Arizona sure could have used McCray
Cats lose to WSU on 50th anniversary of UA game scoring mark
RELATED LINK: Richard Paige, the UA’s media relations specialist for men’s basketball, recently wrote an in-depth article about Ernie McCray’s record-setting night 50 years ago
Ernie McCray’s 46 points against Cal State-Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 1960, stands as the UA’s single-game record a half-century later (University of Arizona photo)By Javier Morales
For a while, it appeared long-ago Wildcat player Ernie McCray would have more points on this historic day than the current Arizona team.
McCray scored a UA-record 46 points on Feb. 6, 1960, against Cal State-Los Angeles at Bear Down Gym. The scoring mark has withstood the likes of Coniel Norman, Herman Harris, Sean Elliott, Damon Stoudamire and, most recently, Jerryd Bayless.
By the time Arizona eclipsed 46 points as a team against Washington State tonight less than nine minutes remained and the Cats appeared to being going through the motions. They trailed 55-47 at that time but the Cats would not get closer as the Cougars pulled away for a dominating 78-60 victory against the listless Cats.
UA coach Sean Miller went so far as to tell play-by-play man Brian Jeffries afterward that “enough is enough” in terms of the Wildcats’ road trips thus far in the Pac-10. The Cats have only two remaining road games — against the Bay area schools, which they just swept last week at McKale Center to gain a share of the Pac-10 lead.
“Five of our next seven games are at home, so we have to come off the road, settle in and take a deep breath,” Miller told Jeffries as part of the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network postgame show. “We need to get healthy and play with great energy against the Oregon schools next week.”
The Wildcats first play Thursday against Oregon, which they beat last month in Eugene. The Wildcats must guard against becoming too relaxed and believing the Ducks, 20-point losers at Oregon State tonight, will lay down for them.
UA guard Nic Wise, who scored only 10 points, told Matt Muehlebach in the IMG broadcast that Washington State played with a purpose after losing three consecutive games to UCLA, Washington and ASU by an average of 15.7 points.
“They played more physical than us,” Wise said. “They played harder. They didn’t want to lose four in a row and not two in a row at home (after losing to ASU on Thursday).”
Arizona, which does not want to lose at home the rest of the way, should come out with the same resolve this weekend against the Ducks and Beavers and next week against ASU. If the UA takes care of the home court and happens to split in the Bay area that means the Cats conclude the regular season by winning six of their last seven games.
That would equal an 18-12 overall record and 12-6 in the Pac-10, which might be good enough to get into March Madness for the 26th consecutive year. If the UA earns less than six wins the rest of the season, it puts itself in the certain position of having to win at least a couple of games in the Pac-10 tournament.
Can the UA go 6-1 to end the season? Five of those games are at McKale Center, so why not?
“This is a big moment of truth for our team,” Miller told Jeffries, referring to how the UA responds from one of its worst performances of the year against Washington State. “We’re at the same point we were after the San Diego State game (which the UA lost 63-46 on Dec. 12). Where do we go from here? We just have to go back to the drawing board and do the things that make us a good team.
“Nobody got fat and happy here (in getting swept by the Washington schools). We just have no room for error.”
One more look at McCray: The UA record-holder told Paige that he thought Bayless would break his record two years ago when Bayless had 26 points at halftime against ASU. Bayless finished with a career-high 39 points. McCray cheered on Bayless.
“I like that it’s mine, but if it’s broken, I won’t shed a tear,” he told Paige. “I’ll tell you what. I was rooting for Bayless to break it a couple of years ago. The first half he was absolutely on fire. I called my wife into the room and told her, `Babe, I think the record is going to go down today.’”
Tags: Ernie McCray, Nic Wise, Richard Paige, Sean Miller
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February 6th, 2010 at 10:31 PM
Wow, I hadn’t realized that the Cats have played 52% (12) of their games away from home. Washington, for example, has played 26% (6) of their games away from home. That is a dramatic contrast. I can only imagine that the nightmare of a trip to Pullman has Miller at the brink as well.
