The Star's longtime columnist on the NBA draft-readiness of Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis ... Tucson legend Stacy Iveson's quest to reestablish Southern Arizona as a fast-pitch softball hotbed ... Pima College baseball back on the map thanks to Ken Jacome ... a celebration of life for Tucson's own six-time Masters participant Ed Updegraff ... and more.
Mock drafts see only flaws with Tubelis, Timme, Jaquez
I searched every conceivable NBA mock draft site last week and found one constant: The westโs three best college players โ by far โ are not likely to be first-round draft picks.
Arizonaโs Azuolis Tubelis, Gonzagaโs Drew Timme and UCLAโs Jaime Jaquez Jr. are ranked as high as No. 38 overall and as low as No. 77. No mock draft I read listed any of them in the first round.
Moreover, for the first time since 1988, the Pac-12 isnโt projected to have a first-round draft pick.
True, those mock drafts are subject to change. A year ago at this time, Arizonaโs Dalen Terry was on no oneโs first-round radar yet wound up the 18th overall selection.
This is all part of the evolution of the NBA, where speed, athleticism and 3-point shooting have diminished the appeal of wonderful college players like Tubelis, Timme and Jaquez, all judged to be maybe a step too slow, a bit too small and unreliable 3-point shooters.
![2022-23 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/0a/50ae21dc-cb39-11ed-8b01-efff4c36dade/6407c352e1648.image.jpg?resize=200%2C347 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/0a/50ae21dc-cb39-11ed-8b01-efff4c36dade/6407c352e1648.image.jpg?resize=300%2C520 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/0a/50ae21dc-cb39-11ed-8b01-efff4c36dade/6407c352e1648.image.jpg?resize=400%2C694 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/0a/50ae21dc-cb39-11ed-8b01-efff4c36dade/6407c352e1648.image.jpg?resize=540%2C936 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/0a/50ae21dc-cb39-11ed-8b01-efff4c36dade/6407c352e1648.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1300 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/0a/50ae21dc-cb39-11ed-8b01-efff4c36dade/6407c352e1648.image.jpg?resize=1093%2C1895 1200w)
Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis (10), who has clearly established himself as a post presence more so than a perimeter shooter, goes up to the hoop amid a crowd of what looks like all Trojans (save for teammate Oumar Ballo peeking out of the background) for a put-back against USC Jan. 19 at McKale Center.
The best example? Purdueโs 7-4 center Zach Edey, the probable NCAA player of the year, is just 50-50 to get drafted at all because he is viewed by some to be too slow and unable to step outside and hit a 3. As recently as 2010, Edey wouldโve easily been a first-rounder.
As for Tubelis, Jaquez and Timme, the variable that will drive most NBA personnel executives away is also 3-point shooting.
Of the 308 field goals Timme has made this season, only four were 3-pointers entering the weekend. He was 4 for 24 as a 3-point shooter. The other knock on Timme is that he canโt score at the rim and isnโt athletic.
Same for Tubelis. Of his 585 field goals made at Arizona, only 33 have been 3s. He is shooting 29.5% from deep. NBA scouts view him as one-dimensional and a defensive risk.
Jaquez averaged just 0.9 3s per game this season. He canโt score at the rim. Heโs a โtweener. But I think Jaquez will ultimately become an NBA regular, with his basketball IQ making him a valuable property the same way it worked for former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell.
None are judged to be multi-dimensional scorers, which is the core of the modern NBA game.
My feeling is that after the NBA draft camps and two months of evaluation, Washington Stateโs 6-11 sophomore Mouhamed Gueye will move into the first round and leave WSU. Gueye showed his 3-point chops in WSUโs upset of Arizona at McKale Center.
As for Tubelis, itโs not like his future is diminished. If he returns to Arizona and dedicates himself to a summer in the gym, working on his shooting range and using his right hand, he could be the most feared offensive player in college basketball in 2023-24.
Or he could move home to Europe, where he would surely start earning deep into six figures in the EuroLeague next season. Either way, Tubelis has attractive options.
