"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

The official commitment of Los Angeles (Calif.) Fairfax High School forward Solomon Hill on Tuesday impacts Sean Miller’s program in so many ways.

In terms of talent, Hill’s eventual signing means the UA’s defense will be improved, and his versatility on the wing can break down defenses and help a point guard such as Nic Wise penetrate more and have Miller’s motion offense operating at full potential. Don’t think for a second that Hill’s commitment will not impact Wise’s decision to return. Hill’s addition can add an assist or two to his per-game average.

In terms of stature, Miller’s recruiting class this spring, which is not complete yet, will undoubtedly be ranked among the top 25 with Hill and Ukrainian import Kyryl Natyazhko committed. Natyazhko, a 6-10, 250, center, is a four-star recruit on a five-star scale, according to Rivals.com. Hill is also rated with four stars.

Consider: In five years at Xavier, Miller recruited four four-star prospects. In less than two weeks in Tucson, he will sign half of that amount.

Other ramifications: Hill helps Arizona in its Pac-10 pursuits while affecting USC, a turnabout from when Trojans coach Tim Floyd spurned the UA with the nation watching. In about 12 days since Floyd announced that he will chase his own tradition in Los Angeles, the Wildcats have emerged from embarrassment in the Pac-10 to empowerment again.

Coaches such as UCLA’s Ben Howland and Washington’s Lorenzo Romar realize that they will have it just as difficult in terms of recruiting as they had it against Lute Olson. And those trips to McKale Center will not be met with declining attendance post-Olson, but with a newfound fanaticism that will rival the atmosphere when the Cats won 71 straight home games.

Players of Hill’s ability — he is rated by Rivals.com as one of the top three at his position — make that happen.

By next week, Miller and staff could have the consensus No. 1 junior college player in the nation in post player Jarrid Famous. A starting lineup that includes Wise at the point guard position, Kyle Fogg at off guard, Hill on the wing, and Jamelle Horne, Natyazhko and Famous rotating at the other frontcourt positions means Miller has options.

The 2009-2010 season can’t start soon enough.

UPDATE: The hiring of Chris Mack at Xavier opened the door for Ohio State assistant coach Archie Miller (brother of head coach Sean Miller) to join the UA’s staff. Although Reggie Geary would have been a fine choice, Archie Miller comes with some great credentials. Buckeyes coach Thad Matta considered him one of his lead recruiters.

From time to time, we will be reaching out to members of the media, who either cover UA basketball or college basketball in general, for their insights on what is going on at McKale Center and elsewhere. Today, Arizona Daily Star sports columnist Greg Hansen has agreed to answer five of our questions that pertain to new UA coach Sean Miller and the Wildcats.

READ GREG HANSEN’S LATEST COLUMN AND BLOG AT AZSTARNET.COM

Q: UA athletic director Jim Livengood denied to you that his hiring of Miller will be his legacy. Do you agree or disagree? After the John Mackovic, Mike Stoops and now Miller hirings, what do you think Livengood will be most remembered for?
Hansen: If Miller indeed restores the program and maintains its excellence, I think the hire of Mackovic will be washed away. In all other areas — student relations, facilities building, financial responsibility, I think Livengood is among the elite ADs in the country. The Mackovic hire is his only serious blemish. The Lute (Olson) stuff, while on Livengood’s watch, is easily understood. No one had the power to force Lute to step away a year or two earlier. So I think Livengood’s legacy will be that he took Dempsey’s outstanding athletic department, which was hitting on all cylinders, and maintained it.

Q: How long do you think it will take Miller to have Arizona be at least a Sweet Sixteen team?
Hansen: By the looks of his first five days of recruiting, I would think by his second season the UA would return to the NCAA tournament, and by Year Three, Arizona might be positioned to win a game or two in the tournament.

