Arizona Desert Swarm: FanPosts

Two Athletes out of Hawaii - Class of 2014 (football)

2013-04-20T20:51:11Z

Drew Kell: brother Devon is at Oregon St.

6'1.5 175 lbs

40: 4.5

shuttle: 4.2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUKKCIhQ2ZE Drew's Junior Season (QB)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fv2ge7ACq8 Drew's Freshman and Sophomore Years (QB, WR, DB)

Isi Holani: 1st-cousin Semisi just finished up at UW

6'2 270 lbs

40: 4.95

Bench: 285

Squat: 475

Clean: 300

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_EJZxvwTEg Isi's Junior Season (DL, TE)

www.wix.com/hilohs/football

Drew Kell: brother Devon is at Oregon St.

6'1.5 175 lbs

40: 4.5

shuttle: 4.2

6'2 270 lbs

40: 4.95

Bench: 285

Squat: 475

Clean: 300

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_EJZxvwTEg Isi's Junior Season (DL, TE)

www.wix.com/hilohs/football

Arizona Wildcats Land 4-Star Prospect Parker Jackson-Carwright

2013-02-24T23:27:42Z

Just over an hour ago, ESPN's Dave Telep tweeted that Arizona has secured a commitment from Parker Jackson-Cartwright, or PJC as people call him.

Dave Telep @DaveTelep
Parker Jackson-Cartwright to Arizona per his HS coach. Story coming on @RecruitingESPN
11:07 PM - 24 Feb 13

PJC is a 5'7 guard out of California and from the reaction I've heard, will be a force to be reckoned with.

With this commitment, Arizona has a point guard who can learn behind TJ McConnell and carry the torch for years to come.

Just over an hour ago, ESPN's Dave Telep tweeted that Arizona has secured a commitment from Parker Jackson-Cartwright, or PJC as people call him.

Dave Telep @DaveTelep
Parker Jackson-Cartwright to Arizona per his HS coach. Story coming on @RecruitingESPN
11:07 PM - 24 Feb 13

PJC is a 5'7 guard out of California and from the reaction I've heard, will be a force to be reckoned with.

With this commitment, Arizona has a point guard who can learn behind TJ McConnell and carry the torch for years to come.

1995 Georgia Tech at Arizona Football Ticket Stub

2012-11-01T21:40:43Z

Hey guys,

About a year ago I started collecting Georgia Tech football ticket stubs from all seasons. Currently I've got nearly 600 tickets dating back to 1921. While eBay has been a good avenue for finding old tickets, they seem to come and go in waves, and it's still rather difficult to find stubs or full tickets from games dating back to 1980. One game in particular that I'm currently seeking is the 1995 Georgia Tech at Arizona game.

If anyone has this ticket and is willing to sell or donate it, please send me an e-mail at brad@georgiatechticketstubs.com.

I do have several ticket stubs from the Arizona at Georgia Tech game in 1994 that you can see on my site. If you're interested take a look my site:

http://georgiatechticketstubs.com

If you look at the older tickets (up to about the late 50's right now), I've got game descriptions that include scores, stats, and videos where available.

If you think that you can help me out with this ticket, please shoot me an e-mail. If not, please enjoy the site and thanks for reading.

Brad

Hey guys,

If anyone has this ticket and is willing to sell or donate it, please send me an e-mail at brad@georgiatechticketstubs.com.

I do have several ticket stubs from the Arizona at Georgia Tech game in 1994 that you can see on my site. If you're interested take a look my site:

http://georgiatechticketstubs.com

If you look at the older tickets (up to about the late 50's right now), I've got game descriptions that include scores, stats, and videos where available.

If you think that you can help me out with this ticket, please shoot me an e-mail. If not, please enjoy the site and thanks for reading.

Brad

Duck Fan says Wildcats will win alot of games

2012-09-24T19:03:22Z

I'm an Oregon Duck but I just want to say that the Arizona Wildcats have a terrific program going. The Ducks have had a few years now to develop their system but Rodriguez has had just a short time; the Wildcats actually held the Ducks well in the first half, the Wildcats have a very, very good offensive scheme and their defense is well-coached and motivated, they will win alot of games this year, and beyond they will be a team to contend with, I'm not blind, I can see their good future. mccawber

The Official Pac 12 Announcement for AZ Desert Swarm

2012-08-15T20:25:08Z

Here is the scoop straight from the Pac 12 conference:

We’re proud to report that Pac-12.com is live!

And to help celebrate this occasion for all Arizona fans who read Arizona Desert Swarm, we wanted to share an exclusive two-minute football preview show, which you can find here.

Here is the scoop straight from the Pac 12 conference:

We’re proud to report that Pac-12.com is live!

And to help celebrate this occasion for all Arizona fans who read Arizona Desert Swarm, we wanted to share an exclusive two-minute football preview show, which you can find here.

Pac-12.com gives fans 24/7, personalized access to hundreds of live events, feature stories and other thrilling content – at home or on the go. The website is the online home of Pac-12 Networks, which begins broadcasting at 6 p.m. PT from San Francisco. Here’s what you can expect to find on Pac-12.com.

