Coaching U19 team doesn't usually pay off in recruiting
Coaching the USA under-19 basketball team isnโt meant to be a piece of recruiting bliss for Arizonaโsย Sean Miller, or an advantage for anyone.
Yet when Miller begins his term as head coach of the U19โs this weekend, heโll be coaching players ranked Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10 nationally by various scouting services. Two of them, No. 1ย Joshย Jacksonย of Michigan and No. 6ย Terrance Fergusonย of Texas, already list Arizona among their three favorite schools.
But historically, coaching USA pre-college all-star teams has not helped any head coach in recruiting, except Floridaโsย Billy Donovan, who landedย Michael Frazierย off the U19 team of 2013.
The U19 and U18 head coaches of the last decade โ Washingtonโsย Lorenzo Romar, Oregonโsย Ernie Kent, Davidsonโsย Bob McKillop, Oklahomaโsย Jeff Capel, DePaulโsย Jerry Wainwrightย and Pittโsย Jamie Dixonย โ didnโt strike a rich recruiting vein while coaching the summer ball prospects.
Romar did get centerย Spencer Hawes, but he is a Seattle-area native, and Capel whiffed on three elite guards:ย Kyrie Irving,ย Austin Riversย andย Abdul Gaddy.
College basketball recruiting is now such an advanced process that kenpom.com, the top analytical resource in the game, has a PASR Recruiting Forecast — predictive analysis for successful recruiting. It investigates every elite prospect and produces Las Vegas-type odds on their college choices.
Who knows if it’s accurate? But it’s fun to follow. Kenpom.com gives Arizona a chance to land nine of the top 60 players from the Class of 2017. Here’s the top four:
- Alex Barcello, point guard, Tempe Corona del Sol: 91 percent probability heโll sign with Arizona. ASU is 8 percent.
- Markus Howard, shooting guard, Gilbert Perry: 89 percent Arizona. ASU is 5 percent.
- Cody Riley, small forward, Los Angeles: 39 percent Arizona.
- D.J. Harvey, small forward, Maryland: 24 percent Arizona.
A more immediate interest is whether Arizona will join the pursuit for Phoenix Shadow Mountain point guardย Michael Bibby, a junior-to-be. So far, Memphis, USC and Nevada have offered Bibby scholarships. Arizona is waiting to watch how he recovers from a knee injury that sidelined him for a full year.
Bibby, coached by his father, 1998 UA All-Americanย Mike Bibby, played his first-ever game at McKale Center on Saturday, as part of the Sean Miller Shootout, against Sunnyside.
