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.

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!

On Oregon's new uniforms

Oregon Unveils New Football Uniforms

To be perfectly honest, I like Oregon's uniforms and I liked the diamond-plate ones they just replaced. Yeah, the wings will always remind me of last year's loss by Arizona at Autzen Stadium, but I like the uniforms nonetheless. They break the monotony and they're something different. They work. I mean, at the same time, I would never want to see Arizona wearing something similar just because Arizona's uniforms are Arizona's uniforms and I like them the way they are, but these work for Oregon. They're always going to be Nike's guinea pigs, so their uniforms being out of the ordinary is par for the course.

It'll be nice to see them wearing those uniforms when we beat them in Tucson this year, though.

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.

STOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!

While a lot of the Wildcat faithful never give up, myself included, it's nice to see that the pressure on Mike Stoops is finally letting up.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/ua/articles/2009/06/08/20090608stoops0609.html

TUCSON - Yes, it's the off-season, but something seems different around here. Mike Stoops is down about 15 pounds, looking healthier than he has in recent years. What's more, he just seems so . . . at ease.

Seriously.

The University of Arizona football coach admits he has changed. He's relaxed a little, matured some, acknowledged his mistakes. And as he explains all this, it suddenly becomes clear.

There's no drama.

No discussion of job security, no mention of a "Stoops hot seat" or reminder that the Wildcats haven't played in a bowl in 10 years.

All in all it's pretty quiet, which is odd.

To be perfectly honest, there should be absolutely no pressure on Stoops at this point. Yes, his tenure with Arizona hasn't been 100% stellar, but he's definitely moved past the bad years. Last year was just the beginning. Things are definitely looking up for Arizona at this point. Are we suddenly going to start stomping Oregon and USC and making runs at the national championship? No, especially not with teams like Northern Arizona and Central Michigan making up 2/3rds of our non-con schedule. However, I don't think we'll be finishing in the bottom half of the Pac-10 anytime soon, and we're definitely going bowling again this year.

I'll be there for every game and I'm seriously considering ponying up the money to go on the road trip to Tempe just to shove it in the Scum Devil fans' faces when we beat them six ways 'till Sunday yet again.

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.

Time to get back into the groove of things

So, I'm all done with finals and back home. I'm looking for a summer job and hoping that turns out well.

Bleacher Report (about a month and a half ago) ranked the Pac-10 stadiums in terms of how tough they were to play at.

Of course, there was no shock at all about Autzen Stadium coming in at #1. You have to be a complete idiot not to think it's the toughest in the conference. It's easily in the top 5 in the nation.

The rest of the list is where it gets interesting.

3. In Tucson, Arizona you will find Arizona Stadium, home of the Wildcats.

This stadium has been popularized by its famous field rushes, in which the field is turned into a sea of red almost instantaneously after a wildcat victory (see Oregon 2007). Arizona Stadium is also home to the "Zona Zoo," the largest student section in the Pac-10, and houses very rabid, very loyal fans. Arizona stadium is like the death valley of the Pac-10; it's where great teams go to lose.

They've got that right. Nobody rushes a field quite like we do.

Even more NCAA 10 stuff

So, it's been revealed that created teams will be limited to two helmets, four jerseys and two pants. Therefore, I've had to revise the uniforms yet again.







To be really honest, I'm sick of creating all of these images. This game can't come out any quicker.

Lots of things

First of all, it's looking more and more like laryngitis than bronchitis. Also, I'm getting better. Thank God.

Furthermore, Arizona beat Cal both Friday night and last night. I should have a roundup of the entire series later today or tomorrow.

Finally, as I seem to be musing about life's unfairness quite a bit lately, and since I talked, in my first post, how it's unfair that Phil Hartman and Chris Farley are dead, I'd like to talk about another person who should be alive but, unfortunately, isn't.



Greatest singer of all time. Bar none.

God bless you, Freddie. The world misses you.

More NCAA 10 CAS stuff

So, after having heard the news that we are limited to four uniforms (home and away with home and away alternates) I went ahead and changed Oceanside's uniforms a bit. Nothing too major.


Home, Away, Home alternate, Away alternate

Also, user pbplayer178 created a custom Rob Gronkowski cover for me to use if/when I buy the game.