§ Thrilling sports. And lots of it. Pac-12.com will offer thousands of hours of live streaming events, off-the-field reporting and pre- and post-game analysis.

§ Pac-12 Now, our new TV Everywhere experience, gives fans who subscribe to one of Pac-12’s 24 television distributors access to more than 850 live events and other programs. Fans can begin watching at video.pac-12.com, through a new iPad app in the coming weeks or through mobile devices later this fall. Fans simply authenticate with the credentials provided by their television provider.

§ A schedule to end all schedules. We’ve introduced a comprehensive schedule that helps fans find out when their favorite Pac-12 team plays and where they can find them on their television dial or on Pac-12.com.

§ Help for getting Pac-12 Networks. Want to find out if your television provider is offering Pac-12 Networks? Our interactive channel finder helps you find out whether any of our seven networks are on your television dial and, if not, how you can contact your television provider to sign up.

The Wildcats Make the College World Series and Money

2012-06-14T15:06:15Z

Tomorrow, the Arizona Wildcats baseball team will take the field in Omaha for the team's first College World Series appearance since 2004. This year, the Wildcats enjoyed not only a successful baseball season, but also the luxury that the team's new field, Hi Corbett, provided.

In moving to Hi Corbett, the Arizona Wildcats baseball team was able to draw nearly five times the amount of fans it did last season. In doing this, the baseball team also brought in a significantly higher amount of revenue than it did last season.

This article on Forbes.com discusses the revenue increases seen by the team and includes an interview with Arizona AD Greg Byrne: http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2012/06/13/university-of-arizona-baseball-making-the-college-world-series-and-money/

Congrats to UA's 7's Rugby Team!

2012-06-04T20:15:08Z

The Arizona Rugby Team advanced into day two of the Rugby National Title Tournament yesterday there were four teams left. Dartmouth, Life, California, and Arizona In the Semis AZ played life and beat them 19-12, Cal lost to defending champs Dartmouth 21-19. In the Final Dartmouth Controlled the ball and took a 19-0 lead but right after AZ's star player Peter Tiberio had to leave the game with a wrist injury at the end of the first half but on the final play UA scored its first tri of the game, but they missed the conversion so at the half it was 19-5, in the second half nothing exciting happened Dartmouth scored another tri and missed the conversion the Final was 24-5 Dartmouth, But hats off to UofA, as a student of the school I am impressed with what we did, the three other teams in the final four were long time powerhouses in the game and Arizona stayed to fight with the big boys. Next year we are losing some key members but all in all we should be right back in the mix. Congrats to UA for placing second in the nation for rugby! BEARDOWN.

PAC 12 TOURNAMENT TICKETS

2012-02-24T20:26:23Z

Hey 'Cats fans,

My name is Ryan Leach and I am an account executive with the PAC 12 Basketball Tournament at the STAPLES Center as well as a fan of the Cats since the days of Miles Simon and Damon Stoudamire. I wanted to reach out to anyone who is coming to LA for the PAC 12 tournament to offer deals on tickets that the general public cannot get. If anyone is interested give me a call at (213) 742-7439 or email me at RLeach@AEGWorldwide.com

Hopefully the Cats can win the PAC 12 tournament and not have to worry about the NCAA committee

Hey 'Cats fans, My name is Ryan Leach and I am an account executive with the PAC 12 Basketball Tournament at the STAPLES Center as well as a fan of the Cats since the days of Miles Simon and Damon Stoudamire. I wanted to reach out to anyone who is coming to LA for the PAC 12 tournament to offer deals on tickets that the general public cannot get. If anyone is interested give me a call at (213) 742-7439 or email me at RLeach@AEGWorldwide.com Hopefully the Cats can win the PAC 12 tournament and not have to worry about the NCAA committee

Jeff Casteel Officially Hired by Arizona

2012-01-13T16:25:09Z

via www.msnsportsnet.com

Okay, I was originally going to make this a quick Fan Shot, but I'm not entirely sure if the links will hold up in the future, so I'll just block-quote a lot of them for posterity.

Well, this blog has been a little more focused on basketball recently, which is understandable. Arizona is still in the midst of making the transition from "Basketball School" to "School Where They Also Play Football and Like It." Plus, it's basketball season, so no harm no foul.

Nevertheless, this is pretty big news. Rich Rodriguez (or as the Wildcat faithful may soon call him, Ol' Rich Rod) has finally nailed down his prime target for defensive coordinator: Jeff Casteel, formerly of West Virginia. This blog already ran a similar story, but it would hardly satisfy you if you were looking for something official:

Hey, so Jeff Casteel is almost hired. Soon. Maybe. Even though it's final. What those smart people in the field do know is that it looks like he's going to the Arizona Wildcats for sure.

In the past week or so, we assumed that it'd happen following the Orange Bowl. Then it got delayed. Then rumors about Penn State arose, as did rumblings that Casteel was somewhat torn on leaving his alma mater to join Rich Rodriguez in Tucson.

Colin Dunlap tweeted that the contract was finalized and Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star believe it'll happen by tomorrow. Anthony Gimino of the Tucson Citizen wrote a good background piece regarding Casteel and RichRod, and he said the announcement will come tomorrow afternoon, as will the naming of a couple of other defensive assistants that will fill out Rodriguez's staff.

