Bear Down Wildcats

George Costanza wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 5:49 pm

U.P. Zona Fan wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 4:18 pm He also took 96 shots per game to average 16.

Damn I thought I was a chucker.

U.P. Zona Fan wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 4:18 pm He also took 96 shots per game to average 16.

He is fantastic when he is hot, but when he is not, ooh, can really negatively impact the team. I'm not hating on him, and he could have a great season and be awesome.

Maybe we could play him like Kansas played Remy Martin. That worked out for them pretty well.

PHXCATS wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 5:26 pm Obviously Lloyd has a plan and has run it by everyone involved..my initial thought though would be Larson coming off the bench but still playing 30 minutes a game if Love commitment

ChooChooCat wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 12:08 pm

Postmaster wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 12:07 pm What happened with Michigan?

He didn't have the grades to get into Michigan via transfer. Wouldn't be a problem at Arizona.

84Cat wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 10:09 am Are we worried about Jamari Phillips at all? Our backcourt is looking pretty full and all of them could be back in 2024 or do we expect a guard or 2 to leave after this season?

SunnyAZ wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 8:58 pm

PHXCATS wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 5:26 pm Obviously Lloyd has a plan and has run it by everyone involved..my initial thought though would be Larson coming off the bench but still playing 30 minutes a game if Love commitment

Bradley would obvi come off the bench. Dude was benched last year, he isn't a sure fire starter level player.

arizonawildcats wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 1:38 pm

If Spanish point guard Conrad Martinez brings some mystery to the Arizona Wildcats next season, at least some other things are now clearer.

The 6-foot Spanish point guard posted to Instagram on Thursday that he would not return to his club team next season, while Eurohopes and 247Sports' Wildcat Authority reported that he has committed to Arizona.

If so, that means:

• Tommy Lloyd’s 2022 summer vacation turned out to be both relaxing and productive.

While most U.S. college coaches were focused on the club-ball calendar early last July, Lloyd took off for Malaga, Spain, and brought family along while he took in the beaches, Mediterranean vibe, weather and … FIBA ball.

The FIBA U17 World Cup, that is. In that event, Martinez led the home-country team to a silver medal while averaging 9.1 points, 3.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds and shooting 23.5% from 3-point range.

In Spain's loss to USA in the final, Martinez also had a chance to match up against many top U.S. college recruiting targets, including Gilbert Perry five-star forward Koa Peat, collecting nine points and six assists along with four turnovers.

While Arizona hasn’t confirmed Martinez’s reported commitment, indicating it has not yet received his paperwork and/or other minor issues left to resolve, Lloyd likely saw something he liked in Martinez, a developmental prospect who is initially expected to add depth to a backcourt that lost starters Kerr Kriisa and Courtney Ramey from last season.

This past season, according to Eurobasket, Martinez averaged 16.6 points while shooting 35.7% from 3-point range in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Over Spain's EBA season, he averaged 17.0 points over 22 games while playing for the Juventut youth club outside of Barcelona.

• Azuolas Tubelis isn’t coming back.

That’s been the firm expectation for the past month or so and, while Tubelis said at the NBA Draft Combine last week he still had until May 31 to make a decision before the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline, the Wildcats’ recruiting movement indicates they are moving on.

Martinez would give Arizona 12 players lined up for next season without Tubelis or his brother, Tautvilas. That's just one shy of the scholarship maximum, and the Wildcats have also been pursuing other players who could fill the final spot.

At the combine, Azuolas Tubelis said Tautvilas will stay with the Wildcats next season. So if UA doesn’t add any more scholarship players, it could offer him another year of a scholarship. Otherwise, the Wildcats are expected to shift Tautvilas into another role with the program.

• There’s still recruiting work to be done.

Arizona reportedly is one of three final choices for North Carolina transfer guard Caleb Love, who led the Tar Heels in scoring last season, then announced a transfer to Michigan before decommitting from the Wolverines last week. Love would be expected to give UA a significant scoring punch.

Arizona has also contacted another North Carolina transfer, former Marana High School standout D’Marco Dunn, though Martinez’s arrival might threaten interest on both sides.

Meanwhile, 247Sports reported Thursday that UA is one of more than two dozen schools to inquire about Tennessee transfer forward Julian Phillips — if he doesn’t stay in the NBA Draft.

• The Wildcats can go five-on-five in practice.

