Hansen's Sunday Notebook: Statue honoring Chris Moon a labor of love
- Updated
Star sports columnist Greg Hansen offers his opinion on recent sports news.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Early Friday morning, I stood alone in a breeze at Cherry Field, the home of Tucson High’s baseball program. I thought not about the school’s 29 state championships, but of those who played for the Badgers.
All-State catcher Frank Kempf, killed by German snipers on the way to Berlin, 1945.
State championship shortstop Ted Bland, killed by German infantry in France, a year before World War II ended.
Standout first baseman Corky Moore, killed by a Japanese mortar attack at Iwo Jima.
I’ve been fortunate to know friends and family of all three former Badgers. They would be proud to stand at the base of the impressive Chris Moon Memorial, a statue unveiled last week to honor Badgers who died for their country.
Early last December, the Legacies Alive foundation invited Tucson High School athletic trainer Mike Boese and Tucson golf pro Landyn Lewis to the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia.
After more than six years, Boese, Lewis and Legacies Alive, the nonprofit organization that honors Americans killed in military action, had raised about $80,000 to erect a memorial for former Tucson High baseball player Chris Moon, the Star’s 2006 Southern Arizona Player of the Year.
Boese and Lewis worked without pay to raise the money and gain approval to build the memorial, a process that began almost as soon as Moon was fatally injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in July 2010.
“Chris was like a second older brother to me. He and my brother Tyrrell were best friends and we lived in the same neighborhood,” said Landyn Lewis, who is now the program and life skills director of The First Tee of Tucson. “Tyrrell and I even got tattoos of Chris after he passed away and the Moons gave us the honor of escorting them on his funeral.
“Chris had purchased a Mustang from one of our friends the last time he was in town. Tyrrell drove and I rode shotgun while the Moons sat in the back on the way to the church and cemetery. It was a very surreal experience.”
As arranged by the Legacies Alive foundation at the Army-Navy game, Lewis spoke to about 20 families of Gold Star soldiers, those who had been killed in action.
Moon, who hit .462 as compiled an 8-2 pitching record as a THS senior, accepted a scholarship to Arizona but chose to enlist in the Army after his first semester. He became a scout sniper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Last week’s ceremony isn’t the end of project. Lewis will continue to stage an annual golf tournament at Omni Tucson National for the “Moondog Scholarship.” He plans to award at least three $2,500 scholarships to THS student-athletes each year.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Here’s a softball name to keep in mind: Kristiana Watson.
A freshman shortstop at Amphitheater High School, the daughter of two-time Arizona All-America shortstop Laura Espinoza Watson has emerged as one of the top softball players in Arizona.
Kristiana is hitting .770 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs even though the Panthers have played just 21 games. Those aren’t video game numbers, either. Her slugging percentage is 1.836. Nor is it totally unexpected.
Playing for her mother’s AAU travel team, the Arizona ThunderCats, Kristiana was part of the nation’s No. 2 ASA team for 10U players four years ago. Her older brother, Amphi junior David Watson, is a 6-foot-6-inch, 290-pound tackle who has already been offered a scholarship at Arizona. His father, David Watson, was a useful offense lineman at Arizona in the mid 1990s.