Q: What is the worst-case scenario for Miller’s first season? The best-case scenario?
Hansen: Worst case right now is if Nic Wise doesn’t return and then it’s a 6-22 disaster. But if Wise is back, I suspect they’ll be able to go about 14-14 and maybe 6-12 in a weaker Pac-10. Best case: Probably a game or two over .500 (maybe 16-14) and close to (.500) in the Pac-10. Hard to call without recruiting being completed.

Q: What are your thoughts of how the national media perceived the Arizona program to be, some of them saying that UA basketball went as far as Olson could take it?
Hansen: Arizona basically was Lute-less from the day it lost to Illinois in the 2005 Elite Eight. So I think the transition period has hit bottom without really experiencing a disaster season. If they can continue winning 20-some games since 2005, to me it is a sign that the program is indeed among the national elite and has a chance to get back to the 1988-2005 levels in three years and certainly in four.

Q: If you were Pac-10 commissioner for a day, what would be the one thing you would change about the conference in terms of basketball?
Hansen: I might toy with the Thursday-Saturday rotation in league games, moving games to other days of the week in attempt to get some ESPN coverage regularly on say Wednesday and Sunday. But the Fox deal pays more than any ESPN connection so I don’t see them changing. Of course, I’d love to see the Pac-10 tournament rotate to Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Northern Cal instead of being stuck in the apathetic Staples Center.

UAHOOPSCOACH.COM ANALYSIS:

Livengood’s overall legacy at Arizona will be favorable. Some might argue that Livengood’s ability as an athletic director should be questioned for three reasons: His unsuccessful courting of Tim Floyd after five months of knowing he needed a replacement for Olson, his overzealousness to announce Kevin O’Neill would take over the program, and his hiring of Mackovic. However, you won’t find an athletic department head in the country who cares about his operations and its staff more than Livengood. He was able to land a young coach the caliber of Miller. That makes him a winner more than a loser.

We share Hansen’s outlook for next season. If the UA somehow has a better than .500 record overall and in the Pac-10, Miller deserves to be the conference coach of the year. Yes, the Pac-10 does not seem to be too challenging next season outside of Cal, Washington, UCLA and USC. But you know teams such as Stanford and Oregon State will be better now that Johnny Dawkins and Craig Robinson will have their system in place. Oregon should be more competitive with its young players returning. ASU will always be a difficult task with Herb Sendek there. WSU is a mystery but the Cougs have talented young players (Klay Thompson, Marcus Capers and DeAngelo Casto) and a decent coach in Ken Bone. …

With the lack of quality depth at every position next season, Miller won’t hit his stride most likely until the 2010-11 season after two successful recruiting efforts including the crop from this spring. …

Please Pac-10 consider moving your conference tournament out of Los Angeles and into Las Vegas. If the West Coast Conference can play its conference tourney in Sin City, why can’t the Pac-10? The Mountain West already has its tourney in Las Vegas with UNLV as its host. WCC held its tourney in Las Vegas for the first time this season. If the Pac-10 ever considers a move to Las Vegas, it would be a true neutral site and more fans from each school would attend because of the lure of Las Vegas. Problem is, with the Mountain West having their tourney at the same time, it will be logistically difficult. The WCC has its tourney a week before the Mountain West’s tournament at a different venue than Thomas and Mack: The Orleans Casino arena.

PROJECTED 2009-2010 ARIZONA LINEUP

The UA lineup next season could look this way if Kevin Parrom signs with the Wildcats. *Wise is testing his NBA draft status without hiring an agent. **Shumpert is a walk-on who received a scholarship last year.

POSITION	STARTER	ROTATION PLAYER
Point guard	*Nic Wise, senior	Garland Judkins, sophomore; Brendon Lavender, sophomore
Shooting guard	Kevin Parrom, freshman	Hill; Kyle Fogg, sophomore
Center	Kyryl Natyazhko, freshman	Alex Jacobson, sophomore
Power forward	Jamelle Horne, junior	Natyazhko
Small forward	Solomon Hill, freshman	Parrom; **D.J. Shumpert, sophomore

On the same evening, new UA coach Sean Miller received two verbal commitments from the type of recruits Arizona fans are accustomed to joining the program.

