Interesting Arizona Daily Star article

I can't say I disagree with the majority in both of these polls.

• No championships needed: Apparently, consistency is sexier than "One Shining Moment."

Asked to choose between continuing the Wildcats' consecutive NCAA tournament appearances for another 10 years or winning a national title, more than two-thirds chose the former.

Sixty-eight percent of 399 fans preferred the Wildcats just stay in the title hunt rather than win their first since 1997. Another 10 seasons of the Big Dance would place the Wildcats in a new stratosphere among NCAA programs, with 35 straight trips.

In football, fans passed on the Wildcats reaching the pinnacle of their program's history. Fifty-nine percent of 356 fans said they would rather the UA defeat rival Arizona State 10 times in a row than the Wildcats reach the Rose Bowl for the first time.

The UA is the only school in either the Pac-10 or the Big Ten to have never played in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

Arizona's recruiting class: #12 in the nation

In three months, Sean Miller has taken us from no recruiting class whatsoever to #12 in the nation. Just imagine what he'll do with a full recruiting period.

I could not be any prouder of our basketball program at this moment. Actually, that's not true, but our next national championship is yet to come. I'll save the true pride for when Sean cuts down the net.

Updates

So, Chase got his rights traded to Houston. That's especially funny in light of his past experience with a team from Houston:



In other news, John Kerry is a colossal jerkwad, but we already knew that, didn't we?

The Bay State Democrat was regaling a group of business and civic leaders invited to the Capitol on the bizarre disappearance of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who was said to be hiking the Appalachian Trail.

“Too bad,” Kerry said, “if a governor had to go missing it couldn’t have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin.”

Imagine if a Republican had said it. Think about it. The media outcry would have been much worse if this had happened:

“Too bad,” McCain said, “if a governor had to go missing it couldn’t have been the governor of Oregon. You know, Ted Kulongoski.”

Nothing against Governor Kulongoski, of course. I was just using him as an example. You can see the ridiculousness, though, right?

Remember how disappointed I was earlier?

Chase Budinger got drafted by the Pistons.

Please excuse me while I go cry myself to sleep.

I am so very very disappointed

Jordan Hill didn't go in the top 5, which was garbage, because there's no way James Harden is better than Hill, and even worse, Hill got picked by the Knicks. To be perfectly honest, I hate every single sports team in New York. This sucks.

Now I just need to cross my fingers and hope that DA BULLSSSSSSSS pick Chase Budinger.

Things just keep getting better and better

Released from USC, point guard commits to play for Miller, Cats

NEW YORK — Lamont "Momo" Jones on Wednesday became the second straight Oak Hill Academy starting point guard to commit to Arizona.

Only this time, ironically on the eve of Brandon Jennings' ascension into the NBA draft, Jones says he's coming for sure.

Whereas Jennings opted to go straight from Oak Hill to Italian pro ball last season, rather than enroll at UA, Jones said he decided to become a Wildcat guard after taking an impressive visit to Tucson last weekend and meeting with new coach Sean Miller. Jones originally planned a Monday news conference but said Wednesday he did not need to wait.

"Sean Miller is a great coach," Jones said. "I watched him at Xavier and, with what he did there, I have no doubt he will do the same at Arizona. Me and my mother sat down with him and listened to him talk, and we believe this is the best place for us."

Jones signed with USC in April but was released from his letter of intent after USC coach Tim Floyd resigned this month.

This is absolutely great news. Arizona seemed like it was MoMo's #1 school after he left USC, so this isn't surprising. I'm really happy to see him coming to Tucson and he'll definitely be a big asset to us. Interestingly enough, he has a family connection to Arizona's staff: Emanuel 'Book' Richardson, one of our assistants, is Jones' godfather.

What makes this so good is next year. If Miller can put this good of a recruiting class together in this short of a time as our coach, imagine what he'll be able to do for our 2010 class when he's got a full recruiting period to work with. I'm extremely happy about this and I can't wait to get back to McKale Center next year.

