With TJ McConnell in tow, Arizona can talk about stability

In a week that's only supposed to be exciting for only those landing a Shabazz Muhammad or a Nerlens Noel, it was the Arizona Wildcats who made their recruiting efforts crystal clear as Matt Korcheck and TJ McConnell announced they'd be joining Sean Miller in Tucson.

A transfer from Duquesne, McConnell led that be known on Tuesday, a day after Korcheck committed having left Cochise College. Bruce Pascoe broke the news officially in the morning, and Mike Schmitz at the Daily Wildcat talked to TJ around noon.

With Virginia being the only other school in the picture, the move to the Wildcats came as a bit of a surprise.

For one, the lingering of Josiah Turner on the Arizona campus leads one to believe that, despite all his issues, the heralded point guard will stick around. If he lasts, he'll be a junior at the same time as McConnell, who must redshirt next season because of his transfer.

On another note, it shows that McConnell is committed to winning more than he is to being the big man on campus, a likely scenario had he chosen the Cavaliers.

But there's a more interesting issue at hand. Considering Miller's success with top-notch recruits, maybe his recruiting strategy has changed for the better. And adding two lesser-known players might be the first sign -- in more than five years -- of a perfectly stable basketball program.

[RELATED: How does TJ McConnell fit with Arizona on the basketball court?]

The signings of Korcheck and McConnell have a purpose that could be a tad bit motivational and a tad-bit for the purpose of insurance. That's not to say Miller didn't recruit two players who can contribute, either.

McConnell could have a legitimate crack at starting at some point, and being from the same Pennsylvania blood as Miller goes a long way as well. The fact Miller went after him and a local guy in Korcheck, a former Sabino High School star, shows that he's building a culture that's deeper and more diverse than the five-star collections we see in teams like Kentucky.

Culturally, he's creating a locker room so diverse that winning will have to be the end-all, be-all connection. He's created a locker room where -- between the Ukraine, the Bronx, Tucson and California -- the goal is the same, stars don't matter and each piece of the puzzle fitting into the entirety will take the Wildcats to the places they want to be.

That's motivational, and it's powerful.

Miller has decided to go with hard-nosed, sure-fire players that'll stick around. He's done it in impressive fashion, reaching for players in New York, near his old stomping grounds in Pittsburgh, keeping it in house with an Arizona feel, and controlling the usual hotbeds in California.

But logistically, Miller willing to take on two players who will limit his recruiting flexibility down the road says a bit about how taking sure-fire things is often overlooked.

With Korcheck and McConnell added to the incoming freshman class, Arizona's future is, at the very least, set in stone for two seasons.

That's more than anyone within the program could say earlier this year.

High-profile recruits like Daniel Bejarano and Sidiki Johnson hadn't panned out. Injuries set the Wildcats back, as did a lack of any big men recruits during the few seasons leading into the Miller era.

Now, only Turner's status remains unclear. As we saw in the Nike Hoops Summit, freshmen like Kaleb Tarczewski could take time to develop, but that's nothing out of the ordinary.

Miller's efforts on the recruiting from have appeared to finally solidify.

The Wildcats appear to be locked into their identity for the next few years. That's the first sign of stability the program has seen since, arguably, 2005.