Things actually kicked off last night, but the bulk of the activities have been in the classroom where the players are learning a variety of skills that will help them out off the court more than on. They did get a chance to strut their stuff last night, but the on-court happenings really get going tonight with controlled scrimmages. Tuesday the bulk of the action takes place on the floor with team games, position drills and the always fun to watch 3-on-3 games.
The strength of this class is still in doubt; some observers love it and others think it is just OK. Others are not too high on the class of 2005, but it was the ’05 players who had a lot to say about the Wildcats.
Martell Webster a 6-5 wing from Seattle is considered one of the top young stars of the ‘05 class. He has been linked in the past to some smaller schools, but no more. Webster likes Arizona, Missouri and North Carolina and says that right now Arizona is the leader.
Another top ‘05 wing is Marcus Johnson. Johnson is from Westchester High School in Los Angeles, the same school that produced current Cat Hassan Adams. Johnson likes Arizona, USC, UCLA and Syracuse. Syracuse is his childhood favorite and he’ll visit the Orangemen unofficially in August. He’s very familiar with the LA schools and Adams has been around to tout the Wildcats. It could be an interesting battle.
An up and coming player in the ’05 class is Josh McRoberts from Carmel, Indiana. The 6-9 big man is hearing from all the top schools and has a list a mile long. Some of the luminaries include Duke, Kansas, Indiana and Arizona. The UA is the only western school on his list and although he says distance is not a factor, it could be tough prying him out of the Midwest.
Seattle’s Jon Brockman is an intriguing player. He’s 6-9 and rugged and looks like he could be a solid performer in the post. He thinks he’ll grow a few inches before it’s all said and done. He wants to stay in the Pac-10 and is wide open. He may not be an Arizona recruit, but he’s a name they’ll see down the line.
Of course 2004 is the more pressing class in terms of Arizona’s needs. One player it is taking a serious look at is Shaun Pruitt. The big man from Aurora (West Aurora HS), Illinois is not only still interested in the UA, but his interest has increased since Ndudi Ebi’s departure.
We are scheduled to interview a number of Wildcat recruits tonight including: Rudy Gay, Brian Johnson, Julian Wright, Mohamed Tangara, Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough.
One West Coast player not looking at Arizona, but attracting interest is Timpview, Utah’s Chris Miles. Miles impressed us last summer and he’s got a few nice offers. Utah, Utah State and BYU have firm offers, but it’s the interest in UCLA and Gonzaga that has many West Coast hoop fans looking at the 6-11 big man. He may stay in the state of Utah, but UCLA has been a long-time favorite.
Stay tuned for interviews, wrap-ups and all the latest news from Nike…