Zona Basketball '06

[Arizona's Finest]

Alright I had been waiting for the signing news of Bayless before writing this post. As a UA fan I am ecstatic about this news and he has been compared favorably to Dwayne Wade of all players…..

Here’s the link on his commitment and its implications:

http://arizona.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=477990

With this commitment and if we can REALLY lucky and get Lance Thomas this is what our players look like for Bayless’s freshman year, not including any other 2007 guys who might sign on the line and be part of the bright bright future……

PG: Wise, J.P. Prince, Bayless
SG: McClellen, Dillon, Verdejo
SF: Williams, Budinger
PF: Tangara, Thomas, Onubon
C: Walters, Jacobson

Not that my friends is ridiculous talent…..

But enough about 2007 and our impending Final Four run……We have a pretty deep and talented squad this year….Im lovin Hassan Adams for Pac-10 player of the year and I think Marcus Williams has a chance to be the freshman of the year if he gets off to a good start. I also expect Walters, McClellan, and Radenovic to show improvement as well. If Shakur starts to live up to the hype, then we might be talking final four THIS YEAR…

Yeah I’m optimistic but after Tuitama’s play and Bayless’s commitment you should be too…

So here’s where us Cats fans can talk about the games (starting with the insanely talent heavy Maui Invitational )and I can get some Tucson info that I might not otherwise get out here in South Beach…oh I almost forgot

Bear down Arizona…………

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'm pretty sure Walters runs out of time after 2006 due to them pulling his redshirt twice becaus of Fox's ineptitude but the point remains. If Williams doesn't leave early this team will be ridiculously talented in a couple years. This season is based upon whether one of Shakur or Rodgers decides to sack up and play solid PG this season.

 

[Lefty]

I'm pretty sure Walters runs out of time after 2006 due to them pulling his redshirt twice becaus of Fox's ineptitude but the point remains. If Williams doesn't leave early this team will be ridiculously talented in a couple years. This season is based upon whether one of Shakur or Rodgers decides to sack up and play solid PG this season.

Walters is a junior so his senior year is the 2006-07 season.

 

[Russ Smith]

I'm pretty sure Walters runs out of time after 2006 due to them pulling his redshirt twice becaus of Fox's ineptitude but the point remains. If Williams doesn't leave early this team will be ridiculously talented in a couple years. This season is based upon whether one of Shakur or Rodgers decides to sack up and play solid PG this season.

Also McClellan is a virtual lock to go NBA early if he plays well this year, he's a legit hardship case.

But UA clearly does have a ton of talent coming in.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

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[arthurracoon]

I hope they dont get too overhyped.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I hope they dont get too overhyped.

It's just a regional cover (UCONN, Duke, and Michigan State also grace the cover in their areas) so the full-on SI jinx isn't in effect.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Ugly win tonight over the Jayhawks, but I'll take it considering the Cats only shot 28% from the field and KU will probably be a Top 25 team at year's end. We get #3 UCONN tomorrow night in a game the Cats are going to have to play much better than they did tonight in order to win.

 

[arthurracoon]

It's just a regional cover (UCONN, Duke, and Michigan State also grace the cover in their areas) so the full-on SI jinx isn't in effect.

I see

 

[arthurracoon]

Ugly win tonight over the Jayhawks, but I'll take it considering the Cats only shot 28% from the field and KU will probably be a Top 25 team at year's end. We get #3 UCONN tomorrow night in a game the Cats are going to have to play much better than they did tonight in order to win.

yea

quite a sloppy game tonight.

 

[Chaz]

Arizona just need to learn to run the offense. Too often guys are dribbling around the perimeter jacking up bad shots.

Walters looked good when he got the ball. He needs to be a little stronger on the block though.

I sure hope Adams isn't in love with that jumper all year. He needs to be cutting and taking the ball to the basket not jacking up outside shots all game.

(9) Arizona 61, Kansas 49
By JIM O'CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer
November 22, 2005

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -- Coaches whose teams shoot less than 30 percent usually don't get the chance to crack a joke.

Arizona's Lute Olson did.

The ninth-ranked Wildcats had that terrible night shooting and blew a 16-point lead yet beat Kansas 61-49 on Monday in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

"We wanted to prove you can shoot that lousy and still play good defense," Olson said. "We were just too impatient."

Despite shooting 28.3 percent (17-for-60), the Wildcats (1-0) advanced to Tuesday's semifinals against No. 3 Connecticut, which beat Arkansas 77-68.