![Class 4A State Softball Championship: Salpointe Catholic and Canyon del Oro](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=200%2C141 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=300%2C212 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=400%2C283 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=540%2C382 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=750%2C531 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C849 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/0e/b0e6a938-cb35-11ed-bf71-cbb96c4684e6/6283150dab8b2.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1203 1700w)
Salpointe Catholicโs Gianna Mares (shown pitching during the 2022 Class 4A State Championship game against Canyon del Oro last May) has been electric both in the circle (sheโs 24-0 in her prep career) and at the plate (.571, 10 home runs in 2023) for the Lancers.
Tucsonโs game of the week: CDO v. Salpointe softball
In what once seemed unthinkable, Canyon del Oroโs impressive run of six state softball championships in eight years, 2005-12, is being challenged.
When 14-3 CDO plays at Salpointe Catholic Thursday at 4 p.m., the 17-1 Lancers will be working on their fifth state championship in six years.
Itโs starting to look like Salpointe senior Gianna Mares is the stateโs most dominant player, a potential Arizona Gatorade Player of the Uear. Mares pitched a no-hitter last week against Flowing Wells, striking out 14. She is 24-0 in her Salpointe pitching career. Beyond that, Mares is hitting .571 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI this season. She signed with BYU in November.
When CDO coach Kelly Fowler steps on the field Thursday, she wonโt be unfamiliar with such excellence. In 2011, her daughter, Mattie Fowler, went 14-0 as a pitcher and hit 17 home runs with a .569 batting average for the 35-1 Dorados, my choice as the leading softball team in Tucson history.
Salpointe is stepping close to that level.
Fischโs coaching clinics among the best
At noon Friday, I walked into the Davis Sports Center and stood in the back as 2000 Super Bowl champion coach Brian Billick spoke to about 200 football coaches from Arizona, New Mexico and California in another of UA coach Jedd Fischโs must-see coaching clinics.
When Billick finished his message, he was followed by former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith. On Saturday, 2021 Super Bowl coach Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals spoke to the same group of 200 coaches, many of whom thought they were getting a bargain for the $90 fee. A year ago, Fischโs visiting coaches included Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl-winning coach Sean McVay.
![New York Giants | Tom Quinn | Dec. 9, 2021](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=200%2C160 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=300%2C240 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=400%2C320 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=540%2C431 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=750%2C599 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C959 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/dc/7dcf8942-cb36-11ed-9d4c-a37566cb7308/61b28b0a76f8f.image.jpg?resize=1611%2C1287 1700w)
Former UA linebacker (1986-1990) Tom Quinn (pictured in December 2021 at a practice in Tucson while working with linebacker Cam Brown during Quinn's stint as the New York Giants' special teams coordinator) was hired recently to join the staff of the Tennessee Titans. The 2023 season will be Quinn's 16th as an NFL assistant. He's won two Super Bowl rings over that span.
Fisch labels his annual coaching clinic the โBe a P.R.O.โโ event. Iโve got an unsolicited suggestion for the 2024 camp: Last week, 1980s Arizona linebacker Tom Quinn was hired to be a special teams coach for the Tennessee Titans. No one in UA football history has an NFL coaching rรฉsumรฉย like Quinn.
After quietly beginning his coaching career under former UA coach Dave Fagg at Davidson in 1991, followed by two years under ex-UA offensive coordinator Rip Scherer at James Madison in 1992-93 and subsequent stops at Holy Cross, San Jose State and Stanford, Quinn has gone on to be an NFL assistant coach for 17 of the last 18 years. He has two Super Bowl rings, won during his stint as the New York Giantsโ special teams coach, 2006-2021.
Imagine the coaching stories Tom Quinn could tell.
