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Arizona’s 2013-14 non-conference schedule will be the most difficult of the Sean Miller era, especially if the Wildcats manage to face Duke in the NIT Tip-Off Classic in New York in late November.

The Wildcats can play the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden if they win two preliminary round games — most likely at McKale Center — and get matched with Mike Krzyzewski’s team either in the semifinals, finals or consolation game in New York City.

Arizona has two of the most difficult true road games it has played in the non-conference slate, dating back to 2008-09 when interim coach Russ Pennell had to coach on the road against Texas A&M and UNLV. The Wildcats play at formidable San Diego State, which has three starters returning, on Nov. 14, and at Michigan, which lost in the national championship game to Louisville, on Dec. 14.

With the addition of New Mexico State to the schedule yesterday, Arizona will face at least four teams (UNLV, San Diego State, and Michigan the others) that qualified for the NCAA tournament in March. If the Wildcats play Duke the number will be five.

Two other programs — Long Beach State (NIT) and Cal Poly (CollegeInsider.com) — played in the postseason. Alabama, a potential opponent in the NIT Tip-Off Classic, also participated in the postseason NIT in March.

The Wildcats can potentially face six teams that finished in the RPI Top 60 last season, led by Duke, the No. 1 overall team that lost in the Elite Eight to eventual champion Louisville. The others are Michigan (No. 17), UNLV (No. 22), San Diego State (No. 29), New Mexico State (No. 57) and Alabama (No. 60).

Some interesting notes about Arizona’s non-conference opponents:

Mitch McGary is compared to former UCLA center Kevin Love by some experts

– If the Wildcats face Duke in New York City, two of the most highly-recruited Class of 2013 players will be on the court — Jabari Parker of Duke and Aaron Gordon of Arizona. The Wildcats also hold a 4-3 record against Krzyzewski-coached teams. The Duke media guide does not list Krzyzewski’s record against opponents, so it is uncertain how many teams hold winning records against him.

– Arizona plays at Michigan (wonder if Rich Rodriguez will attend the game on Dec. 14?) in a marquee matchup. The Wildcats will not face guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., both of whom declared for the NBA Draft. Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson Jr. will return, however, along with fellow starter Nik Stauskas. Michigan is a unanimous top 10-ranked team by ESPN.com, CBSSports.com and USA Today heading into next season.

– The once-heated UNLV-Arizona rivalry resumes Dec. 7 at McKale Center. No word yet if the game will be moved to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Wait … that’s the Sept. 7 football game between the Rebels and Wildcats, which will likely be played in Glendale instead of Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Give it some time … Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne will work a way to schedule a regular-season hoops game in Glendale to prep that facility for a Final Four someday.

– San Diego State will have UA transfer Angelo Chol on its roster but on the bench as he sits out the season per NCAA transfer rules. The Aztecs have three returning starters from this season’s 26-8 team. They will have senior leadership from former Washington State guard Xavier Thames and talented young forwards Winston Shepard and Dwayne Polee II figure to get more playing time.

– Long Beach State comes to town Nov. 11 with the most returning starters (four) that are scheduled against Arizona (other than New Mexico State) in the non-conference portion of the schedule. One of the starters is former ASU guard Keala King, a one-time recruiting target of Miller, who was dismissed from the Sun Devils in the 2011-12 season. Former UCLA guard Tyler Lamb is also with the 49ers but he will not play against the UA because he does not become eligible until the 2014 spring semester per NCAA transfer rules.

New Mexico State’s Sim Bhullar is a hefty 7-foot-5 and 360 pounds

– Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski better eat his Wheaties on the morning of Dec. 11, the day in which the Wildcats face New Mexico State at McKale Center. The Aggies feature 7-foot-5, 360-pound center Sim Bhullar, who has plenty of size but might lack the mobility to keep up with the Wildcats’ up-tempo style. Bhullar originally committed to play for Xavier, Miller’s former team, but de-committed in August 2011 to play for the New Mexico State. He was not recruited to Xavier by Miller, who had already left to the UA in 2009.

– Texas Tech was ranked No. 213 in the RPI with a record of 11-20. The only appealing aspect of the Red Raiders coming to McKale Center on Dec. 3 is that Tubby Smith will be their new coach. Smith is winless in two games against Arizona with both games happening when he coached Kentucky. They were in the 1997 Maui Classic semifinals (Kentucky went on to win the national title that season) and 1999 Preseason NIT finals.

One non-conference game remains open before UA’s schedule is completed. It is most likely another guarantee game at home on Dec. 19.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports, TucsonCitizen.com and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site ZonaZealots.com.

Chris McAlister was a unanimous All-American in 1998

Arizona’s Fearsome Foursome of defense — Tedy Bruschi, Rob Waldrop, Chuck Cecil and Ricky Hunley — are now in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Bruschi will be officially inducted in December after being selected by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday.

Former coaches Warren Woodson, Darrell Mudra and Jim Young are also in the Hall of Fame.

Is this Arizona’s limit? Four players and three coaches? Where is the “Cactus Comet” Art Luppino? What about Chris McAlister? Dennis Northcutt?

And shouldn’t Larry Smith and Dick Tomey get consideration?

Woodson was 26-22-2 in only five years in Tucson from 1951-56. He won the necessary 60 percent of his games because of stints at Arkansas State Teachers University (40-8-3), Hardin-Simmons (57-23-6), New Mexico State (63-36-3) and Trinity (16-5).

Mudra was 200-81-4 in his career but he was 15-27-1 at Arizona and Florida State, the only major college programs he coached. And he lasted only four years total at those institutions. He stockpiled victories at places like Adams State, North Dakota State, Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Northern Iowa.

Tomey had a career record of 185-145-7, a winning percentage of .546 that falls below the National Football Foundation’s required 60 percent.

Tomey, however, is widely respected among his peers and former players. During his tenure at Arizona, he coached five future NFL first-round draft choices, 20 All-Americans, and 43 Pac-10 first team players. His best teams were in the mid-1990s, highlighted by the “Desert Swarm” defense of which Bruschi and Waldrop helped form into one of the best units in college football history.

Tomey coached Arizona to the only two double-digit-win seasons in school history, including a 12–1 campaign in 1998, in which they finished fourth in both major polls, the highest ranking in UA history. His 95 wins are the most in Wildcats history. He also left Hawaii as its winningest coach in school history (63-46-3) before Junes Jones surpassed him.

The late Smith had a .518 winning percentage overall but he was 48-28-3 in seven years at Arizona and 44-25-3 with three trips to the Rose Bowl in six years at USC. He coached the Wildcats to prominence despite inheriting a program that was placed on probation for recruiting improprieties related to former staffs.

Seven Arizona players earned All-America honors during his tenure, including Hunley, a two-time consensus All-American linebacker, Morris Trophy-winning center Joe Tofflemire, and All-American safety Allan Durden, placekicker Max Zendejas, linebacker Byron Evans and Cecil, a safety. More than 20 of Smith’s UA players went on to play professionally.