I’d have to think that their is a better more logical way to approach the Washington road games…That’s just brutal. Staying in Idaho? I know it’s only 30 minutes from Pullman, but it’s still an additional bus ride..
February 6th, 2010 at 10:36 PM
Looking up and down the current UA roster and looking ahead at what’s coming in, hard to see who, if anybody, can even come close to Ernie The ‘Cat’s 46. If The Germ, ‘Corn, Elliott, Mighty Mouse D Stoud or JB couldn’t do it, I don’t see it happening any time soon. It’s also a matter of when Arizona’s scorers score, that means there are 4 players in double figures, with no one scoring more than, what, 15, 20, 25 points. Bejarano has been known to get 30 or 40 in some games, so maybe he’ll come close at least. It would be nice to see an Arizona kid break an Arizona kid’s record, wouldn’t it? But not necessarily. D Will, if he got rolling and Miller let him, could probably do it this season.
A couple observations, Javier & Co. after tonight’s WSU game:
1) Is Parrom playing an all-around better game than Hill, to the point that the minutes breakdown should be this off kilter: 15 KP, 8 So Hill? Love Kevin’s fight, energy, no-backdown approach to things, but the ‘Cats also need some points anyway they can manufacture them. Hill, while not as much as a physical force as No. 3, does bring some scoring from all over the court, so the opposition has to play it a little more honestly when No. 44′s in the game, if you know what I mean.
2) Seems UA always gets the most out of its competition – dondescript, never play a lick, much less score a bunch, competition. Case in point tonight: That kid who’s wet behind the ears named Motum (sp?), who comes off Bone’s bench and stuns the ‘Cats for 10. Where in the world did this guy come from?
3) Motum 10, MoMo-B Lav 2 (on Jones FTs). Otherwise, the un-dynamic duo played a combined 28 minutes, going 0-9 on 2 PT. FGs, and 0-5 on 3 PT. FGs.
4) But I’ll never, ever blame these two for what happened or didn’t happen, not when I see how Wise, Horne and Fogg did absolutely nothing to lead their team to victory. In fact, these three hurt the team in this game – this whole weekend – more than anything. It’s amazing to me the ease with which these guys let their team lose, and then to hear Nic speak with even more ease as he sits at the mic and says that the other team wanted it more…Beyond belief. I hope this guy parlays that 2.5 in Sociology into something because it’s slim-pickens after May.
February 6th, 2010 at 10:41 PM
mikey: Traveling in and out of Pullman is a chore. It’s only a 30-minute bus ride but it’s a winding road through nothing, especially if you are kid from New York City or Los Angeles. And you’re right about the schedule. It’s a tall task for any team, be it young or old, to play seven of its first 11 conference games on the road. But I think that will have more of a positive effect on the UA rather than a negative one down the stretch. Not only do they have five of their last seven games in Tucson but they should be decidedly stronger mentally to deal with the upcoming challenges after playing so many road games.
February 7th, 2010 at 5:32 AM
George, WSU matches up well with us. They were coming off of three in a row at home and pumped for victory. I kind of think we’re still getting everyone’s best shot too, considering where we were in the standings. I also agree that if we had played WSU first this weekend it would have been us with the split. Shoulda, woulda, coulda…. This was just one of those nights. If you watched the game we played totally out of character. We’d get ourselves in the game and then dribble the ball off someone’s foot, step out of bounds, throw it out of bounds, whatever. As someone else said, “it happens.”
What next?
UW the road warriors must go play at Cal and Furd next weekend (UW has 5 road games left). Hopefully They’ll split and beat Cal. Cal is the first game of their trip. Udub will be pumped for this game, they are in the hunt and will be driven to prove they belong and can win on the road. Cal is sitting alone atop the standings, prime for plucking. A dub win at Cal, bay area split looks likely because they will probably go into Furd off an emotional high. Then UCLA has to play at SC this week (they have 5 road games left too). So one of LA schools are going to lose, hopefully UCLA loses just because I can’t stand them. UCLA/SC must go to Washing and AZ. Finally, ASU must come to McKale.