Short stuff
โข Pima College baseball coach Ken Jacome has coached the Aztecs to a 28-8 record. The Aztecs are second in the wickedly tough ACCAC at 15-5 and are on a 10-game winning streak. Itโs the surest sign that Jacome, part of one of Tucsonโs most distinguished baseball families dating to the 1940s, is doing what he pledged when hired off the New Mexico staff in 2018 โ return the Aztecs to their long-ago status as an NJCAA baseball power. Pitcher Matt Cornelius, who is 7-1 with a 1.59 ERA, is bidding to become the ACCAC pitcher of the year. โฆ
![Pima College Baseball | Ken Jacome | April 2021](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=200%2C125 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=300%2C188 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=400%2C251 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=540%2C339 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=750%2C471 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C753 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/84/2845be4c-cb36-11ed-b7ec-9fbb728d6ad4/60834e9c8018d.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1067 1700w)
Ken Jacome (pictured coaching up his Pima College baseball players in 2021) has the Aztecs at 29-8 so far in 2023, and is looking like he might just pull off Pima's long-awaited return to the top.
โข Tucsonan Chris Rastatter, in his first year as the NCAAโs national coordinator of menโs basketball officiating, appointed 40 referees to work the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games this weekend. Six of them are Pac-12-centric refs: John Higgins, Eric Curry, Deldre Carr, Michael Reed, Tony Padilla and Michael Irving.
I sat next to Rastatter at several McKale Center games this year. He was diligent in watching and re-watching videos of call after call after call. He seemed to fill a notebook on the officialsโ performances each game. He flew around the country for similar evaluations all winter.
Rastatterโs long-time Tucson officiating associate, Bob Scofield, spent last week officiating two NCAA Tournament womenโs games at the Tennessee sub-regional. It was the 24th consecutive year Scofield has been chosen to work the NCAA Tournament. ...
![Canyon del Oro vs Sunrise Mountain | May 9, 2017 | Ellessa Bonstrom](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=200%2C125 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=300%2C188 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=400%2C251 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=540%2C339 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=750%2C471 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C753 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/50/f50e1266-cb37-11ed-96b5-3f8b9f2cbf65/5912ae4472ee2.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1067 1700w)
Ellessa Bonstrom (shown during her high school days playing for Canyon del Oro as she beats the throw into third for an RBI triple in the 2017 Class 4A State Championship game) became the first Tucson native to ever be named Pac-12 Softball Player of the Week two weeks in a row. She did it this month playing for Utah.
โข Ellessa Bonstrom, a former all-state softball player from CDO, scored five runs, had five RBIs and hit a game-winning homer against Arizona at Hillenbrand Stadium last weekend as the Utes won a three-game series with the Wildcats.
Bonstrom was then selected Pac-12 Player of the Week for the second week in a row, putting her in contention to be the leagueโs player of the year. Bonstrom is hitting .386 with 33 RBIs and 12 stolen bases, all near the league lead.
She became just the sixth former Tucson softball player to win Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. The others: Desert Viewโs Lety Pinedaย (Arizona โ 1996, 1998); Salpointeโs Taira Mims (UCLA โ 2001, 2003); CDOโs Sarah Beesonย (Stanford โ 2007); Tucsonโs Carlie Scupinย (Arizona โ 2021); and Ellessaโs sister, Kayla Bonstromย (Stanford โ 2013). ...
โข Talk about a good hire: Tucsonโs Parks and Recreation department has hired Stacy Iveson to be its sports coordinator. Understandably, one of Ivesonโs first projects is to restore the womenโs fast-pitch city league, which diminished and was reduced to four teams before shutting down almost 20 years ago.
That doesnโt seem to fit in a city with Tucsonโs fast-pitch softball history, which ranks with any city in the nation.
![Arizona Softball | Stacy Iveson | March 2012](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/fb/1fb4d482-cb33-11ed-bba4-97b29eaf5bc4/4f6a9fa7d265a.image.jpg?resize=200%2C206 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/fb/1fb4d482-cb33-11ed-bba4-97b29eaf5bc4/4f6a9fa7d265a.image.jpg?resize=300%2C309 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/fb/1fb4d482-cb33-11ed-bba4-97b29eaf5bc4/4f6a9fa7d265a.image.jpg?resize=400%2C412 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/fb/1fb4d482-cb33-11ed-bba4-97b29eaf5bc4/4f6a9fa7d265a.image.jpg?resize=540%2C556 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/fb/1fb4d482-cb33-11ed-bba4-97b29eaf5bc4/4f6a9fa7d265a.image.jpg?resize=601%2C619 750w)
Stacy Iveson, shown during during one of her multiple tenures as an assistant coach with the UA softball program, has been brought on board by the City of Tucson to task on the task of reviving the city's once highly-successful women's fast-pitch softball offerings.
