Arizona coach Sean Miller likes the fact that Class of 2010 recruits Daniel Bejarano and Jordin Mayes come from two-time state champion high school teams and strong family backgrounds (Photo by US Presswire/Kirby Lee)

Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller wrapped up the spring signing period by discussing Tuesday at McKale Center those who have signed with the Wildcats and other topics of the day related to recruiting.

Most noteworthy in Miller’s half-hour meeting with local media:

• His reference to Class of 2010 signees Jordin Mayes and Daniel Bejarano coming from winning high school programs and strong family backgrounds. He mentioned their family backgrounds more than once, calling to mind when Lute Olson and his late wife Bobbi screened players to fit into a family atmosphere.
• His statement that senior Jamelle Horne will be challenged by Arizona’s added depth (namely JUCO recruit Jesse Perry) for playing opportunities.
• His comments about UA assistant coach Book Richardson‘s name popping up to fill vacancies (most recently at Kentucky).
• His amazement that some players — i.e. Kadeem Jack of Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice and Terrence Jones of Portland (Ore.) Jefferson) — have yet to make up their minds.
• His theory to replace three players a year, not “five to seven,” he said, “because in that case, you’re not developing upperclassmen.” This was an indirect reference to a program like Kentucky, which must replace nine scholarship spots, partly because four of its players entered the NBA draft after their freshman season.

Per NCAA rules, Miller is unable to talk specifically about an unsigned recruit, but he was able to address the topic of players such as Jack and Jones who have yet to sign.

“That amazes me,” Miller said. “That’s not healthy for college basketball. … There’s so much information out there to make a good decision.”

Jack, a 6-foot-8-inch power forward, in particular is of interest to Miller and Arizona. He was originally recruited by the Wildcats, UConn, Arkansas and Miami. In recent weeks, his focus has turned to attending prep school or signing with Kentucky or North Carolina.

Jones, a 6-9 versatile forward who can also be a playmaker, announced two weeks ago that he would sign with Washington but he has not yet signed a national letter of intent. Rumors out of Lexington, Ky., suggest that Jones is prepared to sign a financial aid agreement with Kentucky, which is not the same as a national letter of intent. Jones can opt out of the financial aid agreement and sign with Washington.

Miami-Dade Junior College 6-11 forward Eloy Vargas opted to sign with Kentucky last weekend instead of taking his originally scheduled visit to Arizona. Vargas signed with Kentucky with the mindset that he can play in the NBA after next season, which coach John Calipari accepted as long as Vargas works hard.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Miller said when asked if recruits are looking more at enhancing their NBA stock than improving a college basketball program. “But part of that is knowing you have to play within a team concept to become a better player.

“You have to do a lot of different things. You have to defend. You have to play within a system.”

The effectiveness of Miller’s system relies on the loyalty of his staff, which includes his brother Archie Miller, James Whitford and Book Richardson.

Richardson, a part of Miller’s staff for three years at Xavier and Arizona, has increasingly been mentioned for other positions, including the current vacancy at Kentucky. He already has rejected reported offers by St. John’s coach Steve Lavin and Rutgers coach Mike Rice.

“We have a great staff that is very loyal,” Miller said. “Our staff knows that Arizona is a great place to coach and Tucson is a nice place to live.

“The coaching opportunities are flattering and they are to be expected. What’s best for the individual is what’s most important. That’s why it was good to see (former director of basketball operations) Jamall (Walker) get the opportunity to return to Ohio and be part of that coaching staff.”

Other items of note about the press conference: Sophomore-to-be center Kyryl Natyazhko will play in two tournaments in his native Ukraine over the next two months, which is a welcomed move by Miller. “It will be good for him to go up and down the court and get more experience,” Miller said. “He didn’t play 30 minutes a game as a freshman, so this will be a good opportunity for him.” … Arizona will don new special-edition Nike uniforms midway through next season. Miller described them as red, white and blue outfits, so they may not be predominantly red, white and blue but a mixture of those colors. … Miller indicated his starting point guard is likely Lamont “MoMo” Jones with Mayes, of Los Angeles Westchester, as his backup. He also said that Bejarano, who is 6-5, is big enough to play on the wing. Miller said that “not very many people shoot better than (Bejarano)” in the Class of 2010. … Miller envisions building a program that has depth without a lot of turnover, similar to how Olson built the program. “I look at some of the team pictures from the past and what strikes me is seeing guys like (current NBA players) Will Bynum and Jason Terry on a team in which they did not play a lot of minutes,” Miller said. “That’s the kind of depth we want to develop.”