Anyway, this should be done soon. Perhaps.

I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very "official" to me. This blog was sort of just waiting on the official news to break. (Yeah, I don't always trust Twitter either, even though Greg Byrne used it to show that he had hired Rodriguez, but this is the exception, not the rule.)

Well, it's been a couple days, and the news broke.

Here's the Arizona athletic department's official release on Casteel:

TUCSON, Ariz.--Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez completed his football coaching staff today with the appointment of Jeff Casteel to defensive coordinator, David Lockwood as a defensive backs coach, Bill Kirelawich as defensive line coach and Spencer Leftwich as tight ends coach.

Casteel, Lockwood and Kirelawich come from similar posts at West Virginia University and Leftwich joins Rodriguez’s staff from the offensive line position at Pittsburgh. Casteel and Kirelawich worked under Rodriguez during his tenure as head coach at WVU.

"We are very excited to have Jeff, David, Bill and Spencer, and their families, join our family here at the University of Arizona. They are not only great coaches, but great people who bring a lot of quality experience and knowledge to our staff," Rodriguez said.

And it doesn't get any more official than the Washington Post:

TUCSON, Ariz. — Longtime West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is reuniting with old boss Rich Rodriguez at Arizona.

Rodriguez announced the hiring of Casteel and three other coaches Wednesday to complete the staff in his new job with the Wildcats.

Casteel had been defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Mountaineers since 2003 and was co-coordinator the season before that.

"I have enjoyed my time at West Virginia University, and it’s been 11 great years," Casteel said in a statement released by West Virginia. "I have coached some outstanding young men, and I would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication."

via www.msnsportsnet.com

Okay, I was originally going to make this a quick Fan Shot, but I'm not entirely sure if the links will hold up in the future, so I'll just block-quote a lot of them for posterity.

Hey, so Jeff Casteel is almost hired. Soon. Maybe. Even though it's final. What those smart people in the field do know is that it looks like he's going to the Arizona Wildcats for sure.

In the past week or so, we assumed that it'd happen following the Orange Bowl. Then it got delayed. Then rumors about Penn State arose, as did rumblings that Casteel was somewhat torn on leaving his alma mater to join Rich Rodriguez in Tucson.

Colin Dunlap tweeted that the contract was finalized and Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star believe it'll happen by tomorrow. Anthony Gimino of the Tucson Citizen wrote a good background piece regarding Casteel and RichRod, and he said the announcement will come tomorrow afternoon, as will the naming of a couple of other defensive assistants that will fill out Rodriguez's staff.

Anyway, this should be done soon. Perhaps.

Well, it's been a couple days, and the news broke.

Here's the Arizona athletic department's official release on Casteel:

TUCSON, Ariz.--Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez completed his football coaching staff today with the appointment of Jeff Casteel to defensive coordinator, David Lockwood as a defensive backs coach, Bill Kirelawich as defensive line coach and Spencer Leftwich as tight ends coach.

Casteel, Lockwood and Kirelawich come from similar posts at West Virginia University and Leftwich joins Rodriguez’s staff from the offensive line position at Pittsburgh. Casteel and Kirelawich worked under Rodriguez during his tenure as head coach at WVU.

"We are very excited to have Jeff, David, Bill and Spencer, and their families, join our family here at the University of Arizona. They are not only great coaches, but great people who bring a lot of quality experience and knowledge to our staff," Rodriguez said.

And it doesn't get any more official than the Washington Post:

TUCSON, Ariz. — Longtime West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is reuniting with old boss Rich Rodriguez at Arizona.

Rodriguez announced the hiring of Casteel and three other coaches Wednesday to complete the staff in his new job with the Wildcats.

Casteel had been defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Mountaineers since 2003 and was co-coordinator the season before that.

"I have enjoyed my time at West Virginia University, and it’s been 11 great years," Casteel said in a statement released by West Virginia. "I have coached some outstanding young men, and I would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication."

Also, here's ESPN on the story:

New Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez finally got his man at defensive coordinator.

After a lengthy negotiation, Arizona announced Wednesday that longtime West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel will join Rodriguez in Tucson.

Sports Illustrated:

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - New Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez has hired West Virginia's Jeff Casteel as defensive coordinator.

Casteel will be reunited with Rodriguez, who rose to prominence as a college coach with his success at West Virginia. Casteel has been defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Mountaineers since 2003 and was co-coordinator the season before that.

Our friends at SB Nation also broke the news:

It's official: Jeff Casteel is the new defensive coordinator for the Arizona Wildcats. The news was finally confirmed by the UA this afternoon, including a tweet from head coach Rich Rodriguez. Fans may recalled athletic director Greg Byrne announced the hiring of coach Rodriguez on Twitter and it is clear Arizona continues to lead the way in social media in college athletics.

CBS Sports, in typical CBS Sports fashion, does a newsbreak/opinion piece:

It's one of the college football world's worst-kept secrets of the last few weeks, as it was hinted at yesterday -- and Arizona actually had Jeff Casteel's bio on its website on Tuesday -- but the news became official on Wednesday evening. West Virginia's defensive coordinator, Jeff Casteel, has left the program to reunite with Rich Rodriguez in Arizona.

