Arizona

Pac-10 Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:33:24 -0500

With usual Pac-10 powers Arizona and UCLA in re-loading mode, the door is open for California & Washington to put their stamp on the 2009-10 season.

Conference Rank: 6th

10 year average: 6th

Pac-10 Page

ALL PAC-10 TEAM
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Jerome Randle	Cal	Sr
G	Nic Wise	Arizona	Sr
G	Isaiah Thomas	Washington	So
F	Klay Thompson	Washington St	So
F	Quincy Pondexter	Washington	Sr
Second Team
G	Derek Glasser	Arizona St	Sr
G	Patrick Cristopher	Cal	Sr
G/F	Dwight Lewis	USC	Sr
F	Landry Fields	Stanford	Sr
C	Roeland Schafternaar	Oregon St	Sr

Player of the Year - Jerome Randle Freshman of the Year - Abdul Gaddy
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Jerome Randle (4th Team) Isaiah Thomas Nic Wise All-Freshman Team Abdul Gaddy (2nd) Tyler Honeycutt Kyryl Natyazhko Derrick Williamd *Withey may leave Arizona		Points: Jerome Randle 18.3 Rebounds: Landry Fields 6.6 Assists: Jerome Randle 5.0 Team: Washington 78.6

Pac-10 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

12	Washington	Pac-10	1	NCAA
15	California	Pac-10	2	NCAA
29	UCLA	Pac-10	3	NCAA
42	Arizona State	Pac-10	4	NCAA
56	Arizona	Pac-10	5	NIT
86	Oregon	Pac-10	6	CBI/CIT
89	Oregon State	Pac-10	7	CBI/CIT
120	USC	Pac-10	8	CBI/CIT
141	Washington St	Pac-10	9
189	Stanford	Pac-10	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Pac-10?

Other Pac-10 Content

Pac-10 Fantasy Stats Preview

Pac-10: Top 25 Players

Pac-10: Five Year Ranking

Arizona Freshman Kevin Parrom Injured

Press Release — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:26:29 -0500

TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona men's basketball player Kevin Parrom will be sidelined due to a stress fracture in his left foot.

Parrom, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound, freshman guard/forward from the Bronx, N.Y., averaged 8.0 point, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in Arizona's two exhibition games.

The normal recovery time for this type of injury is four to eight weeks.

-- arizonawildcats.com

Arizona Signs G Daniel Bejarano

Press Release — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:20:45 -0500

TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona men’s basketball coach Sean Miller announced Wednesday that Daniel Bejarano has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to attend the school and play basketball. He will report to the school in the fall of 2010.

Bejarano, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard from Phoenix, Ariz., is ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect in the country by Bob Gibbons’ All-Star Sports Top 250 and the No. 13 shooting guard by rivals.com to go with a scout grade of 95 by ESPN. Bejarano, who prepped at North High School, averaged 23.0 points and 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior in leading the Mustangs to the Class 5A Division II state championship for coach Joseph Bustos.

“First and foremost, I would describe Daniel as an amazing kid,” said Miller. “He is as energetic, positive and unselfish as any young person I’ve come across. Although I’m confident he will have a huge impact for us on the court, I’m equally as confident that he will impact our university, the community and our family atmosphere even more.”

Bejarano (pronounced Bay-har-ah-no) is a three-time Phoenix metro region player of the year and a 2009-10 first-team “Best in the West” selection by the Long Beach Press-Telegram. He was an All-Arizona pick by the Arizona Republic in 2009. Bejarano shot 53 percent from the field last season and tallied a season-high 41 points vs. Chandler High School. He also notched three consecutive 30-point games during the 2008-09 campaign in addition to being an all-adidas Super 64 Tournament selection in July as a member of the Arizona Stars.

“As a player, Daniel is an exceptional shooter and has great athletic talent,” said Miller. “We are excited to add him to our Arizona Wildcat family.”

Bejarano is the latest in a long line of Phoenix-area standouts to play at Arizona, including Mike Bibby (1996-98), Richard Jefferson (1998-2001), Channing Frye (2001-05) and Jerryd Bayless (2007-08).

