Arizona could have used Jeff Withey's defensive presence around the basket this season. Photo by Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

A 7-footer, a high-scoring combo guard and a shooting ace.

That describes three former Arizona Wildcats who have each had big games in the past few weeks, including Kansas center Jeff Withey on Wednesday night. He went for a career-high 25 points in the Jayhawks’ 68-54 victory at seventh-ranked Baylor.

There are six former Arizona basketball players at different colleges (and it would be seven, but guard Garland Judkins was dismissed from the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team last summer before his senior season).

Let’s take a look at the transfers, ranked in order of how much the Cats miss them:

(more…)

Sidiki Johnson

Arizona Wildcats freshman center Sidiki Johnson, whose suspension from the team was announced Nov. 21, has left the program and will transfer, the UA announced Sunday afternoon.

Johnson, from the Bronx, N.Y., appeared in only three games, totaling seven minutes. He had one point and two rebounds.

Coach Sean Miller, who has said in the past couple of weeks that he was not optimistic that Johnson would return to the team, was not quoted in UA’s press released Sunday.

Johnson did not return with the team after it played Mississippi State in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic in New York City on Nov. 18. Miller said it was the coaches’ decision to let Johnson stay at home as he was suspended for violations of team policy.

(more…)

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.”

(more…)

Sidiki Johnson

Arizona Wildcats freshman center Sidiki Johnson, who is suspended indefinitely for violations of team policy, isn’t with the team and could soon be dismissed, coach Sean Miller said Wednesday night.

Johnson, who is from The Bronx, N.Y., did not return with the team after its loss to Mississippi State in New York City’s Madison Square Garden in the final of the 2K Sports Classic last Friday night.

The school announced his indefinite suspension Monday night.

“I think we have an agreement, and if he meets the agreement, he could potentially be reinstated,” Miller said after a 61-57 home loss to San Diego State. “And he could also be dismissed.”

Asked if he was hopeful that Johnson would meet Miller’s requirement for reinstatement, the coach said, “No.”

(more…)

Sidiki Johnson

Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Sean Miller has indefinitely suspended freshman center Sidiki Johnson for violations of team policy, the school announced Monday night.

Johnson has played in three of UA’s five games, playing a total of seven minutes. He has one point and two rebounds.

The school said it would have no further comment on the suspension.

Miller had to deliver a message to another freshman this season, sitting point guard Josiah Turner for a game. Turner responded with his best two games, Miller said, in New York City last week. He had a combined 16 points in 36 minutes vs. St. John’s and Mississippi State.

“I hope that is a starting point for him,” Miller said at his Monday news conference.

Johnson has been behind junior starter Kyryl Natyazhko and freshman Angelo Chol at center, and power forward Jesse Perry will continue to see time at that position, too. Senior center Alex Jacobson can be counted on for a few minutes, too. He returned to play Friday after missing the past four games because of a persistent back problem.

Arizona plays San Diego State in McKale Center at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

That was Nick Johnson bringing the ball up court and calling out plays, not Josiah Turner. Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Freshman point guard Josiah Turner did not start Sunday against Ball State. That didn’t seem to be much of a big deal, considering Jordin Mayes started the last game and scored 19 points.

The first sign that something was amiss came in the first few minutes, as freshman Nick Johnson came in the game, not as a shooting guard but as a point guard alongside Kyle Fogg.

No Turner.

In fact, there was no Turner for the entire game.

He wasn’t hurt. He wasn’t suspended. Call it a coach’s decision.

Call it coach Sean Miller delivering a message.

“We care a lot about Josiah. It’s not like he’s a bad kid. He’s a great kid,” Miller said after Arizona’s 73-63 victory over Ball State at McKale Center.

“He’s trying to find his way from where he left high school … on and off the court, making good decisions, working hard every day. Sometimes, especially very, very early in someone’s career, if they don’t play, it’s a feeling they haven’t had before.”

And they probably don’t want to have that feeling again.

Turner was the most highly touted of Arizona’s four freshmen, but none of that matters now. Miller even went on a rant a few weeks ago about websites and such that proclaim certain recruits to be one-and-done players to the NBA. Turner has been included among those with that kind of talent, and he has received plenty of preseason freshman accolades.

Key word: Preseason.

Turner started both exhibitions and the season opener against Valparaiso, but he has looked out of control at times. He wasn’t able to finish drives to the hoop and his jumper certainly wasn’t falling. He was 1 of 7 from the field through two games, including 0 of 3 from 3-point range.

“I hope we can get him in the fold and he can develop,” Miller said.

“We’re trying to help him. Hopefully, he can help himself and keep working and get back out there.”

Miller pointed to freshman center Sidiki Johnson as an example. Johnson has been in the doghouse while working on his practice habits and poor on-court decisions. Johnson played four minutes in the second half Sunday; not a lot, but consider that he played only one total minute in the first two games.

One of the first things Johnson did Sunday was chase down an offensive rebound and go up strong to the basket.

That’s more like it.

“He is getting better and it was nice to put him in there,” Miller said.

“We went through the same thing with him (as with Turner). Everybody anoints young players as they’re going to be in college for a year or two. Each one of these guys has their own process to work through.”

Nick Johnson, who moved from shooting guard to backup point guard without much notice, did a credible job. He played 24 minutes, sometimes playing with Mayes, and scored nine points. He had one assist and two turnovers.

Previously, Miller said he did not want to burden Johnson with having to learn two positions this early in his career.

“It’s a transition, definitely,” Johnson said.

“Basically, that was the first time I ever played it. AAU ball doesn’t really count. … I want to be on the court and help my team, so I told Coach I wanted to try to play the two positions. I stressed to him I think I can handle it.”

If nothing else, Arizona now has more position flexibility with Nick Johnson being able to play the point.

As for how much and how much longer, that might depend on how Turner responds.

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.”

(more…)

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.”

(more…)

Sidiki Johnson is playing well after being slowed by a foot injury as a high school senior. ESPN3 screenshot

Arizona Wildcats basketball signee Sidiki Johnson says that if coach Sean Miller had gone to Maryland, he would have tried to follow.

“Sean Miller, wherever he had went, I would have stayed with him,” Johnson told Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com.

“He’s a great coach. Wherever he was going, I would probably just have went with him.”

Miller stayed and an Arizona crisis was averted, as the Wildcats kept a stellar four-man recruiting class intact. UA’s recruiting class is ranked fourth in the nation by Rivals.com.

Zagoria has the story of how Sidiki Johnson convinced fellow UA signee Nick Johnson (no relation) to play with him on an AAU team that is competing in the iS8/Nike Spring Classic in New York. Lots of good quotes and info at the link.

Sidiki Johnson has returned home to New York City.
ESPN3 screenshot

Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller did not express concern Tuesday that forward Sidiki Johnson — one of the team’s three signed high school recruits for next season — has left Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

Johnson has returned home to New York City, where he will finish the academic year at Wadleigh, a public high school in Harlem, N.Y. He will not play basketball there.

“These days, there are so many young kids who leave home to go to school,” Miller said.

“In Sidiki’s case, being able to return home at this time is a really positive thing in his own home life. He returns home to the school, really, in his neighborhood. … It’s in his best interest to return home where he’s from.”

(more…)