Iveson hopes to change that, and she has the rรฉsumรฉย to do so; she was an all-city softball player at Catalina High School, an All-Pac-10 catcher at Arizona, a two-time NJCAA national championship coach at Pima College (and won two more at Prescottโs Yavapai College), a state championship coach at Salpointe Catholic and was for 18 years part of Mike Candreaโs coaching staff at Arizona.
โWe will be offering womenโs open fast-pitch for players aged 16 and up,โโ she said.
Teams will be split into two divisions — a recreational league as well as a competitive league. Games will be played at Lincoln Park’s Julie Reitan Softball Complex from May 30 through July 25. Registration will be held April 17 to May 15. Sign up online at ezeereg.com or by calling the sports office at (520) 791-4870.
Iveson retired from the UA in December. It didnโt take long for her to get back in the game that made her a Tucson icon.
![University of Arizona vs Cal](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=200%2C145 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=300%2C218 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=400%2C290 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=540%2C392 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=750%2C544 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C871 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/e5/1e5d41e0-cb5c-11ed-af55-8bd85d63d293/638d25af8f57a.image.jpg?resize=1690%2C1226 1700w)
Arizona guard Adama Bal (2) applies pressure to Cal forward Kuany Kuany (13) as he hauls in a pass in the first half of their Pac 12 basketball game on Dec. 14, 2022 at McKale Center. Both Bal and Kuany, among more than two dozen Pac-12 players who entered the transfer portal in late March, are likely to be playing for new teams come next season.
Pac-12 transfers hitting the road
In the space of six days last week, 25 Pac-12 basketball players announced they are entering the transfer portal. That number no longer raises eyeballs, even when itโs Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa orย ASU shooter D.J. Horne,ย who is looking for a third school.
Hereโs the list of the 25 transfers. Donโt be surprised if the number hits 40 this week:
โข Arizona: Kriisa and Adama Ball.
โข ASU: Horne, Luther Muhammed, Enoch Broakye, Jamiya Neal.
โข Colorado: Nique Clifford, Lawson Lovering, Quincy Allen.
โข Utah: Mike Saunders, Bostyn Holt, Lazar Stefanovic, Jaxon Brenchley, Hunter Mecum.
โข USC: Reese Dixon-Waters, Malik Thomas.
โข Stanford: Isael Silva, John Bol Ajak.
![University of Arizona vs Arizona State](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/73/873ce50e-cb5b-11ed-9e4d-f3ea82b90302/63b0959d060db.image.jpg?resize=200%2C350 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/73/873ce50e-cb5b-11ed-9e4d-f3ea82b90302/63b0959d060db.image.jpg?resize=300%2C525 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/73/873ce50e-cb5b-11ed-9e4d-f3ea82b90302/63b0959d060db.image.jpg?resize=400%2C700 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/73/873ce50e-cb5b-11ed-9e4d-f3ea82b90302/63b0959d060db.image.jpg?resize=540%2C945 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/73/873ce50e-cb5b-11ed-9e4d-f3ea82b90302/63b0959d060db.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1313 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/73/873ce50e-cb5b-11ed-9e4d-f3ea82b90302/63b0959d060db.image.jpg?resize=1088%2C1905 1200w)
Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa (25) strips Arizona State guard DJ Horne (0) early in the first half of their Pac 12 game at Desert Financial Arena on Dec. 31, 2022 in Tempe, Ariz. Neither Kriisa or Horne are likely to be in the same uniforms next year, as theyโre among more than two dozen Pac-12 players to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
โขย Oregon: Jadrian Tracey.