In fact, one of them, Solomon Hill, a highly-touted swingman from Los Angeles Fairfax, is a player Arizona has welcomed before and the new coaching staff will certainly welcome again.

According to Rivals.com, Hill re-committed to the Wildcats just hours Saturday night after Bradenton (Fla.) IMG frontcourt player Kyryl Natyazhko gave a strong verbal commitment to Miller and new UA assistant James Whitford.

Natyazhko, 6-10, 250, chose the Wildcats over ASU and Pittsburgh. Hill, who backed away from his commitment to Arizona last October when Lute Olson retired, has decided to withdraw his commitment to USC and join Miller’s first recruiting class, according to Rivals.com (which rates Hill with four stars on a five-star scale).

Kentucky’s John Calipari also made a late push for Hill, but it appears Hill has gone with his first intinct and will play for the Wildcats of Arizona. Former UA standout Chris Mills, who enjoyed a long NBA career, also hails from Fairfax and watched a few of Hill’s games this year.

“The way things look, I’m headed to Arizona,” Hill told Rivals.com. “I like Coach Miller and the new situation. There is a stable base at Arizona, and it’s looking good there.”

Rivals.com’s scouting report on Hill: Besides being a physical defender and rebounder, Hill also a steady ball handler. Along with creating plays with his ball handling in the open court, Hill also has an intriguing ability to attack the basket with a quick first step and then find the open man on the perimeter with a kick-out pass. As a scorer his three-point shot is improving, but he is best when headed towards the basket. In the end, what makes him so valuable is Hill’s ability to play any position from point guard to power forward depending on the match up.

NCAA 2009 RECRUITING CALENDAR

DATES	STATUS	NOTES
April 1-July 5	Quiet period	Exceptions listed for dates within this period
April 9-April 13	Contact period	Coaches can contact recruits directly
April 13-15	Dead period	April 15 is the start of the spring signing period, which runs to May 20
April 16-22	Contact period	Last chance for final official visits
May 21-30	Dead period	Exception built in for evaluations tied to pre-NBA draft camp
July 6-15	Summer evaluation period	Coaches can evaluate players at summer camps
July 16-21	Dead period	Coaches are allowed contact during this time with recruits who have either signed a national letter of intent or are attending summer classes
July 22-31	Summer evaluation period	Coaches can evaluate players at summer camps

Ukrainian post player Kyryl Natyazhko could not wait another week to make the inevitable happen, so he cut to the chase and let it be known Saturday that he will be Sean Miller’s first recruit at Arizona.

Natyazhko, 6-10, 250, made the announcement after he scored eight points and had four rebounds in the Kentucky Derby Festival at Louisville. The news comes as expected because Natyazhko and Miller’s staff, namely James Whitford, developed a good relationship after Natyazhko attended Xavier’s elite summer camp last year.

Whitford is now on Miller’s staff at Arizona. Neither he or Miller can comment about Natyazhko until after the recruit signs a national letter of intent. The spring signing period starts April 15.

Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com quoted Natyazhko as saying Saturday night: “I’ve known Coach Miller and Whitford longer than any other coaches. The decision I made was based on the relationship between me and the coaches. I believe they will help me get better.”

Natyazhko, most noteworthy because of his offensive skills, is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 75 prospect in this Class of 2009 Top 150 list. The recruiting service also rates him the ninth-best center in this class. ESPN rates Natyazhko higher as the 39th overall prospect and sixth-best center.

He committed to the UA without visiting the Tucson campus. He visited ASU on March 25, and he was at Pitt on March 7, when the Panthers defeated UConn at the Peterson Events Center.

