Hansen's Sunday Notebook: Tollefsen intrigued by what UA offers

Tollefsen intrigued by what UA offers 

Tim Derksen, Arizona’s 2012 basketball Player of the Year, is in the middle of an intriguing recruiting weekend.

A senior-to-be at San Francisco, Derksen is playing host to Sahuaro’s 6-foot 7-inch Nate Renfro, who is in an ongoing recruiting weekend with the Dons. And Derksen, who led Amphi to the 2012 state championship, is keeping watch on his ex-USF teammate and close friend Mark Tollefsen, who is on a recruiting weekend in Tucson.

Renfro is expected to choose between USF and Cal-Fullerton. Tollefsen, who is about to earn a degree in advertising at USF, is college basketball’s version of a free agent; he is visiting Arizona this weekend. San Diego State and UCLA are also interested.

Tollefsen is a 6-9 “stretch four,” much like Grant Jerrett was at Arizona in 2013. The difference is that Tollefsen is older and has three years of college experience; he scored 21 and 18 points in late-season games against Gonzaga. His USF coach, Rex Walters, tried to keep Tollefsen for a final year by telling him he could be the best player in the West Coast Conference.

“Mark is a great kid, with a great character, so in that regard Sean Miller would be getting a good fit,” said Pat Derksen, Tim’s father, the former head basketball coach at Amphitheater High School. “Mark is super athletic, runs the floor very well. But he’s also slight of build and not a back-to-the-basket player.”

Tollefsen had an effective shooting percentage of 60.3 percent this year, according to KenPom.com. How good is that? The ony two UA opponents better were Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski, 62.2; and Xavier’s Matt Stainbrook, 61.5. It’s a better mark than any Arizona player.

One reason Tollefsen is intrigued by Arizona is that UA coaches told him that of 120 practices last season, all but 19 were watched by at least one NBA scout.

Tollefsen is Exhibit A of how important age is in college basketball. When he left Sam Ramon Valley High School near San Francisco in 2010, he was a “no star” rating. The recruiting services didn’t even give him a 1-star ranking. But he went from 6-7, 175 pounds to 6-9, 200, and redshirted a season at USF after turning down offers from Denver and San Jose State.

Now he’s on a tour of McKale Center, a team of four- and five-star players, that averages 14,500 per home game as opposed to USF’s 1,856.

The Waiting Game: NBA draft decisions still up in the air 

Kaleb Tarczewski and Stanley Johnson are now on Day 22 of their to-stay-or-turn-pro voyage, which is longer than any past Arizona basketball player with a similar option.

Richard Jefferson announced his decision five days after the 2001 Final Four. Chase Budinger made a turn-pro decision 10 days after the 2009 Sweet 16. Even Jerryd Bayless, who was surely gone after one season, made an announcement 16 days after the 2008 season.

Until Saturday, the longest announcement required 21 days, by Andre Iguodala in 2004.

Here’s the value of Tarczewski that often goes unspoken: According to Drew H. Bailey of “The Sports Gene,” there are only 659 American men between the ages of 20 and 39 who are taller than 6-11. Of that group, 66 are in the NBA.

Tarczewski, who is listed at 7 feet, thus has a 10 percent chance to reach the NBA strictly on his size. Bailey’s research shows that there are 15.7 million American males between 5-11 to 6-2, which is T.J. McConnell’s bracket. There are 55 NBA players of that height this season.

That means 0.00035 percent of American men in McConnell’s size bracket reach the NBA. The odds are in Zeus’ favor.

Hurley has shown short fuse as coach 

One of Bobby Hurley’s learning curves as a young college basketball coach is to learn to check his temper and keep his team under control. In his two seasons at Buffalo, Hurley was called for 11 technical fouls. At Buffalo this season, the Bulls were called for an astonishing 19 technicals (Hurley had four), which, according to my research, was the highest total in college basketball. By comparison, Sean Miller did not have a technical foul (nor did he in 2013-14); Arizona had six this season. Over 38 games, only two UA opposing coaches, Washington’s Lorenzo Romar and Colorado’s Tad Boyle, were called for a technical foul. In a February game against Toledo, Hurley got a technical foul 55 seconds into the game. Perhaps there is more sideline decorum in the Pac-12 than in Hurley’s old league, the Mid-American Conference. Pac-12 ref Chris Rastatter of Tucson worked 74 games last season; he and his crew only called nine technicals. 

Ex-UA coach Stoops headed to the box 

On the topic of sideline behavior: Oklahoma announced last week it will station animated defensive coordinator Mike Stoops in the press box for the 2015 season. The former Arizona head coach for years got more TV attention for his tantrums than his coaching, in Tucson and at Oklahoma. Stoops told Oklahoma reporters he likes the switch: “In the press box at our spring game, I saw mistakes happening before they happened. I knew what was going to happen by the alignment of our players. Not just the position I coach but all 11. You can tell what’s going to happen.” 

Former UA softball star Fowler sticks to the facts 

I admire the restraint used by Pac-12 Networks softball analyst Kenzie Fowler in last week’s series against Washington. When an umpire called UW pitcher Kirstyn Thomas for a series of illegal pitches — not keeping her foot in contact with ground — Fowler said it was upsetting because Thomas had not received a warning. In the 2010 Women’s College World Series, after more than 40 games without delivery issues, an umpire began calling illegal pitches on Fowler, also without warning. It was devastating. Arizona lost in the finals to UCLA. As a TV analyst, Fowler didn’t whine or play the grudge card. She stuck to the facts and moved on. 