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar thought he had Portland Jefferson (Ore.) forward Terrence Jones signed and delivered Friday but he must continue to wait to see if Jones goes to Kentucky instead (Photo by US Presswire/Joe Nicholson)

Arizona and Washington have experienced unsettling recruiting developments in the last week and I am certain head coaches — directly involved or not — are outraged and dumbfounded.

Imagine how many times Washington coach Lorenzo Romar has tossed and turned the last few days thinking about what Kentucky coach John Calipari will do next in the recruitment of Portland (Ore.) Jefferson superstar Terrence Jones.

Arizona coach Sean Miller and UConn coach Jim Calhoun are faced with the reality that a promising recruit chose to attend a prep school instead of join their storied programs. If that’s not a slap to the face of what they have accomplished in their careers, it is at least a turn of a cold shoulder.

It is not as though Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice High School forward Kadeem Jack only had the option of playing for Robert Morris or William & Mary. If that was the case, spending a year in prep school to develop further and become noticed by higher profile programs is understandable. However, passing up Arizona, UConn, Miami and Arkansas for South Kent (Conn.) Prep School?

Give the kid credit for doing what he wants and wish him the best of luck — after all, it’s his life — but nothing is wrong with questioning the move. Why not redshirt at a Division I program to develop further with four years of eligibility remaining afterward instead of attending a prep school, with less competition in practice and games, and then have only three years of eligibility?

Long Beach Press-Telegram columnist Frank Burlison, who has covered recruiting longer than these recruits have been alive, wrote yesterday that he has now seen everything with the bizarre Jones development.

What’s next? The recruit gathering the press, family and friends at a gym and noting that if he makes a 25-foot jump shot he’ll play for Kansas, or if he misses he’s bound for Kentucky? Don’t laugh. Anything is possible these days. ESPN might televise it with the College Gameday crew on hand.

Why hold a press conference to announce your college decision, as Jones did Friday, only to hedge a few minutes later after a reported conversation over the phone with Calipari? What purpose did Jones taking part in the press conference serve?

The preceding announcements of his Jefferson teammates that they were bound to play football at Texas Southern or basketball at Idaho were far more enriching than Jones sitting behind six college caps, not sure why he had to pick one while wearing a suit.

His teammate Terrence Ross, a Top 50 recruit according to Rivals.com, showed up wearing Washington garb with his Husky cap on sideways. That’s a 17 year old being a 17 year old. How refreshing.

Calipari says he does not put pressure on recruits who have committed elsewhere. He was quoted in the Lexington Herald-Leader as saying, “If he’s made a verbal commitment, we just lay off until the kid publicly de-commits, which has happened before. If he’s committed to a school, then I would not (contact the recruit). There’s no rule against it, there’s no law against it. I just don’t do it.”

Read between the lines: He lays off until the recruit publicly de-commits. What if the kid has not publicly de-committed, then he is fair game? Why not? There’s no rule against it. There’s no law against it.

You can bet the terms of Calipari’s rich contract that he has not given up on Jones, despite the fact that the 6-8 forward placed that Washington cap on his head and said he has wanted to be Ross’ teammate since they were in the eighth grade.

The argument can be made that Calipari is doing what he feels is best for his program. If you were in his position, would losing a 5-star, surefire prospect, sit well with you without putting up a fight first? Kentucky should expect Calipari to behave in this manner because he was hired to win national championships. You don’t win by being passive.

But a line must be drawn when a recruit has clearly made his choice in front of almost 30,000 Internet viewers, not to mention while sitting next to his mother and father, who have endured the recruiting process as much as their son. With his indecision now, the agony continues and the development becomes more of a circus. Nobody has anything to gain from that.

