Jamelle Horne (42) will have to rise above the competition from junior college transfer Jesse Perry next season/Photo by Wildcat Sports Report

When Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller spoke critically of senior-to-be Jamelle Horne last month, it seemed like a move designed to publically prod the enigmatic forward toward a better performance.

Maybe it worked.

Miller met with the media Tuesday afternoon — sort of a spring update on the program — and said this about Horne, who has been a starter for most of the past two seasons but with wild fluctuations in terms of effort and production:

“Jamelle has done everything we have asked him to do,” Miller said.

“He’s had a really good second semester academically. He played this year below 210 pounds. I don’t think that’s physical enough or big enough for what he wants to do and what we need him to do. Right away, he’s really jumped up in that area.”

Miller said Horne, having worked hard in the weight room, is at about 220 pounds.

“If you look at him, you notice the difference,” Miller said.

What everyone wants to see is a difference in attitude, too.

Last month, Miller said this about Horne:

“He has to do a better job of being a teammate. A better job of being about one thing only — winning. A better job of having a positive body language, regardless of whether things are going well for him.”

We’ll see.

The best thing Miller can do is keep the pressure on Horne. The coach can very clearly do that this season because he has more options. Arizona has depth. As coaches say, the prospect of sitting on the bench is a great motivator.

The Wildcats didn’t bring in junior college forward Jesse Perry to just sit on the bench.

Perry plays the same spots Horne does. Each is 6-foot-7. Each can play the small or power forward positions. It’s a little early to figure out lineup permutations, but Miller said they could play on the floor at the same time, but, more likely, Perry is directly coming after Horne’s playing time.

How will Horne respond?

“Like a lot of players, when does that light bulb go on?” Miller said.

“Sometimes it’s early. Sometimes it’s late. I do know this: A senior cares more about things than any other player on your team. It’s the last time. I think Jamelle is anxious to have a final year that we can all point to as being his best at Arizona.”

Each player in Arizona’s three-man recruiting class has a chance to be in the playing rotation next season. Freshman Jordin Mayes can play both guard spots and will back up MoMo Jones at point guard. Freshman Daniel Bejarano can play both wing spots and provide 3-point shooting (as can Mayes).

As for Perry …

“He really puts the ball on the floor. Versatile in his approach. He has a toughness about him. He is older. He can help us at a forward position right away. Not only does he have some toughness to him and age to him, but, like the other two (recruits), he is a very capable shooter,” Miller said.

“He rebounds the ball, gets to the foul line. Even though he’s not a 6-10 frontcourt player, he plays bigger than his height and gives us a much-needed player there.”

If Perry pushes Horne to be better, and Horne pushes Perry to be ready to make an impact right away, then Arizona is much better off. It’s that kind of competition throughout the roster that will drive practice and fuel better performances.

“To me, we have 10 or 11 players who are going to expect to play,” Miller said. “Not everyone is going win that race.”

The Arizona softball team, seeded 10th in the 64-team postseason tournament, will play host to an NCAA regional this weekend.

Mike Candrea‘s Wildcats will open Friday against Cornell at Hillenbrand Stadium. The other teams in the regional, which will be held through Sunday, are Oklahoma State and Hofstra.

Oklahoma State and Hofstra will play at 4 p.m. Friday. The Arizona-Cornell game is set for 6 p.m., starting about 30 minutes after the completion of the first game. The Arizona athletics site has the full schedule.

The big questions for Arizona are the availability of star freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler (who left Friday’s game against UCLA because of swelling in her hand) and the status of No. 2 pitcher Sarah Akamine (who left Saturday’s game because of a knee injury).

Senior Ashley Ralston-Alvarez, from Catalina Foothills High and Pima Community College, finished Saturday’s game against UCLA. She has thrown only 9 2/3 innings this season.

Oklahoma State is the main competition in the Tucson regional. OSU (43-14) was ranked 16th in the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Cowgirls’ freshman pitcher Kat Espinosa, who threw a no-hitter against Texas in late April, was selected first-team All-Big 12.

The winner of the Tucson regional will play the winner of the regional in Austin, Texas. The Texas Longhorns are the top seed in that regional, No. 7 overall. That means that the Wildcats would be looking at a trip to Austin for the Super Regional, should the favorites advance.

Arizona had been sent on the road in the past two seasons in regional play.

Nick Foles will have to better than he was against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl to be a Top 25-rated quarterback/Photo by Kirby Lee, US Presswire

I haven’t been blogging much in the past couple of weeks, but there’s a reason for that.

