TRANSFERS IN LUTE OLSON’S FIRST FOUR YEARS Yrs at UA Player Destination 2009-11 Lamont Jones Iona 2010-11 Daniel Bejarano Colorado State 2011-12 Sidiki Johnson Providence 2011-12 Josiah Turner SMU* 2011-13 Angelo Chol Unknown TRANSFERS IN SEAN MILLER’S FIRST FOUR YEARS Yrs at UA Player Destination 1983-84 Van Beard Nevada 1983-84 Michael Tait Clemson 1984-86 Rolf Jacobs Long Beach State 1985-86 Eric Cooper Texas-San Antonio 1985-86 Bruce Wheatley Texas-San Antonio *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.

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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.

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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.”

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