Laura Espinoza Watson, who grew up in Southern California, established NCAA records for home runs in a season (37) and career (85) during her Arizona career, as well as driving in more runs (128) in a season than anyone in college softball history. She helped the Wildcats win national titles in 1993 and 1994.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona men’s golf coach Jim Anderson, attempting to rebuild the Wildcats into a national power, is expected to begin the 2017-18 fall season with Guan Tianlang, the youngest player ever (at 14) to make the cut at the Masters. Tianlang, now 18, finished 58th in the 2013 Masters. He has been playing amateur events globally the last five years and is expected to move to Tucson for the fall semester in August.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Former Sabino High School baseball/football standout Matt Bushman has returned from a Mormon mission to Chile and has already made a mark at BYU. Bushman caught four passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a Cougars scrimmage last week. “He’s worked hard to be a legitimate target for us,” BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum told reporters. “We love having those guys over the middle. He’s a big dude and can run as well. And it makes it hard for linebackers to cover.” Bushman also suits up for BYU’s baseball team, as a reserve infielder, although he has yet to play in a game.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
How things have changed: Greg Byrne implemented a “Wildcat Wednesday” email newsletter to UA fans in 2011. Now at Alabama, Byrne has begun a “Crimson Column” each Thursday, with similar updates on the Alabama athletic program. There’s one difference. At Arizona, Byrne’s newsletter was no frills. At Alabama, it is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Russ Pennell, who was Arizona’s interim basketball coach in 2008-09, coaching the Wildcats to the Sweet 16, continues to struggle at his alma mater, Central Arkansas. Pennell’s club went 8-24 this year, 7-21 a year ago and 2-27 in his first season, or 17-72 overall. He has been told he will return for a fourth season in 2017-18. Pennell’s assistant at Arizona, Mike Dunlap, was 15-15 this year as a head coach at Loyola Marymount. Dunlap is 37-55 in three seasons at LMU.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Former UA pitcher Rob Shabansky last week was named head coach of USA Baseball’s U15 team for the 2017 Pan Am Championships in Colombia in August. Shabansky, who pitched at Arizona from 1996-2000 and was 14-13 as a starting pitcher, has been in the USA Baseball system for five years while coaching at Phoenix GateWay College, the runner-up in the 2016 NJCAA Division II national championships.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Lauri Markkanen’s name won’t be added to the UA Ring of Honor at McKale Center unless he spends 10 seasons in the NBA, as per current qualification standards. Under Dave Heeke’s new athletic administration, the UA might wish to reconsider some of the standards for Ring of Honor installation. Stanley Johnson, for example, averaged 13 points at Arizona in his lone season (2014-15) and was added to the list because he was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Nothing against Johnson, but his career pales next to those such as Anthony Cook, Matt Muehlebach and Pete Williams, who are not so honored.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Where does Markkanen fit among freshmen in UA basketball history? Here’s my list: 1, Mike Bibby; 2, Eric Money; 3, Jason Gardner; 4, Bob Elliott; 5, Sean Elliott; 6, Coniel Norman; 7, Aaron Gordon; 8, Markkanen; 9, Al Fleming; 10, Gilbert Arenas.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
After watching incoming Arizona freshman DeAndre Ayton at the McDonald’s All-American Game last week, it became clear that he won’t step in and be a star-level player until he plays with more aggressiveness. He only scored eight points even though he grabbed nine offensive rebounds.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Sunnyside junior Nikc Jackson and Catalina Foothills junior Sam Beskind both were named to the all-tournament team at the Baylor All-Star Classic in Chicago last weekend. Beskind and Jackson played for the Arizona Powerhouse Hoops 17U team.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Canyon del Oro senior Turner Washington, who has signed to throw the discus and shot put at Arizona, set the state record in the discus with a distance of 215 feet 8 inches last week in the Nike Rotary Invitational in Chandler. Washington’s improvement is remarkable. Last year, he threw the discus 191-2 in the same meet. As a CDO freshman, Turner threw the discus just 143-9. His progress is similar in the shot put; he had a distance of 33-10 as a freshman and threw the shot put 64-10½ earlier this month.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The Arizona-Xavier Sweet 16 game drew a UA season-high 3.6 million viewers on TBS, more than a million higher than any other UA basketball audience this year. Two days later, when it was as if Arizona didn’t exist, Gonzaga and Xavier drew 8.8 million on TBS.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Former Arizona football coach Dick Tomey will be the keynote speaker at the 20th annual College Football Hall of Fame, Southern Arizona Chapter, banquet next Sunday, 5 p.m., at the DoubleTree Hotel. (Ticket information: rick72@aol.com). Among those honored will be former Sahuaro, Tucson and Santa Rita football coach Will Kreamer and 10 high school scholar-athletes. Former Arizona linebacker Matthew Stagg, who is completing a dual degree in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology, will be awarded a $1,000 post-graduate scholarship by the Southern Arizona Chapter.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
In retrospect, the Arizona Diamondbacks did the right thing financially by leaving their Tucson spring training headquarters. The D-backs and Rockies drew a combined average of 11,890 fans in their last season in Tucson (2010) at Tucson Electric Park and Hi Corbett Field. This spring, the D-backs averaged 11,821 alone in their final 13 games at Salt River Fields.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Depending on your source, many would say the leading recruiter in Pac-12 basketball is either Oregon’s Tony Stubblefield or USC’s Tony Bland, but that’s neither accurate nor complete.
