Kris Heavner attempts a pass in 2007 fall practice during his senior season. Tucson Citizen file photo

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback and graduate assistant Kris Heavner will be the new head football coach at Santa Rita High School.

Heavner, 27, was one of seven applicants for the job to replace Harold Coleman, who resigned in November after going 6-13 in two seasons.

“He knows football instantly,” Michael Beck, Santa Rita’s assistant principal for athletics, said about Heavner.

“He had the best knowledge of football that we saw from any of the candidates. And he has an outstanding personality and a willingness to commit to be a Santa Rita Eagle, to make our program the state playoff team we were three years ago.

(more…)

Josiah Turner's ability to get to the hoop is one reason why he could succeed in late-game situations. Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been a season-long question. Do the Arizona Wildcats have a go-to guy on offense?

They really don’t.

That was evident in the last game, at Colorado on Saturday. Arizona, down one point, worked the ball around … and worked the ball around … and worked the ball around — hey, somebody take a shot! — before Kevin Parrom ended up with the ball in his hands from behind the 3-point arc for a buzzer-beating shot.

It was an airball.

Not exactly how coach Sean Miller drew it up.

He indicated this week that he is, in a sense, going back to the drawing board in practice.

“I think I have to do a better job of building confidence and who’s going to take the last shot,” Miller said.

Ok, so, who’s going to be taking that last shot?

How about you, Josiah Turner?

(more…)

Aaron Taylor

New Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez is popular with the national media, and more open with access than most college football coaches.

Remember, this is a guy who allowed author John U. Bacon unfettered access for his three years at Michigan, resulting in the very telling “Three and Out” — a must-read for Arizona fans wanting to better know Rodriguez.

And, he let Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples behind the curtain for his first 48 hours on the job in Tucson.

Now, Rodriguez is helping his old pals at the CBS Sports Network — where he served as an analyst last season — provide an inside look at recruiting.

As part of its Signing Day coverage next Wednesday, CBS Sports Network will dispatch Aaron Taylor — the former Notre Dame All-American and NFL offensive lineman — to provide a behind-the-scenes look at signing day with Rodriguez.

Rodriguez will hold two public events to talk about his recruiting class — one at Arizona Stadium next Wednesday night and another in Phoenix a night later, Feb. 2. For information on both events, click this link at www.arizonawildcats.com.

A look at what Arizona will wear Feb. 25. Courtesy: Nike.

The Arizona Wildcats will wear the new Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms for its Feb. 25 game against UCLA, the final home game of the season.

Arizona is one of nine teams wearing the special unis this season, Nike announced Wednesday morning. Like the Cats, the other eight programs have won national championships wearing Nike gear.

They are Baylor (women’s), Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Syracuse, Connecticut (men’s and women’s) and North Carolina.

The teams will wear the Platinum edition uniforms in select games.

(I don’t much care about uniforms and styles and logos and all that, but my first impression on these: Don’t like the “Zona” across the front. “Arizona” will do just fine. I love the back, though.)

(more…)

The Arizona Wildcats will have a new No. 8 next season — defensive back Leo Thomas from San Antonio.

Thomas secured quarterback Nick Foles’ old uniform number this weekend as he committed to Arizona and new coach Rich Rodriguez on his official visit.

“I’m going to be stylin’ that number,” Thomas said Tuesday night.

It’s not even his high school number — he wore No. 11 at Sam Houston High — but it is the number he wore when he first started playing football. Arizona could also award No. 8 to an offensive player, but Thomas hopes he keeps the number high in prominence by playing early in his career.

At 6-3 and 185 pounds, Thomas is the kind of rangy defensive back that could fit any of the three safety spots in defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 scheme … perhaps even cornerback.

(more…)

Kevin Parrom cuts to the hoop against Colorado last Saturday. Photo by Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats forward Kevin Parrom estimates he’s at “97, 98 percent” physically. Close enough. No matter what number you put on it, his performance last weekend is reason for optimism.