The National Football Foundation states in its fine print that Tomey and Smith can still be considered for the Hall of Fame. Players that do not comply with the 50-year rule and coaches who have not won 60 percent of their games may still be eligible for consideration by the Division I-A and Divisional Honors Review Committees, which examine unique cases.

Art Luppino’s chances of making the college football hall of fame are remote

The 50-year rule: Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years. For example, to be eligible for the 2013 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1963 or thereafter.

That disqualifies Luppino, who completed his storied UA career in 1956. The National Football Foundation also makes it a requirement that a player earns a major first-team All-American selection to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Luppino, who led the nation in rushing in consecutive years in 1954 and 1955, was a UPI second-team All-American in 1954.

Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the Associated Press (AP), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), The Sporting News (TSN), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF). Consensus All-Americans are those chosen by at least three of these entities. Unanimous All-Americans are chosen by all.

Those from Arizona not in the Hall of Fame who have these “major” first-team All-American honors include:

• Mark Arneson, 1971, LB, TSN
• Jackie Wallace, 1972, DB, TSN
• Allen Durden, 1985, DB, WCFF
• Darryll Lewis, 1990, DB, Consensus
• Josh Miller, 1992, P, FWAA and TSN
• Steve McLaughlin, 1994, PK, Consensus
• Tony Bouie, 1994, DB, Consensus
• Chris McAlister, 1998, DB, Unanimous
• Dennis Northcutt, 1999, KR, Consensus
• Antoine Cason, 2007, DB, Consensus
• Ka’Deem Carey, 2012, RB, Consensus

The player from this list who should be a lock is McAlister. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection for three straight seasons in his UA career after transferring from Mount San Antonio College in California.

He became only the seventh player in college football history (first in Arizona history) to return a kickoff, punt and interception for touchdowns in the same season. His 18 interceptions at the end of his Arizona career ranked third on the school’s career-record chart behind Cecil (21) and Wallace (20).

Arneson and Wallace have less than 10 years before their 50-year window closes.

Arneson’s 357 tackles was a career record at Arizona when his eligibility was exhausted in 1971. It has been surpassed by nine players, including Hunley (school-record 566) and Cecil (392). Arneson was a second-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972 and played with them for nine years.

Wallace, sadly, has fallen on hard times after his six seasons in the NFL — including a starting role for Minnesota in Super Bowl IX — after playing at Arizona. A New Orleans TV station reported last June that Wallace is homeless in that city. Wallace, a victim of alcohol and drug abuse, has been in and out of shelters for at least the last 23 years.

Arneson, Wallace, Durden and Miller were not at least consensus All-Americans, so they have long odds to be selected to the Hall of Fame.

Lewis, McLaughlin, Bouie and Northcutt are consensus All-Americans who might receive more votes as time goes on.

One of the requirements of the National Football Foundation: While each nominee’s football achievements are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community and his fellow man with love of his country. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.

Bouie, whose name is among other Wildcat greats in the Ring of Honor on the facade of Arizona Stadium, deserves recognition with this requirement.

Dennis Northcutt is the only former UA offensive player eligible for hall of fame consideration

He has two Master’s degrees — Master of Arts in literacy and education from Arizona and Master of Business Administration from ASU. He currently sits on the national boards of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the National Football League Players’ Association. He formerly was the vice president of the University of Arizona Maricopa County Black Alumni Association, and was a national board member for the University of Arizona Alumni Association. He is a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma in 2007. He underwent successful chemotherapy in the spring of 2008.

Northcutt is the only former offensive UA player that is eligible for Hall of Fame consideration. He caught passes in 43 straight games, a conference record. In his senior year, he set an Arizona record with 88 receptions for 1,422 yards. His punt-return average that year of 19 yards was second in the nation. As a senior in 1999, he was recognized a consensus first-team All-American as an “all-purpose” athlete.

Cason, a free-agent acquisition by the Arizona Cardinals this season, and Carey, a UA junior, are not yet eligible because they are not 10 years removed from their collegiate careers. Cason, who won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2007, becomes eligible for Hall of Fame consideration in 2017.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports, TucsonCitizen.com and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site ZonaZealots.com.

Eddie Smith, one of the players responsible for building a winning program at Arizona, is now an educator and motivational speaker in Georgia

The shot that put a charge into Lute Olson making Arizona basketball relevant belongs to a man today’s Wildcats need to read a book to learn about.

The Cornerstone of Arizona Basketball is that book. Eddie Smith, the author, is that man. His last-second prayer at ASU in Olson’s first season of 1983-84 is that shot.

“I never want to make myself seem like I’m living in the past,” Smith commented to me this week. “I think it is good that the story comes out.”

The Wildcats were 5-15 overall, only one win more than the previous year’s victory total in Ben Lindsey’s 4-24 season, before Smith made the winning shot against the Sun Devils that bounced on the rim before finally falling. Arizona’s 65-64 win over ASU, completing its first season sweep over the Sun Devils since 1969-70, put the Wildcats in motion toward where the program stands today.

Smith, Pete Williams, Steve Kerr and the Wildcats won six of their last eight games, including the victory at ASU, to finish the 1983-84 season with an 11-17 record. The Wildcats won nine of their first 12 games in the next season before traveling to ASU again to start the Pac-10 season. That’s when Smith contributed to one of the most legendary comebacks in UA history.

“This was the start of something that would set a tradition,” Smith writes in his e-book. “The clock clicked down to less than a minute. They were up 9 points. And remember, at that time in the game, there was no 3-point line.”

Smith converted on two traditional three-point plays instead as part of Arizona’s winning rally after ASU led 60-53 with 37 seconds remaining.

He scored and was fouled with 26 seconds remaining. His free throw cut the lead to 60-56. The late Bobby Thompson, an ASU guard who is the son of the former UA all-star tailback with the same name, missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw situation and Williams grabbed the rebound. Arizona’s Morgan Taylor made a 20-foot jump shot with nine seconds left to cut the lead to 60-58.

Williams deflected the inbound pass and Smith emerged with the ball after a scramble. His scoop shot banked in while he was fouled by Thompson with two seconds remaining. The game was tied. A free throw would give the Wildcats the improbable lead.

“I went out to the free throw line,” Smith writes. “Got my rhythm and shot the ball with a relaxed follow-through motion. It went in. … Man, that was a comeback!

“We shocked the players, their coach, their fans and the majority of the betting world.”

The victory propelled Arizona to a 12-6 Pac-10 season, its best record since the Wildcats joined the conference in 1978-79. Only two years previously, before Olson arrived, the Wildcats finished 1-17 in conference play. The UA also advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years.

One recurring theme with the Arizona basketball program is a very strong rebirth after uncertainty.

Fred Snowden was hired in 1972 after the Wildcats finished 6-20 in 1971-72, their fifth losing season in a seven-year stretch. After his hire, Snowden recruited Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Al Fleming, John Irving and Jim Rappis, the best five players Arizona’s featured in a recruiting class. The Wildcats did not suffer another losing record for eight seasons.