THE SCOUTING REPORT ON NATYAZHKO

Strengths:

• Versatile post player, capable around the basket and on the perimeter 15 feet from the basket and beyond (he occasionally knocks down a three-pointer, believe it or not).
• Effective ball handler around the basket with good footwork
• Able to create his own offense off the dribble
• Has good vision and passes very well
• Runs the floor well for somebody his size

Areas of Improvement:

• Overall defense
• Shot-blocking skills
• Consistent rebounding, although he does not mind throwing his body around the basket

Recruiting guru Dave Telep, of Scout.com, had this to say about Natyazhko: “He is a bull inside. Lots to like in terms of overall skill and his down-to-earth approach to the game is refreshing.”

A Wise move by Miller. The Arizona Daily Star’s reported visit of Miller with Nic Wise’s parents in Houston on Saturday was an interesting move for at least three reasons:

1. It shows that Miller is genuinely concerned that Wise, a senior-to-be point guard, is considering a jump to the NBA, although most pre-NBA draft projections do not list him in the first round or second round.
2. Miller visited Wise’s parents in a brief window when he could be visiting and talking with recruits for the Class of 2009 instead.
3. Miller wants to assure Wise’s parents that although he is their son’s fourth coach in four years at Arizona, he will take care of him and make sure his skills are showcased through his style of offense.

Wise’s parents will likely be consulted by their son when he makes his final decision after pre-NBA draft evaluations. They will tell him how impressed they are by the new UA coach. Wise also came away impressed after visiting with Miller. If Miller did not attempt to personally meet with Wise’s parents, what message would that have sent to the Wise family?

Yes, Jim Livengood hired a very intelligent and sincere coach. Miller wants very much for Wise to return and he won’t let him go without a fight.

Parting shot. Isn’t it ironic that three of USC’s best players (Daniel Hackett, DeMar DeRozan, and Taj Gibson) will likely bail on the Trojans for the NBA draft shortly after convincing their coach Tim Floyd to stay in Los Angeles?

The potential exodus of these players will put the Trojans back in the middle of the Pac-10, although Floyd has amassed a quality recruiting class. That class could include Solomon Hill, who de-committed from the UA when Olson retired in October but purposely did not sign with USC in November in order to wait and see who would be the next coach in Tucson.

It is our belief that Hill, a 6-6 swingman from Los Angeles (Calif.) Fairfax, will revert back to the Wildcats by Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period.

The major concerns at USC: The Trojans are now being investigated by the NCAA for a lack of institutional control regarding the agent-dealings of O.J. Mayo and Reggie Bush . The investigation can result in infractions including a reduction of scholarships and/or a postseason ban.

And who knows how long Floyd would be Hill’s coach at USC if Hill becomes a Trojan? Floyd seriously considered an offer by Pac-10 rival Arizona this month. Last year, he was rumored as a candidate at LSU. Count on him to be rumored to go somewhere else next season. If you hang around the well long enough, you’re gonna fall in.

NCAA 2009 RECRUITING CALENDAR

DATES	STATUS	NOTES
April 1-July 5	Quiet period	Exceptions listed for dates within this period
April 9-April 13	Contact period	Coaches can contact recruits directly
April 13-15	Dead period	April 15 is the start of the spring signing period, which runs to May 20
April 16-22	Contact period	Last chance for final official visits
May 21-30	Dead period	Exception built in for evaluations tied to pre-NBA draft camp
July 6-15	Summer evaluation period	Coaches can evaluate players at summer camps
July 16-21	Dead period	Coaches are allowed contact during this time with recruits who have either signed a national letter of intent or are attending summer classes
July 22-31	Summer evaluation period	Coaches can evaluate players at summer camps

Kudos to the University of Arizona marketing department for having Sean Miller reach out so quickly to the Tucson community with a recorded voice message. My brother, Andy, received this call this afternoon in Tucson and it pumped him up. I think the community is embracing the type of integrity that Miller brings to Arizona basketball. A UA fan who taped the message, posted this on YouTube:

UPDATE: Reports out of Cincinnati indicate that Xavier assistant coach James Whitford was in Tucson on Wednesday visiting the UA campus with Miller. Expect Miller to announce Whitford as one of his assistants, according to reports out of Cincinnati. No word yet on one of his other assistants: Emanuel “Book” Richardson. Richardson reportedly was not in Tucson. Miller’s lead assistant Chris Mack interviewed for the head coaching job and is a frontrunner. No word yet about whether Reggie Geary will be retained. Whitford’s bio can be accessed on Xavier’s official Web site.

