Earlier this week, we discussed the possibility of Arizona losing five players to the NBA Draft. But Sean Miller has emerged as one of the top recruiters in the nation since he began at Arizona. After bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, Arizona should be able to reload next season.
By no means is next year "the year to win it all", because that's what Arizona fans have been saying since 1998. But with some key players eligible, development of role players, and Sean Miller's best recruiting class yet, Arizona will remain among the best next season.
Gone is T.J. McConnell and in comes dynamic 5-star point guard Justin Simon, 6th ranked PG, 30th overall. Simon should come in as the starter, with Parker Jackson-Cartwright coming off the bench. With Simon standing in at 6-4, and Jackson-Cartwright at 5-9, there's a big disparity in height, which can be good and bad. But Simon has been on the rise and could be one of Arizona's next best point guards.
Stanley Johnson is bound to be a top five pick in the NBA Draft with his sheer size and scoring abilities, but Arizona will gain perhaps an even better scorer in 5-star Allonzo Trier. Ranked as the No. 2 shooting guard, No. 15 overall, Trier is an absolute scoring machine, something Arizona has been lacking for quite some time.
It also helps that Arizona will gain the services of Kadeem Allen, the No. 1 JUCO shooting guard who was redshirted this season. He's already in the system and has been working with the team, which should make him ready for big minutes. Gabe York will be back for his senior year and Elliott Pitts will already be a junior. In other words, the backcourt should be fine.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson might be leaving next year, but Ray Smith could be the perfect replacement for him. The 5-star is ranked as the No. 4 small forward, No. 16 overall. At 6-7, Smith's length allows him to be a relentless defender and attack the rim. The scary thing is that there is no one else who can back up Smith, which is where the depth at shooting guard comes in, forcing Sean Miller to slide someone down to the forward position.
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Ryan Anderson, a transfer from Boston College, will help ease the transitions as well. The 6-8 stretch power forward should be able to assume the starting role, should Brandon Ashley decide to chase the NBA. Behind him will be 4-star Chance Comanche, ranked 10th among centers and 50th overall. Comanche comes in a bit undersized at 6-9, which makes it reasonable to assume he'll come in at the power forward spot. A defense-first mentality will allow Comanche to compliment Anderson's offensive game.
At this point we're hoping to see Kaleb Tarczewski back, which is weird to say. But as of now, Sean Miller doesn't have anyone lined up to come in, should Kaleb decide to leave. Most believe that Miller's top big man targets, Ivan Rabb and Stephen Zimmerman, are headed to California and UNLV, respectively. There's still an outside chance of landing one of them, but as of now it seems like both will stay close to their hometown to be the go-to guy. And back again will be Dusan Ristic, who seems to have a much higher ceiling than Tarczewski. With progression this offseason, it's not crazy to think that Ristic could take over the starting job.
Now, should either Hollis-Jefferson, Ashley or Tarczewski decide to stay, that puts Arizona in a much better position than expected. Next year might not be the championship season we've been waiting for the past 18 years, but it just takes a few pieces to fall in the right place and a few baskets to take a few lucky bounces for Arizona to get back to a Final Four.