How to sum up how the 2010’s played out for the Arizona Wildcats? Let’s just say there was never a dull moment.
From the beginning of the decade when the UA missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 26 seasons, to Pac-12 supremacy and pumping out NBA player after NBA player, to staring down the possibility of the NCAA handing down sanctions following a federal investigation into the program. From “He touched the ball,” to Wisconsin falling in the same category of hatred as Duke and Arizona State, because Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker were two reasons why the Wildcats didn’t make back-to-back Final Fours, Sean Miller’s decade and some change in Tucson has been unforgettable.
It also brought a talented pool of players, some who were freshman superstars and one-and-dones — five to be exact, some who evolved into notable multi-year players like Allonzo Trier, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and his famous shimmy before shooting free throws, Solomon Hill, Kaleb Tarczewski and Kevin “No Easy Buckets” Parrom among others.
Out of the bunch, these five Wildcats had the biggest impact at their position this decade. Here's a look at the all-decade UA basketball team:
T.J. McConnell, PG
Arizona Wildcats guard T.J. McConnell (4) kisses the floor before leaving it for the last time in the second half during a game against Stanford on Saturday March 07, 2015 at McKale Center. Arizona won 91-69. Photo by: Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Years at Arizona: 2012-15
The rundown: This was a tougher selection than one may think. Why McConnell? Name another point guard who played under Miller at Arizona and played a viable role in two straight Elite Eight runs. McConnell, a Pittsburgh native, transferred from Duquesne in 2012 and after sitting out for a season, he took over the reigns of “Point Guard U” for two seasons and emerged as a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2015 and a two-time all-conference defender in ‘14 and ‘15. In his final season at the UA, McConnell averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game and shot 83% from the free throw line. With McConnell at point guard, Arizona was Pac-12 regular season champions and the Wildcats went 67-9 in both seasons. Miller recruited two five-star point guards to Tucson: Josiah Turner (2011) and Nico Mannion (2019). Turner fizzled out after one season and the jury is still out on Mannion until he completes his freshman year. Miller brought in a graduate transfer from his old stomping grounds in Mark Lyons and the top-rated junior college player nationally in Kadeem Allen, but no one had a career at Arizona quite like McConnell. He gets the nod for the all-decade team.
Quote from the archives: “Who comes from (Pittsburgh)? Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Joe Namath, Joe Montana. And you’re not supposed to be a basketball player when you’re from Pittsburgh. ‘No one from Pittsburgh can play!’ ‘Look at you — you can’t jump!’ Those basketball stereotypes are loud and clear. You start to play with a chip on your shoulder. I saw that in T.J. right away.” — Miller in 2015
Nick Johnson, SG
Arizona Wildcats guard Nick Johnson (13) gets pumped after Arizona Wildcats forward Aaron Gordon (11), not shown, scored a basket and a fouled was called against ASU in the first half during a game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Years at Arizona: 2011-14
The rundown: He wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, but the Gilbert native was certainly one of the most talented two-way guards in the 2011 recruiting class. In his first season at Arizona, Johnson, an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection, averaged 8.9 points and 2.4 assists per game and shared time at shooting guard with senior Kyle Fogg. Johnson also played handled point guard duties with Josiah Turner and Jordin Mayes.
Arizona failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in Johnson’s freshman season, but went to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and the Elite Eight in 2014. As a junior, Johnson averaged 16.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and received First Team All-Pac-12 honors, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year. Johnson was also a First Team All-American before declaring for the NBA Draft following his junior season.
Quote from the archives: “He’s in many ways kind of the face of our program. Because of his personality and being from the Phoenix area and how he carries himself not just on the court but off the court. I think any coach that’s in this tournament would love to have Nick on their team. … What he does on defense, that alone, he’s an all-defensive team guy. He’s one of the best defensive guards probably who plays college basketball.” — Miller in 2014
Aaron Gordon, SF
Freshman Aaron Gordon has a mild celebration after being named the winner of the slam dunk contest at the Red-Blue Game on Oct. 12, 2013.
