Kyryl Natyazhko in a happy moment, when Arizona beat Texas in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

Arizona’s roster turnover continued late Wednesday afternoon with the announcement that center Kyryl Natyazhko is skipping his senior season in order to pursue a professional career in Europe.

That news came on the heels of point guard Josiah Turner’s decision to transfer.

Coach Sean Miller had high hopes for Natyazhko at the beginning of last season, saying in the preseason he didn’t want to have to use power forward Jesse Perry at center.

Natyazhko started the first six games but failed to produce, and Miller changed course by pushing Perry to the middle and going with a small lineup.

“Two weeks ago Kyryl and I met regarding his future, and at that time he expressed to me his desire to pursue professional opportunities overseas,” Miller said in a statement.

“We agreed that he would only do it if an excellent opportunity presented itself. Since our meeting those types of opportunities, in fact, have become available to him. …

“All of us at Arizona support Kyryl’s desire to begin his professional career. As a part of our program for three years, Kyryl represented himself as a great teammate, a hard worker and a good student off the court. We wish him well in his professional career.”

Natyazhko, who has played for the Ukranian national team, rarely got off the bench in the second half of the season, not playing in 12 of the final 18 games. His role wasn’t likely to increase with the addition of three freshman big men.

For his three-year career, Natyazhko averaged 1.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He averaged a mere 1.1 points and 1.6 rebounds last season, when UA needed his bulk.

Even though Natyazhko didn’t develop as hoped, Miller never spoke — at least publicly — about any lack of effort or bad practice habits.

“I’d like to thank the fans, my teammates and the coaching staff at Arizona,” Natyazhko said in a statement.

“It has been a wonderful experience for me to study and play here. I appreciate the efforts of everyone who helped me develop as a person and as a player. As hard as it is for me to leave, at this time I have to do what is best for me and my family and pursue these professional opportunities, but I plan on earning my degree in the near future.”

So, Arizona now has a scholarship available for next season, with Miller likely to target another guard, which is more of a need right now anyway. Here is how the roster looks, by class:

–Seniors (2): F Solomon Hill, G/F Kevin Parrom

–Juniors (3): PG Jordin Mayes, F Matt Korcheck (planned redshirt), PG T.J. McConnell (must sit out after transfer from Duquesne)

–Sophomores (2): G Nick Johnson, F/C Angelo Chol

–Freshmen (4): F Brandon Ashley, F Grant Jerrett, C Kaleb Tarczewski, G Gabe York

Coach Sean Miller said his team’s skirmish against Oregon State on Thursday night is a “closed book” after the Pac-12 reviewed the incident and found no cause for further action.

That means that Arizona backup center Kyryl Natyazhko and Oregon State post Joe Burton, who were each ejected for leaving the bench, won’t be suspended for the next game. The Wildcats play host to Oregon at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS.

“We want to be a team that competes really hard in between the lines. You have to keep your cool, and in a very emotional game keep your emotions attached to what it is all about — and that’s winning.

“I don’t think the intent of our group, or any one player, was to do anything more than win the game. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, decisions were made that aren’t right.”

The play started late in overtime when Arizona’s Josiah Turner grabbed a defensive rebound and fire a quick outlet pass to Kyle Fogg. He drove for a layup, fouled by Jared Cunningham.

That gave the Cats a 79-73 lead with 1:15 to go.

As Fogg posed while celebrating, teammate Nick Johnson came up to give him a hug, perhaps carrying him toward Cunningham. Contact ensued — you be the judge of intent (the play starts at about 3:26 on the above video) — and then Natyazhko and Burton came off their respective benches.

“Today, you can’t leave the bench and you can’t throw a punch,” Miller said.

“Not that that was ever right, but in our world today, more than ever, that is not something that is going to be tolerated by anybody. It’s certainly not going to be tolerated by the University of Arizona. But nobody throw a punch.

“We’ll address it very briefly. I’m more proud of our guys’ effort in terms of playing to win than anything else based on last night.”

