Former UA guard Mustafa Shakur played in his first NBA game on Jan. 22 this year, nearly four years after completing his Wildcat career (US Presswire photo/Rafael Suanes)

So Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson are Five-Star recruits as rated by Rivals.com in its most recent rankings released Wednesday. Is that good news or bad for UA coach Sean Miller?

Turner, a point guard from Sacramento who finished his season at Winston-Salem (N.C.) Quality Education Academy, and Johnson, a guard-wing from Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, become the third Wildcat duo to be listed as Five-Star prospects in the same year.

In 2003, forward Ndudi Ebi of Houston was rated the No. 4 prospect overall and guard Mustafa Shakur was rated No. 12. In 2007, guard Jerryd Bayless of Phoenix was the No. 13 prospect and forward Jamelle Horne was rated No. 21.

Turner is rated No. 11 by Rivals.com in the Class of 2011 and Johnson is at No. 18. Generally, the top 25 or 26 recruits garner Five-Star status.

Bayless, who only played one season at Arizona, has enjoyed the most success in his career, compared to Ebi, Shakur and Horne.

Of course, these rankings are always suspect. Keep in mind that former UA forward Derrick Williams, a potential No. 1 NBA draft pick, was not among the Rivals.com Top 150 prospects in 2009.

Ebi never played for Arizona, opting for the NBA draft instead. He was the 26th overall pick in the 2003 draft but his career never flourished at Minnesota, which waived him after two seasons. He was subsequently waived by Dallas in the next preseason camp and has only played in Europe since.

Shakur started all but two of his games at Arizona during his four-year career, but he was not drafted by NBA clubs in 2007. A point guard with decent height at 6-4, Shakur was co-MVP of the 2003 EA Sports Roundball High School Classic. The other MVP? LeBron James.

Shakur toiled in Europe for a couple of years and played in the NBA Developmental League before signing a 10-day contract with Oklahoma City at the end of last season. He returned to the D-League this season, playing for Tulsa and Rio Grande, before Washington signed him to a 10-day contract on Jan. 22. He played in his first NBA game that day, almost four years after leaving Arizona.

He finished the season with the Wizards, averaging 7.2 minutes a game in 22 games.

Bayless’ only season at Arizona in 2007-08 was tumultuous personally as he felt let down when Lute Olson took a leave of absence and was replaced by interim coach Kevin O’Neill. The 2007 McDonald’s All-American still averaged 19.7 points and four assists per game in the Wildcats’ 18-13 season. He was the 11th pick overall in the 2008 NBA draft, taken by Indiana, which traded his rights to Portland.

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UA senior Jamelle Horne is consoled by teammate Derrick Williams as they walk off the court following the Wildcats' 65-63 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

No qualms or questions here about Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne taking three-pointers in the final two attempts of Arizona’s season Saturday.

In fact, knowing Williams and Horne had a chance to beat Connecticut should allow for a calm night of sleep for Arizona followers, despite the 65-63 loss in the Elite Eight game in Anaheim. Those who began watching the Wildcats in the postseason (ahem, national-media types) will argue that Arizona, namely Williams, should have attacked the basket with only a two-point deficit.

They don’t realize, or choose to consider, that Williams and Horne were mostly effective from three-point range all season. Entering the game, Williams and Horne were a combined 48.5 percent from three-point range — 48.5 percent! — and they are not shooting guards by any stretch. They are technically power forwards. For Arizona, those three-pointers are high-percentage shots, practically no-brainers.

And wasn’t it Williams who kept Arizona alive in the NCAA tournament by shooting 5-of-6 from three-point range against Duke in the Sweet 16? Nobody yelled “No! No! No!” when Williams tried a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer before halftime against the Blue Devils. He nailed it, to no one’s surprise really, especially those who know something about Arizona basketball.

When Kobe Bryant takes a step back and nails a long-range jumper in crunch time, is the first reaction: Why didn’t he take the defender off the dribble? Well, only if he misses, that’s when the cynics emerge.

Bryant can call his next shot, overriding Phil Jackson, because of his MVP status with the Lakers. Without him, how many NBA titles would the Lakers and Jackson have?

Williams similarly has earned that carte blanche status with Arizona and Sean Miller. Without Williams, the Wildcats do not have a winning record.

That’s not to indicate Williams can do whatever he pleases without consequence. That’s not a concern. Williams is not reckless and he generally plays within the team framework.