Olson was hired in 1983 after the debacle under Lindsey. Olson recruited Smith and Williams from the junior college ranks and Kerr, an unknown guard from Pacific Palisades, Calif., in his first class. Those three players have as much to do with Arizona’s emergence as a national power as anybody else, including Sean Elliott.

Sean Miller was hired in 2009 after the Wildcats endured two interim staffs following Olson’s leave of absence and subsequent retirement. Miller recruited Derrick Williams, Lamont “MoMo” Jones, Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom in his first class. Williams and Jones were essential in Arizona reachiing the Elite Eight in 2010-11 and Hill and Parrom started for the UA’s Sweet 16 team this year.

The players from each of these initial recruiting classes share a common significance for the development of the program. The man responsible for enlightening Smith about the potential at Arizona was the late Ricky Byrdsong, who started recruiting Smith out of Dodge City Community College before Olson arrived in Tucson.

Lute Olson’s first recruiting class that included Eddie Smith, Pete Williams and Steve Kerr was essential in building the program to what it is today

Byrdsong, kept as an assistant by Olson, laid the foundation to bring Smith to Tucson — despite Smith committing at first to Cal State-Fullerton and having interest in Tulsa — but it was the presence of Olson (called “The Big Guy”) in his living room that swayed him.

Smith, an educator and motivational speaker who resides in Stockbride, Ga., cites scripture throughout his e-book, which is available on Amazon.com for only $3.99. The tone of the book is uplifting with Smith recounting how he matured from when he was a gang member as a teen in Wichita, Kan.

“If I had to pick one word about Eddie, it would be character,” Olson writes in the foreword to the e-book. “He exhibited the character in what was needed to succeed.”

Smith came of age as a basketball player and person after hearing he was washed up as a basketball player during his junior season in high school. He hit the game winning shot as a senior in the state championship game and opting to attend Dodge City Community College rather than try a small four-year college, much to the chagrin of his father.

His estranged relationship with his father became worse when his father tossed Smith’s letter-of-intent paperwork with Dodge City on the ground and bolted out of the family home. His father did this with the Dodge City coach in the room.

“Your protests as a parent can either move your child closer to you or push them away from you,” Smith writes. “That one move me further away. My dad never deposited in me when I was growing up.”

I have followed Arizona basketball closely since Snowden’s early years. I did not know some of the information in the e-book about Smith’s odyssey to Tucson, such as his recruiting visit to the city with fellow prospect Reggie Miller and the rift between the holdovers from the 4-24 team and Olson’s first class that included Smith, Williams, Kerr, Michael Tait and Van Beard.

The state of the program — “I thought we would get our tails kicked,” Smith writes — almost forced him to leave Tucson within a month of his arrival.

The late Ricky Byrdsong was instrumental in bringing Eddie Smith to Arizona

Smith writes that he overcame his doubts after talking to his mother, junior college coach and sister. All of them assured him of his standing as a talented basketball player and that Arizona offered him the best chance to flourish because of Olson and the availability of playing time.

“When I think back, I was a skinny thing back then,” Smith told me in a 2010 interview with TucsonCitizen.com. “I wonder what did Coach Olson think about what he was getting based on my build.

“I knew that I had heart and determination and that I would not give up on the assignment. I believe coach saw that after a few games.”

Smith reflects positively on his relationship with Olson in the e-book. Parts of the book include moments when Olson was firm with Smith, including the time the former coach called the player into his office after a fight broke out in a pickup game at McKale Center shortly after Smith arrived on campus.

Olson told him to get it together and learn to play within the team concept or leave, Smith writes. That was a significant event that contributed to Smith’s maturity and what he has become today.

“The book was written to show people how important effective leadership impacts a person’s life for the good,” Smith told me last week. “Being in education, I see so many children lacking leadership in their lives. The key to effective leadership rests on the leader making a connection with the person.

“The book is directed to any adult who is leading others. Athletics provided the path for some great men to pour into my life structure, standards, unselfishness, and commitment. Those are the qualities that need to be transferred to willing participants.”

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports, TucsonCitizen.com and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site ZonaZealots.com.

TRANSFERS IN LUTE OLSON’S FIRST FOUR YEARS

TRANSFERS IN SEAN MILLER’S FIRST FOUR YEARS

*Turner played professionally in Hungary and Canada instead of transferring to SMU

Angelo Chol announced Wednesday he will transfer from Arizona

Major college basketball is a big business and Arizona is one of the most valued programs in the country.

Sean Miller is scheduled to earn $2.6 million in total compensation by the 2016-17 season, including a base salary of $1.5 million.

Victories, championships, berths into the NCAA tournament are a result of making the right decisions to get the best return on an investment. Arizona has invested its trust in Miller to continue administering the significant money-making operation Lute Olson created.

Miller and his staff must invest their valuable time into coaching the right players they believe give them the best chance to win and continue to fill seats in McKale.

That means difficult personnel decisions must be made. Players will be advised to find better playing opportunities elsewhere because they may not have a spot in the rotation. That’s nothing new. Olson had five transfers in his first four seasons at Arizona, which equals Miller’s total (see graphic with this blog) with the announcement Wednesday that Angelo Chol has played his last game as a Wildcat.

Addition-by-subtraction moves like this will be made as long as a basketball bounces.

One-year wonders like incoming freshman forward Aaron Gordon of San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty are college basketball’s equivalent of professional rent-a-players — the signing of a free agent late in the season to win in the playoffs.

Miller is not at fault for losing Chol to another program and Grant Jerrett to the NBA draft (or Jerrett’s dream of being drafted). This is a business. “Just win baby” has been replaced by “Just win now baby”. John Calipari has Kentucky believing in this philosophy.

Stockpiling too many players through the first 10 spots in the rotation is not the way Calipari operates at Kentucky. He generates a solid top five or six players and the remaining guys fall in line.

Enabling players like Gordon and fellow McDonald’s All-American forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to play quality minutes without resistance is essential for Miller. The two players affected the most by the addition of Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson were Jerrett and Chol.

Miller did not beg for them to stay, nor should he. He has a multi-million dollar operation to run.

Nick Johnson is the last remaining player of the four-player Class of 2011 recruiting group to sign with Arizona

He played mostly eight players this season and he will likely use nine in 2013-14. The eight-man rotation of Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom, Nick Johnson, Mark Lyons, Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley, Jerrett and Jordin Mayes will be replaced by the nine-man rotation of Gordon, Hollis-Jefferson, Johnson, Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell, Tarczewski, Ashley, Mayes, Gabe York and JC transfer Matt Korcheck.

Olson and Miller each lost five players to other programs in their first four seasons. Miller has also lost Kyryl Natyazhko and Jerrett because of their pro aspirations. Some left because of playing time, while others left because they were no longer welcome in the program (Rolf Jacobs with Olson and Sidiki Johnson and Josiah Turner with Miller).

