Arizona Desert Swarm

Ed Rush Hired As Pac-12 Coordinator Of Men's Basketball Officials - CougCenter

2012-05-16T22:54:03Z

Ed Rush Hired As Pac-12 Coordinator Of Men's Basketball Officials - CougCenter

A well-done analysis by CougCenter on the conference hiring former NBA referee god Ed Rush. No more complaining about Pac-12 refs!

College transfers: The sound swap of Josiah Turner and Mark Lyons

2012-05-16T18:55:53Z

Defection in college basketball isn't a rare thing these days.

The Arizona Wildcats can tell you that from the end of the Lute Olson era until today nothing has been normal, but the national trend has been catching up with the UA program.

The Daily's Dan Wolken wrote on Monday that college basketball recruiting is about the now rather than the then.

It's a two-way street. Coaches recruit players that will be immediate impacts, knowing they could jump to the NBA. And if they aren't immediate impacts, players like former Wildcats and current Colorado State guard Daniel Bejarano might seek out school where they can, well, play.

"You can't tell a kid, ‘We're looking at you to be a role guy for us,' " said one assistant coach to Wolken. "Look, you can only play five on the floor at one time. So you have to present things in a certain way maybe knowing in your heart and your head that isn't an accurate portrayal of where the kid fits in your program."

So is it on the coaches or the players?

At Arizona, away goes Josiah Turner to play for Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown at SMU, and in comes Xavier Musketeers transfer Mark Lyons. Sean Miller has dealt with unneeded change in the swapping of Turner, a sophomore-to-be, and the incoming senior, Lyons, but it might work out for both parties.

Last season, Turner's play couldn't be described as anything but floating.

For stretches, his pure speed in passing lanes and wit in rare pick-and-roll situations flashed brilliance, the kind that set him among the Tony Wrotens and Marquis Teagues in his recruiting class. But most of the time it was that floating -- the passive, nonchalant attitude, his emotions not flaring after a missed bucket or lousy defense but rather when an opposing player got under his skin.

Now off to play for Brown, an intense and disciplined head coach, Turner will get the opportunity to be called out for his flaws by one of the college and pro games' greatest leaders and then change his ways. Or he'll see the end of a once-promising career.

Meanwhile, Miller brought in Lyons, who left Xavier and coach Chris Mack along with some interesting comments from his former head coach.

Yet, this could work out for Arizona. Miller knows Lyons from his Xavier days, and the Schenectady, New York, native is likely familiar with Kevin Parrom, who was committed to Xavier while Lyons was a freshman.

That should go a long way in quickly submitting Lyons to the culture during his one season in Tucson. He'll be told when he's out of line if he ever is, and theoretically, his respect and familiarity with Miller and Parrom will keep out any potential for any locker room stuffiness.

Disregarding Turner's decision to leave UA, why is a one-year stint from a senior better than Turner?

After Miller talked about the risks and difficulty of recruiting the right players at yesterday's press conference in Tucson -- the first in 62 days, apparently -- the Arizona coach said one thing about Lyons that stood out among the rest of his comments from Bruce Pascoe's article.

"He's one of the most competitive kids that I've been around and I look forward to him sharing that senior mantle with Kevin Parrom and Solomon Hill."

And that, right there, is what Arizona might've been missing last season.

Competitiveness. Turner was bad at showing it.

Leadership. It's hard to think Turner would've developed that in a year.

The swap of the two point guards gives Arizona what it lacked, all the while reducing any risk of Lyons' infecting the team (Miller said a starting spot won't be handed to him, by the way) to only a year. And that's only if Miller can't tame his old recruit, something he must believe is possible considering his cautionary words about his past failures in yesterday's presser.

Myron Medcalf and Eamonn Brennan of ESPN's college basketball blog talked both the Turner and Lyons situations on Monday, and their guesses to how each will fair is as good as ours.

"Definitely a wait-and-see situation (with Lyons) in Tucson," Medcalf writes. "But this is his last shot. Maybe he needs a change of scenery, but his attitude will influence those youngsters. So Miller needs Lyons to get his mind right. Arizona could reach the Final Four or it could implode again if the chemistry is jacked up."

