Star columnist Greg Hansen checks in this week with the latest in Southern Arizona sports, including one former UA standout being inducted into the Ring of Honor at McKale Center, Pima College's future with athletics, and Nick Gonzales' potential plan for the MLB.
A visit to the office of UA athletic director Dave Heeke is memorable in this regard: One of the walls in his McKale Center office is dedicated to the school’s sports history, an almost generation-to-generation testament to those who have ably served, dating to coach/AD Pop McKale a century ago.
Heeke has been on duty at Arizona for just three years but his appreciation for those who occupied his office — and those who created lasting on-field memories, from Button Salmon to Jennie Finch — is already manifest.
So it didn’t come as much of a surprise last week when Heeke revealed that 1960 basketball legend Ernie McCray will be added to the Ring of Honor at McKale Center, and, in fact, that Heeke earlier instructed the school’s Heritage committee to “review the policies and procedures” for all Wildcat sports awards.
Ernie McCray, seen in McKale Center in 2010, recently was inducted into the ring of honor.
“The overall structure is getting a complete review with changes likely,” said Heeke. “Ernie qualifies and we were/are planning to include him in the Ring. I felt a thorough review was necessary.”
McCray, 82, a Tucson High School grad and the UA’s first Black basketball player to earn a degree, was Arizona’s career basketball scoring leader for 12 seasons, and also held career records in two other statistical categories for more than a decade after his 1960 graduation. He was also the Border Conference’s lone unanimous all-league selection in 1960. He will be the 28th player inducted into the Ring of Honor.
Over the last 10 or 15 years, inconsistencies in honoring ex-Wildcat standouts led to some angst. The Ring of Honor at Arizona Stadium, as at McKale Center, honors those with 10 years of NFL/NBA service. But the same does not apply to the UA’s impressive baseball history at Hi Corbett Field.
Believe it or not, 13 ex-Wildcats played 10 or more MLB seasons: J.T. Snow, Kenny Lofton, Eddie Leon, Ron Hassey, Joe Magrane, Mark Melancon, Ed Vosberg, Hank Leiber, Craig Lefferts, Nick Hundley, Jack Howell, Gil Heredia and Scott Erickson. Their contributions are not acknowledged in a visible setting at Hi Corbett Field. All had esteemed baseball careers at Arizona.
Yet one-year basketball players like Jerryd Bayless and Stanley Johnson are in the McKale Center Ring of Honor. If other schools used Arizona’s system that honors Pac-12 freshmen of the year with a spot in the Ring of Honor, ASU’s Luguentz Dort, the league’s 2019 freshman of the year, would qualify. That doesn’t wash.
Mike Candrea’s softball program has produced so many first-team All-Americans it would require a significant structure to recognize all for posterity. For example, 1990s outfielder Alison Johnsen McCutcheon has led the school in career batting average (.466) for 22 years, led the school in career stolen bases for 10 years and has led in career hits and triples for more than 20 years. For more than a decade, pitcher Alicia Hollowell Dunn has led UA softball history in career victories, strikeouts and no-hitters.
Much like McCray, McCutcheon and Dunn seem worthy of more visible recognition.
It’s a tricky business to honor the school’s elite athletes appropriately, but much to Heeke’s credit, he’s working to get it right.
Pima College’s sports future in jeopardy
Jim Monaco, right, talks about his new role as the athletic director at Pima Community College as Edgar Soto, the former director, watches during a press conference at Pima College West Campus on October 29, 2018.
Sometime this week, Steven Gonzales, chancellor of the 10 Maricopa County community colleges, is expected to make a decision on whether or not to cancel the entire 2020-21 sports season for those ACCAC athletic programs.
The other six schools in the ACCAC — Pima College, Yavapai College, Eastern Arizona, Cochise College, Central Arizona and Arizona Western — could be hugely affected.