Van Coleman, one of the more experienced and knowledgeable college basketball recruiting analysts in the country, informed UAHoopsCoach.com Wednesday that at least one of Sean Miller’s highly-touted Xavier recruits is seriously considering the Wildcat program.

The player, swingman J.D. Weatherspoon, 6-6, of Columbus (Ohio) Northland High School, has backed out of his commitment to Xavier and “would like to go to Arizona,” Coleman said.

The catch is Weatherspoon, who is also being recruited by Georgia Tech, Purdue and Dayton, among others, will not be immediately available. He is a part of the Class of 2010. He will be a senior at Northland next season and will be eligible to sign a letter of intent in November.

Weatherspoon will not be of assistance next season when the Wildcats appear to be void of talent with Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill going to the NBA. UA fans will have to be patient in Miller’s first year because as the new coach said Tuesday in his introductory press conference: “Sometimes in the spring there are not a lot of those guys out there.”

Wildcat fans have shown patience thus far even if it means their team’s 25-year NCAA tournament streak is at risk. In our poll released after Miller’s hiring Monday, 51 percent of more than 560 respondents indicated that it will take Miller at least two years to get the UA back to national prominence (rankings and a potential Sweet 16 appearance, etc.). Almost 32 percent said it will take Miller three years. Only 12 percent believed that Miller will have the UA back on the national scene next year.

“(Arizona’s) 2009 list isn’t real long,” Coleman said, “but it could grow if Miller decides to add a couple more juco prospects. The 2010 list will grow quickly once he determines team needs and gets a chance to see who is interested on west coast.

“One thing Sean won’t do is recruit just to add bodies. He needs players and I think he will recruit accordingly.”

Miller made that point clear Tuesday: “We want to make sure that we’re patient to take the right type of player. As you know, that really defines where we go from here. The other part at this time of year is you don’t always have to recruit the class of 2009.”

Coleman, the lead talent scout and publisher of the Hoopmasters Web site, provided a list of eight players for the Class of 2009 (juco or high school) who have shown interest in either Arizona or Xavier.

Among them are two standouts who are seriously considering the Wildcats: Solomon Hill, 6-6 wing player from Los Angeles (Calif.) Fairfax High School, and Kyryl Natyazhko, a 6-10 post player from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.

Hill has committed to USC after de-commiting from Arizona when Lute Olson retired. Kentucky is also making a significant push for Hill. Natyazhko was recruited by Miller to Xavier since he participated in Xavier’s elite camp last summer. Natyazhko appears ready to follow Miller to Tucson but his high school coach wants him to weigh everything before making a decision. Natyazhko, a Serbian prospect, is deciding between ASU, Pitt and Arizona.

All three schools have a void in the middle with Jeff Pendergraph exhausting his eligibility at ASU, and DeJuan Blair of Pitt and Jordan Hill opting to enter the NBA draft. The Sun Devils, however, beat out Florida State and N.C. State to land 7-foot recruit Ruslan Pateev of Montverde (Fla.) Academy.