Parrom put together his best back-to-back games of the season, leading a second-half surge at Utah after Solomon Hill was ejected. Parrom finished with 12 points, nine in the second half. He then had six points, five rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes at Colorado — more of the jack-of-all-trades stuff that makes him such a valuable player.

“If he can contribute at the level he contributed on this last trip, we’re going to be a much better team because we haven’t had him in that role at all,” coach Sean Miller said.

“Starting with the Washington homestand, we’re going to give him a bigger role and a bigger opportunity.”

(more…)

Andy Lopez's team was 39-21 last season.

Suggesting a big spring on the diamond for Arizona, the Wildcats baseball team is ranked No. 5 in the preseason, while the softball team is ranked eighth in the country in polls released Tuesday.

Baseball America tabbed Arizona fifth, behind No. 1 Florida, Stanford, South Carolina and Arkansas. Coach Andy Lopez is hoping to ride a strong pitching staff, led by junior Kurt Heyer (8-5, 2.41 ERA), to a home postseason berth at the team’s new digs, Hi Corbett Field.

Mike Candrea’s softball team is trying to get back to the Women’s College World Series after losing in the Super Regionals last year.

Based on the No. 8 ranking from the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll, the Wildcats will be good enough to get back to Oklahoma City.

Much will depend on junior pitcher Kenzie Fowler, who was 26-8 with a 1.76 ERA last season after leading Arizona to the championship round of the World Series in 2010.

Defending champ Arizona State starts at No. 1 in the poll.

As usual, the Pac-12 is well represented. Cal is third, Stanford 10th, Oregon 11th, UCLA 13th and Washington 14th.

Trey Griffey Jr. was one of 92 seniors selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game in early January. Photo by Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Trey Griffey is trying to make his name in a sport other than the one played by his famous father, and he will be doing so with the Arizona Wildcats.

Griffey, the son of the future Baseball Hall of Fame Ken Griffey Jr., committed to Arizona on Monday night, according to all the major recruiting services, after taking an official visit last weekend.

“At first, all I wanted to do was play baseball,” Trey told the USA Today earlier this month, while preparing for the Under Armour All-America Game.

“But as I got older, my dad told me, ‘You have to choose the sport you want to play.’ I said I want to play football. Once I turned 11, I was done with baseball.”

Griffey (6-2, 190) was a modest prospect in football after transferring from West Orange High in Winter Garden, Fla., to nearby Dr. Phillips High last year. He had a breakout season as a receiver for the powerhouse program, setting school records with 72 catches for 970 yards.

(more…)

Phil Mickelson tips his cap to the crowd during a first-round win last year. Photo by Allan Henry-US PRESSWIRE

Phil Mickelson won’t play in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana next month, saying he will be taking a family vacation instead.

He also skipped the 2010 event, also to be his family on a vacation postponed by cancer treatment for his wife.

The absence of Mickelson, who is ranked No. 15 in the world, opens up a spot in the field, which is available to the top-ranked 64 players. Mickelson is one of the biggest draws, but rarely has had extended success in the match play event, managing to reach the quarterfinals in 2004.

Mickelson was ousted in the second round last year by 22-year old Rickie Fowler in a 6-and-5 match.

Among former Arizona Wildcats, Jim Furyk is ranked 55th in the world and Rory Sabbatini is just inside the cut line for the match play event, ranked 62nd.

The field will be determined by the world rankings following the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which ends Feb. 12.

The Accenture Match Play Championship will be held at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, from Feb. 22-26. Luke Donald won the 2011 event. He is ranked No. 1 in the world.

The Arizona Wildcats have picked up a commitment from defensive back Yamen Sanders off their latest recruiting weekend.

Sanders, Culver City (Calif.) High School, is rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com — the same ranking given to recent UA standouts Juron Criner and Trevin Wade. The new staff at Arizona and Arizona State became interested in Sanders as a somewhat under-the-radar prospect.

But he picked the Cats over Wyoming before visiting ASU.

Sanders, 6-4 and 185 pounds, is projected as one of three safeties in the 3-3-5 scheme of defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel.

(more…)