Miller got involved in breaking up the scuffle, and at some point wrenched off his tie, which his players took as a show of passion.

He did recover the tie, and he’ll probably be wearing it again. Not because he’s superstitious, butbecause he doesn’t have many — “a few J.C. Penney’s ties,” he said.

“I don’t have enough clothes to be superstitious. Keep it simple. I just rotate a few and always have red in my tie because that’s what someone told me to do when I first got here. That’s my staple.”

Arizona is hoping to get strong play around the basket from Kyryl Natyazhko. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Arizona Wildcats junior center Kyryl Natyazhko hasn’t produced as a starter through six games, and his time might be running out.

“He’s either going to have to improve and get the job done in his third year with us, or we’re going to have to move in another direction,” coach Sean Miller said.

“We’re not looking for a double-digit scorer as much as ‘do your job, rebound the ball, play great post defense, bring energy, make a 15-footer.’

“He’s struggled out of the gate.”

Natyazhko is averaging 1.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game as the Wildcats head into Tuesday night’s game at New Mexico State.

Miller talked about how the “puzzle” of this season’s team was less clear than it was a year ago at this time because so many players are new to their roles in the absence of Derrick Williams.

The center position is truly the center of that puzzle.

“I am certainly not giving up on Kyryl,” Miller said.

“One of the great stories of this team could be if he develops in a role that helped the team win and he was consistent, played with confidence and played with a lot of fire. That would be a great story.

“But that hasn’t happened. Sometimes the light goes on for big guys at different times in their career. Maybe that light will come on here in the future. But judging our team through six games — being 4-2 with a lot of hard-fought games — you would ask, ‘What is one of the things that is holding Arizona back?’”

Miller went on to answer his own question.

“I think a more consistent, more hard-playing, more valuable Kyryl,” he said. “We really relish that, but it hasn’t happened yet.”

Natyazhko is the bulkiest of Arizona’s big men (6-11, 275), and the Cats need his size, in some games more than others. Miller’s options are limited, though.

In the absence of a Natyazhko turnaround, Miller can turn more to raw freshman Angelo Chol, athletic and springy at 6-9, 217, or continue to get 6-7 forward Jesse Perry up to speed at the center position and hope that Arizona’s small lineup overcomes its deficiencies with speed and hustle.

Alex Jacobson, a 7-footer, is fine for short stretches — when his back isn’t acting up. Freshman Sidiki Johnson, who had been counted on to help out, is suspended and doesn’t seem likely to be back with the team, according to Miller.

“It’s not just Kyryl, but it’s that position generally,” Miller said. “The better that position gets, the better it will be for our team.”

Miller will be looking for strong rebounding against the Aggies, who feature experienced 6-11 center Hamidu Rahman and 6-6 power forward Wendell McKines, a hard-working double-double machine.

Rahman is averaging 6.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. McKines is posting 17.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He did not play when NMSU lost 83-57 in McKale Center last season, when he redshirted because of a foot injury.

New Mexico State (5-1) has a rebounding margin of plus-8.3. Miller noted that NMSU rebounds about half of its missed shots.

“This is the best team we’ve played in terms of getting offensive rebounds,” Miller said. “As much as you are concerned with McKines as a player, you’re really concerned about him as an offensive rebounder.”

Sidiki Johnson

Arizona Wildcats freshman center Sidiki Johnson, on indefinite suspension for violations of team policy, will not practice with the team after he returns to Tucson on Sunday, coach Sean Miller said.

Johnson has been home in New York City since Arizona played there in the 2K Sports Classic, losing to Mississippi State in the championship game on Nov. 18.

“He missed only 2 1/2 days of school last week,” Miller said Sunday afternoon. “That was our decision to allow him to stay home. It wasn’t his decision.

“Now, it’s a matter of him working very hard off the court academically, being a good person, being somebody who represents all the characteristics that we want all of our players to have at Arizona and kind of earning his way back into being a part of our team.”

Miller reiterated Sunday what he said after Wednesday night’s loss to San Diego State — he wasn’t optimistic about Johnson’s reinstatement.

