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• Arizona’s chance to land Class of 2012 prospect not out of reach
• Eric Cooper Sr. reliving the recruiting process with Arizona again 25 years later

Grant Jerrett and Eric Cooper Jr. smile for the camera during LaVerne (Calif.) Lutheran media day last month. Photo courtesy of Eric Cooper Sr.

Huntington Beach (Calif.) High School coach Jim Harris, a 31-year coaching veteran in California, indicated to me last year that Arizona coach Sean Miller is not too far off from establishing a recruiting base in the West.

“Lute (Olson) was very much into recruiting this area, partly because he coached high school basketball around here,” said Harris, who coaches against Santa Ana Mater Dei, a program that has turned out former UA standouts Miles Simon, Reggie Geary and junior center Alex Jacobson.

“He knew a lot of us coaches who have been around a while. When he expressed interest in a player, he got the information and help he needed because of his connections. Coach Miller is starting to do that.

“Arizona is a national university as far as basketball is concerned. All that needs to happen now is for Coach Miller to lay the groundwork in California and be consistent in recruiting this area. I can certainly see him doing that consistently.

“A lot of the coaches and players in California have that same positive feeling about Arizona as before and that’s partly because of Coach Miller. He’s off to an impressive start.”

Harris’ comments were last November before Miller beat Kansas for high-profile Sacramento (Calif.) High School guard Josiah Turner. Nick Johnson, a program changer from Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, also signed with UA after comitting in August.

Class of 2013 guard Eric Cooper Sr. was named recently the Team USA Developmental National Team

In his first recruiting class at Arizona, amassed in a mere three months, Miller inked California products Derrick Williams and Solomon Hill, both of whom are significant reasons why Arizona is 5-0 with a winning margin of 30.6 points heading into tonight’s game against No. 6 Kansas.

In his second class, Miller signed Phoenix North guard Daniel Bejarano (a former Texas commit) and Los Angeles (Calif.) Westchester High School point guard Jordin Mayes, who should evolve into one of the better freshmen in the Pac-10 this season.

Before Miller moved from Xavier to Arizona, he did not recruit a player west of the Mississippi. His recruiting focus was on Ohio and other parts of the Midwest in addition to the East coast with New York-based AAU director Book Richardson on his staff.

Miller now has his first Five-Star recruit overall in Turner for the Class of 2011. News broke this morning from Dave Telep of Scout.com that Miller has achieved commitments from Class of 2012 forward Grant Jerrett and Class of 2013 guard Eric Cooper Jr.

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Rosco Allen

LAS VEGAS — Rosco Allen received a pass on the wing during a workout session Thursday night at Bishop Gorman High School and aggressively attacked the basket past a defender like a guard, not a 6-foot-8-inch forward.

UCLA coach Ben Howland, in attendance to watch Allen and fellow Class of 2012 standout Shabazz Muhammad, is accustomed to watching Allen belie his height and handle the ball without difficulty.

What Allen did next after driving past the defender is an uncommon sight for any coach watching this generation of recruits: He laid the ball in rather than attempt a highlight-reel dunk. His father, Daniel Allen, credits that style of play to his son’s basketball development in Hungary, where the family lived regularly until moving to Las Vegas five years ago. They still own a house in Budapest and travel there often.

“The game is a little bit different there in Europe,” Daniel Allen told me. “It’s a little more physical, a little more fundamental. That’s why you’ll hardly ever see him dunk the ball. He’d rather make a three-pointer. He tells me that he’ll take three points over two any day.”

The name Dirk Nowitzki does not conjure images of a 7-foot dunking machine, although he is among the taller basketball players in the NBA. The German-born player is known for his perimeter play, including the three-point shot, because of his European background.

Rosco Allen, a Hungarian-American, who is likely to grow to at least 6-10 by the time he graduates from Gorman in two years, embodies some of the same characteristics as Nowitzki on the court.

“Working from the wing, I feel most comfortable,” the younger Allen said. “I know I can post up if I have to, or if there is a smaller player on me. Being able to play inside and out has helped me become a better basketball player.

“Growing up in Hungary helped me because all I did there was play point guard.”

Since he was a freshman at Gorman, Allen said he has grown seven inches. The growth spurt has not hindered his coordination.

“I think he is still growing,” the elder Allen said. “You look at him, and he’s still just a kid. The weight will come (he is listed at 205 pounds). He’ll find it somehow, especially with colleges like Arizona that have a great weight-training facility.

“The Arizona coaches have told us that they have kids come in and they put 15 to 20 pounds on them. That’s something that will definitely be good for Rosco’s stature.”

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Nick Johnson poses with UA coach Sean Miller (right) and assistant Archie Miller after committing to the Wildcats on Wednesday afternoon (Johnson family picture posted on his Facebook page)

Following a game at the Fab 48 tournament last month in Las Vegas, a local reporter asked Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep guard Nick Johnson about where UNLV factors into his recruitment.

Johnson did his best impression of a politician dancing the line on a hot topic and went with, “Well, I wouldn’t say I’ve ruled them out. They’re still recruiting me. I still hear from them every now and again. …”

Johnson then looked my way knowing that I covered UA athletics — it was only me and the Las Vegas Sun reporter talking to him — and he said, “I mean, I’m not sure right now. If I get one (program) that I feel like it will be best for me, I might commit right there. But who knows?”

He then smiled. Turns out he got this urge and committed right there — to Arizona on Wednesday. Now I understand the subliminal message he was sending. Johnson and his mother Michelle surprised the UA coaching staff with an impromptu appearance at McKale Center to announce his intentions.

The most significant aspect of Johnson’s commitment in terms of the program’s image: Arizona has not skipped a beat from Lute Olson to Sean Miller when it comes to recruiting top-notch in-state talent. Any chance ASU coach Herb Sendek thought he might get with top in-state players because of Olson’s retirement is not apparent.

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