Yes, that part about Casteel's bio on Arizona's website is true. You can see it here.

Oh, what the heck, we'll block-quote it:

Jeff Casteel - Defensive Coordinator

Veteran defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel was appointed to take over Arizona's defense on Jan. 11. He'll also coach linebackers in the second level of UA's scheme.

Casteel was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at West Virginia since 2003 and spent the season before that in Morgantown as co-coordinator. He worked with the defensive line at WVU in 2001 and as defensive ends coach at UTEP in 2000.

His multiple spread defense normally uses three down linemen and at times up to half a dozen defensive backs. The 3-3-5 system has been called the Mustang and the 30 Stack, among others.

His 2011 version helped the Mountaineers contain a potent Clemson offense and beat the Tigers, 70-33, in the 2012 Orange Bowl, with four turnovers gained, one for a score.

He began his coaching career at California University in Pennsylvania as a graduate assistant from 1984-86, and then coached the defensive line at Palmetto High School in Miami, Fla., for a year.

He was the defensive line and strength coach at Shepherd University in Sheperdstown, W. Va., in 1989 and 1990 and assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1991 to 1999 at Shepherd before moving to Division I football at UTEP.

He has 28 years of coaching experience and was Rivals' 2007 Defensive Coordinator of the Year and its 2008 Big East coordinator of the year. He has coached in 11 bowl games.

Shepherd teams won West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles six times while he was assistant head coach. He's been part of a WVU staff that has led the Mountaineers to an average of 10 victories per season from 2006-2011, two of those under Rodriguez.

Among some of Casteel's noteworthy defenses at WVU were units that were best in the Big East and No. 13 nationally in rushing defense and 25th in turnover margin in 2006; No. 7 in total defense, No. 8 in scoring defense, No. 9 in turnover margin and top 20 marks in sacks and rushing defense in 2007; and No. 11 in scoring defense and top 20 marks in turnover margin and pass efficiency defense in 2008.

My opinion? This is huge for Rich Rodriguez. The guy needed to make this hire.

One of his biggest problems at Michigan was his inability to find a defensive coordinator who meshed with his philosophy and, more importantly, could also coach and scheme defense well. Rodriguez made sure that his strength and conditioning trainer Mike Barwis came with him (and spared no expense doing so), but Rodriguez didn't make a hard enough push for Casteel. You probably know how that turned out.

I'm still a little uneasy about Rodriguez hiring Tony Gibson at Arizona. Gibson was the coach of the secondary and the kicking game at Michigan, which in 2010 were the two worst units by far. However, it's possible that, with Casteel in tow, Gibson's flaws will be reconciled by Casteel's excellence.

It's also good to see that Rodriguez understood that defense had to be a priority, and sparing no expense to get Casteel to Tucson was definitely the way to go.

There are a couple of other opinions about this, including one from someone at West Virginia. The bit on Gibson "not being about technique" is troubling but consistent.

Understandably, the fans of West Virginia aren't happy about Casteel departing, which is good news for Arizona, because it means they're getting a coveted coach (in case you hadn't already gathered that).

And, of course, Arizona fans are rightly thrilled.

Zona vs ASU, dominating grades for a dominating game

2012-01-01T00:51:19Z

Hello to everyone again. Thanks to a lack of a link I missed the first 10 mins or so of the game, but I saw enough to give some fair grades. As a team the cats put this game out of hand fairly early one, and never looked back. They had a stretch of play that was just simply amazing. However, towards the end they did manage to get a little sloppy and let the sun devils scratch back to within 13 points before finally putting the dagger in. You'll find all my grades for the players after the jump.

Jesse Perry: GRADE A Perry is playing out of position when your asking him to guard 7 footers, but he did a fantastic job today. Plus his stat line was very efficient and impressive. He scored 16 PTS off of 4-6 FG and 7-7 FT.

Nick Johnson: GRADE B+ Nick actually had a fairly quite 14 PTS today. What impressed me most was his hard work on the defensive end. Him and Josiah are really buying into the defensive side of the ball. Plus his dunks on breakaways are always good highlight material.

Solomon Hill: GRADE B- This was a hard game for me to judge Solomon. He ended with 11 PTS and 11 REBS which normally is a solid game. However, he only shot 4-10 FGS and 3-6 from the line. If you couple those stats with how many times he got blocked down low I had to give him a lower grade.

Jordin Mayes: GRADE C+ Jordin's shooting was fairly good, but as the game went on he wasn't a huge factor. He gave the team what we needed, but didn't really stand out.

Kyle Fogg: GRADE C- Kyle played great defense as usual, but his other statistics are just not good in a game like today. He only shot 2-6 for 6 PTS. He also had a team high 4 TO's. For being a leader on this team too many times have I seen him drive and turn over the ball.

Kevin Parrom: GRADE C+ Kevin only shot 3-7 for a total of 7 PTS. He made a few good buckets down low, but I truly think he's still in the recovery stage from his injuries. He still doesn't have that explosiveness to his game.

