Javier Morales is a former first-place award winner in the Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category. Please visit his Web site at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net

Former Arizona player Lamont MoMo Jones is one of at least 18 former Pac-12 players in the NCAA tournament (US PRESSWIRE/Nicole Sweet)

First, it was the NBA draft, starting in 2007, that dealt what was then the Pac-10 a devastating blow.

The inordinate amount of player suspensions and dismissals have also rocked the conference.

Now, as evidenced by the rosters of teams in the NCAA tournament, player defections have completely floored the conference.

At least 18 former Pac-12 scholarship players are on the official rosters of programs in the NCAA tournament. It is no wonder why the conference is the weakest among the major conferences, advancing only two teams to the NCAA tournament. One of them — No. 12 seed Cal — must play in the NCAA tournament’s First Four on Wednesday. The regular-season champion, Washington, was not selected to the Big Dance, the first such scenario for a major college conference.

The mass player transfers immediately followed the raid of top talent from the league by the NBA, resulting in a knockout blow to the league. Between 2007 to 2009, the Pac-10 had the most players drafted by NBA teams with 27. The ACC was next at 22. The Pac-10 had the most first rounders picked in that span with 17, three more than the ACC.

Three of the 18 Pac-12 defectors once attended Arizona on a basketball scholarship — Lamont “MoMo” Jones with Iona, Jeff Withey of Kansas and Daniel Bejarano of Colorado State. Bejarano is sitting out this season because of the NCAA transfer rule. Two other Pac-12 defectors — Jabari Brown and Malcolm Armstead (both of whom transferred from Oregon to Missouri) — must also wait per the transfer rule.

Want to know why UCLA is struggling, other than the fact that Ben Howland lost some of his control according to Sports Illustrated? Four former Bruins are playing for teams in the NCAA tournament, including standouts Drew Gordon (13.4 points and 10.9 rebounds a game) of New Mexico and Mike Moser (14.1 and 10.1) and Chase Stanback (12.7 and 4.7) of UNLV.

Matt Carlino, who enrolled at UCLA but never played for the Bruins because a concussion sidelined him at the start of last season, transferred to BYU and is one of the Cougars’ best players. He is averaging 12.7 points with a team-high 106 assists. The Cougars play Jones and Iona in the other First Four game Tuesday. Jones, granted immediate eligibility because of a family hardship case by the NCAA after leaving Arizona, is averaging 16 points per game for the Gaels.

In addition to 18 former conference players on NCAA tournament rosters, some of the league’s other best players, including Reeves Nelson formerly of UCLA, who were dismissed from their respective teams this year.

Also, Arizona and Washington State found it difficult that Derrick Williams and Klay Thompson left early for the NBA. Colorado managed to survive with a Pac-12 tournament title and NCAA berth following the early departure of Alec Burks to the NBA.

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Javier Morales took first place in the 2010 Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1987-88 Arizona Wildcats (35-3)
–Beat North Carolina 70-52 in the West Regional Final; lost to Oklahoma 86-78 in the Final Four. To note: The Wildcats of 1987-88 continue to hold school records for victories (35), points in a season (3,234), average margin of victory (22.9 points), field goals made (1,147), field-goal percentage (54.5 percent), three-point field-goal percentage (48.3), fewest foul-outs (only six), and fewest blocked shots by opponents (only 1.4 a game).

2010-11 Arizona Wildcats (30-8)
–Lost to Connecticut 65-63 in the West Regional Final. To note: The 2010-11 Wildcats set school records for three-point field goals made (296) and opponent three-point field-goal percentage (only 29.3 percent).

VOTE ON THIS MATCHUP AT WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET!!!