But having Johnson finish the semester in good academic standing is important to the team’s score on the Academic Progress Rate should the freshman transfer at the break.

Johnson (6-8, 235 pounds) has played in three games, totaling one point and two rebounds in seven minutes.

“Sidiki Johnson is someone from a physical perspective — rebounding, giving us quality minutes, developing as our season grows — who we were really counting on to complement the big guys that we already have,” Miller said.

“Him not being with us is not a positive. We’ll find out in the next week or so if he remains with us. If he does, hopefully he can contribute down the line. … To me, the depth inside took a little hit there.”

Arizona’s center position remains the team’s most troubled spot, with undersized power forward Jesse Perry spending maybe about a third of his playing time at center.

For now, Johnson is not available. Senior Alex Jacobson has battled back problems and is someone who can contribute only limited minutes when healthy. Angelo Chol, who was moved from power forward, is promising. Miller says “the best is yet to come” with Chol, but there are still growing pains.

And then there is junior starter Kyryl Natyazhko, who is averaging 1.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game.

“To this point, he has not gotten the job done,” Miller said.

Arizona plays at New Mexico State on Tuesday night.

There wasn't much for Kyryl Natyazhko to shout about Thursday night. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller barely slept. He stayed up Thursday night and broke down the video of his team’s exhibition loss to Seattle Pacific, then had to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Los Angeles for Pac-12 Media Day.

He found plenty of teachable moments on the video and conjured ideas about lineup changes. Washington coach Lorenzo Romar even said at Pac-12 Media Day that the loss will help ensure Arizona doesn’t fall into a “false sense of security.”

All that is potentially good.

But, really, no part of Miller was happy about dropping an exhibition game to a Division II school, even one as good as Seattle Pacific, even one that has a Pac-12-level big man in Gonzaga transfer Andy Poling.

“It’s hard,” Miller said of losing anytime, anywhere.

“It’s what you’re judged by. It can really become obsessive.”

Good news for Miller is he is compulsively in control of the product and will get back to work this weekend, putting his team through some hard paces as it prepares for Tuesday’s exhibition against another Division II team, Humboldt State. Miller said he has heard Humboldt State has a better team than Seattle Pacific.

“It will be a war,” Miller said.

That might not be what you want to hear about an exhibition game, but that is the state of the Wildcats, who can’t take anything for granted. The fact that centers Kyryl Natyazhko and Sidiki Johnson managed only two rebounds in a combined 38 minutes continued to gnaw at Miller a day later.

“Improved defense and certainly rebounding,” Miller said of what he wants from the center spot.

“That’s an important job for anybody’s 5 man — to rebound. It wasn’t just them, but clearly, the statistics don’t lie. We have to get more out of that, and that is why I may be adding a third guy to that rotation so that we defend and we rebound.

“From there, points will come. There will be some games when they score more than others, but what we need consistently is defense and rebounding.”

Miller can’t replace the (often easy) offense Derrick Williams provided last season from a post position, but he does need Natyazhko and Johnson to eat up space, minutes and rebounds. If they can’t do it, he could add that third guy — 6-foot-9 freshman power forward Angelo Chol — to that center rotation.

Moving up Jesse Perry (6-7, 220) from power forward to center isn’t likely to happen, Miller said.

“Jesse, I don’t think is big enough,” Miller said. “If anything, Jesse can make us bigger by playing some 3, which he is more suited for than the 5.”

Some limited help could eventually come from senior Alex Jacobson, a 7-footer who did not play Thursday night because of recurring lower back problems.

“We don’t know when he will return,” Miller said. “Last night would have been an example of a game where we could have really used him.”

Jacobson won’t be available Tuesday against Humboldt State, Miller said.

Other big-man problems from Thursday night were that Johnson fouled out in 14 minutes, and he and Natyazhko each picked up a foul for an illegal screen within the first 10 minutes of the game.

Miller will be trying to prod more production from that pair over the weekend.