Mustafa Shakur and Kirk Walters each had 13 points for Arizona with Walters' total a career high for the junior forward. Walters, who was 4-for-6 from the field, and Mohamed Tangara, who hit his only shot of the game, were the only Wildcats to shoot better than 50 percent.

Hassan Adams had 10 points on 3-for-16 shooting, Chris Rodgers had 12 on 3-for-10 shooting and Ivan Radenovic was 1-for-9 and had two points.

"We need to get back to what we do best," Walters said of playing with intensity. "We kind of got away from that."

Sasha Kaun had 12 points for Kansas (1-1), which committed 27 turnovers and went 7:40 without a field goal in the second half after tying the game at 41-all with 11:33 to play.

"We took their best shot then pulled away at the end," said Olson, who was upset with the way his team handled the ball in the final minutes.

"I called a timeout and asked `Are we ahead or behind?"' he said. "The clock management was awful. I didn't want to stop playing aggressively, but I didn't want them to be stupidly aggressive and they were."

Arizona looked like it was going to run away early, going up 20-4 over the opening eight minutes. But the Wildcats struggled with their shooting and Kansas slowly got back into the game.

After the Jayhawks tied at 41 on a jumper by Mario Chalmers, Arizona went on a 14-3 run capped by two free throws by Bret Brielmaier with 4:51 to play.

Freshman Brandon Rush dunked for Kansas to end its run of missing eight straight shots while Arizona retook control of the game.

"I was disappointed in how we played not how we lost because Arizona's a great team," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "I thought we might be nervous and then Arizona's pressure set the tone early. Then we dug ourselves another hole we couldn't climb out of."

Self refused to single out any member of his young team.

"This was a total team effort. We didn't perform the way we expected," he said.

Rush had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Jayhawks, who shot 33.9 percent (19-for-56), including 4-for-19 from 3-point range.

"We tried to get after them and we got them to make some turnovers," Shakur said.

The start couldn't have been much worse for Kansas. Adams hit a 3-pointer with 11:53 left that gave the Wildcats a 20-4 lead. The Jayhawks were 2-for-9 from the field and had committed nine turnovers.

But Kansas finally started hitting some shots and took better care of the ball, cutting the lead to 28-23 on a layup by freshman Julian Wright with 2:44 to go. Arizona led 35-29 at halftime despite shooting just 28.6 percent (10-for-35), including 3-for-10 from 3-point range.

"We came out flat even though we were really hyped up," said Kansas' C.J. Giles, who had two points and 10 rebounds. "I guess we were shocked at their speed but we did come back to tie it. If we didn't come out and play the way we did it would have been a lot different."

Arizona is making its fourth appearance in the Maui Invitational and the Wildcats have reached the title game the previous three times, winning it all in 2000.

Kansas is also in its fourth tournament on Maui and the Jayhawks won it in 1996.

 

[overseascardfan]

Did anyone else notice that Radenovic struggled big time out there tonight? He was getting pushed around and made some mistakes on the offensive end. He looked intimidated. After two years you would think his game would be at another level.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

My analysis....(c'mon you guys have to have been holding your breath for this.. )


Good signs:

1) Damn Walter looked good. I dont think its inconcievable that he is the best big man in the Pac-10 this year. He has some of the more refined post moves and attacks the glass well. He def. needs to add strength, but apparently he had a bad virus all preseason so he might be playing catch up. I see anothe Frye in that Lute will mold him into an effective player. The Height and feet are already there. Pound those Protien Shakes Kirk!

2) It might not show in the box, but Mustafa is two times better than he was last year. He made mistakes for sure but his shooting is looking ALOT better and i liked how active he was on defense. I am very encouraged by his start but he needs to carry it over to tonight against a team with a freshman PG. He will be the key between winning and losing.

3) Rodgers will do what he did last night all year. I heard a Jason Terry comparison but i dont see it at all. He will come up make a big three here and there and play great on the ball defense. I like his moxie even though he spent much of last year trying to sleep with my girlfirend at the time....No worries Chris, she is all yours now, especially if you keep hitting thos long distance shots.

4) Im not worried about Hassan at all. He will get it together for sure. He was trying to hard to be the man but he will get into the flow. I still think he wins Pac 10 player of the year. he just need to calm down.

5) Defense. This might be the best defensive team i have seen out of tucson in awhile. KU is no doubt green but both the full court and half court defense was exceptional. Our guards close out very well and we might break a record for steals this year. I also like our ability on the glass w/ Tanagara, Fox, and Brielmeyer.

6) In the first half i was killing Lute for keeping that damn walk on in for so long. Then i began to watch his positioning and post defense. This kid plays smart and i see him being an effective back up big for sure.

