Overall, there is one great fact about 2016 that has gone overlooked for Southern Arizona sports fans: It’s almost over.
The most wonderful thing about sports is salvation is always just a year away.
Just ask Cleveland.
What will 2017 have in store for Southern Arizona?
Here are six questions that we have for 2017:
Is this Sean Miller’s best-ever recruiting class?
Even though he had only Lauri Markkanen lined up for the 2016 recruiting class in November 2015, Miller said that the “hay doesn’t enter the barn until April” as far as recruiting classes, and he went on to make that point in dramatic fashion.
By the spring, Miller landed five-star prospects Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons, plus juco transfer Keanu Pinder, four-year transfer Dylan Smith and grad transfer Talbott Denny for the 2016 class.
Then he and his staff turned around and started raking in top 2017 talent. The UA landed Bahamian center DeAndre Ayton, who became the highest-rated prospect ever to commit to Arizona, along with a trio of four-star talents in guard Alex Barcello, forward Ira Lee and forward Brandon Randolph.
Barcello is an intense scoring-minded point guard from Chandler, Lee is a tough-minded longtime UA target, Randolph is a big shooter on the wing while Ayton is a skilled big man who can make a difference anywhere on the court.
“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it — he’s one of these once-in-a-generation types of players,” Miller said of Ayton. “The thing that’s striking about DeAndre as a player is he’s really smart. He has the know-how of playing with four other players that not a lot of big guys have. He can pass, he can step away from the basket, he can dribble the ball, he’s a skilled player. The last part about DeAndre is he’s got a nasty streak to him. He’s competitive. He wants to win. Whatever experts have him potentially the No. 1 player in his class, that’s how I look at him.”
According to 24/7 Sports composite ranking, Arizona’s 2017 recruiting class is ranked No. 3, behind only Kentucky and UCLA. If the class remains in the Top 5 after the spring signing period, it would be the seventh straight year Arizona has had a class that lofty.
— Bruce Pascoe
Will the Tucson Roadrunners thrive?
The Tucson Roadrunners got off to a great start, with huge crowds for the first two games and an early hot streak that landed them atop the American Hockey League standings.
The question remains, though: Will the Roadrunners take hold in Tucson?
The city is begging for a non-UA major sports option, and downtown Tucson has needed a jolt that the Roadrunners have provided. The Roadrunners are a professional franchise from top to bottom, and that legitimacy can only help the city. The hockey is fun, the food is comparatively good for a minor-league hockey game and the atmosphere is growing by the game.
Will Tucson give it the attention it deserves?
– Jon Gold
Is Rodriguez
on the hot seat?
About halfway through a 3-9 season, Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne dismissed the notion that football coach Rich Rodriguez conceivably could be on the proverbial hot seat. Byrne termed the idea “ridiculous.”
After the season, Byrne reiterated the school’s faith in RichRod, saying “we’re fully supportive of Coach Rodriguez” moving forward.
But if the Wildcats don’t show tangible improvement next season, things could change.
Such is the reality of big-time modern-day college football: Coaches seldom get second chances.
Oregon fired Mark Helfrich after a 4-8 season, his first losing campaign in four years as head coach. His record entering 2016 was 33-8, including an appearance in the national championship game in January 2015.
Rodriguez guided Arizona to bowl games in each of his first four seasons, a first for the program. He had a 33-20 record entering 2016.
One bad season among five could be considered an aberration. The Wildcats suffered an unusual number of injuries for the second year in a row, all but wiping out their offensive backfield at various points.
Two bad seasons? That’s a pattern. It’s hard to imagine Rodriguez surviving another year similar to this one. Playing in a half-full Arizona Stadium isn’t a good look.
Which isn’t to say Arizona has to compete for the Pac-12 South title next season (although it would be nice). If the Wildcats are more competitive from game to game and in the hunt for a bowl berth, Rodriguez probably will keep his job.
Finances also are a factor. Had Rodriguez been let go after the ’16 season, his buyout would have been almost $9 million, according to USA Today research. Barring a renegotiation that hasn’t been reported publicly, it would be lower next year.
Bottom line: Arizona needs to show progress in 2017. If not, Rodriguez could receive a Byrne notice.
— Michael Lev
Is Byrne still
a hot property?
Not only are there question marks about Rodriguez’s longevity in Tucson, the man who controls his fate is also facing some added scrutiny.
Athletic director Greg Byrne has been mentioned as one of the best athletic directors in the country in recent years. Larger programs have courted him. But it’s been a rough year (or two) for most of the teams on Arizona’s campus, baseball notwithstanding.
The UA football team is coming off a 3-9 year, the basketball program is still seeking its first Final Four under Miller and other programs — soccer and women’s basketball, in particular — have struggled.
Byrne has a very solid track record at Arizona, but major athletics is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately game, and the Wildcats need some momentum again.
— Jon Gold
Is the Conquistadores Classic long for Tucson?
The Tucson Conquistadores Classic continues to serve as Tucson’s only high-end golf tournament, taking the place of the departed WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Crowds and players adore the PGA Tour Champions event, but it remains without a title sponsor. That’s not a good long-term solution for the event — or for Tucson.
How long will this town have a premier golf event?
— Zack Rosenblatt
Will the Wildcats advance ?
It’s almost unbelievable that this is even a question, considering Sean Miller’s pedigree and the talent that trickles throughout the Arizona men’s basketball team.
But one year after a shocking loss to the aptly named Wichita State Shockers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and after being dealt injury and eligibility issues that would utterly doom a lesser program, it’s fair to ask: How far will the Wildcats go in 2017?
The Wildcats enter Pac-12 play an impressive 11-2, third in the conference behind undefeated UCLA and USC (both 13-0), and on a five-game winning streak after a seven-point loss to Gonzaga.
But championships aren’t won in December, and Arizona has a rough slate ahead, including early conference trips to the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
As we learned last year, seeding matters, and Arizona won’t get any favors just because of past success.
— Jon Gold
