"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

Freshmen have an East coast vs. West coast battle brewing

Lamont “MoMo” Jones

By Javier Morales

Lamont “MoMo” Jones is not telling West coast recruits Solomon Hill and Derrick Williams how they don’t dress proper like they do on the East coast — at least publicly he’s not admitting to that.

Jones’ stone-faced expression is unmistakable: He is not one to fool around, mince words or “become overwhelmed by anything,” he said. Jones, a freshman combo guard from Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy by way of Harlem, N.Y., was asked at Wednesday’s media day what he will bring psychologically to the Cats from his East coast upbringing.

“A tough mentality,” Jones said, not blinking an eye. “I don’t settle for good. I don’t settle for anything. If I’m great, I want to be better. With me bringing that mentality here, my teammates will pick up on that. If they are great, they should want to be better. If we are 10-0, we want to be 20-0. If we make the (NCAA tournament) streak 26, we want to make it 27.”

Read the rest of this entry at TucsonCitizen.com: East coast vs. West coast brewing with UA

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UA has three components from the mean streets of Gotham

STREAK FACT: When the UA's NCAA tournament streak started March 15, 1985, 12-year NBA veteran Kobe Bryant was only 6 and in his first year of seven overall living in Italy because his father played professionally there.

“Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or Hollywood.
I’m taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River line
I’m in a New York state of mind.” — Billy Joel, “New York State of Mind”

By Javier Morales

What Billy Joel is getting at is that certain toughness that comes from living in the New York metropolitan area. The basketball playgrounds in the inner-city there are like havens to youngsters to get away from the harsh realities of life.

UA freshman guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones, who grew up in Harlem, has been lauded in preseason workouts with the UA as being one of the more intensely competitive players. He got that way from playing against top AAU competition in New York City and elsewhere, but it also is derived from his upbringing.

UA freshman point guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones figures to play extensive minutes for the Cats

Stoneface of Bounce magazine was descriptive of Jones’ demeanor when Jones played in a youth league game in New York City five years ago.

Jones scored 25 points in a game, all after showing up in the second half.

“The kid had a swagger that set him apart from most of 8th graders playing that day,” Stoneface wrote in July 2008. “Not only did he show up late, but he took his time. I heard kids whispering, ‘Damn, he only 13 and got a tattoo?’ He took off several rosaries and handed them to his jewelry holder … ‘Hold my jewelry,’ (Jones said) and the kid stood there the whole game holding it. He checked into the game and went to work. He played hard on D and dominated on offense.”

“I’ve seen all the movie stars in their fancy cars and their limousines,
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens,
But I know what I’m needing and I don’t want to waste more time
I’m in a New York state of mind.”

The influx of talent from Brooklyn (forward Kevin Parrom), Harlem (Jones) and Queens (UA assistant coach Book Richardson) into the UA basketball program can only mean positive results for the UA in its pursuit for a 26th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

Somehow I get the feeling that Jones, although he will be a freshman, will not hesitate to speak his mind if the UA needs a firm kick in the you-know-what midway through the Pac-10 season.

(more…)

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We start our 26 reasons why the UA will extend its tourney streak

By Javier Morales

Figuring out 26 reasons why the UA basketball team will continue its NCAA tournament streak to 26 years this season is not as easy as I first thought. Now I know what athletes mean by trying “to stay within themselves” or why coaches tell their players to “channel your energy the right way.”

I must say that I got a little ahead of myself after I read that UA alum Jeff Goodman wrote a column at FoxSports.com that stated Arizona’s streak will come to an end. I told myself there has to be at least 26 reasons why Arizona will make it No. 26 come March.

My adrenaline was flowing and the ideas rushed through my head like a swift Nic Wise maneuver to the basket. The thing is I had trouble finishing the same way Wise can when he gets to the hoop.

I typed my ideas aggressively and stalled around No. 16 or so. It gave me more of an appreciation about how long of a streak we’re talking about here and how difficult it must have been for Lute Olson and his interim successors to keep this monster going.

So bear with me, and brace yourself for some reasons that will make you say incredulously, “What the …?” I promise you, however, that none will be as questionable as the No. 26 reason. This will be a series spread over the 70 days or so from now until the season is about to tip off. Here goes:

No. 26: 2010: The Year We Make Contact

All you science fiction buffs know where I’m going with this. When anybody mentions something will happen as if by fate, they without fail bring up the idea that the stars or planets will align. Drawing from that reasoning of planetary consequences, I offer the 1984 movie titled, “2010: The Year We Make Contact” as a tie-in to the UA’s out-of-this-world tournament streak.

Something in the universe will indeed be aligned when the UA makes contact with No. 26.

Notice the years: 1984 and 2010? The UA’s longest active NCAA tournament streak started with the 1984-85 team. When the Cats make it 26 straight, it will be in the 2010 NCAA tournament.

In “2010: The Year We Make Contact” — the sequel to “2001: A Space Odyssey” — the plot includes an American team led by space agent Heywood Floyd that rockets to Jupiter to find out what happened on the Discovery space ship’s disastrous voyage. The Americans join forces with a group of Soviet astronauts to make the mission possible, although on earth, the governments of the two super-powers are preparing for a possible nuclear war.

In Arizona’s case, it was Tim Floyd who seemingly disappeared to Jupiter after being accused of giving cash to one of O.J. Mayo’s handlers. A direct result of Floyd’s hasty departure from USC: the ability of new UA coach Sean Miller to sign talented freshmen Solomon Hill, Derrick Williams and Lamont “MoMo” Jones — all former Trojan recruits.

The freshman class will be one of the 26 reasons but not today. That’s much too good of a reason to use for No. 26.