One other thing from the article that really stood out to me:

Miller "getting (the UA) job proves how much of a great coach he is," Jones said. "You don't just give anybody the University of Arizona coaching job. You have to be some type of special coach."

Although Miller has not yet coached a game at Arizona, he is drawing praise for his recruiting. Since being hired in April, Miller has lined up four Top100 freshmen, including Parrom, Solomon Hill and big man Kyryl Natyazhko. Arizona could get a fifth after Southern California wing Derrick Williams visits the UA this weekend.

Williams said via text message Tuesday, during a visit to Memphis, that he will visit Tucson this weekend and probably make a decision early next month.

Clark Francis of HoopScoop recruiting service said Jones' addition already gives the UA a 2009 recruiting class tied for 24th.

"This shows Sean Miller can recruit good players, and (Jones) is as good as it's going to get right now," Francis said. "If I were an Arizona fan, I'd be very excited."

Huzzah!

USC basketball is up a creek with neither a paddle nor a canoe

USC is seriously screwed.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4252866

USC continues to suffer the fallout of the investigation into possible NCAA violations and coach Tim Floyd's subsequent resignation.

The Trojans' recruiting class, once viewed as one of the best in the country, is down to one.

Lamont Jones of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy has been released from his national letter of intent, USC announced Thursday night. Fellow recruit Derrick Williams of La Mirada (Calif.) High also asked for his release, The Los Angeles Times reported. USC wouldn't confirm Williams' departure.

The Trojans already gave Noel Johnson, of Georgia, his release.

Evan Smith, of Calabasas (Calif.) High, is the lone recruit remaining for 2009-10.

...

Point guard Gary Franklin Jr., of Mater Dei (Calif.) High, has committed for 2010. A source told ESPN.com he may also back out.

Because of the added cloud of the alleged violations, this could turn out to be even worse than what happened to Arizona last year, especially since we didn't lose the core of our offense last summer. This looks really bad, but I can't say I'm sad about it. The University of Spoiled Children deserves whatever's coming to it. The air of corruption that seems to come with any private school seems particularly worse for them because athletics is so much more visible, and if this combined investigation (remember that the Reggie Bush investigation is still ongoing and combined with the basketball investigation) really pans out, it could hurt the football program. I hope the football program gets wrapped up in this as well. I'm not the only one who's sick of the situation in Pac-10 football. Every year, it's guessing who's going to take 2nd place, because everyone knows who's going to take first. The Trojans are the Yankees of the Pac-10, and the Yankees are the Evil Empire. Therefore, is USC the Pernicious Principality?

I'm going to be watching this situation especially closely. The really good thing that could come out of this for Arizona is that we were recruiting both MoMo Jones and Gary Franklin, and if they jump, we're going to be in consideration yet again. We've already got a good recruiting class and adding one more player, in addition to getting a recruit for next year, would just make things even better.

I just can't seem to get this right

I post something on Thursday and I'm not posting a new post until three days later. I really need to get back on this.

Anyway, onto the news.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/wildcats/296075

Wise 'looking forward' to senior year

Sean Miller received a motor for his first Arizona offense Saturday, and maybe even a chance to preserve the Wildcats' 25-year NCAA tournament streak, when point guard Nic Wise told him he would return for his senior season.

...

Although Wise had until June 15 to decide whether or not to return, an option he left open by not hiring an agent and staying academically eligible, Miller said in a UA statement that he learned of the decision from Wise on Saturday morning.

"We are all very excited with Nic's return," Miller said. "His talent, leadership and ability will make him one of the premier players in the Pac-10 this coming season."

Wise is definitely going to be the centerpiece of our offense, but we've got a few good returners, like Kyle Fogg, and our three incoming freshmen all look to be really good.

All in all, I think it's definitely possible that Arizona could make a run for the Pac-10 title. The Scum Devils and USC got hit hard by players leaving and we've got a great new coach who should take us to the top. 26 years straight is not out of reach by any means.