Sidiki Johnson, Turner and Chol were all part of a heralded Class of 2011 group for Miller. Nick Johnson, who has the most potential beyond college basketball, is the lone member of this class that remains with the Wildcats.

In Olson’s fifth season (1987-88), the Wildcats earned their first trip to the Final Four. In Miller’s fifth year next season, with the addition of Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson, he is expected to make his first trip to the Final Four as a head coach.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports, TucsonCitizen.com and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site ZonaZealots.com.

After playing nine seasons in the NFL, Antonio Pierce is now an ESPN analyst

With former Arizona quarterback Matt Scott not getting drafted last week, I researched — thanks to the UA football media guide — those who were undrafted yet went on to be part of a team at least three years in the NFL.

That list includes 21 players, featured by former Washington Redskins and New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce. He played nine seasons in the NFL after nobody selected him in the 2001 NFL Draft. He was a Pro Bowler in 2006 and won a Super Bowl with the Giants following the 2007 season.

No former undrafted Arizona quarterback went on to play more than two years in the NFL. Bill Demory, who was on the New York Jets’ roster in 1973-74, is the closest. Then again the Wildcats do not have a history of quarterbacks who have played in the NFL (Nick Foles was the first UA quarterback last season to be drafted by an NFL team in 27 years).

If Scott is able to land on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2013 roster as an undrafted free agent, he can be encouraged by some of the success stories of the 21 former UA players who were snubbed on draft day but lasted at least three years on NFL rosters.

Nine have lasted at least five years on NFL rosters, including Pierce.

Josh Miller, a punter with Pittsburgh, New England and Tennessee, lasted 12 seasons in the NFL. Pierce and offensive lineman Bob Whitlow (Washington, Detroit, Atlanta and Cleveland from 1960-68) are next with nine. Rickie Harris, a defensive back with Washington and New England, lasted eight years in the NFL from 1965-72.

In order to round out Arizona’s All-NFL Undrafted team featured with this blog I was forced to include some Wildcats who were on NFL rosters for only two seasons (Demory, defensive end Joe Young (1960-61 with Denver), defensive tackle Joe Drake (1985 with Philadelphia and 1987 with San Francisco), and linebackers LaMonte Hunley (1985-86 with Indianapolis) and Ray Wells (2003 with Tenneessee and 2004 with San Francisco).

No place-kicker is listed because all who have played in the NFL were drafted.

ARIZONA ALL-NFL UNDRAFTED TEAM
OFFENSE

DEFENSE

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net founder, editor, writer and publisher Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Lindy’s College Sports and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site, ZonaZealots.com.

Rang’s “Diamonds in the Rough.” Is Matt Scott the next Russell Wilson? #NFLDraft @robrang fb.me/1BxpplNhg

— NFLDraftScout.com (@DraftScout) April 16, 2013

Matt Scott’s postseason workouts have elevated his draft status (Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports)

Former UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel, now an analyst for the Pac-12 Networks and Sirius-XM’s College Football Playbook show, echoed the thoughts Tuesday of NFL Draft scouting guru Rob Rang: Former Arizona quarterback Matt Scott is this year’s Russell Wilson.

The NFL Draft commenced tonight with the first round. The second and third rounds will take place tomorrow. According to Neuheisel and Rang, don’t be surprised to see Scott taken by the third round. Wilson is Seattle’s franchise quarterback who was selected last year in the third round as the 74th pick overall and five spots after a punter.

Scott, 6-3 and 200, flourished in his only season playing in Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, completing 301 of 499 pass attempts for 3,620 yards. He threw for 27 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. He also ran for 506 yards on 113 attempts.

“You know, my Russell Wilson in this draft, the guy who is going to be a second- or third-round pick who will end up being a big time player, I’m going to tell you, is Arizona’s Matt Scott,” Neuheisel said on Sirius/XM. “And I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go to the 49ers, as they say goodbye to Alex Smith, to be Colin Kaepernick’s backup for a few years.

“He can run. He can throw. (He is) unheralded, did not get the credit he deserved in terms of learning RichRod’s system, flourishing in RichRod’s system in just one season.”

Rang, who talks to a network of NFL scouts to get his information for CBSSports.com, writes that Scott “is a dual-threat at the quarterback position and one who demonstrated touch, velocity and accuracy while throwing five times as many touchdowns as interceptions last season.”

“With only one full season as the starter after backing up Nick Foles, Scott is admittedly a work in progress but one I feel has the upside to warrant developing,” Rang continues.

Scott’s marquee game of last season was his effort Oct. 6 against a stout Stanford defense, which ranked 20th nationally at the end of the season.

He completed 45 of 60 passes for 491 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the game at Palo Alto, Calif. Stanford managed to beat Arizona 54-48 in overtime and eventually represented the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl.

“Remember against Stanford, but for a fourth-and-8 conversion by Stanford, he beats them at The Farm and throws for almost 500 yards,” said Neuheisel, who was also a quarterbacks coach with the Baltimore Ravens for three seasons. “And he’s a phenomenal player with his legs. He had over 100 yards rushing against the Trojans. I mean, he’s a gifted guy.”

Scott actually rushed for exactly 100 yards against USC on 15 carries. It was in that game Oct. 27 against the Trojans in which Scott suffered concussion-like symptoms. He was injured the following week against UCLA and sat out against Colorado.

He struggled in the last two regular season games against Utah and ASU, completing only 31 of 66 passes for 390 yards, but he bounced back strong in Arizona’s comeback victory over Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 15. He completed 28 of 47 passes for 382 yards in the 49-48 victory.

He threw two touchdown passes in the final 46 seconds including the game-winner to Tyler Slavin with 19 seconds remaining.

Scott’s postseason workouts have elevated his draft status. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. indicated earlier this month that a team will probably take Scott in the middle rounds and develop him as a backup, which could be an ideal situation for San Francisco, Seattle or Philadelphia.

“He’s probably in that four-to-five, four-to-six round area,” Kiper said in a blog written by TucsonCitizen.com’s Anthony Gimino.

“And he’s probably going to go to a team that doesn’t have as critical a need but wants to look at a young quarterback that maybe feels like, OK, let’s see if we can develop him, put him off the radar for a couple years and develop him old school way and see what happens there.”

If Scott is taken in the third round, it will be the second consecutive season a UA quarterback is drafted that high. Foles was selected by Philadelphia in the third round last year as the 88th player selected overall.

Arizona had a 27-year drought of having a quarterback drafted before Foles was selected last year.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

Austin Hill becomes the fourth significant Arizona player to be potentially lost for the season because of injury following Rob Gronkowski, Jake Fischer and Adam Hall

Season-ending injuries to significant players debilitated the Arizona football program since its fortunes appeared to be golden after the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU.

The Wildcats have been forced to endure season-ending injuries to starting tight end Rob Gronkowski (back), linebacker Jake Fischer (knee) and safety Adam Hall (knee and ankle) in the last four years. The UA’s top returning receiver, Austin Hill, a bonafide pro prospect, suffered a torn ACL last week in practice, requiring surgery and endangering his chance to play in the 2013 season.

