"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

Believes hard work will improve NBA draft status

By Anthony Gimino and Javier Morales

Since Lute Olson arrived in Tucson, the longest gap for Arizona to go without a first-round selection in the NBA draft is five years, from Olson’s start in the 1983-84 season until 1988-89. That’s when Sean Elliott and Anthony Cook were selected in the first round, the first Wildcats to be picked that high since Larry Demic was the ninth overall selection in the 1979 draft. With Derrick Williams gaining more notoriety nationally as a potential NBA talent, Sean Miller and Arizona are a safe bet to avoid that five-year drought (Jordan Hill was the ninth overall pick last year). The question is whether Williams will try to be a first-rounder next year or the year after following his junior season.

Williams, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, has NBA on his mind, especially after Thursday’s draft. “I’m done talking about people in this draft,” Williams’ Facebook status reads. “Just gunna sit back and relax. … 365 days and I could be there … But only hard work will determine that. Let’s get it in.” Williams, who is in Chicago this weekend participating in the NIKE Amar’e Stoudemire Skills Academy for power forwards and centers, must have been itching for a chance to prove himself as being NBA worthy after watching fellow freshmen like John Wall, Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins get selected among the first five picks in the NBA draft. Williams joined those guys and Kansas forward Xavier Henry, also selected in the first round Thursday, on the Sporting News College Basketball All-Freshmen Team. Before last season, Williams talked about extending his game to the perimeter as a wing player, but he was forced to play mostly as a post player because of a lack of talent and experience at that position. The fact that he is participating in the Stoudemire power forward and center camp shows that Miller and his staff want him to further develop his skills around the basket rather than work mostly on his perimeter ball-handing and shooting skills. That could partly be a result of Arizona failing to land power-forward recruits Kadeem Jack or Eloy Vargas. …

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Average longevity in NFL for UA tight ends is five years

By Javier Morales

Trivia: Despite playing only two years at Arizona, Rob Gronkowski shares a distinction with UA legends Ricky Hunley, Chris McAlister, Mike Dawson, and John Fina — among others. Nope, not first-round selections because Gronkowski slipped to the second round Friday in this year’s NFL draft. No, never losing to ASU is not the answer. The answer: Gronkowski is the highest drafted UA player at his position, tight end, similar to Hunley (linebacker), McAlister (defensive back), Dawson (defensive tackle) and Fina (offensive tackle). In the history of UA football, only six UA tight ends, including Gronkowski, have been selected in the NFL draft. Three of them have been picked by New England. The list of six: Gronkowski (second round, New England), Brandon Manumaleuna (2001, fourth round, St. Louis); Mike Lucky (1999, seventh round, Dallas); Roderick Lewis (1994, fifth round, Houston Oilers); Richard Griffith (1993, fifth round, New England); and Mark Keel (1983, ninth round, New England). …

Thanks mostly to Manumaleuna, who is still in the league after 10 seasons, now with Chicago after signing a five-year deal in March, the average longevity of these former UA tight ends in the NFL stands at five years. Griffith lasted seven years, Lewis four, Lucky three and Keel played only one (in 1987) despite arguably being the most talented of them all. Keel, however, played three seasons in the USFL before splitting 1987 with Kansas and Seattle. … Since the 2000 draft, 31 tight ends have been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL. The Patriots have selected two of them, each first-rounders. They are Ben Watson in 2004 out of Georgia and Dan Graham in 2002 from Colorado. Neither flourished. Watson signed a free-agent deal with Cleveland after six seasons at New England, but he was often criticized for missing practice because of nagging injuries. Graham spent five seasons with the Pats before signing a free-agent deal with Denver in 2007. He caught only two touchdown passes for New England in his last season. Folks in New England have apparently forgotten these two relatively unsuccessful picks and are welcoming Gronkowski with open arms. “Gronkowski is a guy that, in two years, fans are going to wonder why he wasn’t a first round draft pick,” James Christensen of nepatriotsdraft.com writes. “His inline blocking ability combined with his solid receiving skills makes him perfect for the Patriots’ system. Combine the best things about Daniel Graham and Ben Watson, and you have Gronk.” …

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Lavender shines despite a lack of confidence before Cal game

RELATED LINK: Steve Rivera of TucsonCitizen.com writes that Arizona is aboard a sinking ship to nowhere

By Javier Morales

If you have a different solution, explain it in the comment section below this entry.