The Bad

1) Marcus Williams....what a disapointment....hes supposed to be a shooter and he went 0-5 on free throws? Probaly nerves but not the start i was hoping for...

2)Passing. They kept killing UA for dribbling the ball but in the new motion offense, the players were waiting for guys to break free. Give KU credit. They have some athetes. I think this will be worked out before tonights game and/or as the season progresses and they get more familiar with the nuances.

3)Fox might be the first inside player who has not gotten better over the course of his time in tucson. Even an incremental advance would be nice. This guy will lose minutes to BB.

4)Radenovic looked lost out there. His hands inside are very bad. If his shot starts dropping than he could contribute but he is likely a role player on this team and nothing more....

I think when Mclellan gets back (our 2nd best player IMO) we will be a force, esp, if Walters and Shakur carry over their good games. Like i said, its a matter of time before Adams takes off and while i would have like to seen more from the freshman, it was their first game....Tonight should be fun, but like i said we have to dominate that PG matchup if we want to win. I expect Hassan to lock up Gay but that remains to be seen.....

 

[Russ Smith]

Ugly win tonight over the Jayhawks, but I'll take it considering the Cats only shot 28% from the field and KU will probably be a Top 25 team at year's end. We get #3 UCONN tomorrow night in a game the Cats are going to have to play much better than they did tonight in order to win.

Seemed like Lute may have sent the team a lesson, turn them loose, let them play 1 on 1, and now he can point at that and say you want to shoot 30% all year or do you want to do things my way?

Hassan Adams the announcer was all over saying he was trying to prove to scouts he can shoot instead of playing I completely agree. I assume Adams can play somewhere in the NBA but I think someone is going to spend some time trying to convince him to play TE in the NFL.

Shakur looks to have beefed up, still didn't see a jumpshot. Chris "usher" Rodgers seems to be more involved this year, still takes bad shots, still can D it up, picked Chalmers twice in a row.

UCONN isn't that good this year their guard play is really suspect with all the off court problems their guards had. But that front line is awfully talented with Gay and Boone.

 

[Chaz]

Did anyone else notice that Radenovic struggled big time out there tonight? He was getting pushed around and made some mistakes on the offensive end. He looked intimidated. After two years you would think his game would be at another level.

Well he was basically playing center and the offensive execution was horrible. I don't think he had but a few good looks. If he is getting good shots within the offense he will be fine. He will never be a banger.

It is SO early in the season it is hard to make judgements about anyone on the team yet.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Shakur looks to have beefed up, still didn't see a jumpshot.

I disagree Russ, i dont think he shot a bad % and when they did go in as they like to say in Tucson, it was "Yakka!"

Tonight will be a better indicator but i think i see better form and touch from both Adams and Shakur...

i agree with your Adams theory...but he will soon see the lack of value of playing for scouts and play his game. He needs to realize that if he keeps driving to the rack, defenders will lay off AND THEN he gets his chance to show his stroke. The slashing has to happen first however...

 

[Russ Smith]

Shakur looks to have beefed up, still didn't see a jumpshot.

I disagree Russ, i dont think he shot a bad % and when they did go in as they like to say in Tucson, it was "Yakka!"

Tonight will be a better indicator but i think i see better form and touch from both Adams and Shakur...

i agree with your Adams theory...but he will soon see the lack of value of playing for scouts and play his game. He needs to realize that if he keeps driving to the rack, defenders will lay off AND THEN he gets his chance to show his stroke. The slashing has to happen first however...

I guess I missed both 3's Shakur made so that skews me somewhat. I just still think he drifts way too much on his shot, he doesn't go up and down straight he usually is drifting left or right and misses left or right.

A game like that early in the season is good for a talented team as long as the kids take away from it if we don't execute, we're not that good. If they take away from it we can chuck and duck and still win, then it can be bad. Lute's too good of a coach to allow that.

They're the favorite, throw McClellan in the mix and given UCLA's injury situation I don't see anybody challenging UA although come conference tourney time UCLA should be near full strength. Neither team has much post offense.

 

[Russ Smith]

Not Zona but did you guys see the dunks that kid Marquise Gray threw down for Michigan State? Freshman 6'8" guy reminds you of a young Kenyon Martin.
Figures, UCLA got Ryan Wright from Canada(skywalker but really raw 1 minute in first 3 games combined) and MSU took Gray as consolation and at least so far Gray looks much better.

 

[boondockdrunk]

The house that my parents own was actually that Bayless' before they moved out. My family bought it from them when I was about in 4th grade. Just a little piece of information.

