CHICAGO – Tried to sound out all three of UA’s recruiting targets at the McDonald’s All-American Game week but never could learn anything from Trevon Duval.
The Delaware point guard wasn’t available at Tuesday’s interviews and was uninterested in media questions after Wednesday’s game while hustling to leave the United Center. (He did give an interview to Scout earlier in the week, however.)
But Brian Bowen appeared still interested in Arizona, depending on how the Wildcats’ roster shakes out this spring, and Brandon McCoy appears to be leaning toward Oregon and Michigan State.
It’s probably not that McCoy doesn’t like the idea of playing at UA and with buddy DeAndre Ayton, but more likely just that he’d be the fourth big man in a potential rotation of Ayton, Dusan Ristic and Chance Comanche.
His other choices are UNLV and SDSU while he also said there’s been contact with Purdue. Here’s how McCoy broke it down after Wednesday’s game:
“Coach Sean Miller is a young coach who can relate to their players and they made the Sweet 16,” he said. “Coach Marvin Menzies is a great coach, he brought New Mexico State up and now he’s trying to bring UNLV up. He’s saying I could be that missing piece and bring them back to the old days when they were the real running Rebels. And Oregon coach Dana Altman is making history out there. They didn’t make it for 78 years and they’re in the Final Four now, so obviously he knows what he’s talking about.
“And San Diego State: Steve Fisher is great. A great coach. He coached the Fab Five and Chris Webber, that’s one of my favorite bigs in the league and one of the best passing, scoring bigs in the league. Maybe he can make me into one of those.”
DeAndre Ayton was one of the last players out of the West locker room after the game and was only available for a brief interview before game staffers escorted hime away.
“It was good,” he said.
After talking about the intensity that helped the West win, he was asked what he plans to do ahead.
“Conditioning,” he said. “Getting stronger, bigger, lifting weights.”
Ayton is scheduled to play in the April 14 Jordan Brand Classic but said he didn’t know if he would.
Speaking of Arizona’s roster situation, some clarity could arrive Thursday at a news conference UA has scheduled.
Instead of billing it a Sean Miller news conference, UA said “Arizona basketball” was holding it.
Lauri Markkanen and Kobi Simmons are expected to leave for pro ball, while the decisions of Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier are unknown.
Draft Express president Jonathan Givony has said Trier will return if he doesn’t appear to be a first-rounder (as of now he's projected to be just below that), a theory I’ve heard from multiple others in and around the NBA over the past two weeks.
I’ll be en route straight from Chicago to Phoenix on Thursday for the Final Four but Zack Rosenblatt is scheduled to cover UA’s news conference for us.
Already having interviewed at UNC Wilmington, UA associate head coach Joe Pasternack is also surfacing as a head coach candidate at UC Santa Barbara. That job appears to fit Pasternack's West Coast recruiting ties well.
Top 100 shooting guard Jemarl Baker has asked out of his Cal letter-of-intent after Cuonzo Martin's departure, and Scout's Josh Gershon said Arizona could be among his new choices. Gershon wrote a story here on him.
Jethro Tshisumpha is transferring out of ASU after he was suspended at the end of last season.
Our coverage of the McDonald’s game and box score are attached.