โข Cal: Kuany Kuany, Joel Brown.
โข Washington: P.J. Fuller, Langston Wilson, Jackson Grant.
โข WSU: Dichon Jackson.
The new narrative about basketballโs transfer portal is that it has become the most productive route to success. That happened when nine Kansas State transfers led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight.
And donโt forget Elite Eight team San Diego State. The Aztecsโ four leading scorers arrived on campus via the portal: leading scorer Matt Bradley of Cal, averaging 12.9 points; Darrion Trammel of Seattle, averaging 9.6; Jaedon Lee of TCU, averaging 7.9; and Micah Parrish of Oakland, averaging 7.9.
What this suggests is that Arizonaโs Tommy Lloyd, who over the last 20 years has probably recruited more effectively than any coach in the Pac-12, shouldnโt have much difficulty replacing Kriisa and Bal.
![Ed Updegraff](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=200%2C137 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=300%2C205 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=400%2C273 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=540%2C369 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=750%2C512 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C819 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/67/7671391a-cb37-11ed-a570-97f2e6d5e6f9/577314087f451.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1160 1700w)
Ed Updegraff pictured teeing off on Jan. 23, 1962 in this Tucson Citizen file photo, is one of the greatest golfers in Tucson history, having been in the field for The Masters six times. A celebration of life was held recently for Updegraff, who died late last year at 100 years old.
My two cents: Tucson golf legend Updegraff one of a kind
A celebration of life was held Saturday at the Tucson Country Club for Ed Updegraff, surely the greatest amateur golfer in Arizona history. Updegraff died on Christmas Eve. He was 100.
Although Updegraff spent most of his time raising a family and working in his Tucson urology clinic, he was still able to become a golfing legend, playing in six Masters and winning multiple Arizona amateurs, Tucson City amateurs and the U.S. Senior Amateur in 1981. In 1999, the USGA presented Updegraff with the Bobby Jones Award, its top yearly honor.
I was privileged to have played several rounds of golf with โDr. Ed,โโ and I remember them clearly. He spent the round not examining his golf game (or yours) but telling unforgettable stories about playing with Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer.
My favorite Dr. Ed golf story: After a round at Arizona National 20 years ago, a large Heron landed on a boulder in the pond near the 18th green, maybe 75 yards away. Thinking of the movie โTin Cup,โโ in which actor Kevin Costner hit a golf ball to chase a pelican off its perch and win a bet, someone suggested they all hit a golf ball to try to spook the Heron off the rock.
On his first shot, Updegraff hit the rock. The Heron flapped away. Just like in the movies.
![Ed Updegraff](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/af/9af5d9d0-cb37-11ed-8016-37a9fe3493e4/577977ab919df.image.jpg?resize=200%2C150 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/af/9af5d9d0-cb37-11ed-8016-37a9fe3493e4/577977ab919df.image.jpg?resize=300%2C225 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/af/9af5d9d0-cb37-11ed-8016-37a9fe3493e4/577977ab919df.image.jpg?resize=400%2C300 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/af/9af5d9d0-cb37-11ed-8016-37a9fe3493e4/577977ab919df.image.jpg?resize=540%2C405 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/af/9af5d9d0-cb37-11ed-8016-37a9fe3493e4/577977ab919df.image.jpg?resize=750%2C563 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/af/9af5d9d0-cb37-11ed-8016-37a9fe3493e4/577977ab919df.image.jpg?resize=1024%2C768 1200w)
Dr. Ed Updegraff, pictured at the Tucson Country Club in 2001, when he was 79, had many memorable experiences on the golf course, including being paired with Sam Snead in the 1963 Masters. Updegraff is one of the greatest golfers in Tucson history, having been in the field for The Masters six times. A celebration of life was held recently for Updegraff, who died late last year at 100 years old.
Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis discusses Jaime Jaquez winning the Pac-12 Player of the Year award during the UA men's basketball program's media availability March 7, 2023 at McKale Center. Video by Justin Spears/Arizona Daily Star