Ryan Luther ready for 'new opportunity' with Arizona Wildcats

Because Ryan Luther graduated from Pittsburgh in late April, he had plenty of time to arrive in Tucson before the bad stuff really hit.

Some 31 days of triple-digit temperatures since early June rolled out a sun-warped welcoming mat that hits Luther even on days when he exits the Richard Jefferson Gym following a 7 a.m. workout.

“It was definitely different weather from Pittsburgh, but that’s what I expected,” Luther said.

Different, for Luther, may be a good thing. A new vibe on and off the court is what prompted the 22-year-old power forward to leave his hometown school as a grad transfer and enroll at Arizona, giving the Wildcats some much-needed size and experience inside … and himself a chance to start over.

Luther said he loved his time at Pitt, and wouldn’t change anything about the four years he spent with the Panthers, but there was always something that kept his hometown hero story from fully developing.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, a fan of the Panthers with relatives who played sports at several area colleges, Luther signed up to play for Jamie Dixon at Pitt starting in 2014-15.

But just after Luther began to break out as a sophomore in 2015-16, Dixon left for TCU in a move that Pitt appeared to endorse by lowering his buyout clause.

The next season, Luther became a regular contributor under new coach Kevin Stallings, but suffered a stress fracture in the second metatarsal of his right foot that cost him 12 games. Then last season, after averaging a double-double over 10 games, Luther sat out with a stress reaction in the third metatarsal of the same foot, eventually shutting down for the season.

When it was over, Pitt fired Stallings.

Another obstacle.

Luther supported Stallings publicly, saying on Twitter that the players wanted to play for him and complaining about “the decision from people who are not involved with the program daily and influenced by the wrong things.”

Six weeks later, Luther announced he was transferring to Arizona. During an interview last week, he said he wasn’t sure how Stallings’ fate affected his decision.

“Looking in the reverse situation I don’t know what I would have done, but it is what it is,” Luther said. “I’m excited about getting out here.”

Once Luther hit the grad transfer market last spring, the Wildcats were an obvious choice. Not only did the UA have a wide-open opportunity for him to start or play major minutes in the frontcourt, but the Wildcats also had a touch of Pittsburgh, too.

That is, in coach Sean Miller and trainer Justin Kokoskie, two Pittsburgh-area natives who have been central to Luther’s transition .

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It didn’t take them long to hit it off.

“Great kid!!” Kokoskie said via text message. “Can never have enough Pittsburgh on your team!”

Miller was drawn to Luther, too. His brother, Archie, once recruited Luther for Dayton and the UA coach said both Dixon and Stallings spoke highly of Luther as a player and person, making it an even more natural choice for both sides.

“I know his family well, very similar to my relationship with (former UA guard) T.J. McConnell and his family,” Miller said in May. “Kind of grew up drinking the same water.”

Not surprisingly, the recruitment came to a quick close. Luther visited the UA along with Belgian forward Omar Thielemans in mid-April and both committed within a week.

“I was still considering Pitt, but going through (recruiting) the second time I kind of knew what I wanted,” Luther said. “I was able to narrow it down to a few schools and when coach Miller contacted me, I thought coming out here would be a good experience for me.”

During limited offseason workouts this summer, Luther has been part of a post-player workout group that also includes Chase Jeter, Ira Lee and Emmanuel Akot.

Luther’s combination of perimeter shooting and interior skill suggest he can bring a “stretch four” presence to the Wildcats, though Luther said Miller is also looking for him to play center, something he did at Pitt out of necessity.

With 7-footers Deandre Ayton and Dusan Ristic gone, the Wildcats’ only natural center is Jeter, while Lee can play both post spots and Akot might need to swing between both forward spots.

Opportunity was “definitely a part of it,” Luther said. “Obviously, Arizona lost a lot of guys to the draft and graduation, so I knew there was going to be a hole. But at the same time, there’s a lot of talented guys that have been here so I think it was a combination of the right opportunity and the guys here.

“Coach Miller, from what we’ve done so far, he’s stressing and encouraging us to do things like pop and space the floor, and run wide, things that can kind of stretch the floor as a four man.”

Luther just has to make sure he doesn’t stretch things too far. The Wildcats’ relative lack of post depth means Luther needs to stay healthy, and that’s where Kokoskie comes in.

So far, so good. Kokoskie said Luther has been cleared fully for three months and is doing well, while Luther has no complaints.

“Justin and some of the doctors here have been good so I’ve kind of got it under control now,” Luther said. “I just have to be smart with it. I can go all-out, but at this point it’s so far away from the season, I have to be smart about it — don’t overdo it, don’t overwork it.”

It’s a concern, of course, but also a blessing. Because the injury stopped Luther after 10 games last season, he stayed just under the maximum number of games he could play in order to still qualify for a medical redshirt season — and what turned out to be the chance to transfer to Arizona.

“Coach (Miller) said, ‘If you wouldn’t have gotten hurt you’d be done with college basketball,’” Luther said. “So I feel like this is just a new opportunity, fresh, to get out here and kind of start over again.”