I have watched the past two games for UofA and our shooting is just awful!

I really do hope that this is just a little funk that the team is in or else we are in for a long year. Adams needs to penetrate more and get to the rim where he can use his flying ability.

Radenovic has looked terrible. I never liked this guy because he seems way too soft to play a PF position and too uncoordinated to play a SF.

Mustafa Shakur didn't have a bad night yesterday, but we need him to be better if we are going to preform well this year.

Kirk Walters has been a pleasant surprise so far, taking over Frye's spot at center. Rebounds, points, and blocks were a huge plus, but I would like to see him go up with the ball harder as he can get knocked around rather easily.

And just a question, are you rating Wise higher than J.P. Prince? Because by all reports Prince is supposed to be by far the superior player.

 

[Russ Smith]

So far UA's weakness appears to be lack of a consistent shooter. McClellan should help there but I gotta wonder who is going to step up now until McClellan is allowed to play? Lot of talent, athletic, but it seems like UA is playing dribble penetrate and kick, and the guys they're kicking it too are not good shooters. Lute's a great coach he'll figure some things out I'm sure but the typical response is get out and run so you get easy shots but so far the guys are taking such bad shots that hasn't worked either.

UCONN surprised me, with their guard problems I really didn't expect them to be able to come back when UA turned up the pressure.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'm the last one worried about Arizona's ability to put up points. The last few campaigns it seems we start out slow offensively yet every year we are near or at the top of the national rankings in points. Our shooting has been dismal, but McClellan will be back for the Utah game and the best team we play betwen now and then other than MSU today is a home game against Virginia so I'm not too concerned about digging ourselves a hole. Lute has always said it takes awhile for offenses to come together while the most important thing is how a team is playing defense is playing early in the season as that cannot be taught later. Honestly, the offensive struggles won't concern me unless they still continue as we hit conference season.

As to the positives, I've liked how this team seems to be playing good defense and the frontcourt has been solid especially Kirk Walters. UCONN and KU have two solid frontcourts and to see Kirk play well against both of them leaves me less worried about that position. This team may have started out slow, but in college basketball we all know what's most important is how you finish so I'm going to bide my time and see how this squad develops over the non-conference schedule before rushing to judgment.

 

[Russ Smith]

I'm the last one worried about Arizona's ability to put up points. The last few campaigns it seems we start out slow offensively yet every year we are near or at the top of the national rankings in points. Our shooting has been dismal, but McClellan will be back for the Utah game and the best team we play betwen now and then other than MSU today is a home game against Virginia so I'm not too concerned about digging ourselves a hole. Lute has always said it takes awhile for offenses to come together while the most important thing is how a team is playing defense is playing early in the season as that cannot be taught later. Honestly, the offensive struggles won't concern me unless they still continue as we hit conference season.

As to the positives, I've liked how this team seems to be playing good defense and the frontcourt has been solid especially Kirk Walters. UCONN and KU have two solid frontcourts and to see Kirk play well against both of them leaves me less worried about that position. This team may have started out slow, but in college basketball we all know what's most important is how you finish so I'm going to bide my time and see how this squad develops over the non-conference schedule before rushing to judgment.

Well put, defense is the constant and that's why I like Howland he understands that just as Lute does. The sheer athleticism of UA is pretty impressive they're going to make a lot of teams turn the ball over and look discombobulated like they did to Kansas and UCONN at times.

Walters did look pretty good, held his own with some quality bigmen. So far to me the biggest surprise is how little Prince is playing, I'd heard rave reviews on him, I assume he's just not there defensively and the way Rodgers and Shakur defend, you're not going to get PT if you can't D it up.

McClellan will be a huge addition and it looks like Williams is a player for sure. Radenovic had a really nice game too after such a bad opener.

Lute has proven for a long time he knows how to bring a team along so I have no doubt he'll convince this team to shoot less guarded jumpers and move the ball to get better shots.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I agree with mao in that UA never has a problem getting points and they do start out a little rough every year....But this new offense causes concern for me and they have not pressed as much as the constant rotating of players would suggest....

Some observations:


1) Chris Rodgers needs to come off the bench. This will likley take care of itself when McClellan comes back. About that moxie i was referring to yesterday...well it cuts both ways. This guy is so brash and im not convinced of his ability to consistently finish. Plus for a guy who will have to play point at the next level (if he gets there) he has no ability to pass at all. The biggest problem is his taking everyone else out of the offense. While I noticed that most players made a more concentrated effort to pass after the KU game, Rodgers did not. I almost worry when he hits a three b/c I know that will lead to three more bad ones. He plays great hustling defense and he has shown a real ability to get to the cup (but unable to finish) but his problem is the team concept. I have no doubt he will get hot from outside at some point and even win us a couple games down the road. But much like a player like Eddie House in the NBA, while he does good things, he can take away from the other four players as well. IMO he is best suited coming off the bench.


