Former Phoenix Pinnacle wing Jordan Mains will join the Wildcats as a walk-on player for the Pac-12 season, having been cleared to play after a knee injury cost him most of his senior season of high school.
A teammate of Nico Mannion's on Pinnacle's 6A state championship teams in 2018 and 2019, Mains has already been with the Wildcats as a manager during the fall semester because he wasn't cleared to play yet. But he began practicing with the Wildcats in preparation for Saturday's game and is expected to suit up.
Mains received several mid- and low-major Division I offers before undergoing surgery on his knee early last season, then opted to enroll at UA as a freshman this fall. He reportedly has the same knee condition as UA sophomore Brandon Williams, osteochondritis dissecans.
Williams had surgery to improve the condition as a high school junior and after last season, and he's now redshirting with the hopes of playing in 2020-21.
Mains' older brother, Nik, is playing for NAU, averaging 5.3 points off the bench for the Lumberjacks. He played 12 scoreless minutes against the Wildcats on Nov. 7.