Preseason All-Freshman Team: 2009-10

CHN — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:12:32 -0500

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason All-Freshman Team is led by Kentucky uber-prospect John Wall. Wall's teammates DeMarcus Cousins & Eric Bledsoe also make the 2nd and 3rd team respectively. The list is dominated by power-conference players, but 3 make it from non-BCS leagues: La Salle's Aaric Murray, San Diego St's Kawhi Leonard, and Greg Smith of Fresno State. Besides Kentucky, other teams with multiple players include Arizona, Duke, Georgia Tech, UNC, Oklahoma, and Texas.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year: John Wall (Kentucky)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

John Wall	Kentucky	G
Avery Bradley	Texas	G
Kenny Boynton	Florida	G
Xavier Henry	Kansas	G
Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman

Abdul Gaddy	Washington	G
Lance Stephenson	Cincinnati	G
Keith Gallon	Oklahoma	F
DeMarcus Cousins	Kentucky	C
Mouphtaou Yarou	Villanova	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-Freshman

Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	G
Maurice Creek	Indiana	G
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	G
Jordan Hamilton	Texas	F
Dante Taylor	Pittsburgh	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention All-Freshman

John Henson	UNC	F
Tyler Honeycutt	UCLA	F
John Jenkins	Vanderbilt	G
Wally Judge	Kansas State	F
Ryan Kelly	Duke	F
Kawhi Leonard	San Diego St	F
Aaric Murray	La Salle	F
Kyryl Natyazhko	Arizona	F
Alex Oriakhi	UCONN	C
Mason Plumlee	Duke	F/C
Durand Scott	Miami	G
Greg Smith	Fresno State	F
Peyton Siva	Louisville	G
Michael Snaer	Florida State	G
Dexter Strickland	UNC	G
Hollis Thompson	Georgetown	F
Mfon Udofia	Georgia Tech	G
Derrick Williams	Arizona	G

Other CollegeHoops.net Preseason Awards

Pac-10 Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:21:40 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play? All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

PG
1. Jerome Randle - Cal
2. Nic Wise - Arizona
3. Abdul Gaddy - Washington
4. Malcolm Lee - UCLA
5. Derek Glasser - Arizona State

SG
1. Patrick Christopher - Cal
2. Isaiah Thomas - Washington
3. Dwight Lewis - USC
4. Tajuan Porter - Oregon
5. Calvin Haynes - Oregon State

- Impressive that Cal owns the two top spots here, but Washington's backcourt is no joke either. Shooting guard in the Pac-10 is a bit weak compared to the other BCS leagues, even with Thomas included, even though he could have been listed as a PG.

PAC-10

SF
1. Klay Thompson - Washington St
2. Quincy Pondexter - Washington
3. Theo Robertson - Cal
4. Landry Fields - Stanford
5. Rihards Kuksiks - Arizona State

PF
1. Nikola Dragovic - UCLA
2. Tyler Honeycutt - UCLA
3. Matthew Bryan-Amaning - Washington
4. Alex Stepheson - USC
5. Leonard Washington - USC
C
1. Roeland Schaftenaar - Oregon State
2. Drew Gordon - UCLA
3. Kyryl Natyazhko - Arizona
4. Michael Dunigan - Oregon
5. DeAngelo Castro - Washington State

- The frontcourt talent just doesn't come close to matching the other power-conferences. In fact, most of the PF's and C's were secondary players for their teams last year, or are unproven.

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Pac-10 Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:18:52 -0500

PAC-10 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Pac-10 over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	1	UCLA	11	14	15	16	13	69	90	77	Win %
			1st Round	Finals	Final 4	Final 4	2nd Round			39	Post Pts.
										116

2	3	Arizona	15	11	11	8	9	54	90	60	Win %
			Elite 8	2nd Round	1st Round	1st Round	Sweet 16			22	Post Pts.
										82

3	4	Washington	14	13	8	7	14	56	90	62	Win %
			Sweet 16	Sweet 16	X	X	2nd Round			16	Post Pts.
										78

4	2	Stanford	11	11	10	13	6	51	90	57	Win %
			1st Round	NIT	1st Round	Sweet 16	X			11	Post Pts.
										68

5	7	USC	5	8	11	11	9	44	90	49	Win %
			X	X	Sweet 16	1st Round	2nd Round			12	Post Pts.
										61