Josiah Turner: GRADE B+ Josiah had 2 TO's and only 2 assists. His offensive stats may not be to impressive, but what really stood out to me was his defense. I watched as our PG fought big men down low over and over again refusing to give up position. I loved his defensive effort and the 5 steals really shows his dedication today.

Everyone else receives an INC. Kind of disappointed that in a game like this today Chol wasn't able to come in and produce more, but he is still a work in progress and I have to keep reminding myself that. As long as our cats continue to bring that defensive effort though they will continue to be in every game this year.

Bryant vs Zona game grades

2011-12-23T02:26:03Z

What a great game by the Wildcats, and just what we needed after a tough non conference schedule to get some confidence heading into our first PAC 12 game. However, I don't just grade on how many points a player scores, but rather how they are playing compared to their potential and their position on the team. After the Jump you can find my game grades.

Jesse Perry: Grade A What a work horse. He never quits, and always plays bigger than he is. Most impressive tonight was his 16 PTS off of 7-8 shooting.

Solomon Hill: Grade B Lots of energy, but wasn't as effecient as I would have liked. He only shot 6-14. But overall a pretty solid game.

Kyle Fogg: Grade B- shot well from behind the arc at 3-5. However, inside of the arc he wasn't very effective. Like always though brought very good defense.

Nick Johnson: Grade C+ Maybe I am expecting to much from Nick, but he just didn't play up to his normal game. Only shot 2-7 and 0-3 from 3 PT land. However, he did have one great dunk, and that's why he gets the +.

Jordin Mayes: Grade C His stats aren't overall poor, but he didn't really make much of an effect on the game. He made a few shots, but I need him to be a bit stronger if hes going to start games.

Brendon Lavender: Grade A 6-8 Three point shooting... Nuff Said

Kevin Parrom: Grade B- You can tell hes still trying to get his body right again. Overall though did some good work down low, and 5-5 from the FT line.

Josiah Turner: Grade B+ I'm seeing some great improvement in Josiah's ability to run a team. He didn't try to do to much today instead just kept in the flow of the offense. Plus had his season high of 5 Assists.

Angelo Chol: Grade D He was a completely non factor while the game was still close. I guess I expect more from him even now

Natz: Grade D It pains me to watch how slow he looks. He scored thank goodness, but still hurts.

Everyone else INC.

Its the Holidays, that means its time to give out some end of the term Grades for the Players

2011-12-12T05:50:20Z

Hello Wildcat fans. I hope everyone is having a great time watching and supporting our Cats this year, because I know I have. We just finished up our first 10 games of the year, and have a week break before our next test. Speaking of tests, its that time of year where students are finishing up their finals and receiving their class grades before they head home for the holidays. This seems to be the perfect moment to hand out some grades for the players and coach for the first part of the season. Below the jump you will find my grades for the players along with some stats and thoughts about their play throughout the year so far.

Solomon Hill: (GRADE: B+) Solomon came into this year as one of the clear leaders of this team, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. He hasn’t stuck in my mind as an all star player so far, instead he has come off as an all around player who we can go to for a basket when we are in trouble. He leads the team in mins/game at 31.8, PPG 11.7, and APG 3.4. One area I would really like to see him approve at would be his shooting percentages. A player with his abilities should not have a FG% of .475 and a 3PT% of .296. If he could shoot just 10% higher in both those areas then that would go a long ways in helping the team when it comes to our scoring issues.

Kyle Fogg: (GRADE: B) I was actually going to give Kyle a lower grade because I was expecting him to play better than he has so far this year. However, after realizing what he has done for this team defensively so far, I felt a solid B was a fair grade. He was the other player we were expecting a lot from this year, and although he hasn’t lived up to all the hype he has definitely been a solid leader. Kyle is second on the team in PPG 11.5 and has a 3PT% of .447. His FG% is fairly low at .407 and he currently is only averaging 1.9 APG. HE needs to be a leader that creates a bit more for himself and his teammates.

Jesse Perry: (GRADE: A) I am speechless as far as Jesse’s play through the year so far. I wasn’t expecting what he has been able to accomplish. Not only is he playing as an undersized center, but hes doing it effectively. I believe it will help our team out tremendously when Chol can finally start taking some of those center minutes from Jesse to help him from getting physically beat up all the time, but for now he has been impressive. Jesse is averaging 11.1 PPG and 8.2 RPG. Not only are his numbers solid but hes one of the leaders in shooting for the team. He has a FG% of .506 and a 3PT% of .333. With the way he plays and the contact he draws the one area he really needs to improve on would be his FT%, which is currently .647. Overall though we would be lost without Jesse anchoring our center position.

Nick Johnson: (GRADE: B+) We knew that Nick was a composed freshmen coming in, but nobody knew he would play like an upper classmen. I love watching how calm he looks on the floor, which is why its great to see the confidence Miller has in Nick to finish games out. Nick has also shown to be one of the few players on the team capable of taking the ball and creating his own shot in a pressure situation, and of course it helps to be able to jump into the atmosphere to do so. Overall his numbers aren’t super impressive, but anyone that’s watched him play knows that he is passing the eye test. The one stat I really like with him is in his 26.8 min/game he only averages 1.7 turnovers. Nick is going to be fun to watch grow this year, and I can’t wait to see him continue to become a leader.

