"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

Recruit has Florida AAU past similar to Vargas

Damien Leonard/Video of Leonard available at FloridaHoopsRecruits.com

By Javier Morales

The third Rivals.com Five-Star recruit in the last year will visit the UA campus next week, and the reality is the Wildcats might be facing another uphill battle to land such a highly-touted player. Class of 2011 shooting guard Damien Leonard of Greenville (S.C) J. L. Mann — the No. 14 prospect in his class according to Rivals.com — reportedly will take a trip to Tucson on an unofficial visit. Class of 2010 Five-Star recruits Doron Lamb (Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill Academy) and Josh Selby (Baltimore Lake Clifton) took official visits during the season. Lamb is headed to Kentucky and Selby to Kansas, and by some accounts, they eliminated Arizona from consideration long before they announced their decisions April 17. So why would UA coach Sean Miller want to go through the anguish of yet another high-profile recruit visiting Arizona, possibly all for naught? Moreover, why another shooting guard when the UA will already have Kyle Fogg, Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes and Brendon Lavender when Leonard is a freshman in 2011-12?

The best explanation is Miller does not take into account star systems and rotation issues when the best possible prospect shows an interest in Arizona. Does anybody want a head coach with a defeatist attitude? Memphis coach Josh Pastner, formerly of the UA as a player and coach, has the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class despite operating still in John Calipari’s shadow. Calipari had the No. 1 class last year after moving to Kentucky and his class is second this year to his former assistant at Memphis. Knowing Pastner, he never doubted he could recruit as well as Calipari did with the Tigers. In fact, Pastner takes it as a challenge to be better. “They did not hire me to fill a spot; they hired me to carry on what Coach Cal started, and I intend to build on that,” Pastner told me before his first season started. Pastner has never thought he has to recruit a lesser player because he’s not Calipari. Pastner has enjoyed more recruiting success at Memphis than Miller has at Arizona, based on the Rivals.com recruiting rankings. Pastner inked his first Five-Star recruit — Wolfboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy wing player Will Barton — last June, before he coached his first game with the Tigers. Barton reportedly showed interest in the UA program but he never visited Tucson. … Pastner’s Five-Star success — he has also signed top-notch wing player Jelan Kendrick of Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler — has a lot to do with his recruiting ability but also because of the aura Calipari gave that program. True, Lute Olson created the same type of appeal at Arizona, but by the time Miller arrived, Olson was two years removed the program. If Pastner coached Memphis under the same circumstances with Calipari already gone for two years would he be enjoying the same success? Something to think about. …

Why is Leonard considered a long-shot? Before news broke about his unofficial visit next week no mention has been made of Arizona recruiting the 6-4, 180-pound prospect. A significant reason why the Wildcats have gained Leonard’s interest is the firing of Oliver Purnell as Clemson’s head coach. Leonard supposedly leaned toward Clemson because of Purnell, but the smooth perimeter shooter has broadened his recruiting scope. … It’s no coincidence that Leonard is visiting at the same time as former Florida forward Eloy Vargas, who played this season at Miami-Dade Junior College. Leonard and Vargas share an AAU background in Florida. Vargas’ AAU coach Kenny Gillion, who shares a friendship with UA assistant coach Book Richardson is a primary reason why the Cats are in contention for him along with Seattle. If Vargas commits to Arizona, that could strengthen Leonard’s desire to play in Tucson. It could at least catapult the Wildcats into his top five. Recruiting guru Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com reported almost three months ago that Leonard indicated five schools emerged as his favorites — Clemson, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma State — but he also said he might consider others. Coleman lists Leonard as a wing, which is the same position as potential Class of 2011 recruit Angel Nunez of Winchendon (Mass.) Prep. “Leonard faces double teams almost every night, especially when he looks to attack the rim off the dribble,” Coleman reports. “To keep the defenses on him honest, he has developed a solid jump shot from beyond the arc. That will definitely help him have a major impact at the next level as he will be a hard man to guard with his threat to score off the dribble or with his long-range jump shot. Leonard also has the ability to use his length and quickness to become a defensive stopper in college.” …

Former UA player Eddie Smith now lives near Atlanta, where he works for Community Christian School, a private school

The recruitment of JUCO players such as Vargas and Jesse Perry of Logan (Ill.) Junior College brings to mind Olson’s accomplishment signing Pete Williams and Eddie Smith from the junior-college ranks his first year in Tucson. Williams remains one of the best rebounders in UA history, and Smith became one of Olson’s best clutch players on the wing. Williams and Smith jump-started the UA program for Olson. Miller hopes that Vargas (if he signs with Arizona) and Perry can help him build a foundation with the Wildcats. Perry appears to be similar in Smith inasmuch as they can play inside-outside and get teammates involved. Williams was a rebounding machine and a necessary defensive presence, skills Vargas displays, although he is four inches taller than Williams at 6-11. … This site will release its President of U of A Athletes bracket tomorrow, and Smith belongs among those who should be considered because of what he does today. The competition is based on determining which athlete who has worn an Arizona uniform best represents the Wildcats’ athletic program nationally. Smith indicated to me this week that along with being an educator and education administrator from the kindergarten to 12th grade levels the last 20 years, he is also working for a non-profit organization called Destination Next Level, Inc., which helps young adults between 15-21 develop skills to be successful in athletics, business and the visual arts. “The best thing that we, as adults, can do for our young adults is invest in them through building a relationship,” Smith posted on his Facebook page. “Take some time to just talk and ask them questions about their world.” Smith resides in in Stockbridge, Ga., a suburb south of Atlanta, with his wife of 18 years and his two daughters. “I enjoy keeping abreast on the news regarding the real U of A,” Smith joked to me. “In the South, they have the University of Alabama and Auburn, so when I say the U of A, I am referring to Arizona. It is only a matter of retraining the people here.” …