6	6	Wash St	7	4	13	11	8	43	90	48	Win %
			X	X	2nd Round	Sweet 16	NIT			11	Post Pts.
										59

7	8	California	6	12	6	6	11	41	90	46	Win %
			X	1st Round	X	NIT	1st Round			5	Post Pts.
										51

8	5	Oregon	6	7	11	9	2	35	90	39	Win %
			X	X	Elite 8	1st Round	X			10	Post Pts.
										49

9	9	Arizona St	7	5	2	9	11	34	90	38	Win %
			NIT	X	X	NIT	2nd Round			6	Post Pts.
										44

10	10	Oregon St	8	5	3	0	7	23	90	26	Win %
			NIT	X	X	X	X			1	Post Pts.
										27

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

Pac-10 Thoughts

- Oregon tumbles after a disastrous 2 win season.

- Stanford is slowly fading down the list.

- UCLA dominates the league with 13 more wins then the closest team.

- 3rd place Washington actually has more league wins than Arizona, but has had less postseason success.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

ACC

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

SEC

.. All

Pac-10 Basketball: Fantasy Preview

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:47:39 -0500

This is the 5th of six fantasy stats projections for BCS conference starters, one of my favorite series of the year, and a helpful guide when drafting for fantasy college basketball leagues. For an idea of whether I know what I'm talking about, check out last year's Pac-10 Stats Projection. As always, some teams were nailed better then others..

Keep in mind stats are highly dependent on minutes, and freshmen are obviously the hardest to predict. I try to note places below where other starters not listed may emerge or where competition for major minutes exist. Stats are listed by ppg, rpg, and then apg.

PAC-10

ARIZONA

G Nic Wise - 19, 4, 4
G Kyle Fogg - 11, 3, 3
F Jamelle Horne - 10,7, 1
F Solomon Hill - 7, 4, 1
C Kyryl Natyazkho - 9, 6, 1

Notes: The question here is where will scoring come from besides Wise? Fogg should be much improved this year, but the incoming bigs are no sure things.

ARIZONA STATE

G Derek Glasser - 10, 3, 5
G Ty Abbott - 11, 4, 2
G/F Trent Lockett - 8, 4, 1
F Rihards Kuksiks - 14, 5, 2
C Eric Boateng - 4, 4, 0

Notes: Kuksiks will need to step up his scoring output wiith Harden & Pendergraph no longer around. Lockett is a freshman, and is not guaranteed to start. Jamelle McMillan, the backup PG, could also start in a 3-guard lineup. Either way, McMillan should be good for 5 ppg and 3 apg.

CALIFORNIA

G Jerome Randle - 19, 4, 5
G Patrick Christopher - 17, 4, 3
F Theo Robertson - 12, 4, 3

F Jamal Boykin - 11, 7, 1

C Markhuri Sanders-Frison - 6, 7, 1

Notes: Last year, I severly underrated Jerome Randle's numbers and overrated the freshman. This year, the only unsettled position is up front, where Juco transfer Sanders-Frison will have competition from holdover reserve Harper Kamp. Backup guard Jorge Gutierrez will see 20 mpg as wel.

OREGON
G Malcolm Armstead - 6, 2, 4
G Tajuan Porter - 17, 3, 3
G LeKendric Longmire - 8, 4, 1
F Joevan Catron - 8, 8, 1
C Michael Dunigan - 12, 8, 1

Notes: Oregon hopes Armstead, a Juco newcomer, is the answer at PG. Dunigan averaged 8 & 5 last year in under 20 mpg and should be markedly better.

OREGON STATE

G Calvin Haynes - 14, 3, 2
G Seth Tarver - 7, 5, 2
G Lathen Wallace - 10, 3, 2
F Daniel Deane - 8, 6, 1
F Roland Schaftenaar - 13, 5, 3

Notes: Haynes was one of the bigger fantasy suprises in the Pac-10 last year, and its hard to expect much more then what he showed. Schaftenaar's production also jumped markedly last year, and he could score a bit more if his outside shooting % increases.

STANFORD

G Drew Shiller - 5, 2, 4
G Jeremy Green - 10, 3, 1
F Landry Fields - 16, 7, 2
F Andrew Zimmerman - 5, 4, 1
F Josh Owens - 11, 7, 2

Notes: Fields is the only fantasy performer of note here. Owens, a junior is your 2nd best bet. He shot a high % from the floor last year as well.

