Luke Walton has fond memories of the late Maurice Lucas. Photo by Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcat forward Luke Walton spoke with ESPN Los Angeles about his namesake, former NBA player Maurice Lucas, who died at the age of 58 because of bladder cancer.

Lucas was a great friend and Portland Trail Blazers teammate of Bill Walton.

(Unlike many men of Luke Walton’s age, he was not named after Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars saga. His first name is in honor of Lucas.)

Luke was asked how his dad described Lucas to him:

“He always told us the greatest two teammates he ever had were Larry Bird and Maurice Lucas. He had nothing but great things to say about him, on and off the court. His character. The person he was. It’s obviously tough, knowing my dad just lost one of his best friends. He always spoke very highly of him and every time we saw him, he was always great to us. A lot of fun to talk to. To hang out with. A big, loving, caring type of man.”

Read more of the Q&A at ESPN.com.

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D.J. Shumpert, left, helps Derrick Williams block a shot against NAU in the 2009-10 opener against NAU/Photo by WildcatSportsReport.com

Sophomore forward D.J. Shumpert, a local kid from Santa Rita High School, is transferring from the Arizona basketball program after minimal playing time in the past two seasons.

Shumpert was an August addition to 2008-09 roster by then-coach Lute Olson after a stellar career at Santa Rita, where he averaged a triple double as a senior. Shumpert, a skinny 6-foot-7, didn’t appear to have much of a role moving forward under coach Sean Miller, playing in only 10 games this season. He appeared in four games as a freshman.

Hoopmasters.com reported the transfer, citing Etop Udo-Ema, who was Shumpert’s travel-ball coach (as well as the travel coach for UA’s Jamelle Horne for the Compton Magic).

While it is generally positive to have whatever local kids you can have on the roster, this parting does give Miller what he needs most — a roster spot. He is still recruiting mostly post players and point guards for the next class, after getting a commitment from junior college forward Jesse Perry on Sunday.

Here is how the roster shakes out for next season:

Senior: F Jamelle Horne
Junior: G Kyle Fogg, C Alex Jacobson, G Brendan Lavender, F Jesse Perry*
Sophomore: G MoMo Jones, F Solomon Hill, F Kevin Parrom, F Derrick Williams, C Kyryl Natyazhko
Freshmen: G Daniel Bejarano, G Jordin Mayes*
(Perry and Mayes have committed, cannot sign until next month)

Arizona has one scholarship available to fill its allotment of 13. The Wildcats will have only 12 scholarships in 2011-12 because of self-imposed sanctions. Arizona has one commitment for the Class of 2011 — 6-9 power forward Sidiki Johnson — so expect more player movement before then.

Miller released a statement through the athletic department about Shumpert:

“D.J. Shumpert is a fantastic kid and was an exceptional teammate and representative of our basketball program during his two years at Arizona. Like a lot of young players he wants to put himself in a position to have a more significant role as a basketball player in his future. We mutually agreed that pursuing that at another program would be best for him. We wish D.J. all the best in his future, and in the meantime, he will continue to work out and be a part of our postseason program.”