ASUHATER! wrote:So we may have 0 commits for 2018. At this rate I don't know if we can field a team next season.
If none of this year's freshmen transfer or declare (obviously aside from Ayton), next year's squad will still have Randolph, Lee, Alkot, and Jeter as starters with either Barcello or Williams at the point. That is a legitimate starting line-up. If Williams stays committed, then Barcello and Smith come off the bench for a 7 man rotation. Granted, the front-line is thin under that scenario, but one has to assume with a transfer, there could be another big out there that can play bench minutes. So, assuming everyone aside from Ayton stays, next year's squad will be competitive in the Pac-12. Yes, UCLA has a big class on paper, but so did AZ this year, and everyone knows outside of Ayton, the freshman class has been slow to develop (it isn't as if Kentucky's heralded freshman class has done wonders this year either), and that could easily be the case with UCLA next year.
Williams has to assess his options, but he is looking at being part of a good starting line-up next year at a major program, with the possibility of a post-season ban, but the NCAA will not be able to make a move until the FBI investigation is over, and it does not look like the timing will be such that the NCAA can mount an investigation into Arizona where it will impact next year's tournament status. O'Neil was an early commit, he clearly liked Arizona a long time ago. One wonders if second-guesses his quick decision to bail and commit somewhere else so quickly because of the bogus ESPN story. At the same time, from the outside looking in, AZ has seemed unstable going into next year, so maybe he just wanted a safer option. Hopefully Williams still sees this as an opportunity and hopefully Miller can sell him and his family on next year's opportunities.