One overarching fear is that Maricopa schools might withdraw permanently. If so, Pima College chancellor Lee Lambert might consider eliminating the Aztecs athletic program. That may be an extremist’s fear. Or maybe not. Lambert not only eliminated PCC’s football program a year ago, he has held discussions about dropping tennis, golf, volleyball and track.
If the 10 Phoenix schools don’t participate in sports in 2020-21, a schedule among the six remaining schools is doable, but would require some imagination.
Baseball and softball are the only sports all six of the non-Phoenix schools sponsor. Yavapai does not have men’s and women’s basketball programs. Pima is a NJCAA power in soccer, but without Phoenix schools, the Aztecs’ only in-state opponents would be Arizona Western and Central Arizona.
Pima’s only remaining opponent in track/cross country would be Central Arizona.
The future of Pima College athletics, which would be entering its 49th season, could be in serious jeopardy, as could the careers of such established and successful head coaches as Todd Holthaus, David Cosgrove, Kendra Veliz, Brian Peabody and Ken Jacome.
The ACCAC and Pima College could survive one year without Phoenix schools. Anything else could lead to the end of junior college sports in Arizona.
Elliott, Lever help out at successful food drive
Bob Elliott
There was no baseball played at the Kino Sports Complex on Thursday morning, but the parking lots of the former spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox were abuzz. About a dozen Tucson charities — including the Elliott Family Charity of former Arizona and NBA basketball player Bob Elliott — staged a “Feeding the Children” food drive, which was a robust success.
About 1,200 automobiles lined up to receive about $112,000 of food. Among those helping distribute the food was Elliott, a former official in the NBA Retired Players’ Association, was Fat Lever, former Pueblo High state champion and NBA standout, who represented the Phoenix Chapter of the NBA Retired Players’ Association. That’s better than any basketball game.
UA football adds San Diego linebacker to roster
Head coach Kevin Sumlin has a laugh while organizing the Wildcats during the seventh day of pre-season for the University of Arizona football team, Tucson, Ariz., August 3, 2019.
A few days after ex-Wildcat standout Ernie McCray learned he will be included in the Ring of Honor at McKale Center, his great-grandson, Alonzo “A.J.” Morgan, announced he will enroll at Arizona and be part of the UA football program this fall.
Morgan, a 6-foot 3-inch, 220-pound outside linebacker at Lincoln High School in San Diego, wasn’t widely recruited by Pac-12 schools but that fits with Kevin Sumlin’s growing Class of 2021.
The UA’s two most recent commitments came from tight end Colby Powers of Texas, whose other offers were from Colorado, Houston Baptist, Louisiana Monroe, New Mexico and UTSA, and linebacker Mojo Weerts of Illinois, who did not get an offer from another Power 5 school, although Boise State and Air Force offered him scholarships.
Arizona's 'Desert Swarm' defense was riddled with NFL talent
The cover of the Aug. 29, 1994, issue of Sports Illustrated featured members of UA’s Desert Swarm defense.
ESPNU last week rebroadcast the 1994 Arizona-ASU Territorial Cup game, the Desert Swarm era. Arizona won 28-27 when the Sun Devils missed a field goal in the final minute at Arizona Stadium, advancing to 8-3 on the season. Did you realize Dick Tomey started seven future NFL players on defense in that game? Tedy Bruschi, Chuck Osborne, Joe Salave’a, Mike Scurlock, Tony Bouie, Sean Harris and Brandon Sanders. By comparison, only seven Arizona defensive players from 2009-2019 saw action in NFL games.
Pac-12 commissioner's pay cut ends this week
Commissioner Larry Scott speaks during the Pac-12 NCAA college basketball media day, in San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)
The 20% pay cut taken by Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott ends this week. It was only for three months. Scott is paid $5.3 million per year, but his pay cut over the last three months was roughly $265,000. That’s a lot of money, sure. But given that Scott laid off eight employees and froze other positions — implementing 10% pay cuts for conference staffers — it seems like peanuts during a time some estimates suggest the Pac-12 has lost as much as $15 million.
Gonzales signs but when will he play?
