t take anything for granted in recruiting
• For the die-hard UA fan, you have to admire what former player and assistant Josh Pastner has achieved in a short time at Memphis. Pastner, unjustly criticized for his recruiting efforts at Arizona, has inked three of the 12 best Class of 2010 recruits — all 5-star prospects accordig to Rivals.com: Jelan Kendrick of Marietta (GA), Will Barton of Wolfboro (NH) and Joe Jackson of Memphis.
• Bejarano’s signing not only maintains the UA’s dominance over ASU for the top in-state talent but he can potentially be an answer for the UA’s questionable shooting ability from the perimeter exhibited thus far this season.
• Out of the six players Miller has signed for the Class of 2009 and 2010, three are from the West coast: Derrick Williams, Solomon Hill and Bejarano. That’s a good start to build a base in the region against the likes of UCLA, USC, Washington, Cal, Gonzaga, etc. The schools I listed and plenty of others would love to have any of these guys. Miller is to be commended. He may have struck out against other West coast talent like Terrence Jones, Anthony Brown (Stanford) and Gary Franklin and Richard Solomon (Cal), but there is plenty of hope ahead. No need to worry about how Miller will fare in the West although he is not widely known in the area.
• Lute Olson’s first recruiting haul included primarily players from California — Steve Kerr (Pacific Palisades), Michael Tait (Bellflower), and JC transfer Pete Williams (Walnut) — and one from Washington (Van Beard from Seattle). Eddie Smith was the other recruit, a JC player from Wichita. Olson’s immediate success recruiting the West coast was a result of his earlier days as a high school coach in California and his time at Long Beach. He had already developed relationships. Miller will do the same in the West but he will also continue to make Arizona a national program. The disappointments I’ve listed will someday be overshadowed by success stories, most likely starting with the Class of 2012.

RELATED LINK FROM GOAZCATS.COM: Josh Gershon is reporting that Chris Hill, a forward from Raleigh, N.C., Stevens Prep is favoring the Cats if he can get his academics in order by the spring.

Class of 2010 combo guard Doron Lamb

Gary Parrish of CBSSportsline.com at least got this one right: Why blue-chippers should wait until the spring to sign

A few of Arizona’s targeted recruits this summer for the Class of 2010 remain undecided as the end of the week-long fall signing period is tomorrow. I am a firm believer that these players — and even some of those who signed with other programs during the fall — should wait until the spring before making a final decision. The potential UA recruits still out there include:

1. Ray McCallum, 6-1, 175, Detroit Country Day School. Why would it benefit McCallum to wait? He can really study the programs that want him the most, including his father’s team at Detroit Mercy. McCallum can also be at ease by waiting until the spring if he decides to not play for his father. Instead of constantly being reminded during the season by hometown folks he should have stayed at home, he can concentrate on playing basketball and still support his father.
2. Doron Lamb, 6-4, 175, Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy. Although he never took an official visit to Arizona this fall, I believe the Wildcats are still very much in play for Lamb during the spring. The signing of Phoenix North guard Daniel Bejarano last week should not deter Lamb from considering the UA. It’s obvious that UA coach Sean Miller will try a rotation of eight to 10 players, so playing time will be there for the taking. Also, Lamb is a combo guard who can play the point if necessary. A McCallum-Bejarano backcourt or Lamb-Bejarano backcourt — heck, even a Lamont “MoMo” Jones-Bejarano backcourt — could evolve into one of the best the school has produced.

We should learn about McCallum’s intentions soon (mostly likely Tuesday). I will not be surprised if he waits until the spring, an approach that would be wise on his part. If he announces he will play for his dad and signs during the fall, more power to him: Family should take precedence in that scenario. As I mentioned before, if he chooses to sign with a team other than Detroit in the fall, he may get a lot grief from Detroit-area fans during his senior season. Bottom line: McCallum is better off waiting.

McCallum and Lamb waiting can only be good news for Arizona, which figures to increasingly play well by the end of the year because of its youth. That momentum and potentially another NCAA tournament appearance can spark an interest in these recruits and others who decided to wait until the spring.

The darkhorse out there might be C.J. Leslie, a 5-star power forward from Raleigh, N.C. Arizona showed interest not too long ago with the UA coaching staff phoning Leslie’s mother to gauge interest and she did not rule the Wildcats out. If the UA catches the eye of the national media as the season goes along, who’s to say that Leslie will be showcased better elsewhere? Will he become interested in the Wildcats?