Telling: When Williams stepped back and launched his three-point attempt with 8 seconds left, Miller remained kneeling by the Arizona bench, motionless. He did not throw his arms up as if to suggest, “No! No! No!” None of the assistant coaches or his teammates flinched either.

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PREVIOUS MATCHUP ANALYSIS:
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A look at what to expect from the reserves Thursday at approximately 6:45 p.m., Tucson time, at Anaheim between No. 5-seed Arizona (29-7) and No. 1 seed Duke (32-4) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament:

BENCH

CONNECTICUT

UConn reserve center Charles Okwandu originally signed a national letter of intent with Arizona in 2005 but visa problems prevented him from playing with the Wildcats (US Presswire photo/David Butler II)

What’s going right: UConn coach Jim Calhoun calls on three players the most off his bench — freshman point guard Shabazz Napier (who figures to replace Kemba Walker as the starter next season), sophomore forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and 7-foot center Charles Okwandu. These three are all talented. Napier averages 3.2 assists in 23.6 minutes a game. He also is second in steals with 62 behind Walker’s 73. Coombs-McDaniel is an inside-outside threat of a forward who has similar numbers to starter Roscoe Smith. Okwandu, a senior who is a one-time Arizona recruiting target, averages 2.9 points and 2.8 rebounds a game and is second on the team with 47 blocked shots. A Nigerian, Okwandu originally signed a letter of intent with Arizona in 2005 but visa problems prevented him from arriving in Tucson.

What’s going wrong: Coombs-McDaniel, Napier and two other reserves — freshman wing Nies Giffey and shooting guard Donnell Beverly — have struggled from three-point range shooting 31.4 percent (82 of 261).

UConn coach Jim Calhoun said Friday: “We talk as coaches about chemistry, right before your eyes you’re seeing a bunch of young guys who truly believe in each other and that’s a common myth, and I have them believing that no one gave them any respect early which is true and you have to earn respect all along the way, and they’ve done that.”

ARIZONA

UA point guard Jordin Mayes, shown here driving against fellow freshman Kyrie Irving of Duke, is making a living mostly from three-point range hitting 47.1 of his attempts from there (US Presswire photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

What’s going right: Reserve point guard Jordin Mayes has yet to miss a three-pointer in the NCAA Tournament, making all six attempts. He has made 9 of 13 field-goal attempts (69.2 percent) and all three of his free throw attempts. He made only 44 percent of his free throw attempts before March Madness. Kevin Parrom continues to shoot a good percentage (51.2 percent) and he is third on the team with 75 assists. Jamelle Horne has only one turnover in 45 minutes played in the NCAA tournament. Brendon Lavender has more points (10) than starter Jesse Perry (nine) has in the tourney despite playing only 19 minutes compared to 67 by Perry. And Kyryl Natyazhko may not be posting significant numbers, but his steady, intelligent play on defense has been a lift for Arizona.

What’s going wrong: Mayes can be feast or famine behind three-point line, actually shooting better from there than inside the stripe. He shoots a very respectable 47 percent (39 of 83) from three-point range. Inside the arc, he is shooting 41.5 percent (27 of 65). As he gains more experience, he will be more confident penetrating and becoming more of a multi-dimensional threat. He is on his way to being that way now as a freshman.

UA coach Sean Miller said Friday: “One of the things you can’t lose sight of is we play two point guards, the split isn’t 35 minutes to 5, Jordin Mayes has played in all games we’ve played, and he’s averaged in most regards 14, 15 minutes where MoMo (Jones) is at 25. Great example is Jordin’s play against Texas is one of the reasons we were able to come here to California. He had a career high of 15, 16 points, made nine 3s in a row. So some of what makes us a good team is MoMo and Jordin compliment each other very well. Some of the strengths that Jordin has on offense are very different than MoMo’s, and it’s that forty minutes that we try to evaluate our point guards on, and if you look at it from that perspective, I would agree that that position is the most important. When that position plays well for us, that’s one of the keys to us winning.”

Who has the edge? Arizona. Napier is a better-than-average playmaker for UConn and Coombs-McDaniel and Okwandu can be productive on the boards. Arizona’s reserves, however, have contributed enough to be the reason why the Wildcats have advanced, as Miller said, in this tournament. The steady play of Mayes, Parrom, Horne and Natyazhko, especially, is a result of Miller frequently playing 10 players each game most of the season.

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