Josiah Turner: (GRADE: C-) Josiah had so much hype coming into this year, and so far has not lived up to the hype. He is by far the most frustrating player to watch. He shows glimpses that leaves the audience wondering if he will be a lottery pick and a stud at the NBA level. Then the next play he does something so bone headed you wonder if his evil twin just replaced him. I believe Sean when he says that Josiah is a great kid, and I truly want him to succeed. Although I sound like I don’t like him I really love his potential and I just want him to reach it. What stands out to me is that he is making plays that worked in high school against lesser talent, and those same plays don’t work at the college level. He needs to understand his job at college and the pros won’t be creating amazing plays all the time, but instead being a coach on the court and get team mates in situations where they can succeed. Looking at his numbers it makes complete sense. He is currently averaging 2.1 turnovers in only about 20 mins of playtime a game. He is also shooting very poor right now with a FG% of .386 and 3PT% of .143. I could forgive all those from our point guard if it wasn’t for the fact he’s only averaging 1.6 APG. That just won’t cut it as a point guard.

Jordin Mayes: (GRADE C+) Personally I have really enjoyed what Jordin has given this team this year. He has shown the ability to shoot the 3 PT shot with a % of .361. Jordin is also showing that he values keeping possession of the ball having an average of .9 turnovers per game. However, he hasn’t really taken hold of the chance to be the real leader of this team. With the ongoing issues with Josiah Turner, Jordin could have taken the reigns to this team. As bad as Josiah has been with assists Jordin has actually be worse only averaging .5 APG. That will never cut it as a point guard for Arizona.

Kevin Parrom: (GRADE: A+++) Yes this is an emotional grade, but lets be honest there were signs he may never play again, and he has already played in 8 games. Kevin does look a little slow on the court to me, but I can live with that if he continues to make good decisions on the floor. His shooting % definitely could use some improvement from its current number of .342. One step at a time though. His determination and work ethic truly shows what Wildcat basketball is about.

Brendon Lavender: (GRADE: C) I wasn’t expecting a lot of playing time for him this year, so I don’t know how fair it is to grade him on the same level as everyone else. He hasn’t done anything particularly poor while in the games, but he hasn’t done much to make me say I want him in the game no matter what. The one thing that gives me the urge to want more of Brendon would be his excellent 3PT% of .467 which leads the team. If he can continue this % then it will be harder and harder to keep him off the floor.

Angelo Chol: (GRADE: B+) Everyone said coming into this year Chol would need the most work of all the freshman. To be fair they were probably correct, however he also has come the furthest out of all the freshman. Each game he seems to play more confident and understands where he needs to be. I have noticed that his defense is also getting better, and he’s fouling a lot less down low. To his credit he is working hard to get shots close to the goal which is obvious when you look at his team leading FG% of .565. He could become one heck of a player by the time he’s an upper classman, and he will be on an NBA roster some day.

Kyryl Natyazhko: (GRADE: F) I really wish I could give him a higher grade, because I know he must be working very hard and has been very dedicated to the team. However, it’s so painful to watch how slow he looks on the court. I have a strong feeling the more Chol develops the less we will see of Naty, and that really isn’t a bad thing for the team. I like how he appears to be a very positive team mate, but he doesn’t give us much positives on the floor.

Alex Jacobson, Dondre Wise: (GRADE: INC) There is no grade for these two, because they really haven’t played enough games.

Sean Miller: (GRADE: B) Whenever a player leaves the program it will raise questions about the coach, and if you add Turner’s issues then you must ask more questions of Sean. Do I think he’s doing a poor job of handling those situation? No. But he did recruit those two players, and perhaps miss read their personalities. If he loses Turner then it would drop him a whole letter grade. If he can transform Turner into the type of player we all see in him, then Sean would earn himself an A. Also in Sean’s report card you can find 3 names: Derrick Williams, Jesse Perry, and Angelo Chol. Why are these names on Sean’s report card? It’s because Sean has done a masterful job taking under rated big men and turning them into stars. Derrick wasn’t heavily recruited at all and in 2 years became the number 2 pick in the draft. Jesse came to us last year and the idea of NBA draft would make you laugh, but now his name and draft are being used in the same sentence. Chol was supposed to be a project, but this project is starting to look like a masterpiece.

Rodriguez wants to schedule Michigan

2011-12-02T20:33:01Z

As a Michigan alumnus, Rich Rodriguez fan, and new Arizona football fan, I thought you all might be interested in this article: http://www.detnews.com/article/20111202/SPORTS0201/112020417/1131/SPORTS0105/Rich-Rodriguez-wants-to-play-Michigan

Not sure what people there in Arizona think, but Michigan fans seem to be divided. Its definitely an interesting prospect for Rodriguez - I'm not sure whats in his mind but it would be a great chance for redemption if he could go to the Big House and beat the Wolverines (I highly doubt Michigan would schedule a home-and-home with Arizona). Then again, it seems like he could be setting himself up for insult to injury. Either way, it just doesn't seem like a great idea for either school. Would Arizona want to use one of its non-conference games to travel to the Big House?