With these recruits waiting until the spring, the UA has a fighting chance with any of them (if the opportunity presents itself — a BIG IF — because as it stands now only one scholarship is available if the team stays intact — another BIG IF).

Phoenix North guard Daniel Bejarano, who signed with the UA on Wednesday, follows in the footsteps of other Phoenix standouts who became Wildcats: Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Jerryd Bayless (Photo by Michael Schennum/The Arizona Republic)

RELATED VIDEO LINK FROM GOAZCATS.COM: Bejarano’s press conference Wednesday at North High School

Phoenix North shooting guard Daniel Bejarano said he always envisioned signing with a college with his father looking on with pride.

His father, Damian Gosa, was also a basketball standout with Phoenix Carl Hayden before playing at Central Arizona College.

“I know my dad will always be with me in spirit, but I wish I could have seen him here today,” Bejarano said in reference to signing a national letter of intent with Arizona before a gathering of family, friends, teammates, coaches and Phoenix media (including a couple of TV stations).

“It was hard for me talk. I kept pausing, but I was pausing because I kept thinking about him.”

Gosa, who was in the process of mending his estranged relationship with Bejarano, was killed in an apparent home invasion in June. Bejarano recently had his father’s name tattooed to his chest with his father’s jersey numbers in high school (32) and college (40).

“It is a way to have him always with me,” Bejarano said.

The fall signing period started today and Bejarano, 6-5, 200, was the only prospect to sign with Arizona. He originally committed to Texas but changed his mind after the Longhorns showed an interest in other shooting guards in the Class of 2010 and 2011.

The Wildcats may add another recruit during the period — Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum — but McCallum is undecided and he has indicated he may wait until the spring to sign.

“I’ll try my best to get Ray to join me because it would be nice to have him as a teammate,” said Bejarano, who participated with McCallum in the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp and the LeBron James Skill Academy during the summer. “I only have good things to say about Arizona and the coaches there. They’ve treated me well. They’re good coaches and good people.”

UA coach Sean Miller, in a press release submitted by the school’s media relations department, took the opportunity of Bejarano’s signing to comment on the young guard’s mature and respectful personality.

“”First and foremost, I would describe Daniel as an amazing kid,” Miller said. “He is as energetic, positive and unselfish as any young person I’ve come across. Although I’m confident he will have a huge impact for us on the court, I’m equally as confident that he will impact our university, the community and our family atmosphere even more.”

The UA coaches could not be present at the time of Bejarano’s signing, per NCAA rules, but assistant coach James Whitford phoned Bejarano a few minutes after he signed. Miller followed shortly afterward to congratulate Bejarano and welcome him to the program.

Bejarano said his focus now shifts to his senior year at North, which begins its season Dec. 1. The Mustangs, the defending Class 5A Division II champions, are aiming for a repeat title behind Bejarano, who averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game last season. He also shot 51 percent from the floor and scored a career-high 41 points in one game.

He is a three-time Phoenix metro region player of the year and a 2009-10 first-team “Best in the West” selection by the Long Beach Press-Telegram. He follows former Phoenix greats who played at the UA, including Jerryd Bayless, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson and Mike Bibby — all of whom were eventual lottery picks in the NBA draft.

“The main thing on my mind now is winning another state title,” Bejarano said. “I love my team. I love my teammates. We’re like brothers. I want them to be able to play in college also. I will try my hardest to make that happen. They deserve it.”

The one part of his game that he will attempt to improve with North is his ball handling.

“I’ve already started working hard on that,” Bejarano said. “I feel like I’ll get better as the season goes along.”

PLEASE VISIT WILDABOUTAZCATS.com for additional information regarding Wildcat athletics. Javier can be reached at wildaboutazcats@gmail.com.

Perry Ellis is a Class of 2012 recruit from Wichita who is already considering Arizona

UA coach Sean Miller and his staff can potentially add up to six scholarships players for the Class of 2012 — when plenty of spots are available is when the top-notch talent signs — and one of those prospects interested in Arizona will likely be 6-8 power forward Perry Ellis of Wichita (Kansas) New Heights.