Sean Miller has been the league’s top recruiter since his first month on the job, in the spring of 2010, when he persuaded Solomon Hill and Derrick Williams to leave USC and become Wildcats.
Both ultimately became first-round NBA draft picks and All-Pac-12 forwards.
Later, Miller was strongly aided by Joe Pasternack, who ultimately became as influential as any recruiter in Pac-12 basketball. It was such recruiting that has reportedly landed Pasternack the vacant head coach’s job at UC Santa Barbara.
Miller’s search to replace Pasternack will be watched closely by those in the industry. Miller can probably hand-pick from the highest level of assistants. The question is whether he’ll be bold enough to go for UCLA’s highly-respected David Grace, a move that would amp up the UCLA-Arizona rivalry a few notches, if that’s possible.
To get Grace, who is paid $230,000 at UCLA, or someone of his reputation, Arizona would likely have to pay more than $300,000 and accompany that with the title of assistant head coach. A salary of that level would jump Grace, or whoever, over UA assistants Book Richardson and Mark Phelps. That wouldn’t be the easy way of doing business, but when you’re dedicated to getting to the Final Four, there is no easy way about it.
Grace coached South Mountain High School to the Arizona state championship 11 years ago, and has coaching roots in the AAU system in both Arizona and Southern California. Four years ago he joined Steve Alford’s first staff at UCLA and quickly became Arizona’s most formidable recruiting opponent.
Perhaps Miller and Grace will agree to join forces and get Arizona over the hump while working together.
Early Friday morning, I stood alone in a breeze at Cherry Field, the home of Tucson High’s baseball program. I thought not about the school’s 29 state championships, but of those who played for the Badgers.
All-State catcher Frank Kempf, killed by German snipers on the way to Berlin, 1945.
State championship shortstop Ted Bland, killed by German infantry in France, a year before World War II ended.
Standout first baseman Corky Moore, killed by a Japanese mortar attack at Iwo Jima.
I’ve been fortunate to know friends and family of all three former Badgers. They would be proud to stand at the base of the impressive Chris Moon Memorial, a statue unveiled last week to honor Badgers who died for their country.
Early last December, the Legacies Alive foundation invited Tucson High School athletic trainer Mike Boese and Tucson golf pro Landyn Lewis to the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia.
After more than six years, Boese, Lewis and Legacies Alive, the nonprofit organization that honors Americans killed in military action, had raised about $80,000 to erect a memorial for former Tucson High baseball player Chris Moon, the Star’s 2006 Southern Arizona Player of the Year.
Boese and Lewis worked without pay to raise the money and gain approval to build the memorial, a process that began almost as soon as Moon was fatally injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in July 2010.
“Chris was like a second older brother to me. He and my brother Tyrrell were best friends and we lived in the same neighborhood,” said Landyn Lewis, who is now the program and life skills director of The First Tee of Tucson. “Tyrrell and I even got tattoos of Chris after he passed away and the Moons gave us the honor of escorting them on his funeral.
“Chris had purchased a Mustang from one of our friends the last time he was in town. Tyrrell drove and I rode shotgun while the Moons sat in the back on the way to the church and cemetery. It was a very surreal experience.”
As arranged by the Legacies Alive foundation at the Army-Navy game, Lewis spoke to about 20 families of Gold Star soldiers, those who had been killed in action.
Moon, who hit .462 as compiled an 8-2 pitching record as a THS senior, accepted a scholarship to Arizona but chose to enlist in the Army after his first semester. He became a scout sniper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Last week’s ceremony isn’t the end of project. Lewis will continue to stage an annual golf tournament at Omni Tucson National for the “Moondog Scholarship.” He plans to award at least three $2,500 scholarships to THS student-athletes each year.
Here’s a softball name to keep in mind: Kristiana Watson.
A freshman shortstop at Amphitheater High School, the daughter of two-time Arizona All-America shortstop Laura Espinoza Watson has emerged as one of the top softball players in Arizona.