Joe Lunardi's bias is stunning

In his column here, Joe Lunardi shows his stunning anti-Arizona bias. I used to respect Lunardi, but now, his bias is absolutely disgusting. I mean, yeah, the guy's a pretty good guide to how the brackets will turn out since he's got a mid-90% success rate, but come on:

I have nothing against Arizona.

...

There's still a place for a 7-9 team, by the way. It's called the NIT.

For the record, Mr. Lunardi, there are 10 teams in the Pac-10. That means that a team's conference record has to add up to 18. 7+9=/=18.

Mr. Lunardi either needs to lay off the bias and/or hackery, or he needs to brush up on elementary school math.

Solomon Hill "bleeds ... red and blue"

Yes!

Daily Star:

Solomon Hill is back in Arizona’s recruiting class, and this time he’s expected to stay.

Hill, a Top 75 wing forward from Los Angeles Fairfax High School, confirmed via text message this morning that he is committing to Arizona after he de-[committed] to the Wildcats in the wake of Lute Olson’s retirement last October and instead chose USC.

Hill was not immediately available for additional comment but his father, Solomon Crawford, said his son would sign a binding letter-of-intent after the spring signing period begins Wednesday now that he has spoken several times with new UA coach Sean Miller.

...

Hill “committed to Lute but Lute retired and I didn’t want him to go there not knowing who the coach was going to be,” Crawford said. “He always loved the school. He bleeds more red and blue than (USC’s) crimson and gold.”

This is absolutely great news. If Miller is working this fast, he'll definitely get a lot done by the time the recruiting period is over, even if he's got the clock working against him, and just think about how great he'll be when recruiting next year.

Solomon Hill update

The Arizona Daily Star now reports that Hill sent them a text message last night stating that he had not committed yet. I'd definitely prefer him to have committed, but there's no use in rushing something like this. At least he's not a definite commit to USC.

More basketball news

Logo changes at McKale Center:

The unique cactus-and-sunset logos, which for 22 years immediately identified UA basketball to television viewers, will be eliminated. The center circle, which read "Lute and Bobbi Olson Court" will also be redone. The school's block A will be inserted at center court.

I don't mind the cactus/sunset logo being removed, but I definitely disagree with moving the Lute and Bobbi Olson Court logo. That's just not right. I don't care if the logo isn't being completely removed like the cactus/sunset are. Lute and Bobbi gave so much to this program. They deserve to be front and center.

In recruiting news, Solomon Hill, who was originally going to come to Arizona but left for USC after Lute left the team, has come back to Arizona after never having officially signed with USC. Unfortunately, I can't find a good link for a story (Rivals.com requires a subscription) but it's all over the internet. However, they all link back to Rivals.com, thus I'm screwed.

I've heard good things about Hill, so I'm glad he's coming back. The fact that Miller is recruiting this quickly is a really good sign for us. Three weeks ago, we had no recruiting class whatsoever for next year. Things are looking up.

Arizona no longer recruiting class-less

Via Bleacher Report:

Sean Miller has [wasted] no time in making an impact at Arizona.

Miller and Whitford had been going after 6'11" center Kyryl Natyazhko from IMG Academy while at Xavier.

In less than a week they convinced the talented big man to join them in Tucson, Ariz.

Natyazhko is the sixth-ranked center, and the number 39-ranked player overall.

Natyazhko is a versatile inside-outside player who will immediately become a starter for Miller.

Natyazhko is a good corner for Miller to build around. He has the big shoes of Jordan Hill to step into.

Miller and his staff are still in play for small forward Solomon Hill, who originally committed to Arizona. He withdrew his commitment when Lute Olson retired, and re-opened his commitment when Miller was named head coach.

Hill appears to prefer Miller's up-tempo system to Tim Floyd's deliberate system.

Victor Rudd, a 6'8" small forward from Las Vegas, is also considering the Wildcats.