Here is the list of prospects who could be interested in Arizona either because they have been recruited by the Wildcats (mostly through Reggie Geary’s efforts) or by Miller when he was at Xavier:

2009

Jarrid Famous, 6-11, C, Westchester CC, NY (Nation’s No.1 juco player)

Kyryl Natyazhko 6-10, C, Bradenton, FL, IMB Academy

Victor Rudd, 6-9, SF, Van Nuys, CA

Glenn Bryant, 6-7, PF, Mouth of Wilson, VA

Solomon Hill, 6-6, WF, Los Angeles, CA, Fairfax (Committed to USC, but dad says he may reconsider)

Mark McLaughlin, 6-5, SG, Kenwood, WA, Inglemoor (De-committed from Nevada)

Eric Bledsoe, 6-0, PG, Birmingham, AL, Hayes

Dominique O’Connor, 5-10, PG, Los Angeles, CA, Westchester

2010

Daniel Alexander, 6-8, SF, Dripping Springs, TX, Dripping Springs (lists UA as high among list)

Jaleel Roberts, 6-10, C, Evans, GA

Brandon Mobley, 6-9, C, Savannah, GA, Windsor Forest

Donte Williams, 6-9, PF, Lithonia, GA, Miller Grove

Devon Collier, 6-8, PF, Jersey City, NJ, St. Anthony’s

Adrien Payne, 6-8, PF, Dayton, OH, Jefferson

Rod Odom, 6-8, PF, Concord, MA, Middlesex School

Terrence Jones, 6-7, PF, Portland, OR, Jefferson

Marvel Harris, 6-7, PF, Macon, GA ], Northeast

Terrance Ross, 6-7, WF, Rockville, MD, Montrose Christian

J.D. Weatherspoon, 6-6, WF, Columbus, OH Northland

Shaquille Thomas, 6-6, WF, Beckley, WV, Mountain State Academy

Jason Morris, 6-5, SG, Lakeville, CT, Hotchkiss School

Avery Johnson, 6-3, SG, Huntington Beach, CA, Oceanview

Chad Jackson, 6-4, SG, Georgetown, KY, Scott County

Ge-Lawn Guyn, 6-3, SG, Georgetown, KY, Scott County

Chad Jackson, 6-4, SG, Covington, KY, Holmes

Jordin Mayes, 6-1, PG, Los Angeles, CA, Westchester

Phil Taylor, 5-9, PG, Marietta, GA, Wheeler

Daryl Traynham, 5-8, PG, Charlotte, NC, Vance

Coleman does not list power forward Jordan Latham, a Class of 2010 recruit out of Baltimore who backed out of his verbal commitment to Xavier on Wednesday. Rivals.com lists Arizona as one of 13 programs Latham is now considering. Oregon State is listed as one of the schools. Beavers coach Craig Robinson had offered a scholarship before Latham committed to Xavier.

Solomon Hill’s dilemma: He sees a USC team that could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament next year versus an Arizona team that might not be held in that regard for another couple of years as Sean Miller rebuilds the program.

Sources close to the situation indicate that Hill, who could fit one of the UA’s greatest needs next year at small forward, is seriously thinking about de-committing from USC and returning to his original plan of attending Arizona. Hill, 6-6, 190, from Fairfax (Calif.) High School, has told friends that he respects Miller but he’s torn because he has become close with Tim Floyd’s staff and players.

His father Solomon Crawford told The Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe on Monday that he wants to have a conversation with Miller this week about his son’s prospects with the Wildcats.

If Hill changes his mind and goes with the Wildcats, he most definitely will get a lot more playing time than he would if he attended USC, where he would have to sit behind DeMar DeRozan (if DeRozan does not leave to the NBA) and Marcus Simmons.

At Arizona, he will not have any competition really, unless 6-5 combo forward Kevin Parrom asks out of his letter of intent with Xavier and follows Miller to Tucson. Miller, however, in his introductory press conference on Tuesday said, “No,” when asked if any of his recruits at Xavier would eventually be recruited to Arizona.

“My biggest concern besides my job here at hand is making sure my former players are taken care of,” Miller said. “We’re a long way from Cincinnati. I’m looking forward to moving on.”