We just need to go home, lick our wounds, and protect home court. Our remaining schedule really does favor us. But we are going to have to beat Cal at Berkely, which I think is possible. And I’d love to beat Cal again especially after hearing some of P Christopher’s comments after our previous match-up.
Bear Down fellas. Bear Down!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:29 AM
young team. not surprised by the double loss in washington this week. they will bounce back.
im excited to see if miller makes changes this week. i would love to see hill replace horne in the starting lineup — much more upside to his game. i hope it happens, and sends a message to horne.
wake-up time horne.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:08 AM
I purposely waited till the morning to throw in my two cents. I was afraid I would do nothing more than rant last night.
We didn’t do a lot of things right but here is what we did do. We played the game as we had prepared for it. Clay with 14, Moore with 12, that is well below their season averages. WSU’s 3 point percentage was .300 on 3 for 10. Is this because our perimeter defense was taking away looks or was it because they had no problems taking and hitting jump shots and points in the paint? I’ll leave it to you to decide. I’m pretty sure this is what Miller meant when he said we were out-coached.
We played man-to-man because it puts you in better position to get the defensive rebound, something that we were abysmal at last night. It’s less confusing to grab rebounds in man defense than in zone, which we did play some.
If you want a real rant on Miller’s defensive philosophy, how come we can’t play a little full or half court pressure to see if we can get some game changing turnovers? There are points where it is obvious the differential in score is not changing and this is good time to pull the rabbit-out-of-the-hat, so to speak. Right after a make, bring the pressure. We don’t have to live and die by the pressure, just change it up and see what happens. A 13 point differential is really hard to erase in the last five minutes of a game.
Lutefan paints a positive picture for Pac Ten standings for the remainder of the season, lets hang our hat on that. Javier, as a younger man, we would try to grab air on some of those hills. I was the only way to beat the boredom.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:17 AM
Javier…most have been awhile since you made the trip =] It is 77 miles(min 90min.) thru never ending wheat fields. This year broke my string of 7 UA vs WSU games…maybe I somehow knew the level they were going to play at. Except for a couple of spurts they looked un-interested. I think Wise was right WSU wanted it more in that UA didn’t seem to want much of anything. Hope it turns around at home.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:36 AM
For me, via the Coeur d’Alene corridor down route 95, take a right to Pullman in Moscow. (Highway 95 is beautiful to Boise – unless you are running into high school red-neck drivers
Hopefully they fixed up some of those hill top crests.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:45 AM
Ashton…true that is a much more scenic route….I guess from LL it wouldn’t be too much of a backtrack for me to go that way….not an option for them coming from the airport…they get the wheat fields
February 7th, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Onions and Apples – eh.
I truly understand your handle. Course I was a Zag fan before being a Zag fan was cool.
February 7th, 2010 at 2:13 PM
Zangerdanger I was thinking the same thing. Prior to the UW game I was thinking Horne would not start next year and Solo would be in his place (over the summer he’ll grow into his body and shot a bit better). After this weekend (Hill was awsome against UW) I think that just got moved up to next game.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:55 AM
A split in Wash would have been nice. I also think it would have been much more achievable if we had WSU first on the trip. Cats gave everything against UW and came up with an L, which is disheartening. Couple that with the toughest road travel on the Pac10 swing and they were bound for a letdown. ASU got to do the reverse trip and take it from me, since I watched the UW/ASU game in person, they had absolutely nothing for their game in Seattle. They scored 6 pts in the first 11.5 minutes of the game! Very similar to the UW/Cal game, in that UW quickly blew their opponent off the court and controlled the whole game. Give the Cats credit that they played UW tough in Hec Ed, especially when you consider that it was essentially the UW starters vs Wise and the UA bench.
Schedule is favorable for UA down the stretch in the Pac10 conference. After the Cal game, a lot of us posted that we thought the Cats could go 6-3 in the 2nd half of the schedule as well. That is still attainable if they can win at Stanford and hold court at McKale.