UCLA

G Jerime Anderson - 6, 2, 4

G Malcolm Lee - 11, 4, 2
F Tyler Honeycutt - 12, 4, 2
F Nikola Dragovic - 12, 5, 2
C Drew Gordon - 8, 7, 1

Notes: Dragovic is the only guy returning who played 20 mpg last year. He's a solid shooter, but will have space to shoot? Honeycutt is a big-time freshman, but last year's headline newcomer (Holiday) only averaged 9 ppg.

USC

G Donte Smith - 7, 2, 3
G Dwight Lewis - 16, 4, 3
F Marcus Johnson - 6, 4, 1
F Leonard Washington - 11, 6, 1
F Alex Stepheson - 10, 8, 1

Notes: Lewis is the go-to scorer now on a team lacking a true star. Stepheson averaged 4 ppg and 5 rpg at UNC two seasons ago and should come close to doubling that.

WASHINGTON

G Isaiah Thomas - 14, 3, 4
G Abdul Gaddy - 12, 4, 4
F Quincy Pondexter - 14, 7, 2
F Matthew Bryan-Amaning - 10, 7, 1
F Darnell Gant - 5, 5, 1

Notes: Thomas had a fine freshman year, but UW would be better served if he didn't shoot as much and others like Gaddy & Pondexter helped out. Bryant-Amaning is a potential breakout player.

WASHINGTON STATE

G Reggie Moore - 9, 3, 3
G Nikola Koprivica - 6, 3, 2
G Klay Thompson - 18, 5, 3
F Brock Motum - 8, 5, 1
F DeAngelo Castro - 8, 8, 1

Notes: Klay Thompson has future 20 ppg potential. Moore & Motum are newcomers, and both should see 25+ mpg from the get-go.

Projected Pac-10 Leaders

Top PPG
1) Jerome Randle (19)
2) Nic Wise (19)
3) Klay Thompson (18)

Top RPG
1) Castro/Catron/Dunigan/Stepheson (8)

Top APG
1) Derek Glasser (5)
2) Jerome Randle (5)

3) Multiple Players (4)

Fantasy Stats Preview Archive

- ACC

- Big 12

- Big East

- Big Ten

Poll: Who Will Win the Pac-10

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:38:49 -0400

Pac-10 Basketball: High-Low Preview

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:26:39 -0400

Everybody loves a prediction. People that claim to hate sports predictions are just jealous that no one cares what they have to say or that their predictions are never right. But sometimes when making predictions, certain teams or groups of teams are truly to close to call. On CHN or in preview mags, we do our best to slot teams into specific spots, but sometimes you just want to say honestly, teams A, B, and C are virtually the same and luck will determine how they finish. You can't say that in a Top 144 ranking, but I'm saying it here in a series of High-Low predictions. Instead of plugging teams into specific spots, I'll give a range for each team's finish and a few reasons why.

(How about the high production values with that picture?..)

PAC-10 HIGH-LOW

With programs like USC & Arizona undergoing major changes, the Pac-10 could arguably be a 3 or 4 bid league.

* my projected finish in yellow

ARIZONA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Arizona's tourney streak will likely come to an end, but the rest of them Pac-10 is weak enough that the Wildcats could still finish .500 in league play.

ARIZONA STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Harden & Pendergraph combined to score 35 ppg for the Sun Devils. But with defense and good coaching, Herb Sendek's squad should end up on the tournament bubble.

CALIFORNIA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
With the likes of Christopher & Randle back, there's no reason Cal should finish below 2nd in the conference. However, inconsistent defense and rebounding may keep them from winning the title.

OREGON
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
As bad as Oregon was last year, there's more than enough talent for Oregon to approach .500 in league play. Anything short of that and Ernie Kent might be out of a job.

OREGON STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Last year's surprise team has been predicted by some to finish as high as 3rd or 4th in the league. Expectations are probably too high at this point, and coach Robinson would be thrilled with an NIT trip.

STANFORD
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Even in a down Pac-10, Stanford's talent is still sub-par. Matching last season's 6-10 league record would be considered a fine accomplishment.