Ellis, rated the Class of 2012 No. 3 prospect by Hoopmasters.com, hails from the hometown of new UA director of basketball operations Jamall Walker.

Walker’s daughter, JaShawn, attends New Heights, according to a source who is following Ellis’ recruitment closely. Walker has been in contact with New Heights coach Joe Auer about Ellis.

Ellis averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds for Wichita Heights leading them to a 24-1 record and a Class 6A championship as a freshman. He has already been offered a scholarship by Kansas and is also considering, among others, Arizona, Kansas State, North Carolina, Memphis and Indiana.

“He has the tools to pick and pop or roll to the hoop and score in the paint with either hand,” Hoopmasters.com recruiting expert Van Coleman wrote earlier this year about Ellis. “He has excellent hands and superior footwork, and as you can see by his effort in the championship game, he can dominate the glass.”

Ellis was announced to the Team USA Under 17 developmental roster last month. The team assembled for a fall mini-camp on Oct. 9-11 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., in preparation for the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany from July 2-11 according to a USA Basketball press release.

Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum text messaged me tonight to let it be known that he will not announce his decision on a certain date this week (the November signing period starts Wednesday).

“No, everyone keeps asking,” he said. He finished with an “LOL” (laughing out loud). His decision can happen at anytime: tomorrow, next weekend or, perhaps, next spring.

McCallum, 6-1, 175, concluded a visit of the Florida campus Sunday morning. He attended the Vanderbilt-Florida football game Saturday night. Florida coach Billy Donovan hoped to have McCallum and Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God forward C.J. Leslie visit Gainesville at the same time this weekend to sell them on being the future of Florida basketball, but Leslie backed out at the last minute.

Scout.com recruiting guru Dave Telep indicated that a scrimmage was held Saturday in Raleigh between Word of God and Oak Ridge Military Academy. Leslie decided to participate in the scrimmage instead of traveling to Florida. He canceled the trip early Friday morning. Telep added that Leslie will likely reschedule the trip.

I wanted to add one opinion concerning McCallum’s recruitment. I’m reading and hearing more and more — not only from some Arizona fans but also from others nationwide — that it’s selfish of McCallum’s father, Ray Sr., to recruit his son to his school (Detroit Mercy) instead of allowing his son to play for a nationally renowned program.

I say that stance is much more selfish. That argument tells me that the agenda of a top 20 program is more important than the inner-working of the McCallum household. How often can a son say he played for his father in college?

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo sports recently wrote an informative article about McCallum’s recruitment by his father. After reading the article, I believe Bryce Drew playing for his father Homer Drew at Valparaiso instead of attending Indiana is of more substance than Jeff Capel III going to Duke rather than playing for his father Jeff II at Old Dominion. His father was later fired by Old Dominion and is now an NBA assistant.

Am I advocating a McCallum decision to Detroit? No. What I am trying to communicate is that I am appalled by some who think his father is being selfish about wanting him to play at Detroit. That’s not selfish. That’s smart as a coach, first and foremost, and then as a father. If McCallum Sr. was selfish, he would have precluded his son from making official visits to these powerhouse programs.

Before I begin, did you notice that former UA player and assistant Josh Pastner has the No. 2-ranked recruiting class for the Class of 2010 at Memphis, according to Rivals.com? …

I realize this is like making a plan to win the lottery, but I thought I would put together a list of possible recruits UA coach Sean Miller and his staff will be targeting two years from now.

These players are sophomores in high school, but you can never start too early. Just ask Lute Olson, who according to Sports Illustrated offered scholarships to two different prospects before they started the eighth grade. You might recall that Nic Wise, now a senior point guard with the Wildcats, verbally committed to Olson and Pastner when he was an eighth-grader in Houston.

At least these kids are a little older, in the 10th grade, but most of them are only 15 and capable of changing their minds a zillion times. UA freshman guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones verbally committed to Louisville and Virginia Tech before signing a national letter of intent with USC. He then left the Trojans to sign with Arizona when former USC coach Tim Floyd resigned.

The Class of 2012 is extremely important to Miller and his staff as it completely transitions to his personnel. Most of the Olson holdovers will be gone after the 2011-2012 season, including Kyle Fogg, Alex Jacobson, Garland Judkins, Brendon Lavender, and D.J. Shumpert.