February 8th, 2010 at 1:35 PM
OK, just for fun how about we post some predictions for the final Pac10 standings? Here is how I see the final standings and the rest of the year playing out.
Cal: 14-4
Az: 12-6
UW: 12-6
ASU: 10-8
USC: 10-8
WSU: 8-10
UCLA: 7-11
OSU: 6-12
UO: 6-12
Stan: 5-13
Games (home team in CAPS)
2/11- AZ over uo; ASU over osu; CAL over uw; wsu over STAN
2/13- AZ over osu; ASU over uo; uw over STAN; CAL over wsu
2/14- USC over ucla
2/18- UW over usc; WSU over ucla; cal over OSU; UO over stan
2/20- UW over ucla; usc over WSU; cal over OSU; OSU over stan
2/21- AZ over asu
2/25- CAL over ua; STAN over asu; osu over UCLA; USC over uo
2/27- ua over STAN; CAL over asu; uw over WSU; USC over osu; UCLA over uo
3/5- UA over ucla; ASU over usc; uw over UO; wsu over OSU
3/7- UA over usc; ASU over ucla; uw over OSU; UO over wsu; cal over STAN
I made the picks on the games and then tallied up the records and was surprised to see some of my own predictions. By these picks, I am predicting that: a) Cal runs the table, b) Stan and UCLA win only 1 game each over the rest of the schedule, c) UA’s only other L occurs at Haas Pav.
In hindsight, all 3 of these seem unlikely, as Cal can be had when they shoot poorly, UCLA and Stan are could easily win more than 1 game (though UCLA plays 5 of 7 on the road), and UA has been pretty streaky and unpredictable. But, that was how I picked them on first glance, so that’s what I’ll stay with. Also of note, if these predictions are true except for UA pulling off a W at Cal, then UA and Cal would tie at 13-5 and UA would win the regular season title based on head-to-head record vs Cal. But, this also has the rather improbable scenario of UA running the table for the rest of the year.
How do others see this season finishing up?
February 8th, 2010 at 4:12 PM
I think Udub beats Cal Thursday. I also think AZ beats Cal…. call me crazy. I think AZ loses one more game, perhaps a split at home against the LA schools. Okay we probably lose to Furd if we beat Cal. That’s just how college players operate. ASU could very well get swept at home by the LA schools as they don’t match up with either team.
With the way our league is this year don’t be surprised to see a three way tie for first (AZ, Cal, UW)
February 8th, 2010 at 6:36 PM
Who would you rather be right now. UNC or UA? Both looking from the outside in on the tourney. Both historic powerhouses. Both with double digit loses.
I take UA. At least we have a shot at winning the PAC-10 tourney.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:09 PM
I think those projections are a touch generous…I see us:
Win: ASU, Oregon, OSU, USC
Loss: UCLA, Cal, Stanford
This weekend a sweep is pretty necessary though.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:37 PM
You guys who are bucking for more minutes for Hill and less for Horne, or at the very least an even split, got it just right, I think. I at first thought let’s even up Hill and Parrom, but Kevin’s D, rebounding and presence are just too valuable to the team right now. I say start Hill and see if that doesn’t serve to motivate Jamelle. The only thing is, the ‘Cats need to manufacture points any way they can, and quickly. Horne should recognize that and up his game if he’s any kind of leader as a junior. This is when players, coaches and fans should be hitting their stride, not regressing. Sniff, sniff…Got a scent of March yet?
Speaking of UNC – go ‘Heels! Put one on the media darlings of Durham Wednesday…in the Dean Dome!! Musberger just said, Talking about ‘Carolina, how about the PAC-10? Not one team in the Top 25 for something like 5 weeks now…Knight got a good chuckle and rubbed it in, of course. But I’ve got to say, UNC, Louisville, U Conn, Memphis, Florida, Texas, etc – all those programs that just have to open up their doors and fall back on what ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and, of course, ESPN do best: Attract for them a Top 10 recruiting class every year – get no sympathy from me. They should be ashamed of themselves, really. Programs like Arizona and coaches like Miller have to work it for every player, every win, every good thing they get. Ain’t no one but Arizona doing Arizona’s bidding. Just like it should be.