Previous Arizona Elite Eight Event Matchups (Polls still open at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net):
>> 1993-1994 versus 2004-2005
>> 1996-1997 versus 2002-2003
>> 1975-1976 versus 2000-2001

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Steve Kerr (1984-1988) vs. Lamont “MoMo” Jones (2009-2011)

Steve Kerr

Lamont MoMo Jones

A Kerr vs. Jones matchup at the starting point guard spot is as contrasting as this Elite Eight event can muster. Kerr is the cool, calm and collected player from the serene beach town of Pacific Palisades, Calif., while Jones is the rough and tumble, get-in-your-face player from Brooklyn.

Their polar-opposite characteristics is indicative of the different capabilities each team had to offer. The teams had one thing in common: They share the record for playing the most games in a season (38) in the program’s history. But more contrasts exists than similarities.

The 1987-88 Wildcats, led by the deft outside shooting of Kerr, shot a school-record 48.3 percent from three-point range. The 2010-11 edition, captained by the defensively active Jones on the perimeter, held opponents to a school-record low of 29.3 percent from three-point range.

Who would win the battle? The 1987-88 team with its offensive perfection or the 2010-11 team with its defensive prowess?

Kerr set UA records shooting 57.3 percent from three-point range and posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 5-to-1 (150 assists compared to only 36 turnovers). Jones was not as good of a shooter making only 31.6 percent of his three-pointers last season. But he converted 82.8 percent of his free-throw attempts and was clutch in memorable victories over California, scoring a career-high 27 points in a three-overtime game in Berkeley, and Duke, with 16 points, six assists and no turnovers in the Sweet 16 game.

Kerr was the model of reliability and consistency. Little-known fact: Kerr played all 50 minutes (a school record) in a double-overtime 79-72 victory over Cal at McKale Center on Jan. 12, 1986.

Jones is the only starter on an Arizona Elite Eight team who transferred to another school. He switched to Iona this season to be closer to home so he can be near his ailing grandmother. The NCAA granted Jones, a junior, a hardship waiver and allowed him to play this year for Iona.

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Note: Lamont “MoMo” Jones is the first regular starter to transfer from the Arizona program since Ruben Douglas left for New Mexico during the 1999-2000 season. Douglas started 14 games in 1998-99 and was labeled a returning starter until Gilbert Arenas took over the starting role.

The snapshot of Lamont “MoMo” Jones’ brief Arizona career, in my opinion, was not his 27-point heroic performance at Cal this season or his buzzer-beater at Stanford as a freshman.

Former Arizona guard Lamont Jones will take his leadership qualities to the East coast in 2012-13 (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

It was his demeanor in the Arizona locker room after Washington’s Isaiah Thomas nailed a game-winning jump shot over him as time expired in the Pac-10 tournament championship on March 12 in Los Angeles. The 77-75 overtime loss to the Huskies was hard enough to bear, but Jones also had one of his worst performances as a Wildcat.

Jones committed more turnovers (three) than he converted field goals (only one in a 1-of-8 afternoon).

He took it like a man. He did not hide from reporters. He did not offer one-word answers. He did not sulk. His eyes were not red from tears. I know this because he looked at me and other reporters in the eye. He spoke with conviction that he and his teammates would use the bitter loss as a springboard for the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats reached the Elite Eight thanks in part to Jones’ 16-point performance (14 in the pivotal second half) in the Sweet 16 rout of Duke. Jones tallied six assists without a turnover in 28 minutes.

Arizona freshman sensation point guard Josiah Turner, who is bound to fill Jones’ spot in the starting lineup, should follow Jones’ lead in terms of being a leader by looking adversity in the eye. Arizona’s greatest — Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr among them — never ducked a hard moment.

Jones is no different. He is by no means the second-coming of Mike Bibby, but his leadership qualities do not take a backseat to most. Jones’ fiery, take-no-bull personality will be missed by the Wildcats. It’s a far cry from early in his freshman season, when UA coach Sean Miller benched him for complaining about playing time.

He matured mentally as much as Derrick Williams progressed physically in their two-year Arizona careers.

With Jones’ pending transfer to a school closer to his New York City home, Arizona just became decidedly younger and more wide-eyed.

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