Kristiana is hitting .770 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs even though the Panthers have played just 21 games. Those aren’t video game numbers, either. Her slugging percentage is 1.836. Nor is it totally unexpected.
Playing for her mother’s AAU travel team, the Arizona ThunderCats, Kristiana was part of the nation’s No. 2 ASA team for 10U players four years ago. Her older brother, Amphi junior David Watson, is a 6-foot-6-inch, 290-pound tackle who has already been offered a scholarship at Arizona. His father, David Watson, was a useful offense lineman at Arizona in the mid 1990s.
Laura Espinoza Watson, who grew up in Southern California, established NCAA records for home runs in a season (37) and career (85) during her Arizona career, as well as driving in more runs (128) in a season than anyone in college softball history. She helped the Wildcats win national titles in 1993 and 1994.
Arizona men’s golf coach Jim Anderson, attempting to rebuild the Wildcats into a national power, is expected to begin the 2017-18 fall season with Guan Tianlang, the youngest player ever (at 14) to make the cut at the Masters. Tianlang, now 18, finished 58th in the 2013 Masters. He has been playing amateur events globally the last five years and is expected to move to Tucson for the fall semester in August.
Former Sabino High School baseball/football standout Matt Bushman has returned from a Mormon mission to Chile and has already made a mark at BYU. Bushman caught four passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a Cougars scrimmage last week. “He’s worked hard to be a legitimate target for us,” BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum told reporters. “We love having those guys over the middle. He’s a big dude and can run as well. And it makes it hard for linebackers to cover.” Bushman also suits up for BYU’s baseball team, as a reserve infielder, although he has yet to play in a game.
How things have changed: Greg Byrne implemented a “Wildcat Wednesday” email newsletter to UA fans in 2011. Now at Alabama, Byrne has begun a “Crimson Column” each Thursday, with similar updates on the Alabama athletic program. There’s one difference. At Arizona, Byrne’s newsletter was no frills. At Alabama, it is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.
Russ Pennell, who was Arizona’s interim basketball coach in 2008-09, coaching the Wildcats to the Sweet 16, continues to struggle at his alma mater, Central Arkansas. Pennell’s club went 8-24 this year, 7-21 a year ago and 2-27 in his first season, or 17-72 overall. He has been told he will return for a fourth season in 2017-18. Pennell’s assistant at Arizona, Mike Dunlap, was 15-15 this year as a head coach at Loyola Marymount. Dunlap is 37-55 in three seasons at LMU.
Former UA pitcher Rob Shabansky last week was named head coach of USA Baseball’s U15 team for the 2017 Pan Am Championships in Colombia in August. Shabansky, who pitched at Arizona from 1996-2000 and was 14-13 as a starting pitcher, has been in the USA Baseball system for five years while coaching at Phoenix GateWay College, the runner-up in the 2016 NJCAA Division II national championships.
Lauri Markkanen’s name won’t be added to the UA Ring of Honor at McKale Center unless he spends 10 seasons in the NBA, as per current qualification standards. Under Dave Heeke’s new athletic administration, the UA might wish to reconsider some of the standards for Ring of Honor installation. Stanley Johnson, for example, averaged 13 points at Arizona in his lone season (2014-15) and was added to the list because he was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Nothing against Johnson, but his career pales next to those such as Anthony Cook, Matt Muehlebach and Pete Williams, who are not so honored.
Where does Markkanen fit among freshmen in UA basketball history? Here’s my list: 1, Mike Bibby; 2, Eric Money; 3, Jason Gardner; 4, Bob Elliott; 5, Sean Elliott; 6, Coniel Norman; 7, Aaron Gordon; 8, Markkanen; 9, Al Fleming; 10, Gilbert Arenas.
After watching incoming Arizona freshman DeAndre Ayton at the McDonald’s All-American Game last week, it became clear that he won’t step in and be a star-level player until he plays with more aggressiveness. He only scored eight points even though he grabbed nine offensive rebounds.
Sunnyside junior Nikc Jackson and Catalina Foothills junior Sam Beskind both were named to the all-tournament team at the Baylor All-Star Classic in Chicago last weekend. Beskind and Jackson played for the Arizona Powerhouse Hoops 17U team.