Just a thought on Texas…Isn’t it like Longhorn coach Rick Barnes to have his team hyped up only to fall flat on their faces? Happens every year, except most times it happens in the Tourney. This time the real Barnes and the real ‘Horns come out in February. This guy’s a little like Sendek with much better players. Supposedly much better players.
And the next time you hear someone say Arizona can’t lure any more players beyond Bejarano and Mayes because it would just be too much player stacking and the recruits would be drawn away from all that competition, look at Kansas. And Tucson, Miller and the PAC-10 have got to be much better draws than Lawrence, Self and the Big 12. Got to. There’s something just not right about combo C-F Withey gladly sitting and not playing at Kansas when he’d be starting, producing and starring at UA. I know, I know…Coach Miller wasn’t here yet. Oh well. It’s probably just as well.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:56 PM
That is why I put them up there, Andrew…. for further debate. Interesting that you see UCLA as a tough opponent. I’d rank them as our 3rd easiest remaining game (behind OSU and UO). I think that UCLA’s record is fool’s gold right now. They beat UW on a buzzer beater and caught Cal on an off night for Christopher and Randle (who had the flu) and were also w/o Gutierrez. They’ve got 5 road games left and they are all tough (UW, WSU, USC, UA, ASU). Regardless, it’ll be fun to see how it all plays out.
Tough to predict UA to go 6-1 down the stretch, but that is what my heart and head tell me. Outside of Cal, the Stanford and USC games scare me the most.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:04 AM
The only probably with starting Hill and Parrom and not Horne is that it is likely Horne will sulk and we need every ounce out of that kid right now.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:12 AM
Lutefan,
Horne isn’t giving us every ounce right now. He reminds me of Salim with his pouting. (don’t get me wrong Salim was a stud) So Horne should sit and provide players that want to play (Hill, Parrom, Momo) more minutes to develop.
My thoughts.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:59 AM
Hill really should start. He has a decent handle, can pass the ball and plays bigger than Horne. The team needs players that crash the boards and help out DWill in the middle…not some sulking shot hosting 6-6 perimeter player that although he has a 40+ inch vertical rarely if ever goes for an offensive rebound. And then he throws away the inbound pass…Sorry, but I really get pissed when I look at his rebounding numbers. I think Hassan Adams was 6-4 and he easily had twice has many rebounds any given game.
Speaking of UNC and the ACC: isn’t it incredibly annoying how it is competitive balance in the ACC when BC pushes Duke to the wire (watched the game with Duke alum) but in the Pac10 it is just all around awfulness? Wouldn’t you think it would be very very different if the Pac10 had an ESPN contract? You don’t diss your own product, I guess. So I completely agree with you AzGood. And I think Whitey will pay the price down the road. Sitting on the bench rarely gets you into the NBA.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Even if Horne got benched, and showed us nothing, its the same nothing, in less minutes. Short term, Hill is probably a step down from Horne, but for the long term good of the team, having Hill start will only reap benefits. I dont see a downside to trying it, Horne cant look any MORE lost.
I can’t remember being this excited for a Pac 10 tournament though. None of the matchups will likely be set until the end of the final regular season game, and its been a while since we have had a good run in the P10T. It would be fantastic to win just so all of the AZ lovers like Lunardi, Katz, and Doyal can watch our name pop up in a bracket. And if we make it this year, we are going to DiMaggio the streak.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:18 AM
This thread is a good read, a bunch of interesting comments without all the whining and hystrionics.
AzTransplant — nice job on the projections and the analysis (including self-criticism). I know you have more background on the Huskies, but I’m surprised to see you picking them to go 4-1 in their remaining road games. I will be surprised if they can pull that off.