If not, he could have many more sleepless nights.

Other Pac-12 Media Day stories:

Parrom’s progress: Perhaps all the ‘bad things are over’

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar: Arizona won’t have a false sense of security

Media Day live blog: Cats not third-best team, Miller says; Cal’s Montgomery ‘all clear’ from bladder cancer

Media picks third in Pac-12 preseason poll

Kyryl Natyazhko celebrates after Arizona's win over Texas in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

It doesn’t have to be decided this week, or next month, but Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller is going to have to make some decisions at center and point guard.

Those are the positions that are most up in the air as the Cats approach their exhibition opener Thursday night against Seattle Pacific. Somebody has to be out there for the opening tip, although Miller said that might not mean much at this point.

Junior Kyryl Natyazhko and freshman Sidiki Johnson are competing at center, which is the team’s biggest question mark.

“We’re not at that point where one player is a clear-cut leader,” Miller said.

“Both will get heavy minutes at that position. I would like to think that between the two of them, they can grow at that position and make us successful. Who is going to start, who is going to play more, it’s too early to tell and it’s not clear cut.”

Freshman Angelo Chol might eventually be able to help out with some minutes at the 5, although Miller has Chol focusing on the power forward position for now, so that will be a developing situation.

“Angelo is dynamic blocking shots and he’s long and quick,” Miller said.

“But it’s tough for a freshman to play more than one position. It’s hard enough to get them acclimated to college basketball. You don’t want those guys out there just thinking and not being able to play hard.

“Especially with Angelo, we want to get him really good at the 4 position first and really make him feel as comfortable as we can. I can see during the course of the season where we could certainly contribute at that 5 late in game or as he develops.”

Miller, perhaps hoping that his true big men can fill 40 good minutes at center, did not indicate Tuesday that senior power forward Jesse Perry could slide into the center spot, although that could be an option down the road.

Natyazhko wasn’t an offensive threat last season — averaging 1.9 points per game — but he did provide valuable minutes in the final month of the season, setting better screens and being stronger on defense. Johnson, in the Red-Blue Game, showed some good low-post moves en route to scoring 18 points on 7 of 7 shooting.

“Sidiki has been aggressive. He was able to finish down there,” said junior forward Solomon Hill. “Kyryl is more of an outside guy.”

As for point guard, freshman Josiah Turner and sophomore Jordin Mayes will carve up the minutes, but how that split tilts is to be determined. Mayes can also play some shooting guard, which could become a factor if Arizona uses a three-guard lineup with starting 2-guard Kyle Fogg moving to the wing.

“I really believe in the next couple of weeks that will clear up,” Miller said of the point guard position.

Mayes, who underwent foot surgery in July, is still catching up on his conditioning, Miller said.

“When you miss 10, 12 weeks, it really puts you behind,” Miller said. “He is a month away from being in the best physical shape he can be in.”

Senior Brendon Lavender and freshman Nick Johnson could help at point guard if Turner or Mayes is injured or is in foul trouble.

While Miller sorts out the other two positions, Fogg, Hill and Perry are entrenched in the starting lineup.

“With their experience, how they’ve played, how they’ve worked since the first day of school, it’s very difficult to unseat those three guys,” Miller said.

Yeah, Derrick Williams can shoot the 3, but this is an even higher-percentage shot.
Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

I sat down with Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller last summer, and one of things I wondered about was where the 3-point was going to come from this season.

Arizona had lost its most frequent launcher — Nic Wise — and while Kyle Fogg and Jamelle Horne had posted high percentages, none of the other returning players averaged more than one 3-pointer per game.

Miller said the Cats would fine … although perhaps for the wrong reasons.

He pointed to a strong-shooting recruiting class, of which freshman guard Jordin Mayes has lived up to billing. Junior college transfer Jesse Perry has done so, too, but not for his 3-point touch. Freshman guard Daniel Bejarano, known for his shooting, hasn’t been a factor.

It was basically impossible to see this coming:

–Derrick Williams, who was 4 of 16 from 3-point range last season, is 41 of 68.