Knee injuries have riddled the UA football program to the point that former defensive lineman Willie Mobley (who has transferred to New Mexico State) tore his ACL playing a pickup basketball game in 2011.

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez was quoted as saying by Anthony Gimino of TucsonCitizen.com that he is “sick” about Hill’s injury.

“It just makes me sick, because he was such a great player. But he still will be,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know when his time frame is to return, but he’ll be back bigger and stronger with the way technology is today and all that.

“I really felt bad for him. I know Austin is a tough, strong guy, and he’ll bounce back.”

Arizona’s basketball program has been more fortunate in terms of season-ending injuries over the years. Only one of the more significant hoop stars — Steve Kerr — had to sit out a season in 1986-87 after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and shredding a medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Kerr suffered the serious knee injury as part of the U.S. team playing in the World Championships in Madrid. He was lost for the 1986-87 season, a year in which the Wildcats went 18-12, one of only two seasons Lute Olson won less than 20 games in his 24-year coaching career at Arizona.

The loss of Steve Kerr in 1986-87 resulted in Arizona winning less than 20 games, which happened only twice in the 24-year Lute Olson era at Arizona

The only other season-ending knee injury for a basketball player since the start of the Olson era happened to reserve forward Kevin Flanagan, who missed the 1991-92 season because of a torn ACL.

Yahoo! Sports recently asked Kerr about Derrick Rose’s knee injury that kept him sidelined this season for the Chicago Bulls.

“These guys all know that everybody comes back from the ACL nowadays and the surgery and rehab are so much better than they were 30 years ago,” Kerr told Yahoo. “So it’s not a career-ender, it’s just a pause.

“The biggest thing is just to be patient, and that’s what Derrick Rose is doing right now. He’s taking his time as he should. You’ve got to feel comfortable in every which way, not just with your cutting and running. But with your mind, and your ability to make a basketball play without thinking about it. Those are all things that come with time and with patience, and that’s why I like what Derrick and the Bulls are doing right now.”

The Bulls have managed a 43-37 record without Rose but would have 10 more wins with him on the active roster.

Arizona’s basketball team finished 18-12 without Kerr in 1986-87 despite Olson having All-American forward Sean Elliott and one of his best centers, Anthony Cook, on the roster. Kerr’s return in 1987-88 sparked the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance.

The Wildcats failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2010 and 2012, coincidentally in seasons that inspirational leader Kevin Parrom missed 26 games because of foot injuries and a bullet to this right leg in a home-invasion shooting incident.

Kerr and Parrom each earned national courage honors for their return to action.

Gronkowski missed the 2009 season because of a strained back. He did not return to the Wildcats the following season and has become the best at his position in the NFL after his second-round selection in the 2010 NFL draft. The Wildcats, who looked like they were on an upward slope after beating BYU in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl, declined starting in 2009 without Gronkowski.

The football team went 19-19 from 2009-2011 in the three years Gronkowski, Fischer and Hall were on the sidelines in street clothes. Stoops lost his job.

Have we seen the last of Hill, a junior, in an Arizona uniform? Will his fate be similar to that of Gronkowski, spending his last year in Tucson rehabilitating for an NFL career? It’s a question worth asking because Hill redshirted his freshman season and would lose a year of eligibility if he returns in 2014.

The Arizona football program could use a receiver like Hill to help ease the transition of a new quarterback leading the Wildcats in 2013. The UA has other capable receivers such as David Richards, Tyler Slavin and Terrence Miller. Time will tell if they can become home run threats like Hill.

“He had a lot going for him, and I know he had big plans of going to the NFL after this year,” Slavin told Gimino. “He had big things to do. Man, it just hurts.”

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

Michigan fans are fuming over some calls or non-calls in the Wolverines’ 82-76 loss to Louisville in the NCAA title game Monday night, but none of the Pac-12 officials were at fault.

That should be a relief for embattled Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, whose league did not have a referee in the title game and only one — Randy McCall — who worked in the Final Four.

McCall, who splits his work between the Pac-12 and Mountain West, was one of the referees who took part in the controversial call at the end of regulation in the Arizona-Colorado game Jan. 3 at McKale Center. He and fellow Pac-12 ref Verne Harris and Big 12/Big East ref James Breeding watched video of Colorado guard Sabatino Chen’s last-second shot for five minutes and determined that Chen released the potential game-winning jumper a fraction of a second too late.

Arizona eventually won 92-83 in overtime. That call was significant in a season in which the Pac-12′s officiating operation made national news. The latest is the conference announcing that it is commissioning an independent review of the officiating program following the recent controversy involving former coordinator of officiating Ed Rush.

Scott announced the independent review of the officiating program today.

“Nothing is more important to the Pac-12, or to me personally, than maintaining confidence in our integrity,” Scott said in a statement.

Harris worked the Marquette-Syracuse Elite Eight game and McCall the Final Four game between Syracuse and Michigan. Therefore, two refs who took part in that controversial Colorado-Arizona call went deep into the NCAA tournament. The other referee, Breeding, did not work another Pac-12 game the rest of the season.

Some noticeable Pac-12 refs did not call games in the NCAA tournament, including former NBA officials Tommy Nunez and Joe DeRosa. Another left out was veteran NCAA referee Dick Cartmell, who has worked five Final Fours in his career. He cut ties with the Pac-12 early last month because of reported differences with the direction of the officiating program.

The Pac-12 and Big Ten were dwarfed by the presence of Big East, Big 12, ACC and SEC referees who worked the two Final Four and national championship games.

Four referees from the Big East worked the games in Atlanta, including two — John Cahill and Tony Greene — in last night’s Michigan-Louisville game. Cahill and Greene also worked SEC games this season.

The Big 12 had three referees in Atlanta, including John Higgins (who also works Missouri Valley Conference games) in the national title game. Fellow Big 12 refs Doug Sirmons and Mark Whitehead worked the Syracuse-Michigan Final Four game. Sirmons also works in the ACC and Whitehead in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Other than Sirmons, the ACC had referees Les Jones and Karl Hess at the Final Four. Jones and Hess, who also officiate Big East games, worked the Wichita State-Louisville game.

The Pac-12 and Big Ten had only one. The Big Ten ref was Terry Wymer (also a Mid-American Conference ref) who worked the Wichita State-Louisville game.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

Have you bought your tickets yet??? putt-ingkidsfirst.org

— Blair Charity Group (@BCharityGroup) March 25, 2013

When I covered the Arizona basketball team in the 1990′s for the Arizona Daily Star, Joseph Blair was the most imposing figure I came across.

Former Arizona basketball player Joseph Blair is active in Tucson community development

At 6-feet-10 and 265 inches, he towered over most. He claimed his territory in the lane and banged his sizable body to keep it. He was such a competitive and fierce basketball player that one time he got thrown out of a pro game in Russia for fighting in a brawl that included many ejections and relegated the game to a three-on-three affair at the end.