UC Oceanside's uniforms-to-be

We are now 78 days from the release of NCAA Football 10 and I'm starting real preparations for making UC Oceanside. In addition to revising the logo because I remembered that all UC schools have both blue and gold in their logos, I've already drawn up what I want their uniforms to look like.



However, those uniforms are only if I'm limited to just four uniforms.

More NCAA 10 news

As promised, here's the IGN article.

I've decided that my first created school will be a throwback to the created schools I used to make on the last-gen games: UC Oceanside. I've even got a logo for it. Thankfully, there's a real school with the initials "UCO" (the University of Central Oklahoma) so I'm going to use their logo with a different color scheme.

Here is Central Oklahoma's real logo followed by the two color schemes I've thought up so far.

NCAA 10 News: TeamBuilder = Create-a-School

From EA:

NCAA Football 10 introduces TeamBuilder, an all-new, online create-a-school feature that will enhance the user’s ability to produce personalized content. With the capability to upload logos and numerous customization options for uniforms, fields, rosters, and much more, TeamBuilder gives users the opportunity to design completely original teams with infinite possibilities. Plus, preloaded logos for several Football Championship Subdivision schools will help users create authentic teams for NCAA Football 10. With its intuitively designed online database that is searchable across several fields, TeamBuilder allows users to share content with ease. A football fan’s dream, TeamBuilder will enable users to experience the excitement and pageantry of college football, defined by their own personalized creations.

Basically, this is huge for me. I would have gladly taken the last-gen Create-a-School over nothing at all, but this goes above and beyond what I expected. This is absolutely incredible. If there actually is the ability to upload your own logos, the options are basically endless. Of course, when I play, my primary dynasty will be Arizona, but I'll definitely be creating my own schools for sure.

IGN will have a big article about TeamBuilder tomorrow. I'll be sure to have that article here tomorrow ASAP.

Update on Wilbur's jersey in NCAA 10

From one of the EA developers on the aforementioned message board:

His jersey has been corrected for this year. It now says "09" on the front. It was one of the requests from Arizona.

I am extremely happy, to say the least, that EA is paying attention to these little details.

As-yet-unrevealed features for NCAA Football 10 revealed?

A poster over at the NCAA Strategies board found a promotional display version of NCAA Football 2010 at his local Gamestop. I'm definitely looking forward to this game for obvious reasons, but there are two things that caught my eye.



For one, Wilbur the Wildcat is on there. That is unbelievably awesome but I don't understand it, considering we're not on the same level as Florida or Texas. I'll take what I can get, though.

Most importantly, however, is the fact that Create-a-School is back! Yes! I've been waiting for this for so long! Those of you who don't know my video game preferences should know that I'm a big fan of customization ability in games, and I absolutely love creating my own teams in games like this. I remember back on the last-gen versions of NCAA, my brother and I would always create the UC Oceanside Eagles (him) and the Cal State Oceanside Broncos (me), and play a "rivalry" of sorts against each other (Oceanside's my hometown back in California). This is amazing news.

At the same time, though, there are plenty of typos there (in addition to Wilbur's jersey being inaccurate (it should be 09 instead of 05)) that could call the authenticity of this into question. However, considering it's just a promo box, those typos would be fixed before the actual game went out. EA usually puts out a development podcast every Thursday, and in light of the fact that they've got plenty of ears to the ground at the NCAA Strategies forum, I wouldn't be surprised if we get official confirmation on this come Thursday.

I'm definitely looking forward to this game.

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.

Arizona 13 - New Mexico 5

Another shellacking of the Lobos (28-10, 8-4 MWC) by the Cats (16-16, 3-6 Pac-10), but I wasn't at the game due to prior commitments. What I saw on the gamecast impressed me, though.

Arizona 9 - New Mexico 3

Great effort by the Cats (15-16, 3-6 Pac-10), but somewhat expected since we have a near-80% win percentage against New Mexico (28-9, 8-4 MWC). A shellacking like this wasn't out of the question at the very beginning.

Joe Allison had a great showing in his first career start and went six innings. On the other hand, the Lobos went through a lot of pitchers, and if I remember correctly, their first two pitchers (the former of which went for 1 2/3 innings) combined for four beaned batters, three of which came in one inning.

As I said earlier, it was a shellacking. I'm probably not going to make it to this afternoon's second game of the series due to prior commitments.

For the record, I'm pulling an all-nighter because I can't sleep and I have no idea why.

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.