Bennett Davison, another prominent JC transfer who helped Arizona win a national title in 1997, will return to Australia in August to play for the Gold Coast Blaze. Davison started his professional career with the Melbourne Tigers in 1999-2000 (averaging 21 points and nine rebounds) and has since played in four different countries. When the Wildcats toured Australia in 1997, a month after they won the title, almost all of them despised being Down Under. Davison, a happy-go-lucky character, was not as opposed to the trip. He agreed with me this week that Brisbane was the best spot on that Australian tour 13 years ago. Gold Coast is just south of Brisbane, and it features tropical weather similar to Hawaii. “I am glad I can finish out my career down there,” Davison said. Blaze head coach Joey Wright said in the team’s press release announcing Davison’s signing that Davison “is a major coup for us.” “Bennett is an outstanding athlete, with the versatility to play multiple positions on the floor,” Wright is quoted as saying. “The fans will love the way he plays above the rim, but it is his veteran savvy and basketball intelligence that will make him such a great addition to our squad.” … Correction: An April 3 notes column incorrectly stated that Davison and his wife and three girls continue to travel together in his basketball odyssey. Jenny Lemos-Davison, his estranged wife, indicated to me via e-mail this week that the family has not traveled together since 2007. …

Vincent Smith, Tucson High School’s football coach, is also the head coach of the women’s semi-pro team called the Tucson Monsoon (Monsoon photo)

The bloodlines of former UA basketball playeres Damon and Salim Stoudamire are rich with athleticism. Portland Jefferson (Ore.) top-flight forward Terrence Jones is a distant cousin of the Stoudamires. Another cousin, Patrick Stoudamire was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference in football three times at Western Illinois. Patrick Stoudamire, a cornerback born in Portland, is trying to make the 49ers roster as a non-drafted free agent. Patrick Stoudamire told the Oregonian that following Damon and Salim, “At first … was a burden because everybody compared me and they expected so much from me,” he said. “But I’ve learned to use it as a positive to push me through tough times that come with sports.” Patrick Stoudamire also played basketball in high school in Portland, but he was not graded high enough to play at Arizona. … Where are they now?: Remember Vincent Smith, the sizable UA offensive lineman during the Desert Swarm days? He is the one who recovered a crucial fumble, keeping a scoring drive alive in the UA’s upset of No. 1 Washington in 1993. He is still active in the game, coaching the Tucson High School football team and currently a women’s semi-professional team called the Tucson Monsoon. Smith is big in stature, heart and class. Last year, Smith told his team to purposely not cross the end zone late in a game to avoid running up the score on an opponent. That same day, a team won 77-7 in Tucson’s league. Scores like that in a semi-pro league of any kind will make a player want to quit. Smith thought about the league (which features women who volunteer their services) more than his team, which was appropriate in that circumstance. …

Carrying on the Wildcat-makes-good theme, former UA football player Tony Bouie received the help of professional athletes this week in his bid for the State Senate in Arizona. The event on Tuesday at the Deemos American Grill in Phoenix included Cardinals kicker and Fox commentator Jay Feely, Cardinals quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Matt Leinart, former UA swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen (co-host on Phoenix radio station, 98.7 “The Peak”) and former NFL players Lincoln Kennedy and Kwamie Lassiter. Kennedy, a Phoenix resident who played 11 years in the NFL, went so far as to film a promotional video for Bouie’s campaign (included with these notes). …

The NCAA announced its College World Series legends team Thursday, and the only former UA player or coach listed is Terry Francona (outfielder, 1979-80). The 25 players and three coaches were selected from a list of 95 nominees picked by the NCAA, the Omaha World-Herald and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hard to believe, in my opinion, that Jerry Kindall was not listed as a player or coach. He not only won three NCAA titles with Arizona, he remains the only player, while with Minnesota, to hit for the cycle in a CWS game. … Here’s one from the memory bank: The last player in CWS history to end a game with a pinch-hit home run was Dave Shermet’s feat in 1986 that beat Maine en route to the UA’s national title that year. Shermet, in his only CWS appearance, hit a two-out, two-strike, two-run home run in the bottom of ninth for an 8-7 victory. That could be the single-most thrilling moment in UA athletics history — not only baseball. Too bad YouTube was not around back then so it can be seen over and over again. … In terms of social networking such as YouTube, the saga of Terrence Jones’ recruitment took a turn for the worse on his Facebook page after he announced last week that he is committed to Washington (he has yet to sign, however). According to Diamond Leung of ESPN.com, Jones received hurtful messages on the page. Leung writes, “Fans at Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Oregon and Oklahoma, miffed that the 6-foot-9 Jones didn’t choose their programs on Friday, blasted Jones’ social networking sites with insults and slurs that were so offensive his sister instructed him not to read them and went in herself and deleted it all.” Jones said, “I saw some of it,” Jones said. “Really hurtful stuff.” Just another example of how recruiting is taking on a very disturbing form. …

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Tags: Damien Leonard, Damon Stoudamire, Eddie Smith, Eloy Vargas, Jesse Perry, Pete Williams, Salim Stoudamire, Tony Bouie, Vincent Smith

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