Year at Arizona: 2013-14
The rundown: At the time when Gordon committed to Arizona over Kentucky, Washington and Oregon, he wasn’t Miller’s first McDonald’s All-American, but he was Miller’s highest-rated recruit to ever play for him. Gordon was a two-time California Mr. Basketball winner, USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, a First Team Parade All-american and the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP before arriving to Tucson. Rivals and 247Sports.com also listed Gordon as the third-best recruit in 2013. Once Gordon played at Arizona, he was immediately installed as the starting small forward before Brandon Ashley suffered a season-ending foot injury, which shifted Gordon to the starting power forward spot. Gordon received First Team All-Pac-12 honors and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2014. He finished his lone season at Arizona averaging 12.4 points and 8 rebounds per game before getting drafted No. 3 overall by the Orlando Magic.
Quote from the archives: “When he first got here this summer, he actually sent a text and he just told me anything you need or anything you want to tell me to help ease in my transition, go for it. And, I mean, coming from a McDonald’s All-American and that highly rated of a player, I knew right away what kind of a person we had in him.” — Johnson in 2013
Deandre Ayton, PF
Year at Arizona: 2017-18
The rundown: Ayton’s imposing 7-foot-1, 250-pound frame is the reason why he played center in high school and currently with the Phoenix Suns, but at Arizona, he was a power forward alongside Dusan Ristic. Ayton, a Bahamian, played preps ball at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, emerged as the No. 1 player in the country and became a McDonald’s All-American.
In his only year as a Wildcat, Ayton pieced together arguably the best freshman season in Arizona history. Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and became the first player in conference history to win Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. In the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament, Ayton recorded a career-high 32 points against UCLA and USC while grabbing a combined 32 rebounds in both games.
To cap off Ayton’s season at the UA, he was named a First Team All-American and won the Karl Malone Award, an accolade given to the best power forward in college basketball. Then he was drafted No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, the first in program history.
Quote from the archives: "We’ve certainly recruited a number of the top players. But there’s nobody like Deandre. Nobody. … He’s going to be a monster. I know he’s working hard. There’s nobody that’s going to enter college basketball like him anytime soon." — Miller prior to the 2018 NBA Draft
Derrick Williams, C
Arizona's Derrick Williams celebrates after his dunk briefly rallied the Wildcats in the second half against Connecticut in their NCAA West Regional final game at the Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, March 26, 2011.
Years at Arizona: 2009-11
The rundown: Much like Ayton, Williams played out of position at Arizona. If it were up to most coaches, there’s a strong possibility that Ayton would be the center on this UA all-decade team instead of Williams. But in two seasons, Williams was the face of UA basketball anchoring the center position while Jamelle Horne, Jesse Perry and occasionally Solomon Hill rotated at power forward. Williams took many by surprise, because he wasn’t the highest-rated recruit in Miller’s first class. Kyryl Natyazhko, Kevin Parrom, Hill and Momo Jones were ranked higher on ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports, but Williams molded into Arizona’s prized recruit immediately averaging 15.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
As a freshman, Williams was named to the All-Pac-10 Team, which set him up for a memorable sophomore campaign chock-full of memorable moments, including game-saving blocks against Washington in Arizona’s first-ever white-out game at McKale Center and against Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the second round, Williams completed a three-point play after drawing a foul with 9.6 seconds left and the Wildcats beat Texas 70-69. In the Sweet 16, Williams’ 32-point performance laced with high-flying dunks and shots gave Arizona the upset victory over Duke. Williams was named Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2011 and was drafted second overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves that same year. While Williams was a made 3-pointer away from taking Miller to his first Final Four, his time as a Wildcat will go down as one of the best — at least for this decade.
Quote from the archives: "Derrick is a special player and rightfully should be considered to be one of the all-time great Wildcats. As good of a player as he is, he is an even better person." — Miller after Williams declared for the NBA Draft in 2011
Honorable mention: Lauri Markkanen, Solomon Hill, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Mark Lyons, Allonzo Trier, Kaleb Tarczewski, Kyle Fogg, Stanley Johnson and Kadeem Allen.