I’m not so sure as I was that Arizona has the best young roster in the Pac-10. That could actually be the Cougars. At least head-to-head, their freshmen and sophomores seem to have the number on UA, especially with Capers being so effective at taking Nic Wise out of his game. And right now, Miller has a Bone in his throat. So I have mixed feelings about the possibility of seeing those guys again in the tournament. You always want another chance, and it’s hard on their side to win three in a row, but sometimes the matchups just don’t stack up your way.
Obviously, Arizona can beat anyone (including WSU), but they can also lose to anyone (including in McKale). So the one thing they need to accomplish most in terms of improvement seems to be consistency (at a reasonably high level, of course). Especially consistency in getting defensive stops and rebounds. If they can do that, the offense will automatically get a boost from many more transition and early penetration opportunities.
The next three games are in a good sequence, IMO, with the most favorable matchups being UO, then OSU, then ASU. If Miller can get that good, consistent rhythm going over those three games, it will really be fun to head into Berkeley at 9-5 and playing well. Arizona does still control its own destiny against Cal, at least for the moment. Bear Down!
February 9th, 2010 at 10:20 AM
I want to win the pac-10 regular season real, real bad. I think that would be fantastic if Miller could come in and win it with a bunch a freshman. It’s still right there for the taking.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
WOW. Did you see this?
http://aaunews.org/news/?p=1784
Storey deserves to be thrown in jail. I hope the UofA sues his pants off.
If you look at the old Cactus Classics websites it doesn’t directly say that these were AAU tournaments. BUT if you look at the press room and some reports from Storey’s other website GOAZCATS there within it is very often described as such. Very very clear misrepresentation. I really really doubt Olson would have gotten involved in a none sanctioned non-regulated event.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:27 PM
STR: Great link, but I was under the impression that the Classic included AAU teams, but was not exactly an AAU tournament. At any rate, a pointed response like this from the AAU is not what Arizona needs right now. Media outlets that reported that it was an AAU event will be required to rehash this in their papers/Internet sites. The bad news, in turn, lingers and gets more play. Not good.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:09 PM
I just read the story on the CNNSI website about the Cactus Classic. Not good. This story may have legs that I wish it didn’t have.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:21 PM
http://jimstoreyproperties.com/
Looks like he is also a realtor. Maybe he can hook some players up with below market rate rent, or free vacant houses, and buy kegs and bring them hookers.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:22 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/george_dohrmann/02/08/arizona/index.html?eref=sihp
Good Lord….I did not realize we had become the front page story on CNNSI….this is bad
February 9th, 2010 at 3:29 PM
Javier,
I posted a similar thread on Pascoe’s blog last week, but was wondering if you think the UA has anything in the works in the way of a tribute to Nic Wise on Senior Day. There exists the possibility to have all 4 of Nic’s collegiate coaches on the court with him on that day. Certainly Miller and Lute will there. Az just happens to be playing USC on senior day, so KO will be there as well. I checked Grand Canyon’s schedule, and they have a home game the same night. So, if the UA/USC game (currently TBD start time) can get the earliest Pac10 time slot on Saturday, then perhaps Pennell could make the trip to Tucson for Nic and still be back in plenty of time for his game prep. It would provide the unique opportunity to have Nic and his 4 different coaches for a photo op. Granted, it also requires Lute and KO to be in close contact, which might not fly. It would be pretty neat if it came together, though. Also, is it known whether Pennell’s split from the UA was on amicable terms?
February 9th, 2010 at 3:34 PM
Here is the SI article. Holy cow.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/george_dohrmann/02/08/arizona/1.html
But I was wondering if there were tournaments like the Cactus Classic and oh shocker…Duke and UNC have been doing it for a while.
“The idea was first presented to an AAU coach well known by the coaches, according to a source close to the program, but that coach declined.” This comes up a couple of times. KO is that you again. Maybe we should be surprised Andy Katz isn’t breaking this. Or would this be to obvious.
Anyways, I really hate this. If there is somebody with knowledge of this they were at the very least complicit at the time. And now they run their mouth but can’t fess up to it? Super.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:03 PM
That SI article really hurts. Simply because the idiot plastered his own bias all over the whole thing. I do admire his incredible and artistic use of “Citations”.