The Class of 2012 players are separated by region with information provided by Hoopmasters.com and Scout.com (Rivals.com does not yet list the Class of 2012 recruits and Scout.com does not have these prospects ranked as of now).

WEST
Shabazz Muhammad, SG, 6-3, 165, Las Vegas (NV). Rated the No. 1 prospect in the class by Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com.
Xavier Johnson, SF, 6-6, 175, Temecula (CA).
Winston Shepard, PF, 6-7, 190, Henderson (NV)
Gabe York, PG, 6-0, 165, Orange (CA)

EAST
Alex Murphy, SF, 6-8, 180, Southborough (MA)
Khem Birch, PF, 6-9, 180, Winchendon (MA). His teammate and potential Class of 2011 recruit Angel Nunez is trying to bring Birch along for an unofficial visit this month.

SOUTH
Winston Sheppard, SF, 6-6, 180, Sugar Land (TX)
Isaiah Austin, C, 7-0, 215, Arlington (TX)
J-Mychal Reese, PG, 6-0, 160, Brian (TX). He’s one of the eighth graders Olson offered a scholarship to as documented in the SI article.

MIDWEST
Perry Ellis, PF, 6-8, 215, Wichita (KS)

STATE OF ARIZONA 2012 PROSPECTS
Demetrius Balark, SG, 6-1, 160, Glendale Kellis
Larry Lews, SG, 6-1, 160, Phoenix Arcadia. He visited the UA unofficially during last week’s Red-Blue game.

CLASS OF 2013 IN-STATE PROSPECTS
Torren Jones, SF, 6-7, 200, Chandler Basha. The UA has offered a scholarship along with USC and Oregon State.
Maurice Kirby, C, 6-8, 215, Flagstaff. He and Jones also visited the UA last weekend unofficially.

PLEASE VISIT WILDABOUTAZCATS.com for additional information regarding Wildcat athletics. Javier can be reached at wildaboutazcats@gmail.com.

Four-star center prospect Amir Williams from Beverly Hills (MI) has been offered a scholarship by Arizona

The University of Arizona program already has a commitment from Class of 2011 power forward Sidiki Johnson, who will be a perfect transition from Jamelle Horne to the future, but what does the remainder of that class look like to the Wildcats?

First a little bit on Johnson: He is rated a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com, which also has him as the No. 58 prospect overall of the Class of 2011. He has transferred from Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond’s to St. Benedict Preparatory in Newark, N.J., which should improve him as a player and continue Arizona’s image of going after elite-level national recruits.

St. Benedict plays a national schedule similar to prep-school powers Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy and Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep. Last year, for example, St. Benedict played in elite-level events in Benton (Ky.), Fort Lauderdale (Fla.), San Juan, (P.R.), Santa Ana (Calif.) and Pittsburgh. This is just a sample. Most of its schedule is national.

UA coach Sean Miller has said in the past that getting players from these types of programs reduces the learning curve once they get into Division I. Johnson has two years remaining playing these difficult schedules and next year’s summer elite AAU tournaments to refine his game.

Here is the rest of the Class of 2011 preliminarily in the Wildcats’ plans. These are current high school juniors who have expressed interest in the UA program according to Rivals.com. I have separated them into regions: East, West, Midwest and South. The ranking is their overall rating among other 2011 prospects. The recruit’s interest level is also judged by Rivals.com.

WEST
No. 23 Kyle Wiltjer, PF, 6-9, 200, Portland (OR). Five-stars. Interest: Medium
No. 28 Jabari Brown, SG, 6-3, 205, Henderson (NV). Four-stars. Interest: Medium
No. 51 Nick Johnson, SG, 6-2, 175, Henderson (NV). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 56 Josiah Turner, PG, 6-3, 175, Sacramento (CA). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 63 Norvel Pelle, C, 6-8, 180, Compton (CA). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 120 Cezar Guerrero, PG, 5-11, 165, Bellflower (CA). Three-Stars. Interest: Medium
***Wesley Saunders, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound Class of 2011 shooting guard from Los Angeles Windward unofficially visited the UA campus two weeks ago when the Wildcats played UCLA in football. It might come down to Arizona and USC for Saunders next year, with Stanford as a possibility as well.