Now 38, Blair physically looks like he can still muscle his way for a rebound or post up his defender on the blocks. Four years removed from his career overseas, Blair’s diligent work has changed from the hardwood to helping those suffering through hard knocks.

Based on all the charity work Blair has performed in Tucson over the last three years, his name should be on the ballot for city mayor.

Blair first organized the Arizona Basketball Alumni Foundation that performed various charity functions before ceasing operations last April. He is now the executive director of the Blair Charity Group. Its mission as stated at its Web site — BlairCharityGroup.org: Create and support programs that address the priorities of the Southern Arizona community, while still helping to strengthen the non-profit sector through collaboration and consultation.

Blair’s work with the development of the Arizona Basketball Academy earned him the honor of Joseph Blair Day every June 23 presented by former Tucson mayor Bob Walkup in 2010. The Arizona Basketball Academy is a pro bono week-long camp established in 2000 to give boys and girls in the Tucson community a chance to work with professional and college basketball players.

Blair’s relationship with the Arizona basketball program and his friendships with former Wildcats enable him to draw big names to these camps that are free of charge and have served more than 1,000 children in Tucson. These youngsters are annually provided the opportunity to grow and flourish in their personal lives under this setting whereas otherwise no doors would be open for them.

This venture by Blair and other community activists is made possible through corporate and individual sponsorship.

The Blair Charity Group is involved in a fund-raising event for the Arizona Basketball Academy this Saturday at Golf-N-Stuff (6503 E. Tanque Verde Road). The First Annual “Putt-ing Kids First” Mini Golf Tournament & Family Fun Night is scheduled from 6-10 p.m. (Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. for golfers).

Each foursome of players will play 36 holes of miniature golf with different food and drink opportunities on the course. The top finishers will receive awards and prizes. All of the attractions of the venue will also be open to the attendees at no additional charge, including the use of the go-carts, bumper boats, laser tag, batting cages, and all of the video games.

More than 40 local sponsors are assisting Blair and his charity group with this event. At least 17 food vendors will be placed at various spots throughout the putting course.

This showing of support for Blair is another example of how he has stoked the flame of Tucsonans for helping those less fortunate in the community. The Blair Charity Group also successfully organized the 25th Annual Lute Olson Celebrity Auction and Golf Tournament last May. That golf tournament benefits the University of Arizona Arthritis Center.

Growing up with my father, Hector A. Morales Jr., a long-time community activist in Tucson, it is exhilarating to see how much Blair’s work is impacting the community. Blair’s work is never-ending. Trying to bring a better life to those less fortunate is an ongoing process.

An interesting aspect of Blair’s community involvement is that he is not from Tucson. He is a Houston native. His ties to Tucson and Arizona started when he played with the Wildcats from 1992-96.

The Arizona Basketball Academy has provided Tucson youths free basketball camps taught by former UA basketball players and others, who volunteer their time (Blair Charity Group photo)

His experience with the UA, its faculty, students and fans, sparked his involvement in the community. He has returned to Tucson after a 13-year pro career overseas — including two stints with the Harlem Globetrotters — mostly volunteering his time to make the community a better place to live.

Blair learned about giving with a sacrifice from his mother Judith Blair, who donated a kidney in 2001 to save the life of Dr. Michael Burgoon, a UA professor. Judith had only a casual acquaintance with Burgoon, a communications professor who served as an academic counselor to UA recruits.

Judith Blair learned of Burgoon’s deteriorating health while talking to his wife at halftime of a UA basketball game. Judith offered a kidney on the spot.

“God had once restored something to me, and I thought it was only right to restore something to Michael,” Judith told former Tucson Citizen columnist Corky Simpson in 2002.

She was in the midst of competing in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter runs in the Senior Olympics. She continued to compete after the transplant. She left a lasting impression on her son.

The Southern Arizona community is fortunate Joseph Blair’s presence — bold and determined — is as strong today as it was during his basketball career.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

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Head coach: Fred Snowden

1972: Ron Allen, Dave Burns, Al Fleming, John Irving, Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Jim Rappis and James Wakefield. Three years later (1974-75): The UA finishes 22-7 and is selected to the National Commissioner’s Invitational Tournament. Money, Norman, Fleming and Rappis are the best foursome recruiting class the Wildcats have ever amassed based on pure talent. Rating (scale 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest): 9.

Fred Snowden’s first two recruiting classes at Arizona included seven NBA draft picks

1973: Bob Aleksa, Bob Elliott, Jerome Gladney, Len Gordy, Herman Harris, Gary Harrison and Steve Kanner. Three years later (1975-76): The UA finishes 24-9, wins the WAC title and loses in the 1976 Elite Eight to UCLA. Elliott is the UA’s career scoring leader before Sean Elliott (no relation) breaks his record. Herman Harris’ scoring average might have increased by four points if a three-point line exists back then. Rating: 8.

1974: Tom Ehlmann, Mitch Jones, Tim Marshall, Gilbert Myles, Phil Taylor. Three years later (1976-77): The UA finishes 21-6 and loses in the first round of the 1977 NCAA tournament (the last time the UA made the NCAA tournament under Snowden). Rating: 4.

1975: Larry Demic, Ron Fuller, Brian Jung and Sylvester Maxey. Three years later 1977-78): The UA finishes 15-11. Demic is a first-round draft pick in 1979. Rating: 6.

1976: Kenny Davis, Joe Nehls and Tommy Williams. Three years later (1978-79): The UA finishes 16-11, the last time the Wildcats have a winning record for six years. Nehls becomes one of the best pure perimeter shooters in Arizona history. Rating: 3.

1977: Russell Brown, Robbie Dosty, Steve Lake and John Smith. Three years later (1979-80): The UA finishes 12-15. Brown remains the school’s career leader in assists with 810 (no other player has more than 700). Dosty becomes a fourth-round draft pick. Rating: 5.

1978: John Belobraydic, Ray Donnelly, Greg Hawthorne, John Hutcherson, Donald Mellon, Charles Miller and Michael Zeno. Three years later (1980-81): The UA finishes 13-14. Hawthorne, Mellon and Zeno are highly-regarded recruits but nothing materializes from this group.Rating: 3.

1979: Ron Davis, David Mosebar, Frank Smith Jr. and Leon Wood. Three years later (1981-82): The UA finishes 9-18 in Snowden’s last season. Wood transfers to Cal State-Fullerton after his freshman year and is later drafted in the first round. After extremely impressive recruiting classes his first couple of seasons, Snowden never really sustains that level of success and the UA gradually declines. This class is good, however, with Davis, Smith and Wood. Rating: 7.

1980: Jeff Collins, Greg Cook and Ricky Walker. Three years later (1982-83): The UA finishes 4-24 in Ben Lindsey’s only season at Arizona. None of these recruits are around for that debacle. Rating: 1.