Cienega product and New Mexico State second baseman Nick Gonzales comes to his feet between his dad Mike Gonzales, left, and his mom Jill Bosland just after he learned he was drafted seventh overall by Pittsburgh, Vail, Ariz., June 10, 2020.
Cienega High grad Nick Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in this month’s MLB draft, signed his $5.4 million bonus contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates last week. But now the question is: will Gonzales have a place to play this season?
None of the minor-league teams affiliated with MLB organizations are scheduled to play in 2020.
Gonzales probably won’t be part of what the MLB refers to “injury replacement” or “taxi squads” when the big league season starts next month. Those replacement lists could be up to 20 players per team, but it’s unlikely that someone like Gonzales, who has never played an inning of professional baseball, would be among the replacement possibilities.
Perhaps an expanded Arizona Fall League program would be used for prospects like Gonzales.
Those with Tucson connections likely to be part of the pool of replacement players include former Arizona third baseman Bobby Dalbec of Boston, who is one of the Red Sox’s leading young prospects, and possibly those like 2012 Arizona College World Series champions Joey Rickard, Johnny Field and Robert Refsnyder, who have bounced between the minors and majors the last few years.
For the rest of those aspiring major-leaguers from Tucson, it’s likely to be a lost season, in which they will not get 300 to 400 at-bats or pitch 75 to 100 innings. Each player will be on his own to work on strength and conditioning and skill development.
It’s especially bad timing for ex-Wildcats like J.J. Matijevic, Jared Oliva, Rio Gomez, Alfonso Rivas, Cesar Salazar and Cal Stevenson, who actually saw action in spring training games in March. Their seasons are on pause and likely doomed.
Five former Tucson high school baseball players — Desert Christian pitcher Andrew Edwards and first baseman Zach Malis, CDO first baseman Nick Ames, Salpointe Catholic pitcher Jio Orozco and Lancers catcher Donny Sands — have similarly had their pro baseball careers paused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, being among the few invited to satellite camps operated by MLB teams will be only for the elite like Dalbec.
Arizona Final Four coach elected to Hall of Fame
UA assistant coach Jay John, left, gives an earful to freshman Richard Jefferson during their game against ASU in Tempe on Jan. 14, 1999.
Pat Darcy, president of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, announced last week that 14 athletes, coaches and sports administrators as well as two high school state championship teams have been elected into the organization’s Class of 2020.
Darcy, a former World Series championship pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, will announce one of the inductees periodically leading up to the scheduled Nov. 1 banquet at the DoubleTree Hotel.
Among those in the 2020 class is Jay John, an assistant coach on Lute Olson’s 2001 Final Four basketball staff at Arizona. John, a Salpointe Catholic High School graduate and former all-state football lineman for the Lancers, is the only Tucsonan ever to be a head coach at a Power 5 basketball school.
Now an associate athletic director for sports administration at Cal, John was the head coach at Oregon State from 2002-08, coaching the Beavers to the 2005 NIT. John previously was an assistant coach at Oregon, Butler and USF. He was an assistant coach for Mike Montgomery’s Cal staff after leaving Oregon State. John began his coaching career at Salpointe in the late 1970s.
“I’m a proud Tucsonan,” said John. “This is an honor.”
My two cents: College ADs are being too optimistic about football in 2020
University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins, left, and UA athletic director Dave Heeke wer charged of late with determining if the Big 12 provided a better long-term future for Arizona sports than sticking with the Pac-12. They determined it did.
In the last week, Power 5 football schools Michigan ($26 million), Indiana ($12 million), Tennessee ($11 million) and Louisville ($9 million) announced projected revenue losses for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
But all of those projections are optimistic, based on football being played.
I don’t blame athletic directors for imagining and planning for a football season; that’s what they must do. If there are no games, they will lose the massive income from Tier 1 media rights football deals, worth about $20 million to a school like Arizona.
But nothing about college football in 2020 is certain. What is troubling is that the closer it gets to August training camps, the more unrealistic college football in 2020 seems.