I’ve been deep into production on Lindy’s College Football Annuals, helping set rankings, editing stories, writing stories, rounding up all the right personnel to do other editing and writing, proofing pages and debating the proper use of commas.

As senior editor of the college football magazines, I get to take all the information and opinion from our writers and put together the national rankings. I could have used two weeks just to figure out how to rank the Pac-10.

If only there was a right answer.

Since this is an Arizona-themed blog, I’ll stick to what matters most to Wildcat fans. Here are some UA-related tidbits from the magazine:

–Arizona is ranked sixth in the Pac-10. Too high? Too low? I’d like to call it a five-way tie for fourth. Just like last season, the difference between those middle teams is going to be only a play or two across a nine-game conference season. Hard to pick among them.

We went with USC as the preseason favorite in the Pac-10. I like Oregon’s starting lineup better, top to bottom, but the suspension of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli looms as a huge deal. And the Ducks have to play in Los Angeles this season.

Oregon State is third, followed by Washington, Stanford, Arizona, Cal, UCLA, Arizona State and Washington State.

Cal and UCLA, like Arizona, could be much better than their preseason slot … but you’ve gotta rank them somewhere. Arizona State deserves, logically, to be ninth, but I don’t think they are far away from top-division status either.

–Junior Nick Foles is rated the No. 23 quarterback in the nation. He has the potential to be several spots higher, but he also easily could have been left off the Top 25, given his pedestrian finish to last season.

–Junior Trevin Wade is rated the 11th-best cornerback in the country.

–Senior center Colin Baxter is rated the eighth-best center in the nation … and already I have some buyer’s remorse on that. He should be higher.

–Arizona’s marquee non-conference opponent, Iowa, is ranked third in the Big Ten and 10th in the country. It’s a tough call between the Hawkeyes and Wisconsin for second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State.

On one hand, Wisconsin has our top-rated offensive line. On the other hand, Iowa has our top-rated defensive line.

Here’s a scary thought for UA fans: Iowa’s front four — ends Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns, and tackles Karl Klug and Christian Ballard — had 52 tackles for loss last season, including 27 sacks, as well as 16 pass breakups and seven forced fumbles.

Lindy’s produces six college football editions. The SEC edition will be hitting the newsstands before the end of the month.

Arizona freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

Fowler is 31-6 with a 1.18 ERA. She has struck out 282 in 214 1/3 innings, allowing batters to hit .142 against her.

While that is a great honor to be one of the 10 finalists, Fowler is a long shot to win.

The favorite is Washington senior pitcher Danielle Lawrie, who is 33-2 with a 0.92 ERA. Lawrie, who led the Huskies to last season’s national title, has 392 strikeouts in 235 1/3 innings. She also is a dangerous hitter who has 12 home runs.

Here is the list of 10 finalists:

Valerie Arioto (California) – Junior – Utility
Chelsea Bramlett (Mississippi State) – Senior – Catcher/Infield
Kayla Braud (Alabama) – Freshman – Infielder
Francesca Enea (Florida) – Senior – Outfield
Kenzie Fowler (Arizona) – Freshman – Pitcher
Megan Langenfeld (UCLA) – Senior – Pitcher/First Base
Danielle Lawrie (Washington) – Senior – Pitcher
Blaire Luna (Texas) – Freshman – Pitcher
Jen Mineau (Fordham) – Sophomore – Pitcher
Jen Yee (Georgia Tech) – Senior – Second Base

Former University of Arizona golfer Erica Blasberg, 25, died Sunday night, according to police and the golfer’s agent.

According to the Associated Press, a police spokesman in Henderson, Nevada, said that authorities were investigating.

Blasberg was in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour, although she had made only one start this season.

At Arizona, Blasberg won six individual titles in 20 events in the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons before turning pro after her sophomore year. She was a two-time first-team All-American and the Pac-10 Player of the Year as a freshman.

As a freshman, she received a sponsor’s exemption into Tucson’s Welch’s/Fry’s
Championship, finishing 49th as an amateur in the tour event.

Her best professional finish was a tie for eighth at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in 2008.

Her agent, Chase Callahan, said this on LPGA.com:

“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Erica Blasberg. To most of the world, Erica was known as a professional golfer, but she was more than that. She was a loving daughter to her parents and a compassionate and loyal friend. Erica had a good heart, was extremely kind and very thankful for what she had in her life. She lived out her dream of playing professional golf on the highest level on the LPGA Tour, allowing her to help inspire others. We are proud of Erica for everything she accomplished. This is a painful loss, we feel it in our hearts and we will miss her. Erica would want those close to her to celebrate the life she lived. We ask that you keep Erica and her family in your prayers.”