EAST
No. 20 Quinn Cook, PG, 6-1, 180, Bowie (MD). Five-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 47 Angel Nunez, SF, 6-7, 180, Winchendon (MA). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 58 Sidiki Johnson, PF, 6-8, 220, Newark (NJ). Four-Stars. Interest: COMMITTED TO ARIZONA
No. 70 Derrick Wilson, PG, 6-1, 185, Lakeville (CT). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 80 Naadir Thorpe, PG, 5-11, 170, Wolfeboro (NH). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium

MIDWEST
No. 7 Bradley Beal, SG, 6-3, 170, St. Louis (MO). Five-Stars. Interest: Low
No. 52 Amir Williams, C, 6-9, 220, Beverly Hills (MI). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 101 James Siakam, SF, 6-7, 190, Carbondale (IL). Three-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 112 George Marshall, PG, 6-0, 180, Chicago (IL). Three-Stars. Interest: Medium

SOUTH
No. 12 Shannon Scott, PG, 6-2, 175, Alpharetta (GA). Five-Stars. Interest: Medium
No. 36 Chris Jones, PG, 5-10, 160, Memphis (TN). Four-Stars. Interest: Medium

Observations: Of this group, other than Johnson, the UA has it sights strongly on Williams. UA assistants James Whitford and Emanuel “Book” Richardson are diligently recruiting him (Rivals.com reports that they have offered him a scholarship). … Williams is a Michigan product similar to Class of 2010 point guard Ray McCallum Jr., who officially visited the UA last weekend and is concluding his visits this weekend at Florida. The commitment of Adreian Payne to Michigan State will likely alter Williams’ recruitment. He was showing a strong interest in the Spartans but he and Payne, a Class of 2010 recruit, play the same position. … If the UA’s current roster stays intact for the Class of 2011-12 season, that means one scholarship will be available: Horne’s. He exhausts his eligibility after next season. Theoretically, Johnson will take that scholarship. The UA coaching staff is preparing for potential personnel changes (transfers, academic situations, funding through other means) by continuing to pursue many of these Class of 2011 recruits. … I will provide a similar list for the Class of 2012 recruits this weekend. If the UA roster remains intact until then, the Wildcats will have at least five scholarships available that year. That could be the year Miller inks his first Five-star recruit.

PLEASE VISIT WILDABOUTAZCATS.com for additional information regarding Wildcat athletics. Javier can be reached at wildaboutazcats@gmail.com.

Ray McCallum will soon decide among Arizona, Florida, Detroit, UCLA and Oklahoma for his college choice

After watching Ray McCallum play this summer in an AAU summer tournament in Las Vegas I am not surprised that he is calculating each of his recruiting stops and avoiding any rushed decisions.

He plays similarly under control with a sense of determination to get things right. One play in particular I recall: McCallum setting the offense on top of the key, barking out orders and waving off a teammate. He looked primed to get his own shot off. He penetrated to the side of the lane and instinctively looked for teammate Trey Ziegler on the opposite side for a spot-up three-pointer.

Unselfish and instinctive: two quality traits of a point guard and McCallum showed that on many occasions while leading Team Detroit to the Reebok tournament title.

McCallum, a 6-1, 170-pound, point guard at Detroit Country Day School, told me a couple of weeks ago shortly after visiting UCLA that he could pull the trigger on a decision at any time — “You never know. If I go somewhere and I really like it, that could be good enough for me to make up my mind right there,” he said — but I sensed McCallum would take all of his visits before deciding which school to play for in 2010-11.

He confirmed that with me tonight, less than 24 hours after returning to Detroit from his official visit to Arizona.

“Yeah, I want to visit Florida next weekend and then sit down with my parents (before making a decision),” said, McCallum, rated a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com and 5-star by Scout.com.

His decision to follow through with his plans to visit Gainesville is not a negative reflection on Arizona. He wants to see what every program is like up close before making up his mind. He has already visited Oklahoma and UCLA. His father, Ray McCallum Sr., the head coach at Detroit, also hopes his son plays for him, but more than anything, he wants his son to make his own decision after weighing everything.

The visit to Tucson was another positive development for UA coach Sean Miller, Miller’s assistants, the UA players and faculty. McCallum and his father observed the Red-Blue game on Sunday afternoon. McCallum Sr. afterward offered his educated opinion about where his son would fit into the UA lineup.

“We looked at it and thought that I could fit in pretty good at Arizona, especially with Nic Wise gone after this year,” McCallum said. “They will be needing a point guard. MoMo (Jones) is probably more of a combo guard than a point guard.

