At a news conference mostly to discuss his freshly signed 2017 players, UA coach Sean Miller said guard Kadeem Allen remains day to day with a sprained knee.
Miller said Arizona wants to remain cautious with Allen, and that surgery could result if he is rushed back. So it probably won’t be a surprise to see Allen sit out at least another game or two.
Allen sat out Arizona’s game with Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday after injuring the knee Friday against Michigan State when he collided with a Spartan player with 12 minutes to go. Allen obviously finished the game on a strong note, going coast-to-coast for a game-winning layup, but the knee experienced swelling afterward.
Miller said Allen was scheduled to do noncontact drills in practice today and that his performance today and Friday would determine if he plays against Sacred Heart on Friday night.
While discussing his 2017 class for the first time today, Miller spoke often about going after guys who have a strong love for the game. The implication, it seemed, was to minimize the threat of guys getting disgruntled or leaving the program as they work though issues or find their playing time limited.
“Whether you’re an elite player or a top 100 player, the foundation of allowing them to grow and reach those goals stem from their own work ethic, really them and their families understanding that this is going to be difficult, it’s going to be challenging," Miller said. "You have to sign up for a program (thinking) `I want to be a part of something bigger than just my individual goal. And I love the game of basketball, and I’m willing to put in the work year-round, I love practice, practice is everything to me. I love playing the game.’
“We have found those are the guys who stay with it. They don’t give in. and they truly improve. If you have to force feed these guys, hold their hands to do things, it’s too highly competitive and they end up not staying on track with maybe what we had hoped or what they had hoped when they came here.”
Of course, talent is the other top priority, and Miller has plenty of it in the 2017 class.
First of all, he has the consensus No. 1 player in the class with DeAndre Ayton.
“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – he’s one of these once in a generation types of players. He is big, 7-foot, and the fact that he hasn’t lifted weights is astonishing to me. When you look at him and shake his hand he has a physical presence as a young person that you don’t often see. One thing I’m really excited about is to get him with us and plug him into our strength and conditioning program and I think his body will change in a big, big way. Like Lauri Markkanen, if you watch him as he’s changing, just physically, he’s the furthest thing from thin. And DeAndre has even a higher starting point.”
Here's some of Miller’s comments about the other three UA signees:
On Alex Barcello: “An incredible student, has the makings to be an incredible leader. Has some characteristics of T.J. McConnell that we’ve learned to love. He has a fire inside him and a toughness, a love of the game, at that position (point guard) that you love to have. Really elated to have him. … The other thing we love about Alex is in addition to his playmaking skills he can really shoot the three.”
On Brandon Randolph: “Brandon a year ago or two years ago wasn’t nearly as well thought of as he is today, he’s improved and come on the scene in a big, big way over the last two years. When we think of our own recruiting effort, we’ve found that those who are on that fast track they seem to continue on that fast track. There’s a reason they seem to go from nowhere to one of the best player in high school basketball. Like Alex, Brandon an exceptional shooter. Not a small two-guard, more 6-5, 6-6, than 6-3 or 6-4. He’s got a great frame. He’s a thin guy but where his body will go over the next couple of years it’s very exciting to think about. He’s more than just a shooter, he’s a basketball player. He knows how to play, passes the ball. ... He's also a high-character kid, a great student with a great family."
On Ira Lee: “He’s the one we’ve probably been with the longest in terms of our recruiting efforts. We identified Ira a long, long time ago and offered him a scholarship early in his career because he’s a guy with an incredibly high motor. He plays the game with tremendous energy. He’s involved in so many plays on offense and on defense. From a defensive perspective, he has a chance to be great.”
Lee is still recovering from a shoulder injury and there was speculation he could graduate next month and maybe even enroll at Arizona next semester, either to play or to keep rehabilitating. But Miller said Lee will finish out his senior season at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, where he may play some of this season.
Miller said he might seek an incoming transfer at the semester break who would sit out a year if one becomes available who would fit in with the 2017 players he has already signed. But Miller said he was not looking to find an eligible player who would play immediately, even if one could be found in high school, juco or international ball.
“That’s a hard one,” Miller said, noting that it would be tough to insert a new player in with players who have already been through 50 practices at that point.
If Allen doesn’t play Friday, that will leave Arizona again with seven players, which means even Sacred Heart – expected to finish toward the bottom of the low-major Northeast Conference – is an opponent the Wildcats are likely to take seriously.
“Every team we play has an opportunity to beat us, especially in our current situation,” Miller said.