RichRod's QB haul unprecedented at UA 

Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez’s ability to get recruiting commitments from big-name QB recruits Devon Modster and three-star QB Khalil Tate in a four-week period is unprecedented at Arizona. Until last month, the only four-star QBs Arizona signed were Willie Tuitama, Class of 2005, whose presence changed the trajectory of Arizona football; Richard Kovalcheck, Class of 2003, who was ineffective and transferred to Tennessee; Matt Scott, Class of 2008, who was outstanding in RichRod’s first season, 2012; and now Anu Solomon. In the ’80s and ’90s, as Dick Tomey and Larry Smith established Arizona as a winning program, they did so with those USC and UCLA figured to be linebackers or safties, such as Alfred Jenkins, Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins, and those like Dan White, who was found wanting at Penn State. 

RichRod to scout two legacy recruits 

When RichRod and his staff leave campus for the annual May scouting/evaluation period, they will examine two legacy recruits in Phoenix. Jaylen Harris of Mesa Desert Ridge, a 6-4, 200-pound linebacker, is the son of Arizona Desert Swarm and All-Pac-10 linebacker Sean Harris, a Tucson High grad. He is a Pac-12 level prospect. They will also take a look at Preston Smith, a 6-1, 175-pound athlete at Gilbert Mesquite, a quarterback-safety who is now on the radar of Pac-12 schools. Smith is the grandson of Larry Smith. Salpointe Catholic junior-to-be D.J. Hinton, who has sprinter’s speed, and projects as a Pac-12 type player, is the son of former UA receiver David Hinton. 

Ex-Cat QB Johnson visits alma mater 

Former UA quarterback Jason Johnson, who passed for 3,327 yards in 2002, was back on campus as a quarterback in last week’s Alumni Game before the Spring Game at Arizona Stadium. Johnson has made his mark as a videographer, producer and photographer. He produced/shot the ongoing ESPN series “Draft Academy,” which features, among others, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. 

Ironwood Ridge's Miller named Arizona's Gymnast of the Year 

Former USA men’s gymnastics coach Yoichi Tomita is still turning out champions at his Gymnastics World facility in Tucson. Brett Miller, a senior at Ironwood Ridge, last week was named Arizona’s Gymnast of the Year, and was one of seven state champs from Tomita’s gym. Miller, Caleb Rodriguez and Angel Leon, all qualified for the national championships next month in Florida. 

UA, Amphi grad Johnson makes leap in ice cream business 

The feel-good story of the sports week in Tucson: UA and Amphi grad Dominic Johnson, a three-time Olympic pole vaulter who lives in Sahuarita, began Isabella’s Ice Cream company with one old 1920s Model T truck a few years ago. He built the business from the bottom, and last week announced a partnership with Safeway, which now carries Isabella’s Ice Cream in 110 Arizona stores and bought 15,000 pints. Johnson previously became established at 36 Whole Foods Market stores. 

Ex-Catalina volleyball coach Hines matches age with score 

Mary Hines, who set the standard for high school volleyball coaching in Tucson for 28 years at Catalina High School and was the national Coach of the Year in 1985, had a feel-good moment last week. She shot an 85 at Silverbell Golf Course. She is 85. Do you realize how hard it is to shoot your age? I was playing with a friend, Fred Bonner, at Dell Urich three years ago. He was 82. He got to the 18th green needing to get a bogey for his 82, shooting his age. I was more nervous than Fred, who as a younger player often shot in the 70s, but at the time rarely broke 90. Unfortunately, he missed a short putt and shot 83. I remember telling him, “You’re in the groove, you’ll get it soon. And if not soon, then when you’re 85.” He died of cancer shortly thereafter. To this day, it is one of the best rounds I’ve ever witnessed. 

Tucsonans Timpf, Martinez put on award watch list 

Sabino grad Jeremy Timpf of Army and CDO grad Blake Martinez of Stanford were named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list Saturday, as was Arizona junior Scooby Wright. It’s a college football award for defensive play and off-field achievement. Martinez made 102 tackles at Stanford last year; Timpf 117 at Army.

My two cents: Sahuaro in limbo after TUSD decision 

After 18 games, UA-bound Sahuaro High School baseball players Javier Medina and Cesar Salazar have been declared ineligible by TUSD.

Both have signed letters of intent to play for UA coach Andy Lopez next season, and both are among the top players in the state. Salazar, a catcher, was hitting .613 and Medina, a pitcher, was 4-0 with 62 strikeouts in 37 innings.

The two players are part of a messy he-said, she-said run-in with a disgruntled parent and summer/club ball finances. The collateral damage includes not just Medina and Salazar, but veteran coach Mark Chandler, one of the best in Tucson. He has not been allowed to coach for two weeks.

The TUSD clock and investigative process moves very slowly. It will be a surprise if Salazar, Medina and Chandler return this year, even though the Cougars, 16-6, have become a state playoff contender.

What’s sad is that Medina and Salazar spent two years establishing residency in the Sahuaro district after moving from Mexico in 2012. They were patient for the AIA process to play out, followed the residency rules during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and finally, when they got a chance, blossomed.

Now Sahuaro, its coach and two star players are in limbo. The regular season ends in 10 days.

I’ve long maintained that when the AIA and TUSD get involved at the administrative level, big or small, you can kiss your immediate high school sports journey goodbye.

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