By all indications, Miller has a track record of not meddling with recruits who have announced they are headed elsewhere. After his hire at Arizona, Miller steered clear of Kevin Parrom, who signed a national letter of intent with Xavier. He allowed Parrom to make up his mind about gaining a release from his letter after meeting with new Xavier coach Chris Mack.

“There will never be any of that (recruiting players he left at Xavier), and it’s just a matter of us moving forward,” Miller said at his introductory press conference at Arizona last April. “We’re a long way from Cincinnati now, so I’m looking forward to moving on to that next chapter.”

Miller reportedly contacted the coaches and mentors of Phoenix North guard Daniel Bejarano and Santa Rita guard Terrell Stoglin upon his arrival in Tucson, but the conversation was along the lines of, “If your guy decides to re-open his recruitment, keep us in mind.” Bejarano was committed to Texas and Stoglin to Maryland. Nobody has indicated that Miller actively pursued these players before the prospect publicly de-committed.

As it turned out, Bejarano de-committed and Miller instantly recruited him after Bejarano reached out to him, not vice-versa. Stoglin stuck to his commitment and signed with the Terrapins despite being the hometown kid. If Calipari was the coach at Arizona, would Stoglin have similarly been left alone? That’s debatable. Coaches are different and recruit in different manners.

Which style is preferable? The kind that lets things be out of respect to the university that gained the commitment from the prospect? Or the kind that won’t give up until the prospect signs on the dotted line?

Jack essentially has committed to attend South Kent next year. If you were Miller, do you back off out of respect for the youngster and his mother? Would Calipari handle the matter the same way?

Ethically and morally, there is no doubt which approach is more correct, but these days that might not matter.

Kadeem Jack will attend South Kent (Conn.) Prep, the same school attended by UA forward Kevin Parrom (Kadeem Jack photo)

I received a text message minutes ago that announced: “Kadeem Jack to South Kent”, from the budding Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice High School senior forward himself.

That basically announces what was a foregone conclusion after what was reported last week. Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com reported that Jack was set to visit South Kent with his mother and it appeared likely he was headed in that direction. His text message tonight confirms that.

I texted Jack back, asking whether his opinion of Arizona changed during the process.

“Respect them,” Jack wrote, “and will keep them in my recruiting process.”

That might be easier said than done because of the UA’s probable lack of available scholarships next season.

After his official visit to Tucson in January, Jack, a 6-8 forward, told me that Arizona was his favorite inasmuch as it was the only school he scheduled for a recruiting visit at that point.

In an interview before that visit, he discussed the option of attending a prep school as a realistic possibility because he has only played basketball four years since moving to New York from Trinidad and Tobago. However, after the visit to Tucson with his mother, he mentioned that attending a Division I university was likely in his plans.

With Jack out of the picture for the Class of 2010, that leaves Miami-Dade Junior College forward Eloy Vargas as the lone recruit UA coach Sean Miller and his staff are trying to sign for next season. Vargas visits the UA campus Friday and Saturday.

Jack is not the first New York-area player recruited by Miller at Arizona to decide to go a different route. Lamont “MoMo” Jones, of Harlem, picked USC over Arizona late in the recruiting process last year. However, after former USC coach Tim Floyd abruptly resigned amid an NCAA investigation for recruiting violations, Jones changed his mind and attended Arizona instead.

Now, Jones is more than likely going to be the UA’s starter at point guard next season.

The Wildcats are still in the process of recruiting Class of 2011 wing player Angel Nunez of Winchendon (Mass.) Prep School by way of Brooklyn. Fellow Brooklyn product Sidiki Johnson, a power forward who will be a senior next season at Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s Prep, has already verbally committed.

The UA is also in on 2012 recruits Dashawn Suber, a teammate of Jack’s at Rice, and guard Omar Calhoun of Christ the King.

Khem Birch, a Class of 2012 forward and a teammate of Nunez’s at Winchendon, is also in Arizona’s radar after playing well in last summer’s Reebok All-American Camp in Las Vegas. Birch hails from Quebec City, Canada, and is 17. He is two years older than others in his class reportedly because of academic issues he is trying to correct at Winchendon.