Stealing Hill from USC would be great. I'm really happy to see that Miller's getting this program back to stability so quickly. A lot of people are talking about this program not being back on its feet until the 2010-2011 season, but I think that at the pace Miller's going, we could easy be ready to go this coming season. I don't see anything standing in the way of Miller and the program. Plus, what with the Scum Devils losing Pendergraph and Harden, I think that their "streak" of beating us is over.

¡Ay dios mio!

ESPN:

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona forward Jordan Hill will forgo his senior year and make himself eligible for the NBA draft.

So now it comes down to Nic Wise. If we can hold on to Wise, things might be salvageable. If we lose Wise, then next year will be a rebuilding year for sure. I hope that Coach Miller can do some good off-season recruiting and jump-starts the rebuilding process.

However, I don't care how badly the team does next year. I'll go to every home game I can. Win or lose, I'm doing my part. I'll be there.

The streak was good while it lasted

AZ Daily Star:

Arizona junior forward Chase Budinger will forgo his senior season and enter the NBA draft, his father, Duncan, told the Arizona Daily Star this morning.

The move is irrevocable because Chase Budinger tested the draft process and returned to school last season, which is only allowed once.

Budinger and Jordan Hill will hold a joint news conference at McKale Center this week to discuss their departures for the NBA draft.

Hill is also expected to leave, since he is projected as a Top 5 pick in the June NBA draft.

UA guard Nic Wise said he will test the draft this year but not sign with an agent, so as to keep open an option to return to school.

No offense to our current underclassmen, but compared to the Big Three, they haven't gotten much playing time. We have no recruits coming in next year and we're going to be playing a squad full of relatively fresh players with not much playing time. Unfortunately, that means that next year will probably be a rebuilding year and the streak is over.

However, I will gladly suffer through next year being a poor year if it means that the years after will be a return to national prominence for this program. I think Miller can do it, but only time will tell.

Miller accepts Arizona job

It's now official. Arizona now has a coach.

Hallelujah.

My head is spinning

ESPN is reporting that after rejecting the Arizona job, Sean Miller turned around and changed his mind. We have a coach, apparently.

I'm still very disappointed that the search took this long.

I'm speechless

ESPN:

John Calipari decided to leave. Sean Miller reportedly decided to stay.

Xavier's Miller met with Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood earlier Sunday about the Wildcats' open head coaching job but rejected the school's offer later that night, according to multiple media reports.

Xavier AD Mike Bobinski told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that he expected to speak with Miller late Sunday or early Monday. He wrote in a text message: "Nothing firm at this moment, but I remain very optimistic that Sean Miller will continue as our head basketball coach at Xavier."

I'm seriously running out of ways to describe my frustration.

Please God let it be true

ESPN:

Xavier coach Sean Miller was expected to meet Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sunday to discuss the Wildcats' opening, according to a source.

However, Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday that the Musketeers were prepared to make a counteroffer -- if necessary.

A source said Miller was scheduled to board a private plane Sunday morning en route to Albuquerque, where he was expected to meet with Livengood about the Wildcats' opening.

Miller would definitely be a good fit for the program. I hope we can grab him because we're running out of options. Pitino, Calipari, Dixon and Few are all out of the question. If we can't get Miller, we could turn to Reggie Theus or Josh Pastner, but our options are severely limited. I hope this turns out well.

Likes and dislikes

I figure I should probably list my favorite and least favorite sports teams so you know where I stand on the teams. After all, this is a sports blog, so I might as well set the ground rules.

I may or may not add to this list and/or edit in reasoning behind each one later. Teams (save for the first place listing of Arizona, ASU and the New York Yankees in their respective lists) are not necessarily ranked in order.

College:
Favorites: Arizona Wildcats, Florida State Seminoles, LSU Tigers
Hates: Arizona State Sun Devils, everyone else in the Pac-10, Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns

Soccer:
Favorites: Manchester United, Chicago Fire, Barcelona
Hates: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid

NFL:
Favorites: Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers
Hates: Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

MLB:
Favorites: Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres
Hates: New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins/Everyone in the AL Central besides the White Sox, L.A. Dodgers/Everyone in the NL West besides the Padres