In reference to Arizona’s commitment to ethical competition he states:
“That may be true of the basketball program now under first-year coach Sean Miller, who succeeded Olson, but that wasn’t the case in 2006.
His article is all smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but a bunch of he said, she said, they said….extrapolations. The fact that it keeps coming up though, is definitely bad for us.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:50 PM
bah… this will go away just like all the crap going on at SC, Memphis, UNCONN, etc..
February 9th, 2010 at 5:04 PM
Let ‘em keep it going. Lute’s legacy is already tarnished, but who really believed he was a saint anyway? The more they kick this around, the more it invites a contrast with the young Sean Miller regime, and the more that “new Arizona brand” is dangled in front of potential recruits. We’ll never be able to measure the effect, and there’s a lot still to play out with NCAA rulings, but my guess right now is it will have either no long-term effect or maybe even a boost for Miller and UA going forward.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:34 PM
this too shall pass. SC has operated with impunity for the last 5 years and got away with a 1 yr. post-season ban and a couple of other slaps on the wrist. i’d be very surprised if the NCAA imposed further sanctions.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:35 PM
AzTransplant: The idea is a unique one. I will attempt to get your answer through Arizona and Grand Canyon. At least three of his college coaches will be there and his high school coach from Kingwood HS in Houston (Royce Huseman) might be in attendance too. His father, Greg Wise, is the head coach at Yates High School in Houston but he did not coach Nic at that level. The elder Wise will definitely be there. It would be nice for Josh Pastner to make an appearance, but Memphis plays that day. Pastner recruited Wise to Arizona. Both attended Kingwood High.
By the way, last month, Yates, which has Jawann McClellan as an assistant, beat an opponent 170-35, setting a Texas high school scoring record. The lopsided score was controversial, but you can’t fault Greg Wise. He played his third-stringers for most of the game. After an intentional foul was called against the team playing Yates in the third quarter, each team was allowed to play only five players the rest of the game. What was Greg Wise supposed to do? Tell his guys to lay off? He does not do that in practice.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:52 PM
Maybe they’ll get videos from Pennell and/or Pastner if they can’t be there.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:02 PM
The SI article does not shed much new light on the situation for people in Arizona who have followed this, but it’s news elsewhere. The most interesting part is how Dohrmann tied in Bob Gibbons’ event in North Carolina into the story. His message is that all major hoops programs try what they can to get a recruiting edge. The letter to the Rebounders Club is what exposed this mess. If Olson does not agree to have his signature on the letter does anything happen, or does the Cactus Classic come off like a Bob Gibbons special in North Carolina?
February 9th, 2010 at 9:11 PM
Nice gesture AzT, but do we really want to welcome O’Neill in this way? I’m sure Wise and UA would rather beat SC and this sad excuse for a coach 171-34 instead. That would be the ultimate justice for what this weasel put the program through and honor Nic in the most dramatic, and fitting, way possible.
Javer, is there precedence in the NCAA for an “offense” like the one committed by UA – essentially a head coach, knowingly or not, having his signature placed on a letter which asks for donations to a basketball camp or tournament meant to aid Tucson, its basketball community and those playing in said event in particular with a higher class operation this money would bring to the organization?
If so, what penalty was handed out by the NCAA?
There’s got to be a hierarchy of offenses or ranking of “crimes” against the NCAA and its member institutions, with an appropriate penalty to fit any particular infraction, I’m thinking. Does such a list-out exist? And taking institutions of higher learning, and balling, who’ve most recently committed an infraction or more to one degree or another – and I’m thinking of U Mass (b-ball), Memphis (b-ball), Cincinnati (b-ball), Kansas St (b-ball), Indiana (b-ball), Florida St (football), SC (football and b-ball), ASU (baseball…) as prime examples – can you illustrate for us penalties apllied for such infractions?
