We are going to look at classes based on a number of criteria. Some of the things we will look at include how well they played at Arizona, how many players were retained and how many players in each class made the NBA.
1987
Two big men and a versatile guard made up the class. Sean Rooks was the lone NBA player in the bunch, but no player won more games in McKale than Matt Muehlebach.
The Class
Mark Georgeson 6-10 C Huntington Beach, CA; Marina HS
Matt Muehlebach 6-2 G Stillwell KS; Rockhurst HS
Sean Rooks, 6-10 F/C Fontana, CA; Fontana HS
The Stats:
Retention Rate: 66%
Starts: 152
NBA Players: One
Mark Georgeson
Georgeson was a third-team Parade All-American and was actually the highest rated recruit in the class. He was a skilled big man who was All-League and All-CIF as a senior in Huntington Beach.
After suffering a stress fracture in his foot he redshirted his first season and was a “Gumby” for the Cats’ 1988 Final Four run. He played in three games in 1988 before transferring back to school in California. He averaged .7 ppg in just six minutes of action for the Wildcats.
Matt Muehlebach
A three-year starter who is eighth on the school’s assist list with 458, but left school as their No. 2 set-up man. A terrific three-point shooter, Muehlebach hit 41.9% of his tres and is in the school’s top-ten in percentage, made threes and three-point attempts.
More importantly, he never lost at McKale Center. The Wildcats has their amazing home streak during his tenure and Muehlbach was the only player not to lose at home. He was 64-0 at home during his four years. He was also the first Pac-10 player to play on four straight championship clubs.
A smart player, Muehlbach was a second-team GTE Academic All-American and three time Pac-10 All-Academic. His triple-double in 1990 was only the third in conference history.
An illness after graduation sidetracked his pro career, but Muehlbach went to law school and became a lawyer. For a time he was a sports agent, representing Loren Woods and Edward Najera for a time. He gave up being an agent to concentrate on corporate law.
Sean Rooks
Rooks redshirted his first year in Tucson, but was one of the most visible Gumbies on the bench as the Cats’ advanced to the Final Four in 1988. Rooks became a contributor after that, becoming a full-time starter his junior year.
A wide bodied banger, Rooks was a solid rebounder and a good shot blocker. He was part of the “Tucson Skyline” with Brian Williams and Ed Stokes.
His senior year was his best. He averaged 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. He scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games and was named an honorable mention All-American and was a preseason Wooden Award candidate.
“Wookie” was a second-round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks and had a long, solid pro career. He played 12 seasons in the League with Dallas, Minnesota, Atlanta, the Lakers, the Clippers, New Orleans and Orlando. He started 230 games and averaged 6.2 ppg and 3.8 rpg. He did not play in the NBA the past few seasons, but was playing overseas.