OK, let’s just get this out of the way first in case anyone really was still wondering.
“We’re gonna lose Nico,” UA coach Sean Miller said Tuesday.
Of course, UA point guard Nico Mannion has been expected to leave for the 2020 NBA draft since before he signed with Arizona over a year ago, but Miller confirmed it anyway Tuesday for the specific purpose of explaining why he went after Georgetown transfer James Akinjo for a second time last month.
Arizona officially announced Akinjo’s addition on Tuesday, giving next season’s Wildcats a replacement for Mannion, a lead guard to play alongside Jemarl Baker, incoming freshman Dalen Terry and possibly another high school recruit (five-star wing Ziaire Williams is still in the mix for the spring signing period).
As with redshirting freshman Jordan Brown, who initially spurned Arizona for Nevada and then transferred to UA last summer, Akinjo first chose Georgetown over the Wildcats before giving Arizona a second chance once he left the Hoyas last month.
Well, actually, Akinjo chose Georgetown after initially signing with UConn in November 2017 but was released from his letter-of-intent in March 2018 after UConn fired coach Kevin Ollie, then looked at UA and chose Georgetown.
Third time, second time, whatever. UA has Akinjo now, and Miller said he’s eager to get him in a Wildcat uniform.
“Certainly, we had an interest in him but especially with the need that we have” in losing Mannion, Miller said. “James is that point guard you love to have. He’s tough. He can score. He can get his own shot. He was the Big East Freshman of the Year, and that’s a really good conference, so I think that says a lot about his ability level.”
With a smile, Miller later explained exactly what he meant.
“I’m very familiar with another Big East Freshman of the Year. He was an amazing player at Pitt: me,” said Miller, who won the award in 1987-88. “So I have a lot of respect for the Big East Freshman of the Year. I’m kidding, but I’m not kidding. But he’s Big East Freshman of the Year. They don’t give that award out because of anything other than he earned it.”
Akinjo earned the award last season while averaging 13.4 points and shooting 39.1% from 3-point range. He also had the nation’s 64th-best assist rate, recording an assist on 30.9% of teammates’ baskets when he was on the floor.
This season, Akinjo was also averaging 13.4 points but his scoring efficiency and assist rate dipped. In seven games before transferring, he shot just 24.2% from 3 and 33.7% overall. His assist rate dropped to 25.5 and his assist-to-turnover ratio was under 2-1 (31 assists to 16 turnovers).
Akinjo took 12 more field goals and eight more 3s than any of his teammates over the Hoyas’ first seven games, something Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim alluded to after the Hoyas beat Syracuse 89-79 on Dec. 14 after Akinjo left.
“They got rid of a guy that wouldn’t pass the ball to anybody and just shot every time,” Boeheim said. “That’s why they’re good now.”
But when asked about Boeheim’s comments Tuesday, Miller defended Akinjo as somebody looking for a better personal fit, comparing his move to that of two highly rated transfers from long-ago UA teams: Chris Mills (Kentucky) and Loren Woods (Wake Forest).
“Look, there’s a lot of change in college basketball. It doesn’t mean something’s wrong with a person, the coach, the player, the situation,” Miller said. “That doesn’t mean that (Mills and Woods) left a good or bad situation as much as they chose Arizona. It really worked out for them and their team.
“We’ve had some guys leave, some guys stay. It’s not personal. It’s not an indication that something’s wrong with the staff or the coach or the program.
“It’s just people are transitioning and we try to make the best decisions for our program.”
Besides, Miller said he grew to know Akinjo after he was let out of his UConn letter, and also through his coaches at Salesian High School and the Oakland Soldiers club team.
“We did our research and we know him very well,” Miller said. “You know, people can certainly have their opinion of all of our players but we have to make our own decisions.
“We’re incredibly excited to have him.”
Akinjo is scheduled to enroll in UA’s spring semester that begins Jan. 15, but isn’t scheduled to be eligible until the end of the 2020 fall semester, unless he files a successful waiver request to play sooner, as Baker did this season after transferring from Kentucky.
Appeals are generally successful if a player can demonstrate issues out of their control affected their situation at a previous school and — while three other Georgetown players were given restraining orders last fall for off-court incidents — Miller said he wouldn’t be able to address if Akinjo would file an appeal until this spring.
But in the meantime, Akinjo will get to learn UA’s system and provide an immediate upgrade to the Wildcats’ scout team, where he will undoubtedly be facing the guy he will replace next season.
“The more quality that we have on an everyday basis, the better it is for our team,” Miller said. “Having to play against Jordan Brown and him every day is something that I think it’s a real bonus and a positive.
“By the way, it’s also a positive for him and Jordan. The more competitive practices are and more talent there is, the better they get.”