Nic Wise should be thinking ahead to a potential NBA future. Jamelle Horne should have double-digit double-doubles. Arizona coach Sean Miller, whose team was tied with Cal for first place at the turn of the Pac-10 season, should be carrying the torch to a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Brendon Lavender broke out of a funk and his hot shooting kept Arizona relatively close in the first half against Cal

Unless Arizona somehow finds its way out of the forest where it is lost, and wins the Pac-10 tournament, the Wildcats will be shut out from all of those scenarios.

“We don’t have a lot of confidence,’’ Miller told play-by-play man Brian Jeffries after Arizona’s 95-71 loss at Cal on Thursday night. “Really, for the last couple of days in practice, you could sense that our guys are a little bit beaten down.’’

The most ironic aspect of the lopsided loss to the Golden Bears is that Arizona’s least confident player going in — Brendon Lavender — was one of its most effective players. Wise and Horne should take note about how Lavender conducted himself when he apparently was down and out enough to potentially consider a transfer by season’s end.

Arizona’s coaches told Lavender to not think so much and just play. That should go especially for Wise, Horne and the shell-shocked Kyle Fogg, although it’s usually the established players who are more difficult to change.

“You can see some guys kind of going away,” Miller said in the post-game press conference. “You can see some guys continuing to fight and some young players that are playing their butts off and trying to become the best that they can be.”

Read the rest of this entry at TucsonCitizen.com

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Cats have to adjust with Parrom not on trip

Analysis by Javier Morales

RELATED LINK: Anthony Gimino updates Kevin Parrom’s status

Where: Haas Pavilion (11,877)

When: 7 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: ESPN will be televise nationally with Dave O’Brien and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin calling the action. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries/Personnel developments: UA freshman forward Kevin Parrom did not make the trip to the Bay area for undisclosed reasons. The school has yet to release anything, but Parrom attended classes this morning. As far as Cal is concerned, center Max Zhang went down with a collapsed lung Monday and is out indefinitely. Senior forward Patrick Christopher missed practice last week with tendinitis in his knee, but should play. Backup center Markhuri Sanders-Frison is playing with back problems and forward Omondi Amoke has an injured shoulder. They are expected to be available.

Bet you didn’t know …: Cal limited Oregon without a field goal in the last 10:33 of last week’s 64-49 win over the last-place Ducks? The Golden Bears have limited opponents to 60 points or less eight times this season.

They said it: “It’s everything. It’s history. You’d come back to school 10, 20 years from now and you’d be the team, the first one to win the Pac-10 championship.” — Cal senior forward Jamal Boykin in reference to potentially Cal’s first conference title in 50 years.

Arizona Basketball Insider: From The Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe

Matchups

BACKCOURT

Three seniors are involved in this scenario — Cal’s Christopher and Jerome Randle and Arizona’s Nic Wise — which is not always the case in a Pac-10 game. The other is sophomore guard Kyle Fogg, who is either bound to shoot his way out of a funk, or has succumbed to a sudden lack of confidence. Fogg has also had unexplained turnovers late in recent losses to Oregon State and ASU. If you recall last year in his freshman season, Fogg was a shoo-in for the Pac-10′s all-freshman team but he practically disappeared in the second half of the conference. The same thing is happening this season. Playing against Randle and Christopher, Wise and Fogg need to set the tone from the beginning that they won’t be timid or frustrated. Easier said than done against a duo that is averaging 35.1 points a game. However, Randle and Christopher are susceptible to shaky play themselves: They have have 175 assists combined but also 140 turnovers. Advantage: Cal, because of the experience factor, playing at Haas as their careers wind down, and because of the pure ability of Randle and Christopher.

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OSU wins at McKale for first time since ’83; damages Cats’ NCAA hopes

Jamelle Horne had one of his better games, posting 15 points and 14 rebounds, but fellow upperclassman Nic Wise was 1 of 11 from the field against the Beavers

RELATED LINK: Longtime Arizona beat reporter Steve Rivera offers his analysis at TucsonCitizen.com

By Javier Morales

One streak definitely ended: Last-place Oregon State stopped 27 years of frustration at McKale Center on Saturday. Because of that, another streak is likely over: The Cats’ 25-year run in the NCAA tournament.

Cross the UA officially off the NCAA bubble talk because of the damaging 63-55 loss to the Beavers, who also swept the season series from the Wildcats for the first time since Ben Lindsey coached in 1982-83.

UA coach Sean Miller showed frustration in the postgame press conference, saying, “You know, I’m not for everybody. I’m not for everybody. … As a coach you have that identity where you have some guys playing your way good or bad. I don’t want a guy who plays (hard) when things are only going good. That’s what I’m here for. That’s why I’m here and we’ll address that. It’s an important week for us to get ready.’’