1981: Brock Brunkhorst, Mark Jung, Jack Magno and John Vlahogeorge. Three years later (1983-84): The UA finishes 11-17 in Olson’s first season. The only player from this class on Olson’s first team is Brunkhorst. Rating: 1.

Head coach: Ben Lindsey

1982: Troy Cooke, Ken Ensor, David Haskin, Todd Porter, Greg Scott, Greg Taylor, Morgan Taylor and Puntus Wilson. Three years later (1984-85): The UA finishes 21-10 and returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1977. Only Haskin and Morgan Taylor are there to experience it. Scott, Wilson and Porter are not retained by Olson. Rating: 1.

Head coach: Lute Olson

1983: Van Beard, Steve Kerr, Eddie Smith, Michael Tait and Pete Williams. Three years later (1985-86): The UA finishes 23-9 and wins its first Pac-10 title with Kerr as a captain. Olson credits Williams as being one of the best rebounders he’s ever coached. Rating: 8.

1984: Jon Edgar, Bruce Fraser, Rolf Jacobs, Craig McMillan and Joe Turner. Three years later (1986-87):The UA finishes 18-12 partly because Kerr is forced to redshirt with a knee injury. McMillan is first McDonald’s All-American recruited by Olson to Arizona. Rating: 5.

1985: Anthony Cook, Eric Cooper, Sean Elliott, Ken Lofton and Bruce Wheatley. Three years later (1987-88): The UA finishes 35-3 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It reaches its first Final Four in school history. Elliott is the Pac-10 Player of the Year. He eventually breaks Lew Alcindor’s conference scoring record. Elliott and Cook are drafted in the first round in 1989. Note: Cooper’s son, Eric Cooper Jr., is a Class of 2014 prospect who has verbally committed to Arizona. Rating: 9.

Sean Elliott headlined a group in 1985 that included Anthony Cook and Kenny Lofton

1986: Jud Buechler, Brian David, Harvey Mason and Tom Tolbert. Three years later (1988-89): The UA finishes 29-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10 the second straight year. Buechler goes on to the NBA and wins three titles with the Bulls. Rating: 7.

1987: Matt Muehlebach, Sean Rooks and Mark Georgeson. Three years later (1989-90): The Wildcats become co-champs of the Pac-10 regular season and the conference tournament titlist. Muehlebach, one of Olson’s most steady captains, never loses a home game in his career. Georgeson transfers to Pepperdine after freshman season. Rooks evolves into an All-Pac-10 center his senior year followed by 12 seasons in the NBA with Dallas, Minnesota, Atlanta, the Lakers, the Clippers, New Orleans and Orlando. Rating: 7.

1988: Ron Curry, Matt Othick and Wayne Womack. Three years later (1990-91): The UA finishes 28-7 and wins its fourth straight Pac-10 title. Othick and Womack play through their senior seasons. Curry transfers to Marquette after freshman season.Rating: 6.

1989: Casey Schmidt and Ed Stokes. Three years later (1991-92): The UA finishes 24-7 overall, average by its standards. The Wildcats are upset by East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Stokes is decent but not spectacular as a 7-footer. Rating: 2.

1990: Tony Clark, Kevin Flanagan, Deron Johnson and Khalid Reeves. Three years later (1992-93): The UA finishes 24-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. Kentucky transfer Chris Mills is a captain of the team. Reeves is first N.Y. product recruited by Olson and he is drafted in the first round 1994. Rating: 6.

1991: Sean Allen, Ray Owes and Damon Stoudamire. Three years later (1993-94): The UA finishes 29-6 overall and advances to its second Final Four. Stoudamire becomes Olson’s sixth first-round draft pick in 1995. Rating: 8.

1992: Joseph Blair, Edtrick Bohannon, Reggie Geary, Joe McLean and Corey Williams. Three years later (1994-95): The UA finishes 24-7 and loses in the first round to Miami (Ohio) with Sean Miller as an assistant to Herb Sendek. Bohannon transfers. Blair, Geary, McLean and Williams form another strong nucleus. Rating: 6.

1993: Jarvis Kelley. Three years later (1995-96): The UA finishes 27-6 and loses in the Sweet 16 to Kansas. Kelley transfers after his sophomore season. Rating: 1.

1994: Marty Bartmentloo, Ben Davis, Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon. Three years later (1996-97): The UA finishes 25-9 and wins its first NCAA title. Simon is named the Final Four MVP. Dickerson is a first-round draft choice in 1998. Davis becomes one of Arizona’s best rebounders under Olson. Bartmentloo moves back to his native Australia before completing his career. Rating: 8.

1995: Donnell Harris, A.J. Bramlett and Jason Terry. Three years later (1997-98): The UA finishes 30-5 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It loses in the Elite Eight against Utah. Terry is picked in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft, 10th overall. Bramlett becomes one of the more reliable UA centers in Olson era. Harris’ career never flourishes although he played his basketball in 1997 Final Four. Rating: 6.

1996: Mike Bibby, Quynn Tebbs, Justin Wessel, Bennett Davison and Eugene Edgerson. Three years later (1998-99): The UA finishes 22-7 and loses in the first round to Oklahoma. Bibby is already gone, selected in the first round of the 1998 draft (the highest pick in UA history at No. 2 overall). Tebbs transfers after one season and Wessel is a career reserve. Davison, a JC recruit, and Edgerson are ideal role players. Rating: 7.

1997: Dion Broom. Three years later (1999-2000): The UA’s one-man recruiting class never qualifies academically. The Wildcats start to build steam in 2000 behind next recruiting class and finish 27-7 overall and tied for first in the Pac-10 with 15-3 record.Rating: 1.

1998: Luke Walton, Rick Anderson, Ruben Douglas, Richard Jefferson, Traves Wilson and Michael Wright. Three years later (2000-01): The UA finishes 28-8 and advances to its fourth Final Four. The Wildcats lose to Duke in the title game. Douglas and Wilson already transfer after their freshman year, but Jefferson, Walton (who redshirts in 998) and Wright establish themselves. Jefferson is selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 2001. Walton wins NBA title with Lakers in 2009. Douglas becomes leading scorer in NCAA with New Mexico his senior year. Rating: 8.

Lute Olson's top recruiting class arguably is the 1998 group with Luke Walton, Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright (USA Today Sports/Chris Morrison)

1999: Gilbert Arenas, Lamont Frazier, Jason Gardner and Robertas Javtokas. Three years later (2001-02): The UA finishes 24-10, its first season with double-digit losses since 1987. Arenas is an unknown recruit, not sought by other programs. He becomes an NBA all-star. Gardner holds the UA record for career minutes played. Frazier and Javtokas leave the program prematurely. Rating: 7.

2000: Travis Hanour. Three years later (2002-03): The UA finishes 28-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It loses in the Elite Eight to Kansas. Hanour only lasts a year before transferring. Rating: 1.