However, if Parrom, a native of Bronx, N.Y., who prepped at South Kent (Conn.), were to call on Miller or Miller’s Xavier assistant Emanuel Richardson and indicates that he wants to still play for Miller, will the young coach say no?

Miller has yet to name his staff, although he said he would like coaches around him who are familiar with his system. That could include his primary recruiter at Xavier, Richardson, who coached in the New York City AAU circuit and has an East coast recruiting presence. Miller also indicated that he would like somebody with West coast ties on his staff, but reiterated that Arizona is a national program, not only a West coast program.

Richardson was hot after the consensus No. 1 JUCO recruit in the nation before Miller agreed to come to Arizona. The recruit was scheduled to visit Xavier’s campus this weekend and he is part of the all-name team: Jarrid Famous of Westchester (N.Y.) Community College.

Famous is a late bloomer, who at 6-11 and 240, has a distinct presence in the paint as a shot blocker. Famous told recruiting services that he was going to make a decision after visiting Xavier. He also averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds this season. Famous said it was down to Xavier, Missouri and Seton Hall. No word yet if he is interested in trying Arizona. But with Jordan Hill likely leaving to the NBA, Famous would step right into the starting center position with the Wildcats.

However, it appears a Serbian center might be the one who gets that nod.

ASU and UA are now finalists for this player. The Miller-Herb Sendek honeymoon as intra-state rival coaches did not last long in terms of recruiting. Miller, Sendek’s protege who coached seven years under him at Miami (Ohio) and N.C. State is hot after Kyryl Natyazhko, a 6-10, 250, post player from from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.

“Sean (Miller) has already called and said they want to get Kyryl out there,” IMG coach Vince Walden was quoted as saying by Rivals.com. “With (Chase) Budinger and likely (Jordan) Hill entering the draft, there would be an open spot for him to play early. Kyryl is intrigued by the situation. I’m just trying to help him stick with the process and help him remove excess emotion.”

Pittsburgh is also heavily recruiting Natyazhko, who attended Xavier’s elite camp last summer. The Serbian is rated the No. 75 prospect of the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com.

If Miller is able to secure Solomon Hill and Natyazhko next week when the spring signing period starts, and Nic Wise returns after testing the NBA waters without an agent, the UA’s starting roster can look like this:

PG: Wise
SG: Kyle Fogg (who will spend a lot of time this summer working on his perimeter game).
C: Natyazhko
PF: Jamelle Horne (who finally played to his potential late in the season).
SF: Hill.

Alex Jacobson would continue to back up at the post and Zane Johnson, unless he wrestles the shooting guard spot away from Fogg, will provide offense off the bench. The UA has a verbal commitment from Los Angeles JC power forward Tremayne Johnson. He has long arms and is a good defender but his offense might be lacking. He likely will be a reserve if Miller honors his commitment.

If Wise happens to leave, the UA will then be in dire need of a point guard. Garland Judkins can be asked to fill that role. But Judkins was in Russ Pennell’s doghouse most of the season. Brendan Lavender played more minutes in a relief role but never really established himself as decision-maker with the ball and he was tentative with his shot.

NOTE: The developments of one-time hot prospect Victor Rudd are actually getting worse instead of better. Rudd, a 6-6 swing man who played for Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, is back at home in Van Nuys (Calif.) after getting kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons. This means he will not fulfill his academic requirements and college coaches are leery of his character. It appears that Arizona and Marquette are no longer recruiting him, and UNLV (whose coaches attended almost all of his games) has also backed off as well. Findlay coach Mike Peck told the Las Vegas Sun all that Rudd had to do was issue an apology to his teammates, but he refused and bolted from school. Peck told the newspaper he will not offer a stamp of approval for Rudd if coaches inquire. “I can’t put my name on it,” Peck said. “It hurts our future. That’s my name. I don’t want that school calling me next December asking me, What in the heck? I can’t put my name on it. That’s unfortunate.”