In the case of Clerical and Administrative Errors Murphy, for example, the NCAA accused the Devils of infractions involving telephone-recruiting violations, impermissible coaching activities, employment of student athletes and relationships with outside contractors. In the NCAA’s eyes, what kind of penalties would fit these crimes? Where do these crimes rate in severity compared to, let’s say, the UA b-ball program’s? Or better yet, take what has been handed down to SC b-ball and put it in the context of what could be given to the ‘Cats. Does this help you better understand what I’m after? Scenarios – can you give us likely scenarios based on precedence, history, what’s happening now elsewhere? Doable?
February 10th, 2010 at 5:11 AM
As far as the Bob Gibbons event in NC, how is what AZ did really any different from that? Because some guys who were eventually hired by AZ as coaches attended? Or the funding? It’s all a bunch of crappola.
Another example of those on Tobacco road getting preferential treatment. How dare we try to compete?
February 10th, 2010 at 3:29 PM
Javier you are right the SI article doesn’t shed a whole lot of light on this issue. But it does bring up a couple of very interesting things.
1) How are Bob Gibbons tournaments funded? Boosters or shoe companies? If it is Nike, UNC sure seems to have an odd relationship with them. Almost as odd as Oregon…but that is another story.
Dohrmann claims the current UofA players had to pay back money for food received during the tournament. Horne and Lavendar recently said they got interviewed, but were never asked to pay anything back. So it seems he is wrong on this one.
2) Coaches aren’t allowed to attend these tournaments during dead periods, but somehow they get their hands on game tape ASAP after the game. And they get to talk to recruits of eliminated teams. Recruiting edge? If that isn’t a complete understatement. No wonder Arizona coaches wanted in on this. Also, there is no way this occurs at other campuses without the cooperation and input of University basketball staff.
3) Dohrmann, the author, claims it was Simon’s and Pastner’s idea. Given the timeline of Simon’s presence on the coaching staff this fits well. But even if it was their idea, is there anything wrong with it? Hundreds of college coaches run their own basketball clinics during the off season and every single one of those presents an opportunity to interact with recruits unofficially. So if coaches can hold camps why can’t they lay the ground work for an amateur tournament?
4) I think the worst thing in the entire article is the fact how Olson and Simon might have financially benefited from their interaction with Storey through the sale of memorabilia. Certainly makes them look less innocent.
5) So Storey wore an Arizona shirt and while chatting with Olson could have been mistaken for an assistant coach? What does that prove? Is it a violation to wear Arizona gear and to talk to a coach? That is simply ridiculous and for a Pulitzer winning author downright pathetic.
6) Isn’t it amazing how up front Olson and the staff was about this? “”It’s like guys getting an unofficial visit to the campus,” Olson told the Star.” Given the precedent of Tobacco road tournaments there also isn’t anything illegal about any of this so far. Dohrmann says himself the setup didn’t not explicitly break NCAA rules. All SPIN.
7) Dohrmann also makes a huge deal out of the fact that UofA boosters also donated to the Cactus Classic. Shocker…people donating money to college basketball programs are more likely to donate money to a local amateur tournament. There is no way this isn’t true for other tournaments as well.
9) Lute messed up. They shouldn’t have send the letter. But really I don’t get it, if coaches can hold clinics why can’t they ask for money for tournaments?
10) On a positive note: Dohrmann, in contrast to his ESPN brethren, writes that Jennings was to dull to qualify to play.
Sorry, for this long rant. I mostly needed to get this off my chest. I really think the whole NCAA is a crook.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:19 PM
Schools that will most likely be in consideration will be; fresno st, sdsu,
Bosie st, gonzaga, byu, utah, unlv and nevada.
Should colorado make a call they would move to the top of the list.
The priority schools should have solid football programs. Eliminate unlv, nevada, gonzaga, sdsu.
That leaves byu, utah, fresno st and bosie..
Eliminate bosie bc their bb program is worthless.
That leaves 3. You could take all 3 (you’re gonna have to split the conference anyway)
But byu and utah are really the only logical additions.
They aren’t the sexy picks like sdsu, bosie but they are the only two that may actually make the conference better.