Notes on Rich Rodriguez's introductory Arizona press conference

2011-11-23T00:43:48Z

Yesterday athletic director Greg Byrne hired former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez to coach the Wildcats in 2012. Here are some notes from Rodriguez's first press conference in Tucson. In case you missed it, you can watch the press conference on the Arizona athletics website.

First, though, some overall impressions. Rich Rodriguez largely seems like the same guy. I have followed his career at Michigan. Rodriguez works hard and speaks his mind. A lot of what he says is "coach speak" (his term), but he tries to be as honest as he can without getting himself into trouble or offending anyone.

Second, Rodriguez is pretty open about himself. He is who he is. He has a certain style, likes to do things a certain way, and has a plan. This apparently has not changed since his days at Michigan or at CBS. I think he understands the difference between a good fit and a bad fit, and he will embrace Arizona if it embraces him. He says a lot about everybody needing to "pull in the same direction."

Rodriguez has learned a lot from his struggles and mistakes at Michigan. He is approaching Arizona differently, largely because Arizona is a different place. He does not want to make the same errors (failing to connect with the former players, the fan base, etc.) if he can avoid it.

More specific notes on the press conference after the jump...

Again, you can watch the press conference here.

Athletic director Greg Byrne (GB) gave a brief introduction, then allowed Rich Rodriguez (RR) to speak. Afterwards Byrne made a few more comments and then opened Rodriguez to a Q and A.