Yep. It's back to the question.

Whose fault is it? Should it be on Sean Miller for recruiting a bad apple? Josiah Turner for being the bad apple?

Or is it simply the way of the world, the way college basketball works that has put Arizona in a situation of swapping point guard for point guard?

Maybe it's the latter. Times have changed. Perhaps Miller sees college basketball as a one-year-at-a-time process.

And he could be right.

Bruce Pascoe: Players' Off-Court Woes Hit Sean Miller Hard

2012-05-16T16:07:01Z

Bruce Pascoe: Players' Off-Court Woes Hit Sean Miller Hard

A tumultuous off-season has cast a shadow over the excitement of Sean Miller landing a top recruiting class. Bruce Pascoe examines further in Wednesday's Arizona Daily Star.

Stephen Jackson, The Wildcat Who Wasn't, Chasing Another Championship

2012-05-16T04:45:15Z

Lute Olson put together more than a few outstanding recruiting classes: 2001 (Salim Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Will Bynum); 1999 (Jason Gardner, Gilbert Arenas); 1998 (Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright, Luke Walton, Rick Anderson, Ruben Douglas).

The 1996 recruiting class was historic as-is, marking the arrival of Mike Bibby. His No. 10 hangs from the rafters of McKale Center, a constant reminder of the magical national championship run he led the Wildcats on his freshman season.

Bibby was one of two McDonald's All-Americans committed to Olson for 1996. The other was basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy product Stephen Jackson.

Jackson's potential is one of the great what-ifs in Wildcat basketball history. Bibby's inking with UA was much celebrated -- he was an in-state star and son of a former NBA champion. But Jackson's play in the McD's game begged the question who the real crown jewel of the class would be.

Academic ineligibility ended Jackson's UA career before it began. The stellar class Olson had landed was still stellar between Bibby and JUCO transfer Bennett Davison. With Jackson in the fold, though?

Rick Majerus probably could not have triangle-and-two'd the Wildcats into submission in the 1998 West Regional.

After all, Jackson's proven himself to be a valuable commodity amid a championship run. A San Antonio Spurs team lacking star power beyond MVP Tim Duncan in 2003 won the Larry O'Brien Trophy with Jackson as arguably its second best player. Tony Parker was a baby by professional standards, Manu Ginobili was coming into his own his first NBA season, and all-time great David Robinson was on his last legs.

The 2003 championship was a watershed moment for one of the NBA's model franchises. San Antonio won the '99 Finals, but skeptics were quick to cite a lockout-shortened 50-game season as the proverbial asterisk. Los Angeles blasted the Spurs in the 2001 Playoffs, validating some of those criticisms that their championship was a fluke.

Jackson didn't put up earth-shattering figures as a Spur, but he did fill a necessary role.

Arizona's fingerprints -- or 'Cat tracks, as it were -- are all over that '03 title run. In addition to Jackson's contribution, Steve Kerr had a fitting curtain call on his self-described Forrest Gump-like career (seek out Kerr's UA jersey retirement speech if you don't get the reference).

He buried all four of his 3-point attempts and dished three assists in San Antonio's Western Conference Finals-sealing Game 6 defeat of Dallas. Kerr was a worthy supporting star that night to Jackson. Game 6 was a standout moment in his strong playoff run, as Jackson had a team high 24 points and did just about everything else well.

His complementing of Duncan was reminiscent of the role another former Wildcat, Sean Elliott, fulfilled alongside Robinson. Add that night of Kerr sinking the long ball, and it was a bit like UA's 1988 Final Four season.

Jackson turned 34 last month, twilight time in NBA years. He's back in San Antonio, a city famous for the Alamo though the Spurs suggest it also hosts the Fountain of Youth. Jackson is again key to the Spurs' championship aspirations, coincidentally traded for the player who would have been his small forward understudy at UA, Richard Jefferson.

It's quite a road Jackson has traveled to this point. He didn't even play his first NBA game until 2000, bouncing around the CBA and overseas before getting his opportunity. One cannot accurately say how differently his pro career might have gone had he been able to play alongside Bibby, Miles Simon, A.J. Bramlett and Michael Dickerson.