It only gets better than this. I promise (or else I will join the Floyds on Jupiter).

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NOTE: THIS IS VIDEO FROM LAST WEEKEND’S NIKE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS IN NEW YORK, IN WHICH UA RECRUIT SIDIKI JOHNSON WAS SELECTED THE MVP. JOHNSON IS NO. 14 FOR THE RED. ANGEL NUNEZ IS NO. 3 FOR THE BLACK TEAM. JUDGING FROM THIS VIDEO, JOHNSON LOOKS LIKE A VERY GOOD GET FOR UA COACH SEAN MILLER AND STAFF.

By Javier Morales

Perhaps the most surprised person to hear that he committed to Arizona is Angel Nunez himself.

“Nah, I didn’t commit,” Nunez, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound, Class of 2011 shooting guard told me Tuesday morning. “I’m not sure where that came from. I don’t understand why nobody talked to me first before that came out.”

Nunez is referring to a New York Daily News blog column written by long-time writer Dick Weiss. Weiss’ column was published Saturday and it detailed New York City talent leaving the area for prep schools elsewhere.

Weiss referenced Nunez leaving Bronx (N.Y.) Cardinal Hayes High School for the Winchendon School in Massachusetts for his junior school year, which starts Sept. 5. Weiss wrote that Nunez committed to Arizona, but he probably mistook Nunez for good friend Sidiki Johnson, a Class of 2011 recruit also from the Bronx, who has already committed to Arizona.

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By Anthony Gimino

Incoming basketball recruits Lamont “MoMo” Jones and Derrick Williams can’t sign a second letter-of-intent after being released by USC, but they can sign an offer of financial aid. They did so, according to a news release from Arizona.

“Lamont and Derrick are two strong additions to the program,” said UA coach Sean Miller. “We feel that both players fill a need for us and will add to the depth and competitiveness of our roster. These two help to make this a well-rounded recruiting class.”

* * *

Mark Bradley, a columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, likes the news that ex-Cat Mike Bibby is re-signing with the Atlanta Hawks for a reported three years and $18 million. Bibby, who is 31 and already has made more than $94 million in NBA salary, earned about $15 million last season in his first full campaign with the Hawks.

Bradley writes that with Bibby, the Hawks “became a real team.”

“To have gone so long without a point guard and to lose him now would have been a blow. But they kept him. They kept him and they added Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague, and no matter what else happens this summer must already be deemed a success,” Bradley wrote.

“The key was that Bibby didn’t overrate his current value. He’s 31. He’s not a point guard who penetrates and dishes (or, as we know, defends). He administrates and he hits open shots, and for a team that has (Joe) Johnson that’s plenty. He’s taking roughly a $9 million pay cut per season to remain a Hawk for three years more, and that says something about Bibby the pragmatist and more about the Hawks as a growing concern.

“It says Mike Bibby really likes where this team is headed. You should, too.”

* * *
The Arizona football team received a commitment Monday from defensive back Jerry Whittaker of Oceanside (Calif.) High School. He’s also a receiver of note, and a kick returner, so he’s somebody who could see an expanded role down the line. He is a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Interesting that he pegged Arizona’s facilities as a positive.

“I liked the campus. I liked the fact the athletic facilities are all tucked together,” Whittaker told the North County Times.

“I liked the fact you could park your car and walk to your classes, to practice and dinner without moving your car. It just felt comfortable to me.”

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By Anthony Gimino and Javier Morales

Arizona point guard Nic Wise will enter his senior season with a lot left to prove to the NBA scouts, although he values the input he received during workouts after he initially put his name into last month’s draft. “I just wanted to get the feedback from the teams,” Wise said. “I had no idea what they would be saying.” And what was it that they said about Wise’s game? “They said I have the total package on offense and that I would be very good with the pick-and-roll, and that is what the NBA mainly is for a point guard.” That’s the good news. The bad news is that Wise is still 5-foot-10 (or so), which limits his NBA upside. “They just said I need to work on my full-court defensive pressure,” Wise said. “At my size, I could be a liability on defense with the bigger guards posting up and things like that. They just wanted me to work on being more disruptive on defense.” …

Wise wasn’t listed among NBAdraft.net’s top 100 prospects, although several of their individual rankings were rather dubious. To illustrate what a down year it could be for the Pac-10, the league’s top prospect, according to the web site, is UCLA guard Malcolm Lee at No. 29. For sure, the Pac-10′s excellent run in the draft will end. …

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CLASS OF 2009 RELATED LINKS:

• Scout.com Top 100
• Rivals.com Top 150
• ESPNU 100
• Andy Katz: O’Neill to keep USC staff intact (and other matters pertaining to Arizona and the Pac-10)

By Javier Morales
wildaboutazcats@gmail.com

The recruiting for the Class of 2009 in the Pac-10 is practically over, save for maybe a lower-tier prospect or two for USC coach Kevin O’Neill to fill the Trojans’ depleted roster.

Lance Stephenson, thanks for the memories. The hype over Stephenson is unrivaled in Arizona basketball recruiting history. Never has a recruit, who did not even visit the Tucson campus, receive so much notoriety (thanks in part because he is from New York City and the bloggers and media there tend to sensationalize things, but that’s the Big Apple for you).

The focus can now turn to this year’s class, which signifies the impact new coach Sean Miller will have on the Arizona program. As one unit, the Wildcats’ five-man recruiting class could potentially compete in a mid-major next year such as the WAC, Mountain West and West Coast Conference. No doubt, they will give Pac-10 opponents all they can handle in 2009-2010. Matched with the rest of the returning Wildcats, including senior Nic Wise and junior Jamelle Horne, the idea of reaching the 26th straight NCAA tournament is very attainable.

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