“I think I can go there and contribute right away. I know I will have to work hard to earn my spot, but I think I can be a contributor. But you can say that for all the other schools I’m looking at. I am confident that I can go to any of those schools and contribute right away.”

The UA was originally scheduled as McCallum’s last visit but McCallum had to reschedule his visit with Gators coach Billy Donovan because he was selected the homecoming king for his high school. He was supposed to visit Florida the same weekend of the homecoming events three weeks ago.

Florida, Arizona and UCLA especially offer a warmer climate than what McCallum is accustomed to at Detroit.

“It’s always nice to be in warm weather like Arizona this time of year,” McCallum said. “I liked how warm it was there especially being from the cold here in Detroit.”

McCallum debunked the idea that Arizona has an edge because Miller and assistant coach James Whitford share a coaching past and are good friends with his father.

“I guess you could say it helps Arizona because my dad knows Coach Miller,” McCallum said. “But my father has been coaching the last 25 years, so he knows a lot of coaches.”

Here is the point guard situation in 2010-11 pertaining to the schools recruiting McCallum (by the way, none of them have a point guard among their existing Class of 2010 recruits):

Arizona: Momo Jones and Garland Judkins will likely spell Wise the most of this season. If McCallum signs with Arizona — the weeklong November signing period starts Nov. 11 — he undoubtedly will be penciled in as the prospective starter at point guard next season with Jones sharing the load and Daniel Bejarano and Kyle Fogg competing for the starting off-guard spot.

Oklahoma: The Sooners have freshman Tommy Mason-Griffin, a McDonald’s All-American point guard, and little-used sophomore T.J. Franklin at that position. McCallum and Mason-Griffin would likely compete for the starting point guard position and Mason-Griffin would have a year in Jeff Capel’s system to his advantage.

UCLA: Sophomore guard Jerime Anderson is slated to start for Ben Howland this season but he is largely untested and unproven. And he’s injured. He’s out indefinitely because of a strained groin. Ask Salim Stoudamire how damaging a groin injury can be in basketball. It can easily be aggravated because of the twists and turns the body makes on the hardwood. Anderson backed up Darren Collison a year ago but only played 8.6 minutes per game. McCallum, however, is not as highly rated by Rivals.com as Anderson was last year. Anderson was the No. 3 point guard and No. 31 overall prospect in the Class of 2008 by Scout.com. He was rated the No. 7 point guard and No. 37 overall prospect by Rivals.com. McCallum is ranked the No. 7 point guard and No. 23 prospect overall by Scout.com in the Class of 2010. He is rated the No. 60 prospect overall and No. 15 point guard prospect by Rivals.com.

Florida: The Gators already missed out on Jones, who picked the UA over Florida after being released from his letter-of-intent at USC. Donovan has 5-11 sophomore Erving Walker as his starting point guard and Walker will not relinquish that spot easily. Highly-rated freshman Kenny Boynton, a 6-2 combo guard, is of the same mold as Jones — he can play either backcourt position well.

Detroit: The Titans have senior point guard Woody Payne, who won’t be around next season. McCallum obviously would be in a strong position to start at point guard and not only because his dad is the coach there. Freshman guard Jason Caliste of Ontario, Canada, was a 4-star recruit by Scout.com but he will probably not have an extended role with the Titans this season.

One of the more interested observers of today’s Red-Blue scrimmage was a player who wanted to lace up his shoes and participate.

Phoenix North senior shooting guard Daniel Bejarano, who has verbally committed to Arizona, enjoyed his experience — with about 19 family members and friends from Phoenix. “But I was so anxious to get out there,” he said.

“It liked being there a lot and seeing everbody, all the players and coaches. One of the things that stuck out the most were the players and how good they are. MoMo (Jones) is really good. That was the first time I saw him play. He was really good at point guard. I can’t wait to play with him.”

Aside from watching the scrimmage, Bejarano also met Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum (who officially visited the UA campus this weekend) and former UA coach Lute Olson. Bejarano was first recruited to the UA by Olson, but he backed off from the Wildcats and committed to Texas when Olson abruptly retired due to health issues.

Bejarano’s interest in Arizona regenerated when Sean Miller was hired in April. Olson, who recruited Bejarano before any other Division I coach, expressed his condolences to Bejarano because his father was tragically killed in apparent robbery attempt earlier this summer.