He also said this loss puts him at “rock bottom” in his 23-year career as a player and coach.

The loss to Oregon State, which was tied for last in the Pac-10 with Oregon entering the day, was more than just another ordinary defeat.

The Beavers (11-13 overall and 5-7 in the Pac-10) entered the game with an RPI of No. 197. In the last two weeks, the Cats have lost to No. 116 Washington State and the Beavers. In fact, the UA went 0-4 against WSU and OSU this season.

The Wildcats are now 13-12 and 7-6 with a showdown against ASU (18-8, 8-5) looming next week in Tucson.
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Arizona victory tops Cats’ Must-Happen Checklist

Analysis by Javier Morales

Where: McKale Center

When: 8:30 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: Fox Sports Network will be there with Barry Tompkins and former UCLA player Don MacLean calling the action. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries: None reported by either school.

Common non-conference opponents: None.

Bet you didn’t know …: Arizona and Oregon each average 72.2 points per game. The Wildcats’ field-goal percentage is 43.8; Oregon’s percentage is 43.7.

They said it …: “If we start off bad, it will be hard to come back. We need to jump on them early, and match intensity with them.” — Oregon’s Jeremy Jacob as reported by Bob Clark of the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard

Matchups

Oregon guard Malcolm Armstead had 16 points in the Ducks’ 74-60 loss to Arizona last month

BACKCOURT

Doesn’t it seem that diminutive guard Tajuan Porter has played at Oregon for about 10 years now? That’s what happens when a player like Porter starts out strong as a freshman and continues to play well, but not dominating enough to leave before his four years have expired. Porter vs. Nic Wise has been entertaining at times because each can shoot from the perimeter and occasionally make spectacular drives to the basket. Porter had a 4-1 start against his counterpart, but the Wildcats have won three straight to even the score. Porter’s backcourt mate Malcolm Armstead is a waterbug-like player who generates opportunities for the Ducks through his defense. Armstead has 46 steals in 22 games, which has him at 2.1 steals per game. He is on pace to record approximately 69 steals, which would be a new single-season school record (the current leaders advanced to the NBA: Terrell Brandon, Fred Jones and Luke Ridnour with 63). Advantage: Close edge to Arizona. This is the time when seniors step forward; Wise, who outscored Porter 19-5 in Eugene last month, should answer the call at home as his career winds down. Kyle Fogg is averaging 14.7 points a game in Pac-10 play but he is susceptible to turnovers, especially against Armstead.

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Cats look to avenge last-second loss to Cougs last month

Analysis by Javier Morales

Where: Friel Court (11,671)

When: 6:30 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: Fox Sports Northwest will be there with Washington State announcers Greg Heister and Craig Ehlo (former Cougar and NBA player) calling the action. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries: None reported by either school.

Common non-conference opponents: None.

Bet you didn’t know …: Washington State in its game notes inadvertently refers to Nic Wise as leading the “Sun Devils” with 15.6 points a game. Even though it’s a mistake, some ardent UA fans probably think of it as sacreligious.

They said it …: “If he can get 15 (3-point attempts) up Saturday, I’m fine with that.” — WSU coach Ken Bone concerning leading scorer Klay Thompson in an interview with the Spokesman-Review.

Reggie Moore is the only starting freshman point guard in the Pac-10. A sign of his potential: He made a WSU freshman record 12 free throws at highly-rated K-State earlier in the year, which means he creates opportunities off the dribble.

Matchups

BACKCOURT

Which were the only programs that really wanted guard Reggie Moore when he attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle a couple of years ago? Fresno State and Santa Clara were the first to offer scholarships. Moore actually signed a letter of intent with Fresno State but requested out of it to attend prep school at the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire last season. UA coach Sean Miller and the rest of the league’s coaches wish Fresno State could have sealed the deal. As it stands now, Moore is a legitimate All-Pac-10 player candidate and potential freshman of the year along with Arizona’s Derrick Williams. Moore had 20 points and three assists — the most important a pass to to DeAngelo Casto for the game-winning shot — in WSU’s 78-76 win in Tucson last month. Moore and sophomore Marcus Capers form one of the best backcourts in the league despite their youth, combining for 21.4 points and 8.7 assists per game. Advantage: With the game in Pullman, Moore and Capers get the nod over Wise and Kyle Fogg, although Wise and Fogg have the maturity to bounce back from a subpar performance at Washington on Thursday.

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