GB thanks a lot of people, especially Tim Kish for winning against ASU and keeping the program going through this tough time. Kish gets a big applause.
GB says the hiring process was diligent. "A lot of energy went into this decision." GB spoke with college ADs, pro coaches, college coaches, and high school coaches, and even the media. RR's name kept getting mentioned.
GB says he was impressed that RR connected with Arizona high school coaches and developed a personal relationship with them.
GB says Urban Meyer told him RR was "one of the five greatest minds in college football" and "that would be an incredible hire for the University of Arizona."
GB says basketball coach Sean Miller recommended RR because RR is the hungriest to win and is the guy the PAC-12 coaches don't want to coach against.
RR at the lectern, says he's excited to get back into coaching. RR thanks Sean Miller for the flattering comments and recommendation to GB.
RR introduces wife (Rita), daughter (Raquel, 15), and son (Rhett, 13). RR jokes that Rhett decommitted from West Virginia and then from Michigan and has committed to play for Arizona. (He said this same thing about Rhett committing to Michigan when introduced in Ann Arbor.)
RR wants former Arizona players involved. He joked that they wouldn't be allowed to "call the plays" (unless they were on the staff), but he did give an open invitation to come visit with him and get involved in the program. This is a wise move, as RR's initial disconnect with former Michigan players was one of the reasons his first seasons at Michigan were a struggle.
RR's No. 1 goal for the program is winning the Rose Bowl. He also wants Arizona to be in the top ten every year and for every player to graduate with an Arizona degree, as well as representing the university on and off the field. He will stress this every day.
RR also gives props to Tim Kish for doing something remarkable in a tough situation. They have mutual friends on the staff.
RR says that Arizona is an appealing job because Mike Stoops made it appealing. RR adds that Stoops is a good football coach, and that there are a lot of good players here. RR quickly moves on because Stoops is a touchy subject.
RR appears worried about his contract, given his history. "Five years doesn't always mean five years." He says he understands the importance of success, and what's being asked of him.
RR: "I will not just coach Arizona football. I'm going to live it." (This includes his family, his staff, and his players. They will all "live Arizona football.")
RR likes Tucson, calls it a "great college town." Also comments on the nice weather, which he hasn't experienced much. This was another attractive part of the job.
Another RR goal is to make Arizona the place all recruits want to go. "The place in the Southwest to play football and get your degree."
RR will emphasize rivalry with ASU every day.
RR excited to meet the students, wants to double attendance at football games. "I want people sitting on each other's laps at the Zona Zoo."
RR says he will make no false promises, but he understands why he was hired. He knows he has to win games and championships. He makes one guarantee: that Arizona will get his best effort, and that of his staff.
RR wants to let Tim Kish finish the season. RR will start coaching duties after the last game.
RR will emphasize the state of Arizona in recruiting. "Very, very important." He says there are high school coaches in the state that he knows and is familiar with, has recruited here before. RR also says he knows California. Texas, too. RR still prefers Florida and "warm weather states." RR says Arizona has a good enough brand name to recruit anywhere in the country. (This is virtually identical to him wanting to recruit nationally at Michigan.)
RR wants fans to come to open events and get to know him. Once the season starts, practices will probably not be open, but in the spring, there will be open events.
RR worries that people have the wrong idea about him, wants people to find out for themselves.
RR has an appreciation for the media, having spent the last six months with CBS sports. He wants the media to get to know him, too.
RR promises that when fans watch Arizona, the Wildcats "won't be boring." (He said the same thing in his first press conference at Michigan. A couple years later, Michigan had Denard Robinson.)
RR won't give a date on when they'll win championships. He'll give his best projection at spring ball. (It could take a while.)
RR grateful for the opportunity, says Arizona is his final coaching stop. He hopes to be here for another twelve to fifteen years.
GB back up at lectern, says people "on the fence" about this hire need to get involved, buy season tickets, and support the team and its new coach.
What interested RR in Arizona: RR says he's been in the state a few times, recruited here before. RR says he and his wife wanted to live somewhere warm. RR impressed with Arizona academically and as a college community, but is most impressed with GB, "an AD who wants to get it done."
RR mentions that he had other opportunities, but doesn't name names. (Tulane is documented.) He decided on Arizona because he wanted to go someplace where he could win a Natl. Championship.
RR says that Arizona can win a NC if "all the people are pulling in the same direction." RR says it will take hard work and dedication, but is doable. RR says the program needs fans, athletic department, coaches, players, everyone on the same page, "from the day you start working."
RR on how he was hired: GB did his due diligence. RR amazed with number of people GB contacted, who then contacted him. RR met with GB a few weeks ago at RR's home in Detroit, Michigan. They also had breakfast at a "secret restaurant" in New York to discuss the job. A random Michigan alumnus noticed them and said hello, but did not recognize GB. RR: "That would have blown his cover."
RR thanks CBS Sports for giving him a job for the past six months.
RR says there were frustrating times at Michigan, but also some good things. RR's biggest frustration was that he "didn't get a chance to see it through." RR proud of his players, feels kind of validated because Michigan is doing so well.
RR says despite misconceptions he embraced Michigan tradition. RR says you need a plan and everybody pulling in the same direction. RR also says he learned that if you make a mistake, "own up to it and move on." (I'm not sure if he means his overblown NCAA infractions or culture clash with Michigan alums.)
RR says he will "absolutely" consider current Arizona staff members and West Coast oriented staff. RR has had previous assistants who have recruited out of Arizona, California, and Texas.
RR's criteria for someone on his staff: can he recruit, can he teach and develop, and is he a good guy. RR says there are some great coaches on the current Arizona staff. But RR will not mess with Tim Kish and his staff right now, because they have a game to play.
RR isn't sure if Arizona is more similar to West Virginia or Michigan. RR says all college communities are unique and have support. RR says at WVU their success came because they had something to prove.
RR wants to salvage his reputation and prove everybody wrong.
RR on offense: utilize your personnel and what you can recruit. Developed the spread at Glenville State because he had no other option. RR says the players were too small, so they had to win with scheme. RR got a standing ovation at Glenville State for getting a first down.
RR says he runs no huddle because the hardest thing to defend is the two-minute drill. "Shoot, why don't they just do that the whole game?" RR says he likes to play fast, the huddle is the biggest waste of time in football.
RR's goal is to assemble a staff before Christmas. He doesn't want to interrupt coaches that are currently in seasons. Some hires could happen as early as next week.
RR took the NCAA test on recruiting and got all the answers right. He admits that it's an open-book test, so "if you can read, you can pass."
RR will start calling recruits immediately.
RR on Oregon and USC: spread coaches (Oregon's Chip Kelly) got together and traded ideas, talked football, about seven or eight years ago. RR is friends with Cal's Jeff Tedford, visited him last spring and regrets it because maybe he gave Tedford "a little too much information" on spread offense.
Geography important in recruiting but is not applicable to play on the field. RR says schemes don't differ that much in different conferences. (Well, that's your opinion, RR.)
RR on facilities: it was a part of what attracted him to the job, but a small part. RR says you don't need to outspend other programs on facilities, but you need to be at least in the same ballpark in terms of quality. Other programs are recruiting the same players you are. Facilities largely send a message that a program is committed.
RR excited about Matt Scott. RR says every player will get the chance to prove himself, no matter where they are on the depth chart. (Every new coach says this when they arrive.)
RR says NCAA violations at Michigan were a big factor for GB, and it was brought up a lot. GB checked with NCAA and compliance office at Michigan to verify RR's story. RR assures everyone that there will never be another issue with the NCAA in the future.
Surprisingly no questions about the defense. I waited for that during the entire press conference. A little disappointed in the Arizona reporters. That would have been the golden question for RR to answer.

One last overall impression. I'm a little concerned about RR's overall "stubbornness." The whole "I am who I am" thing. He seems a little shaky in wanting to adapt an offense to fit the players, as opposed to the other way around, but he did say that one of the reasons he made the spread (RR is one of the spread's original architects) was because he had to depend more on scheme than on talent. In a way, that's adapting to your personnel.

I'm also a little concerned about the defense. RR was never asked about it, and so we won't know until later if he still is gung-ho about the 3-3-5 that worked great at WVU but epically failed at Michigan. (Btw, current Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has improved Michigan's defense dramatically with the 4-3.) I was also curious to hear who RR is considering for defensive coordinator. I was hoping Jeff Casteel would be mentioned. Again, I'm more disappointed in the Arizona reporters for not asking the juiciest question that everyone wanted to know: the damn defense.

What Should I Know About the Zoo?

2011-11-19T22:30:10Z

I've been to a couple games at Arizona stadium before, but I usually sit in the cheap seats. However with not a ton of stuff to do over Thanksgiving weekend I decided to go ahead and get one of the general seating tickets for the Zona Zoo section over Thanksgiving. Is there anything I should know about it? Also is anyone else going? Most of my friends are long gone this holiday, and I have a feeling that the attendance is going to be pretty sparse