After having just seven projected players on the 2023-24 roster entering the month of May, Arizona now has depth at every position, regardless of what Love does.

At the two guard spots, UA already has rising sophomore Kylan Boswell, Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley and incoming freshman KJ Lewis — and now Martinez. Meanwhile, its bigger wings include senior Pelle Larsson, sophomore Filip Borovicanin and Lithuanian sharpshooter Paulius Murauskas.

SDSU transfer Keshad Johnson could play either forward spot, while UA's big post players include senior Oumar Ballo, sophomores Henri Veesaar and Dylan Anderson and Lithuanian freshman 7-footer Motiejus Krivas.

• The scholarship penalty has already been taken care of.

When the Independent Accountability Resolution Process handed Arizona sanctions from its years-old NCAA infractions case last December, one of them was that the program had to lose a scholarship for either the 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons.

Since the Wildcats had only 12 players on scholarship last season, that suggested they were already satisfying the requirement before it was announced. But neither the IARP nor UA would confirm if it counted.

The IARP referred comment to Arizona on whether the school had officially satisfied the requirement, and initial attempts to get confirmation from Arizona were unsuccessful. On Thursday, Arizona still declined to say.

In any case, actions are speaking louder than words. The Wildcats are behaving as if they have 13 scholarships to offer, meaning the IARP sanctions will have no effect on the 2023-24 team.

In what will be Lloyd's first UA team entirely made up of players he recruited, the 2023-24 Wildcats now will have 12 or 13 players, including at least six newcomers and seven internationals.

Rim shot
Jim Rosborough, a longtime Arizona assistant coach under former Arizona coach Lute Olson, was formally inducted into the A Step Up Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame this week after being selected in March. Lloyd and UA assistant coach Steve Robinson are also members.

U.P. Zona Fan wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 6:28 pm So does Tautvilas not get a scholly next year if we pick up Love?

arizonawildcats wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 7:17 pm

At the combine, Azuolas Tubelis said Tautvilas will stay with the Wildcats next season. So if UA doesn’t add any more scholarship players, it could offer him another year of a scholarship. Otherwise, the Wildcats are expected to shift Tautvilas into another role with the program.

Merkin wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 8:47 am

arizonawildcats wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 7:17 pm

At the combine, Azuolas Tubelis said Tautvilas will stay with the Wildcats next season. So if UA doesn’t add any more scholarship players, it could offer him another year of a scholarship. Otherwise, the Wildcats are expected to shift Tautvilas into another role with the program.

Can't offer him an academic scholarship, so either a walk on where he has to pay out of state tuition along with housing expenses, which is about $52,367 per the UA, and he can't work due to his student visa status. Doubtful Zu can cover that, since the G League and Eastern Europe basketball are both notoriously low paying. Think pro basketball players in the Baltic nations only get about $3K per month, along with an apartment and car.

RondaeShimmy wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 10:19 am Probably going to be a team manager or something

Postmaster wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 12:03 pm Managers don’t get athletic scholarships, do they?

Beachcat97 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 2:13 pm Haven't heard anything about Nkamhoua lately? Has that ship sailed, Choo?

84Cat wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 5:32 pm

Beachcat97 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 2:13 pm Haven't heard anything about Nkamhoua lately? Has that ship sailed, Choo?

North Carolina transfer Caleb Love is scheduled to make visits to Arizona and then Texas (in that order) before deciding next week. Both schools are realistic possibilities. Love and family have continued to communicate with the Texas staff about their plans in the recruitment. Gonzaga is also making a push.

Postmaster wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 10:21 pm

ChooChooCat wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 12:08 pm

Postmaster wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 12:07 pm What happened with Michigan?

He didn't have the grades to get into Michigan via transfer. Wouldn't be a problem at Arizona.

How did they not figured out before he declared at Michigan?

Looking like Love is not going to visit UT

Carcassdragger wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:16 am Man, it seems late for teams to not know what their lineup is for next year. You'd think anybody undecided would go ahead and make a decision for the good of the team they're joining.

Maybe I've got it wrong, but it seems a bit selfish for the remaining players to drag it out.

Dave wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 12:35 pm I was really worried after we lost Nembhard. What Tommy has done since then has been remarkable. We are flat out loaded!

Postmaster wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 12:41 pm I’m starting to think we never lost neemhard. I don’t think he was ever ours. Revisionist history? Maybe.