“They set up a little room where my family and I could meet Coach Olson after the game,” Bejarano said. “That was really nice. He wished me good luck. It was a good heart-to-heart moment. He’s a great man.”

Bejarano’s meeting with McCallum was constructive. The two know each other from playing in the AAU summer tournaments and elite camps.

“I just told him that I hope he goes to Arizona,” Bejarano said. “I told him Arizona has everything he wants. He told me his visit was going fine so far and that he liked everything.

“To me, everything there, on campus, is nice. That’s the best word to describe it — nice. You can’t go wrong going there.”

Related link: Steve Rivera was courtside to give his observations from the scrimmage.

Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum and his father, Detroit Mercy coach Ray McCallum Sr., will be on the UA campus starting tonight through Sunday for an official visit.

All things considered, McCallum Jr. can be the cornerstone recruit of UA coach Sean Miller’s early tenure in Tucson.

As important as McCallum Jr. is to Miller’s Class of 2010 efforts (more on that in a bit), future prospects will weigh heavily on the coaching staff’s mind this weekend during Sunday’s Red-Blue scrimmage. According to Josh Gershon of GOAZCATS.com, the Wildcat coaching staff will have at least three other potential future recruits on campus visiting unofficially. They are:

• Torren Jones, 6-foot-7, 200-pound Chandler (Ariz.) Basha Class of 2013 forward. According to Gershon, the UA has offered a scholarship along with USC and Oregon State. UA coaches watched him work out last week at his school.
• Maurice Kirby, 6-foot-8, 215-pound Flagstaff (Ariz.) High School Class of 2013 center. Only a freshman, but it’s good to start on them young. Remember, Nic Wise reportedly committed to the UA when he was in middle school.
• Larry Lews, 6-foot-1, 160-pound Phoenix Arcadia Class of 2012 shooting guard. Richard Obert of The Arizona Republic offered recently an informative rundown of Jones and Lewis and other prospects in the state.

Interesting to note that Obert lists forward George Matthews of Phoenix St. Mary’s as a potential recruit for the Class of 2010. Matthew’s name has not come up in the recruiting information I’ve gathered.

UA commit Daniel Bejarano of Phoenix North will also be in attendance at the Red-Blue game. He told me at the time of his commitment last month that he wants to attract more in-state talent to Tucson. Therefore, his presence will be vital on Sunday.

“Players like me and Nick (Johnson, formerly of Gilbert and now playing in Henderson, NV) should stay in-state and represent our state,” Bejarano said. “I hope by me staying in-state will show that the best players this state has to offer do not have to go somewhere else.”

Angel Nunez, a 6-7 shooting guard formerly from the Bronx and now at Winchendon Prep in Massachusetts, told me this afternoon that he will not be in attendance Sunday. He plans to visit Tucson soon unofficially with teammate Khem Birch, a sophomore power forward who is 6-foot-9 and 180 pounds. Nunez indicated that his mentor Eric Martinez is trying to set up the visit.

“(UA assistant) Book (Richardson) needs to to talk to Eric and pick a good weekend when I’m free,” Nunez said.

Add McCallum: The reason why he can be the cornerstone recruit for Miller is that the UA coaches have been in on him from Day One, literally. Miller and assistant coach James Whitford share a coaching past with McCallum Sr. and they’ve known the younger McCallum since he was a pre-schooler.

To date, the UA coaches have signed two players they have recruited from the start — Kyryl Natyazhko and Kevin Parrom, both of whom were recruited by Miller’s staff first at Xavier. Derrick Williams, Solomon Hill, Lamont Jones and Bejarano each picked Arizona after either committing or signing elsewhere. McCallum can be Miller’s first recruit his staff has concentrated on from the start to have him be a Wildcat.

With McCallum’s elite stature as a 4-star point guard per Rivals.com and Scout.com — some like me think he’s worthy of 5-star consideration — the chances were that Miller would not have tried to get him to attend Xavier.

One last, but very important note, Wesley Saunders, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound Class of 2011 shooting guard from Los Angeles Windward unofficially visited the UA campus last weekend when the Wildcats played UCLA in football. It might come down to Arizona and USC for Saunders next year, with Stanford as a possibility as well.