UCLA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
UCLA loses all it's big name players, but is rebuilding at a perfect time. Some big-name freshmen and last year's sophomores should help UCLA return to the tournament yet again.. but a 1st round exit is likely.

USC
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No program experienced as much turmoil as USC, but with the likes of Dwight Lewis, Leonard Washington, and Alex Stepheson, the Trojans should at least avoid the Pac-10 cellar.

WASHINGTON
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Like Cal, Washington has serious questions on the interior. However, the guards are so good that Lorenzo Romar will only need serviceable contributions from the likes of Gant & Bryan-Amaning.

WASHINGTON STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Besides losing quality seniors in Baynes & Rochestie, WSU also loses the coach that turned the program around. Despite the changes, the Cougars have a stud in sophomore Klay Thompson who could score 17-20 ppg.

>> ACC: High-Low Preview

>> Big 12: High-Low Preview

>> Big Ten: High-Low Preview

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Arizona Basketball Preview: #56

Joel Welser — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:28:15 -0400

Overall Rank: #56

Conference Rank: #5 Pacific 10

2008-09: 21-14, 9-9

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Sean Miller (First year at Arizona, 120-47 overall)

The turmoil at Arizona appears to be over with the hiring of Coach Sean Miller. Even though the Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament last year, it was still a tough year marred with inconsistency. With Coach Miller on the sidelines, who had taken Xavier to four straight NCAA Tournaments, the questions have seemed to be answered for now.

Key Losses: F Chase Budinger, F Jordan Hill, F Zane Johnson

Key Newcomers:

With some stability on the sidelines, the Wildcats were finally able to get the type of recruiting class that they have become accustomed to getting. Small forwards Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom are two of the best in the nation and they should do a decent job of easing the loss of Chase Budinger. Add shooting guard Lamont Jones to the mix and Arizona has some talent to work with on the wings. Depth up front has been improved thanks to Derrick Williams and Kyryl Natyazhko. Natyazhko, a 6-10, 250 pound Ukrainian, has the size and strength to play a significant role on this team right away.

Backcourt:

Fortunately, the Wildcats have a couple scoring options returning and one of them is the dynamic Nic Wise. The 5-10 senior averaged 15.7 points per game last year and he may be asked to score even more now that Jordan Hill and Budinger, the team’s top scorers a year ago, are gone. Wise is a very consistent outside shooter, but he is also aggressive with the ball and will finish around the basket even against much bigger defenders. But Wise is not just a scorer, he is also the point guard. He dished out 4.6 assists per game last year and the Wildcats will need him to find some new scorers and emerge as the team’s unquestioned leader on the floor.

Frontcourt:

Replacing Hill in the frontcourt will be a big problem as he averaged 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds. Jamelle Horne is back after tallying 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last year and he will be expected to put up much better numbers without Hill on the floor. However, Horne is not a typical big man who is going to block shots and eat up space in the paint. His outside shooting ability will be a plus, but Arizona has to find a big man who can consistently score under the basket. Alex Jacobson could be that guy, but he only averaged 6.9 minutes per game as a freshman. He has the skills to emerge as a force under the basket, but he will be pushed by Natyazhko.

Who to Watch:

It is on the wings where this team lacks proven firepower. Kyle Fogg started 27 games last year, but left most of the perimeter scoring to Wise and Budinger. Nobody expects Fogg to score 18.0 points per game like Budinger did last year, but if he could provide another long range shooting threat to the team it would be very beneficial. Garland Judkins and redshirt freshman D.J. Shumpert will battle with the newcomers for minutes on the wings and will be forced to play some minutes off the bench.

Final Projection:

Thanks to the return of Wise, this could be a surprisingly good team. Arizona will go as far as Wise can take them, but he needs help from the newcomers and some of the younger players like Jacobson. If this turns into a team that has to rely on Wise and Horne every single game, there will be disappointment and nothing is more disappointing to the Wildcats than a trip to the NIT.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Nic Wise, Senior, Guard, 15.7 points per game

Kyle Fogg, Sophomore, Guard, 6.1 points per game

Solomon Hill, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Jamelle Horne, Junior, Forward, 6.8 points per game

Alex Jacobson, Sophomore, Center, 1.0 points per game

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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews