Rondae Jefferson dunks during the Nike Global Challenge in Alexandria, Va., this summer. Photo by Evan Habeeb-US PRESSWIRE
With UConn coach Jim Calhoun announcing his retirement on Thursday, the name of Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller likely will come up in speculation as a potential replacement after this season.
You can hear the chatter: Miller will want to return to his East Coast roots.
In the meantime, Miller is digging in so well in Tucson that’s it’s hard to see him wanting to leave before the program truly blossoms on his watch.
On the heels of a recruiting class considered among the top three in the nation, Miller and his staff is doing good work again, on Thursday landing five-star prospect Rondae Jefferson, a 6-6 wing from Chester, Pa.
Tweeted CBSSports.com college basketball writer Gary Parrish: “Sean Miller is building a monster.”
Jefferson has been one of Arizona’s top targets, and he took an official visit to campus last week — including a stop in the Zona Zoo during the football victory over Oklahoma State — after recently being in Tucson on an unofficial trip. He committed during an in-home visit Thursday.
Jefferson seems to fit perfectly into Miller’s program with a skill set much like that of players he will be trying to replace next season — UA seniors Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom. Jefferson is a perimeter player with a long wingspan who can guard multiple positions and is often described in stories as a “point forward.”
Like Hill and Parrom, he should be able to lead the fast break and be a tenacious rebounder in offensive sets.
Scout.com ranks Jefferson as the 10th-best prospect in the nation; 247Sports rates him at No. 15; Rivals.com rates him at No. 16.
Jefferson is the second recruit in Arizona’s recruiting class. The other is 6-5 shooting guard Elliott Pitts from De La Salle High in Concord, Calif. He is rated No. 141 overall in the class by Rivals.com and 146 by 247Sports. Pitts also had offers from Cal, Washington and Georgetown, among others.
Arizona is in pursuit of other top targets, including 6-8 forward Aaron Gordon from San Jose, Calif., (a national top 10 recruit) and 6-5 guard Keith Frazier from Dallas (a national top 25 prospect).
Arizona it is #BearDown
— Rondae Jefferson(@RondaeJ23) September 13, 2012