Maybe he wouldn't be working toward his second O'Brien Trophy. Then again, maybe UA would have a second national championship trophy in its case.

Andre Iguodala podcast NBA Today - ESPN

2012-05-15T22:23:21Z

Andre Iguodala podcast NBA Today - ESPN

TrueHoops Henry Abbott chats with former Arizona Wildcat Andre Iguodala about the Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 win against the Boston Celtics. Good stuff, and we always appreciate Iggy's insight.

Juron Criner killing it at Oakland Raiders OTAs

2012-05-15T20:34:45Z

Raise your hand if Juron Criner being the playmaker at Oakland Raiders' camp is a surprise.

Anyone? Anyone?

I didn't think so. I'm sure I was subconsciously being a homer when saying the Raiders got a value pick after drafting Criner. Same with Kyle Kensing spouting good things when talking about Criner and Nick Foles' legacy at Arizona.

At least we weren't wrong.

On Tuesday, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News writes that Criner is lighting it up in OTAs for Oakland.

Apparently, Carson Palmer has taken Foles' old buddy-buddy role with Juron quite seriously.

Kawakami reports that Criner caught two jump balls among crowds of defenders in practice, and also burned one cornerback down the field with that weak 40-yard dash time of 4.6 seconds.

"It's been a learning process for him," coach Dennis Allen said following practice. "I think he every day he gets a little bit better. He's learning more what to do. I was pleased with the way he practiced today. It's not a whole lot different than what we saw on tape in college. That's what we expect of him."

Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was also loving the Criner action, according to Jerry McDonald.

The former Arizona Wildcats standout caught at least six passes, McDonald writes, and they came on more than jump balls. Criner also caught a catch while "tumbling" to the ground, and he stopped, reached behind, and snared a catch on a bad pass.

That 40-yard speed? Meh.

"I feel 40-time speed is straight line speed," Criner told reporter Monte Poole. "And it's rare that you're going to run in a straight line on the football field. Football speed is different. It's about having a sense of urgency, having the ability to break down and make cuts while keeping your speed.

The Raiders aren't going for pure athletes anymore, evidenced by Poole's article on Criner earlier in the week. Criner fits the bill as playmaker rather than workout-ace.

And for the Arizona fans, it's probably safe to say nobody is really that surprised.

Arizona Football: Tedy Bruschi Deserves A Hall of Fame Induction

2012-05-14T23:59:47Z

Desert Swarm: two words still synonymous with the identity of Arizona football, the benchmark for Wildcat greatness, and of course, the inspiration for this blog's moniker.

The gridiron Wildcats have always struggled to gain much national notoriety, the result of disappointment and a dubious Rose Bowl drought. But Dick Tomey and Larry Mac Duff crafted defenses so intimidating, it commanded attention. Desert Swarm is still the most recognizable entity of UA football history -- so much so, this blogger would not be surprised if those defenses are more remembered in Tucson than the military action after which it was named.

Tedy Bruschi was a centerpiece of those defenses. Bruschi became nationally famous for toughness that transcends the garden variety kind present in an NFL player. He overcame a stroke to continue his illustrious pro career, and is going strong as an athlete today. Just last month, he ran the Boston Marathon.

Bruschi mentored former Boston College star and current New York Giant Mark Herzlich, a cancer survivor.

Of course, none of that is what is supposed to be factored into a College Hall of Fame vote. But it does detail the kind of player Bruschi was at UA.

The credentials for HOF membership are all present.

Record setting statistics? Check; Bruschi tied the NCAA career sack record with 52.

Impact on the team? Check; UA was the nation's best scoring defense in 1993, the Wildcats' legendary 11-1 season that culminated in the only shutout in Fiesta Bowl history.

All-American? Triple-check; he was a 2nd team selection in 1993, and first team in both 1994 and 1995.

With Bruschi at defensive end and Rob Waldrop at nose tackle manning the line, UA had the most feared rush in college football that aforementioned '93 campaign. Opponents mustered just over 30 yards per game against the line.

