While committing to Arizona on Saturday without ever having visited Tucson, four-star California combo guard K.J. Simpson showed again why the pandemic is making the 2021 recruiting class like no other.
Rising high school seniors such as Simpson havenβt been able to visit campuses or coaches in person down the stretch of their recruitments, nor improve their ratings in what is normally a critical summer evaluation season. Thereβs no telling if theyβll be able to play their final high school seasons, either.
So Simpson said he took a FaceTime tour of UAβs campus with assistant coach Danny Peters. He asked questions of UA players such as Ira Lee, Christian Koloko and Brandon Williams near his Northridge, California, home.
Then he did an βin-homeβ visit with coach Sean Miller over Zoom, watching Miller tell him about the program via PowerPoint and show him how he might be plugged into the Arizona system the way similarly athletic combo guard Nick Johnson was before becoming a 2014 NBA raft pick.
βI have gotten a comparison to Nick Johnson, which was pretty cool,β Simpson said. βA lot of similarities.β
Meanwhile, things continued to drag in the coronavirus landscape β especially in places like California, where gyms still arenβt open. Initially working out for two months last spring solely with a hoop his parents bought for the driveway, Simpson found some private spots to work on his game, while schools such as Arizona, Colorado, USC, Cal and Loyola Marymount kept in virtual contact.
In a normal year, the final piece would have been taking a campus visit and, as the summer wore on, Simpson figured it wasnβt even worth waiting for that.
He didnβt know what would happen next with the virus. But he did know where he wanted to play college basketball.
So on Saturday, Simpson posted a video to Instagram saying he was β1,000% committed to Arizona,β and became the Wildcatsβ first commit of the 2021 recruiting class.
βIt was definitely a thought to wait,β Simpson said. βBecause thatβs originally what I was doing β I wanted to wait to take my visits and stuff like that. But at the same time, you have to think that with the pandemic, a bunch of kids are gonna start panicking and rushing their offers in.
βI just felt like thereβs no better time. I was ready. I was all in. It just felt right.β
Saying heβs now about 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Simpson has the toughness, athleticism and scoring ability to suggest he has potential to help the Wildcats immediately in 2020-21, and brings significant long-team upside.
Heβs rated No. 95 overall in the class of 2021 by 247 Sports, and No. 111 in 247βs composite rankings.
“Good fit for Arizona,” said 247Sports.com analyst Josh Gershon via text message, having seen Simpson regularly before the pandemic hit. “Combo guard who can really defend. Plus athlete vertically and laterally. Terrific passer and improving shooter. Needs to continue to improve ball skills and scoring package. Like him for Sean Miller. Hard worker who wants to get better and values winning.”
Simpson could wind up effectively replacing grad transfer Terrell Brown in 2021-22 on a team that is expected to mix in multiple ballhandlers this season.
This yearβs Arizona roster includes combo guards James Akinjo, Jemarl Baker, Kerr Kriisa and Brown, while Benn Mathurin and Dalen Terry have also played point guard but are expected mostly to be wing players.
Simpson indicated he was able to get a feel for how he could fit in and grow at Arizona not only through Miller and Peters but also in talking with Lee, Koloko and Williams.
Simpson was also affiliated with the West Coast Elite club team this summer, even though cancellations kept him from playing games for the club that has strong UA ties.
In the end, all those connections meant more than just taking a visit anyway.
βI really just asked (the players) questions about the school, anything I had, and they just told me up front about it,β Simpson said. βAnd (UA coaches) did a lot, a lot of Zoom calls. They reached out a lot because I couldnβt be on campus. All that stuff really popped out, and the relationship I have with Coach Miller and all of the coaching staff.β
Gardner hired at HS alma mater
Former Arizona standout guard Jason Gardner has been hired to coach his high school alma mater, Indianapolisβ North Central, after a DUI derailed his college coaching career last year.
The point guard on UAβs 2001 Final Four team, Gardner led IUPUI to a 16-17 record in 2018-19 before he was arrested for DUI in August 2019. He resigned two days after the arrest and was out of basketball last season.
Gardner told the Indianapolis Star that experience came up while interviewing for his new job.
βIt was something that I didnβt shy away from,β Gardner said. βIt was a mistake that I made, but at the same time, Iβm past it. That was almost a year ago now and Iβm ready to get back at it. I miss being on that sideline and being there for the kids. It was tough. You build your name up and make a mistake and you look back and wish you could take it back.
βBut again, Iβve had great family support and some very good friends and coaches and mentors that have helped me, so thereβs also a big positive that comes from going through it.β
Cats offer 7-2 player
Jamarion Sharp, a 7-foot-2 rising sophomore who averaged 3.7 blocks per game for John Logan College last season, said he has been offered a scholarship by Arizona.
Originally from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Sharp is now playing for the same Illinois school where former UA forward Jesse Perry became a first-team junior college all-American in 2009-10.
According to 247Sports.com, Sharp also has offers from Cincinnati and Oregon.
Oregon forward to announce next month
Ben Gregg, a four-star power forward from Oregon in the class of 2021, said he will announce his college choice on Sept. 9.
Gregg has 17 schools that heβs choosing from, according to a graphic he posted, including Gonzaga and seven Pac-12 teams.
