ARIZONA Wildcats Recruiting analysis

ARIZONA Wildcats Recruiting analysis

In College basketball, recruiting can often times become more important
than any other aspect of the job.  Basketball, often times more than
any other sport, seems to allow coaching blemishes to be covered by
talent.  With that knowledge, the best minds in college basketball
often target the same players as they all would like a little
latitude.

When Arizona’s head coach Sean Miller took over after the
legendary Lute Olson, it seemed clear he had no intentions of allowing
the best talent in his region to slip through his grasps.  Coach Miller
started by tearing up the West Coast recruiting trail.  Three years ago
he landed Nick Johnson (Findlay Prep) & Josiah Turner (Sacramento HS/
Quality Education, NC) as well as Angelo Chol (Hoover HS). Both
Turner & Johnson were rated in the ESPN top 25 as seniors, and both
participated with the Oakland Soldiers AAU program.

The following year, Miller signed consensus top 20 big men, Grant
Jerrett ( La Verne Lutheran HS) and Brandon Ashley (Bishop ‘O Dowd HS/
Findlay) , both from California, as well as PG Gabe York (Orange
Lutheran HS) . Last year the highest rated recruit yet, Aaron Gordon (
Archbishop Mitty HS) and reserve Elliot Pitts (De LaSalle HS) arrived
from the Bay Area in Tuscon, and the team has been riding high ever
since. While Turner (transfer to SMU), Chol (transfer to SDSU) and
Jerrett (NBA/ D-league) are no longer with the team; it is easy to see
Miller’s vision of the recruits together with a balance of guards and
big men that has stormed through the first months of the schedule.  The
chemistry of the group seems to have been considered in the process as
well with a number of the players having come through the same AAU
programs.  Gordon, Ashley, Turner, Johnson, and top 5 recruit in the
class of 2014, Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei HS) all played with the
Oakland Soldiers AAU team as does 2015 prize recruit Ivan Rabb (
Bishop’O Dowd), who is on everyone’s radar but seems exactly the type
of player Miller likes to target . Miller has received 2014 commitments
from Craig Victor (Findlay Prep) and Parker Jackson-Cartwright (Loyola
HS), in addition to Johnson cementing his hold on the Southwest region.
Elite West Coast PG Tyler Dorsey (St. John Bosco) who made his
commitment to Miller and the Cats, is the first commitment of 2015,
which looks to be a special class.

2015 is remarkably deep. Miller has set his sights on a number of elite
talents throughout the nation and California. Concensus Top 5 players
nationally: Malik Newman ( Callaway, MS), Stephen Zimmerman (Bishop
Gorman, NV),  Diamond Stone ( Dominican HS, WI)  are all being heavily
recruited by Miller currently. The West Coast is being mined heavily;
in addition to Zimmerman, Chase Jeter (Bishop Gorman) as well as
Consensus Top 50 players in 2015, Broadrick Jones ( Lawndale), Rex
Pfluger ( Mater Dei ),Chance Comanche (View Park) and Bennie Boatwright
( Village Christian ) are all on Millers radar. Could prove to be
viable options for the Cats in ’15. It would appear that Coach Miller’s
plan all along was to build the program; first, with the best players
in the west and then branch out to the rest of the country. Conversely,
Miller has always infused his signature East Coast flavor in the desert.

Sidiki Johnson (Wadleigh HS, NYC), Kaleb Tarczewski ( St. Marks
HS, NH), Rondae’ Hollis-Jefferson (Chester HS, PA) and key transfers
Mark Lyons (Xavier) and now TJ McConnell (Duqesne) added key
elements of toughness and swagger to the mix.

Miller’s 2015 and 2016 elite recruiting targets exhibit Arizona’s expanded scope, commitment to
recruiting the best players that can jell in the system. Having
already conquered one region, Miller has set his sites on securing the
best talent from across the nation. Class of 2016 holds possibly the most anticipated HS player since
Lebron James and Andrew Wiggins respectively. Consensus # 1 Thon Maker
(Carslile HS, VA) is a future NBA player showcasing amazing size with a
formidable skill set, Miller has already offered the HS soph.
California elite prospects; Vance Jackson ( St. John Bosco) and
Consensus Top 30 players in 2016, Derryck Thornton (Findlay Prep) Oscar
Frayer ( Moreau Catholic / Oakland Soldiers), Justin Simon (Temecula
Valley) are all being courted by Miller, could call Tucson home in the
near future.

Having already beaten out the other Wildcat program
in Lexington for prized recruits Gordon and Johnson, Miller seems
poised to do just that.  After many years of the best talent in the
western U.S. spreading across the land, Coach Miller and the University
of Arizona seemed determine to provide a top level alternative to keep
the players closer to home.

Written By : J. O’Neill & A. Gray (@HoopsFactoryTV)