–Kevin Parrom, who was 2 of 14 last season, is 38 of 90.

–MoMo Jones, who was 10 of 53, is 25 of 78.

OK, that last figure for Jones isn’t great — and he’s better when picking his spots from long range, not forcing the issue — but let’s throw all those figures together.

Williams, Parrom and Jones were 16 of 93 (17.2 percent) last season.

That trio is 104 of 236 (44.1 percent) this season.

Williams, a gym rat, focused on his shooting last summer. Parrom never really had a chance to show his skills as a freshman because of injury.

While we’re at it, let’s add in numbers from Solomon Hill (17 of 47 from 3-point range this season) and Kyryl Natyazhko (4 of 7). Now, we see that the entire sophomore class is shooting 43.1 percent after making a scant 18.1 percent last season.

Meanwhile, Fogg, Horne, Mayes and Brendon Lavender have been shooting threats.

“You can’t focus on just one person; that’s the good thing about our team,” Williams said.

That’s been the season-long theme. That will be the theme Saturday against UConn in the West regional final.

It’s a superstar matchup between Williams and Huskies’ point guard Kemba Walker. Different sizes, different position, of course, but maybe it will be a wash in terms of production.

If so, which of the other players — the ones who don’t get the focus — will determine the game?

That’s a roll of the dice.

Why drive when Jordin Mayes is shooting 47 percent from 3-point range? Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

For Arizona, the depth of shooters has translated into a dangerous offensive team, one that is on pace for its best 3-point shooting accuracy since the 1994-95 team shot at 41.3 percent. These Cats are at 40.3 percent.

In a team in which Miller repeatedly has said has little margin of error (except against Duke, perhaps), Arizona has needed almost all of those percentage points.

Speaking of which …

In what Miller said “would be the greatest upset in NCAA statistics,” Williams is ahead of Steve Kerr’s school-record percentage of 57.3, set in the 1987-88 season. Kerr too way more attempts (199) than Williams; nonetheless the sophomore is sitting at 60.3 percent.

“The percentage he shoots doesn’t lie at this point,” Miller said at Friday’s press conference in Anaheim.

“He’s shooting the ball with confidence,” the coach added.

“Clearly, it’s not a good feeling if you leave him open and you’re the other team. He’s selective in his 3-point shooting. He’s not ‘hunting’ 3-point shots. For the most part he takes good 3s. A wide-open shot for Derrick has become a great shot for our team. The bigger the game, the better he’s played and shot. It does certainly add some concern if you’re guarding him.”

Williams hit 5 of 6 from behind the arc — all in the first half — against Duke on Thursday.

Miller doesn’t know where that accuracy comes from; he’s been saying for month that Williams doesn’t exactly hold 3-point clinics in practice.

“Like Coach said, I’m a ‘gamer,’ and when the lights come on it’s a whole different story,” Williams said.

“When I’m feeling it, I’m feeling it, and when it’s not going in, it’s not. I think that’s a good thing about it. When I know I’m not going to make a 3, go right to the post and get a foul on somebody. That’s what I do best.”

Shooting 3-pointers seemed to be one of the things these Wildcats might do least best this season.

But isn’t it great when freshmen become sophomores?

Hugs and smiles for everyone. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Sean Miller: ‘The toughest teams survive’

Arizona Wildcats sophomore Derrick Williams didn’t even know the shot went in.

He just drives to the hoop as Texas’ Jordan Hamilton crashes into his legs, flips up a shot with his right hand, braces for the fall and hopes for the best.

With the game hanging in the balance.

A berth in the Sweet 16 vs. Duke on the line.

And the shot goes in.

“Surprised it went in,” Williams said in the postgame interview. “Glad it went in.”

Then, Williams made one more shot go in — the free throw for a 70-69 lead.

And then Arizona forced a slashing J’Covan Brown into a wild shot. And then time ran out while Williams — of course — was right there to prevent Gary Johnson from attempting a last-second shot after grabbing the rebound.

All this after the Wildcats forced Texas into a turnover — a five-second violation — as the Longhorns tried to in-bound the ball. And they only did that after coach Rick Barnes, somewhat questionably, called timeout with 14.5 seconds left and his team up two points. Shouldn’t he have just waited for Arizona to foul?

Whatever. That’s Texas’ problem.

Hey, is this fun or what?

I mean, what’s been Arizona’s margin of error in the past two games? About half a second?

UA is making its most satisfying run in the NCAA Tournament since Salim Stoudamire’s dagger against Oklahoma State in the 2005 Sweet 16, and it never hurts to have the luck of a lottery winner and the toughness of a backstreet brawler.

“In this tournament,” coach Sean Miller told his team in the locker room (video here), “the toughest teams survive. Nastiness is required. And I’m going to tell you right now, to a man, we earned that win.”

For the record the margin of error has three points: 77-75 vs. Memphis, 70-69 vs. Texas.

Derrick Williams hits the game-winning shot. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Yes, Arizona, has Superman — that’s what his teammates are increasingly calling Williams — but to a man, the Wildcats have needed every single contribution. Big or small. One Shining Moment … or completely lost in the box score.

The latest heroes not named Williams:

Solomon Hill. Best game ever. Sixteen points and eight rebounds, spinning his way through the Longhorns defense.

“He had a lot of post moves and a lot of NBA post moves, put-backs, rebounds,” Williams said. “If we didn’t have him playing aggressive and hard tonight, we would have lost this game.”

Kyryl Natyazhko. An invaluable defensive presence as Arizona essentially battled Texas to a draw on the boards and — voila! — turned freshman star Tristan Thompson invisible.

Brendon Lavender. Back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half.

Jordin Mayes. Best game ever. The freshman hit 4 of 4 3-pointers en route to a career-high 16 points.

It is the improbable that makes all the Madness possible.

“Not too many people had us winning this game,” Hill said. “I thought as a team if we pulled together and everybody came through with our deep rotation of 10 men … you could see it wore them out.”

With finishes like this, Arizona might be wearing out its fans. Go back to the Washington game in the Pac-10 tournament final. Have the Wildcats ever played three consecutive games that were still undecided with less than 1 second to play?

Unreal.

And yet it’s real … and it’s spectacular.

The plot couldn’t be juicier.

No. 1 seed Duke awaits at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday in Anaheim in a rematch of the 2001 national championship game. The Blue Devils opened as a double-digit favorite, which is perfect for the chip-on-their-broad-shoulders Wildcats.

“Today everybody had us losing. And we all took that to heart,” Williams said after beating Texas.

“You never want to be the underdog, but today we were the underdog, and we wanted to prove that we could beat anybody. We have more games to win. Two down, four more to go. That’s all I can say about that.”

Chances are, before this ride ends, Williams and the Wildcats will have a lot more to say about that.

More from the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network:

Scott Terrell: Five-second fury: Breaking down the end of the Arizona-Texas game

Steve Rivera: Sean Elliott remembers his games against Duke

Steve Rivera: Lute on Arizona-Duke: It should be another great game

Javier Morales: Arizona Wildcats finally get rematch with Duke 10 years later

Christopher Wuensch: What was a-Twitter as Arizona beat Texas?

Arizona Republic columnist Paola Boivin: Unlikely contributors key part of Arizona’s win over Texas

So, how big of a favorite is Duke?

Arizona-Texas: Images of the game

Game blog: Wildcats do it again, advance to Sweet 16

Kyryl Natyazhko has only two points in the past six games.
Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Hopes were high for Arizona Wildcats sophomore center Kyryl Natyazhko. And with good reason.

He wasn’t expected to turn into an All-Pac-10 player or anything like that, but he looked like a key part of the rotation following a productive summer playing for his native Ukraine at U-20 European Championships.

He averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for Ukraine. These weren’t summer-league pickup games. Those numbers were supposed to translate into a solid sophomore season, right? Arizona coach Sean Miller talked in the preseason about being hopeful that Natyazhko was one of the guys who make dramatic improvement from one year to the next.

But as the Wildcats head into tonight’s big conference home game against UCLA, the player that Miller counts on for size and minutes in relief of Derrick Williams, has hit a low point. He’s nearly disappeared.

Natyazhko hasn’t scored in five of the past six games, spanning 53 minutes of playing time. He has two points and 11 total rebounds in those games. He has taken only eight shots, making one.

“Kyryl has kind of hit a valley, I don’t want to say in his development, but in this season’s play,” Miller said.

Miller added that Natyazhko made a positive impact through the non-conference part of the season and is a “better player every day,” but it hasn’t shown itself in games lately.

“Sometimes, it’s difficult in the role that he has,” Miller said.

“He is not out there for very long, and confidence can certainly start to work against you if you miss a shot or foul, and then you’re out of the game. He is going through a little bit of that.”

Tonight would be a good time for Natyazhko to step up because UCLA features 6-10, 305-pound freshman center Joshua Smith. He averages 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in about 20 minutes per game.

“He’s just really a terrific freshman,” Miller said.

“What a difference-maker he is in the game. He’s so big. He’s just a problem when he gets his hands on the all. They do a phenomenal job of getting him the ball in scoring position, and he just catches everything. His statistics don’t reveal the true impact he has on the game.”

Miller says he doesn’t need Natyazhko (6-11, 264) to post big statistics. The sophomore just needs to be trustworthy in the time he gets as a backup and to take advantage of whatever scoring/rebounding opportunities come his way.

Miller on Tuesday also did not rule out going to 7-footer Alex Jacobson, who hasn’t played since Dec. 5 against Oklahoma. The redshirt junior was out for a while because of recurring back problems and then has been sitting because of a series of “coach’s decisions.”

Kyryl Natyazhko grabbed a lot of rebounds for Ukraine; can he corral more at Arizona? Photo by WildcatSportsReport.com

It will be interesting to gauge the progress of all the young players on the Arizona Wildcats basketball team when the team reconvenes for practice in October. I’m most eager to see sophomore center Kyryl Natyazhko.

SportsIllustrated.com gave Natyazhko a stamp of approval Thursday when it rated him as the best collegian at the under-20 European Championships. Natyazhko averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds per game and 32 minutes per game for Ukraine.

Arizona coach Sean Miller told me earlier this week that Natyazhko “did remarkably well at the European Championships,” but the coach also pointed out that he thinks the positive experience extended beyond basketball.

“Nobody knows how Kyryl feels when he doesn’t see his family for a year at a time,” Miller said.

“The first thing that trip did was allow him to go home and see his family and friends. I think that alone is a really big part of the summer for him.”

Natyazhko, who has the size (6-10, 256 pounds) this team definitely needs, wasn’t a major factor as a freshman last season. He averaged 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds, unable to translate what Miller said were good practices onto the court during game time.

But you never want to give up too early on a big guy with raw skills.

“I think big guys develop at different rates,” Miller said. “Some guys, you roll your eyes at them early in their careers and yet a year later, you find yourself saying, ‘He might be our team’s best player.’

“Kyryl had to adjust to the speed of the game and a new coach, a language barrier, and I think all of that added up. I don’t think he’s anywhere near what he can become. I’m looking for a lot of improvement in his sophomore year.”

One of the most pleasing developments to Miller is that all the Wildcats — the returning players and the three incoming freshmen — are attending the second summer school session. The returning players all attended the pre-summer session, as well.

Miller noted that the players were scattered all over the country last summer, each with different workout strategies and such. Now, they’re all under Sean Miller’s roof … and that cohesion to one vision, one master plan,

“How much better are we as a program this summer than last summer?” Miller asked rhetorically.

“To me, we have grown significantly, and it isn’t just who is coming in and who is leaving. A lot of our success is building relationships and creating a stable environment for our team and building the infrastructure for our future.

“I think we have made progress across the board.”