2) Lute is playing “4” March: I mean seriously against the number three team in the nation, his rotation didn’t seem to make much sense if he wanted to win the game. He kept playing his freshman backcourt and even went to them after the starters eventually got them the lead (although Prince was in at the time)…After the Hassan dunk we had momentum and UConn looked totally out of their game. Then timeout and Lute took out radenovic and adams and the huskies preceded to go on their run. I was pretty upset until I realized what he was doing. He could care less about winning in November, he’s priming his team to play deep into March. In contrast to Coach K who plays cupcakes almost exclusively at the start of the year, Lute likes to test his players. Coach K probably likes to build confidence early in the season. Its tough to say which style works better but Duke has consistently out performed us in the tourney. I wish we would have gone for the win but I think Lute fears too much confidence from these players with a high ranking and would rather build the team up going into Pac 10 play. That’s why Williams, Breilmeyer, Prince, and Dillon are getting such big minutes. So he knows who he can count on later in the season….


3)Walters is a stud: I have not checked the box score but even if the numbers don’t say it, he absolutely ate up Boone IMO. Like Bilas said once he develops a go to post move he will be something special…..I had no idea he could jump like that either


4) This should be the rotation once jawann is back


1 Shakur
2 McClellan
3 Adams
4 Ivan
5 Walters


And off the bench in this order..
Rodgers
Williams
Brelmeyer
Prince
Tangara
Dillion
Fox


5) Shakur just puzzles me: This guy has such a slick handle, can shoot well enough, is quick on D and seems to make good decisions half the time. He just cant put it all together. Another guy who needs to work on finishing around the rim.


6) Hassan needs to revert to tournament Hot Sauce. He kept taking guys off the dribble and getting to the cup and he looked great….but now its like he feels he needs to fill Salims shoes. I feel once Jawann gets back he will have more help on the perimeter and will adjust. Or should I say I hope.


7) Our defense is stellar: Nuff said. Best I have seen in some years. If Mao is correct we should get to the final four because these were two talented teams we just went toe to toe with and I though we guarded them well…..


8) I change my mind about Ivan….he can be a BIG factor if he keeps it together mentally….


I think we will beat MSU tonight if for no other reason than their fatigue. If we leave the tournament with wins over MSU and KU and a loss to Uconn, im not too disappointed although I thought we could have one the whole damn thing with more focus on the present from Lute…

Some other random notes:


Check out CNNSI’s rookie rankings…Channing is number two and Salim number three. I guess Salim had 24 points in the fourth quarter of a game. All these players we have produced since the 97 team have all played above expectations and many our out right stars…..These guys are like a walking talking breathing recruiting pitch. Sign up guys and not only will you get to the NBA, you will dominate in the NBA. Look at Channing. I watched him in HS many times and figured he would never see the hardwood at McKale….Now hes the Knicks best player inside and was the number 8 pick. If that doesn’t help kids come to the “U” I don’t know what will


And I am very interested in getting some feedback on this question. At some point we all realize Lute is going to walk away. This is probably the best program out west now and we should be able to have our pick of 95% of all other college coaches. Depending on when it happens, Pastner could be a candidate but im wary of that. How bout this form the preceding game last night….


Mark Few: West coast ties, great recruiter and coach, guard oriented guy….will he ever leave the Zags?


Tom Izzo: maybe pie in the sky but we are a better program than MSU for many reasons and I think he is the best coach in the NCAA not named Coach K……Could he be drawn to Tucson with its numerous advantages??????


Give me some feedback………….

 

[Chaplin]

If the Cats ever learn the difference between a good shot and a stupid shot, they'll be pretty good. WAAAAY too many quick and stupid shots--Hassan does nothing except take stupid shots.

Lute has GOT to get these guys to work on shot selection.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

1-2 in Maui. I knew 3-0 would be a miracle and had hoped for 2-1 but am fine with 1-2 with two losses against two teams with likely Top 10 RPIs. This team is a work in progress, but with as poorly as the Cats shot and to still have shot against UCONN and Michigan State allows me to think they'll be fine in the long run. What was bizarre about the Maui Invitational is that they played better in the games they lost and played their worst oin the game they won.