Remember Stepfan Taylor or LaMichael James scorching UA for big gains this past season? Yeah, in 1993, that would have been it for the night.

Bruschi's cohort Waldrop was inducted into the 2011 class, his first season on the ballot. Perhaps gun shy about inducting two players from the same team, voters passed on Bruschi.

Desert Swarm is Arizona football nearly two decades later. It deserves its legacy properly cemented in the Hall.

A totally subjective Arizona Wildcats' year in review

2012-05-14T17:57:36Z

So the athletics aren't necessarily over, but it's the end of the school year. With the exceptions of baseball, softball, and track and field, this weekend's graduation marked the end of some seniors' careers.

Here's a list of the best and worst of this academic year's athletic seasons, completely subjective and up to the sometimes-uneducated author.

Athlete of the year: Lawi Lalang, cross country/track and field

This pick is easy because, you know, he only ran the fastest 5000-meter race for an NCAA runner ever. And in his first season running cross country, the Kenyan won the NCAA title. The youngster is already on the heels of mentor and Olympic superstar Bernard Lagat so there's likely going to be a lot more of Lalang on lists like these for the next few years.

Team of the year: Men and women's swim and dive

There's still a chance for baseball, softball, and track and field to take this award at the last second, but it'll be mighty difficult. In Eric Hansen's first year after taking over for long-time head coach Frank Busch, there was little-to-no dropoff in his team's performances.

The men's team finished fourth in the nation and the women fifth, both a testament to Busch's recruiting and Hansen's abilities to keep the program on the winning track that's unparalleled by many other athletic teams in Tucson.

Now the pressure is on to see if Hansen can keep up in the next few seasons with the bar set so high.

Worst of the year: Basketball tumult

View this as a disappointing year as a whole or narrow it down to a couple of guys who couldn't get their heads on straight, but either way, Arizona basketball's season didn't go as planned.

The argument could be made to pick a football team that was outright bad, but the context for the basketball team ~~winning~~ taking this award goes as follows.

For one, Arizona is a basketball school. For two, even though the football team looked flat-out bad, it's hard to look at the football players themselves and criticize their effort. Mike Stoops looked like a sitting duck from the start of the year, and Rich Rodriguez's comments about the lack of conditioning alone might be telling of a lack of direction for the players.

When it comes down to it, 4-8 finished versus a first-round loss in the NIT doesn't seem comparable. But the win in football against ASU compared to the loss in the basketball team's final regular season game against the Sun Devils hold a lot of weight in this pick for the sake of salvaging a bad season.

Coach of the year: Andy Lopez, baseball

Whatever happens, the Wildcats' current No. 6 rankings in the Baseball America Top 25 shouldn't go overlooked. Three years ago, Lopez put down the hammer on his team. He reloaded with a completely new team after a disappointing 2009 year, and he made sure to recreate the culture in the dugout.

It's worked. The Wildcats are now a national force, and even if they falter come the postseason, it won't be because Lopez didn't do a masterful job of recruiting and developing players with class and talent.

Lopez took a big risk in calling his players out in 2009, but the payoff has come this year.

Surprise of the year: TBD

We'll relegate this award to the three teams still in action. Nationally, not many expected Andy Lopez's baseball team to be this good nor Mike Candrea's softball team to struggle, and both could make some noise in the NCAAs.

Yesterday, the softball got word that they'd host an NCAA regional (apparently it was by a hair) so despite a down regular season, there's always hope that something is up Candrea's sleeve.

Meanwhile, the track and field teams finished third at the Pac-12 Championships and have elite talent at the top of many of their events. Fred Harvey's squads will be scoring some points at the NCAAs, and the recent rise of his program has been a pleasant surprise in the athletic department.

Senior of the year: Kyle Fogg, basketball and Nick Foles, football

Duh, duh, duh. Yeah, both of these guys had rough endings to their careers, but how badly would it have gone if they weren't around? When you talk commitment to the team, leadership and all the off-the-court/field stuff, Fogg and Foles are heads above everyone else.

Sure, there were some solid seniors -- many I'm sure -- on some smaller teams, but the impact these two had on the community at the university and in the community put them ahead.