Canyon del Oro senior Turner Washington, who has signed to throw the discus and shot put at Arizona, set the state record in the discus with a distance of 215 feet 8 inches last week in the Nike Rotary Invitational in Chandler. Washington’s improvement is remarkable. Last year, he threw the discus 191-2 in the same meet. As a CDO freshman, Turner threw the discus just 143-9. His progress is similar in the shot put; he had a distance of 33-10 as a freshman and threw the shot put 64-10½ earlier this month.
The Arizona-Xavier Sweet 16 game drew a UA season-high 3.6 million viewers on TBS, more than a million higher than any other UA basketball audience this year. Two days later, when it was as if Arizona didn’t exist, Gonzaga and Xavier drew 8.8 million on TBS.
Former Arizona football coach Dick Tomey will be the keynote speaker at the 20th annual College Football Hall of Fame, Southern Arizona Chapter, banquet next Sunday, 5 p.m., at the DoubleTree Hotel. (Ticket information: rick72@aol.com). Among those honored will be former Sahuaro, Tucson and Santa Rita football coach Will Kreamer and 10 high school scholar-athletes. Former Arizona linebacker Matthew Stagg, who is completing a dual degree in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology, will be awarded a $1,000 post-graduate scholarship by the Southern Arizona Chapter.
In retrospect, the Arizona Diamondbacks did the right thing financially by leaving their Tucson spring training headquarters. The D-backs and Rockies drew a combined average of 11,890 fans in their last season in Tucson (2010) at Tucson Electric Park and Hi Corbett Field. This spring, the D-backs averaged 11,821 alone in their final 13 games at Salt River Fields.
Depending on your source, many would say the leading recruiter in Pac-12 basketball is either Oregon’s Tony Stubblefield or USC’s Tony Bland, but that’s neither accurate nor complete.
Sean Miller has been the league’s top recruiter since his first month on the job, in the spring of 2010, when he persuaded Solomon Hill and Derrick Williams to leave USC and become Wildcats.
Both ultimately became first-round NBA draft picks and All-Pac-12 forwards.
Later, Miller was strongly aided by Joe Pasternack, who ultimately became as influential as any recruiter in Pac-12 basketball. It was such recruiting that has reportedly landed Pasternack the vacant head coach’s job at UC Santa Barbara.
Miller’s search to replace Pasternack will be watched closely by those in the industry. Miller can probably hand-pick from the highest level of assistants. The question is whether he’ll be bold enough to go for UCLA’s highly-respected David Grace, a move that would amp up the UCLA-Arizona rivalry a few notches, if that’s possible.
To get Grace, who is paid $230,000 at UCLA, or someone of his reputation, Arizona would likely have to pay more than $300,000 and accompany that with the title of assistant head coach. A salary of that level would jump Grace, or whoever, over UA assistants Book Richardson and Mark Phelps. That wouldn’t be the easy way of doing business, but when you’re dedicated to getting to the Final Four, there is no easy way about it.
Grace coached South Mountain High School to the Arizona state championship 11 years ago, and has coaching roots in the AAU system in both Arizona and Southern California. Four years ago he joined Steve Alford’s first staff at UCLA and quickly became Arizona’s most formidable recruiting opponent.
Perhaps Miller and Grace will agree to join forces and get Arizona over the hump while working together.
Tags
View this profile on Instagram#ThisIsTucson 🌵 (@this_is_tucson) • Instagram photos and videos
Most viewed stories
-
15 Valentine's Day themed events happening in February!
-
Over 60 fun events happening in Tucson in February 💖🐎
-
Nearly 40 fun events this Valentine's Day weekend February 13-15! 💖
-
A new chapter: Crossroads Restaurant is back open after fire
-
A saber tooth tiger fossil, gemstone paintings, and more: Here's the low-down on 4 Tucson gem shows! 💎
-
Nearly 30 free events to look forward to in February! 💗
-
Our huge guide to date ideas in Tucson, from romantic to casual
-
This Tucson chef has been named a semifinalist for prestigious James Beard Award 🎉
-
Transplant Pizza, Mosaic Brewing and Marana Serial Grillers close their doors
-
Sparkle City: Gem shows season has started — here's what to know