Josh Green, Nico Mannion say they're sticking with Arizona Wildcats and Sean Miller

CHAMBLEE, Ga. – Just before the McDonald’s All-American teams were hitting the floor for practice Tuesday, another Arizona-related allegation surfaced, this time from Michael Avenatti, of all people.

But during interviews after Tuesday's practice, UA signees Josh Green and Nico Mannion both made it clear their plans have not changed. They are the top two players in the Wildcats’ top-rated 2019 recruiting class.

“You know, one of the main reasons that I committed to Arizona was I trust coach (Sean) Miller," Green said. "I trust in coach Miller and what he’s doing. So I'm going to stick by what he's doing and to continue to support the program and next year, I want to come in right away, and have a fun time.”

Mannion said after leading Pinnacle High School to the Arizona 6A title that he was “100 percent” committed to the Wildcats, and didn’t change his tune Tuesday.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Mannion said, adding of joining the Wildcats that “we’re even more excited than (fans) are.”

MORE: 'Low key' Nico Mannion, Josh Green both focused on getting to Arizona — and then winning

Mannion and Green will be playing together Wednesday for the McDonald's West team, just as they did for the West Coast Elite travel club and as they plan to next season.

Green said the two first hit it off when Mannion was in eighth grade and Green was a freshman at Glendale Mountain Ridge High School, just having moved from Australia (Mannion is now in the same grade because he reclassified last summer and skipped his junior season of high school).

“We’re roommates, and travel with each other all summer so we have a really good relationship,” Green said. “We’re both easygoing people. We’re cool to talk to and we both have cool stories with our background and everything like that.”

They also are comfortable talking with each other about things that sometimes aren’t so easy to talk about.

“We know each other so well, that he can get on me and I can get on him with us knowing it’s coming from a place of love, that we’re not mad at each other,” Mannion said. “We can yell at each other and tell each other what to do, or sometimes when we see something we can get on each other.

“Not a lot of people will do that because they don't have the relationship. When we’re on the floor, we're obviously close but we're gonna let each other know if we've got to fix something or do something different. When that time comes, we can handle it. And then after that happens, we're still best friends.”

Mannion was a finalist for the Morgan Wootten high school player of the year award, won by Memphis-bound James Wiseman.

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Mannion was also one of three finalists for the Gatorade player of the year award, which Wiseman also won.

Both awards factor in offcourt achievement and character.

“He deserves all the accolades he gets,” Mannion said of Wiseman. “He works hard and he does some special things on the court.”

The West team is being coached by Gilbert Christian coach Kurt Keener, who coached former UA recruiting target Mitch Lightfoot of Kansas after Lightfoot transferred to Gilbert Christian from Ironwood Ridge.

Keener said he has never coached against Mannion but knew of Green when coaching a related club in the Arizona Power organization.

He also knows Miller fairly well, being a former coach in Michigan who knew Miller when he was at Xavier.

“So I’m familiar with his style of coaching and Nico will fit in very well,” Keener said. “He has a super high basketball IQ. As a point guard, he can score, he can facilitate. He can do everything that you want as a point guard. He's a natural.

"And Josh is just a really good athlete. I know Sean, when he's had those kind of elite players, he gives them the space and the freedom within their offense and defense to operate.

“So I see both of them as guys who can come in and make significant contributions right away.”

ESPNU will televise the McDonalds scrimmage Tuesday at 1 p.m. The game will be shown Wednesday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.

The scrimmage is considered far more valuable to watch for NBA scouts, who will be in attendance Tuesday, though non-ESPN media is not allowed to attend.

NEW: Future Arizona PG Nico Mannion Highlights From McDAAG Practice!VIDEO: https://t.co/2INaJCvnZX pic.twitter.com/CXOY1LuHgX

— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) March 26, 2019