2001: Will Bynum, Isaiah Fox, Channing Frye, Dennis Latimore, Salim Stoudamire and Andrew Zahn. Three years later (2003-04): The UA finishes 20-10 overall and struggles in the Pac-10 with an 11-7 record. Bynum, Latimore and Zahn all transfer before this season. Frye establishes himself as a first-round pick in the NBA draft in 2005. Stoudamire becomes a deadly perimeter shooter. Rating: 6.

2002: Hassan Adams, Andre Iguodala and Chris Rodgers. Three years later (2004-05): The UA finishes 30-7 and 15-3 in the Pac-10, winning its last conference title. The Wildcats lose in the Elite Eight to Illinois, blowing a 15-point lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Iguodala becomes a first-round draft pick in 2004. Rodgers gets in Olson’s doghouse and Adams is a solid contributor. Rating: 6.

2003: Mustafa Shakur, Ivan Radenovich and Kirk Walters. Three years later (2005-06): The UA finishes 20-13 overall and loses in the second round to Villanova. Shakur struggles through most of his UA career while Walters is injury-plagued. Radenovich, who enters mid-season from Serbia in 2003, gradually improves as a contributor.Rating: 4.

2004: Daniel Dillon, Jawann McClellan, Mohamed Tangara and Jesus Verdugo. Three years later (2006-07): The UA finishes 20-11 and loses in the first round to Purdue. This group never pans out. Verdugo transfers after his freshman year and Tangara transfers before his senior season. Dillon becomes a career reserve while McClellan is beset by personal problems and injuries. Rating: 2.

2005: Fendi Onobun, J.P. Prince and Marcus Williams. Three years later (2007-08): The UA finishes 19-15 under interim coach Kevin O’Neill. Onobun becomes a career reserve. Prince transfers in 2007 and Williams leaves for the NBA the same year but toils in the developmental league before playing overseas. Rating: 2.

2006: Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise. Three years later (2008-09): The UA finishes 21-14 and is one of the last teams to make the NCAA tournament, extending its streak to 25 years. Hill is selected in the first round of the NBA draft while Budinger slips to the second round after leaving school early. Wise is an All-Pac-10 selection as a senior but his NBA aspirations are immediately unattainable. Rating: 6.

2007: Jerryd Bayless, Jamelle Horne, Zane Johnson, Laval Lucas-Perry and Alex Jacobson. Three years later (2009-10): The UA finishes 16-15 and out of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 26 years. Bayless is selected in the first round of the NBA draft after his freshman season in 2008. Johnson and Lucas-Perry transfer (Lucas-Perry is later dismissed from Michigan). Horne’s improvement is stagnant but he becomes a more reliable player as a senior in 2010-11. Jacobson, beset by back problems, plays sparingly throughout his career after redshirting as a freshman. Rating: 3.

Sean Miller's first five classes includes seven five-star recruits (USA Today Sports/Chris Morrison)

2008: Kyle Fogg, Jeff Withey, Brandon Lavender and Garland Judkins. Three years later (2010-11): The Wildcats finish 30-8 and advance to the Elite Eight with Fogg and Lavender serving as complimentary parts to Derrick Williams’ charge. Under-recruited Fogg starts as a freshman and establishes more minutes as his career moves forward. An All-Pac-12 selection, Fogg becomes Arizona’s most reliable defensive player as a senior. Withey transfers to Kansas before he plays a minute for UA, reacting to Olson’s abrupt retirement. Lavender becomes a career backup. Judkins transfers to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Rating: 2.

Head coach: Sean Miller

2009: Solomon Hill, Lamont “MoMo” Jones, Derrick Williams, Kyryl Natyazhko and Kevin Parrom. Three years later (2011-12): The Wildcats finish 23-12 overall and out of the NCAA tournament picture. Miller’s first class is ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com. The Wildcats miss Williams, who was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2009-10 and Player of the Year in 2010-11. He is selected No. 2 in the NBA draft after foregoing his last two years of college. Parrom is beset by injuries and personal trauma for half of his career. Natyazhko has trouble adjusting to college game and moves back to his native Ukraine. Parrom steadily improves to become one of the best reserves and starts during the latter part of his senior season. Hill finishes among Arizona’s top 20 scorers and top 10 rebounders in the program’s history. Jones, the team’s vociferous leader who was instrumental in the Wildcats’ Sweet 16 upset of No. 1-seed Duke, transfers to Iona to be closer to his family in New York. Rating: 7.

2010: Daniel Bejarano, Jesse Perry and Jordin Mayes. Three years later (2012-13): The Wildcats, ranked as high as No. 3 at one point, finish 27-8 and advance to the Sweet 16. Only Mayes is around, and he plays a minimal role backing up senior transfer Mark Lyons. Miller’s second class includes a JC wing player in Perry, a deft shooter in Bejarano and playmaker and leader in Mayes. Perry takes over the starting role from Horne, a senior, early in the 2010-11 season and becomes a productive rebounder as a senior in 2011-12. Mayes, slowed by foot injuries, struggles with his confidence after showing flashes of promise as a freshman in 2010-11. Bejarano, lacking in defense and unable to land minutes in Miller’s rotation, transfers to Colorado State after his freshman season. Rating: 3. Mayes can change the grade depending on how he fares next season as a senior.

2011: Angelo Chol, Nick Johnson, Josiah Turner and Sidiki Johnson. Three years later (2013-14): To be determined. Miller’s third class includes one of the best backcourts recruited in the same class at Arizona, rivaling the Gardner and Arenas combination in 1999 and Money and Norman in 1972. Turner is gone, leaving Arizona’s program after suffering disciplinary issues with Miller. Sidiki Johnson did not last half of the season in Tucson after becoming a disciplinary casualty. Nick Johnson emerges as a defensive standout who can provide a spark to Arizona’s transition on offense. Chol, a shot-blocker extraordinaire in high school, has struggled to crack Miller’s primary rotation. Rating (could change by end of next season): 3. Nick Johnson is so far only player of this once-heralded four-player class to make an impact on the program.

2012: Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Grant Jerrett and Gabe York. Three years later (2014-15): To be determined. Miller’s fourth class is rated his best, third in the nation by Rivals.com. The Wildcats have never amassed such talented frontcourt players in one recruiting class. Ashley, Tarczewski and Jerrett each play important roles as freshmen and were significant in the Wildcats advancing to the Sweet 16. York, struggling defensively, plays minimal minutes as a freshman. Rating (could change by end of 2015): 8. That can improve based on the development of Ashley, Tarczewski and Jerrett and whether York becomes a factor.

2013: Aaron Gordon, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Elliott Pitts. Three years later (2015-16): To be determined. Miller lands two more Five-Star recruits and McDonald’s All-Americans in Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson. Recruiting experts compare Gordon’s style at 6-foot-8 to that of Blake Griffin. Hollis-Jefferson is a wing player who can play point if necessary. Pitts is lauded by experts for his tenacious style and high basketball IQ. Miller has one more scholarship to fill if Parrom is not granted a fifth-year of eligibility based on his medical hardship waiver request. Rating (could change by end of 2015): 8.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher and writer Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club winner