Hansen's Sunday Notebook: Walton, ex-teammates reveling in professional success
- Updated
Star sports columnist Greg Hansen offers his opinion on recent sports news.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Once-inseparable trio of Walton, Jefferson, Anderson forging own paths
Life’s unpredictable paths: Luke Walton, Richard Jefferson and Rick Anderson were almost inseparable friends and teammates, part of Arizona’s 1998-99 basketball recruiting class. Walton earned $33 million in 10 NBA seasons and will be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jefferson has been paid $108 million in a career with seven NBA teams, and hopes to win his first championship this year, at 35, for Cleveland. Anderson, who wasn’t drafted by the NBA, earned a UA master’s degree in kinesiology, and is now an instructor at Long Beach City College, where his father played for Lute Olson a million years ago. Anderson wrote his master’s thesis on yoga, of all things. He now teaches a daily yoga class as part of his LBCC duties.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Barrett, Cordova, Landrith, Welling highlight busy sports week
Tucson’s Big Four of the week in sports:
1. Brigetta Barrett. The six-time NCAA high-jump champion at Arizona, the 2012 London Olympics silver medalist, has apparently left the sport and won’t enter the U.S. Olympic Trials in July.
Her longtime coach, ex-Arizona jumps coach Sheldon Blockburger, now at USC, told me he hasn’t seen Barrett at the track in more than 10 weeks. UA head coach Fred Harvey said “it’s my understanding she has officially retired.”
At 25, Barrett is pursing a career in theater and singing, auditioning for various acting and commercial roles in Los Angeles. She was well-known as a singer in her UA days, doing the national anthem at Diamondbacks games, McKale Center and at the Fiesta Bowl. Barrett was ranked No. 1 in the world as recently as 2013, but had hip surgery last summer and did not compete.
Whatever her career choices, it’s probably too late now for her to properly train and contend for a spot on the USA Olympic team in Rio.
2. Cooper Cordova. The Mountain View High School senior, playing in the Ping Junior Interclub Championships last weekend at Randolph North, got a hole-in-one at the par-3, 135-yard No. 6 hole. A few minutes later, at the par-5, 496-yard No. 9 hole, he hit his second shot about 205 yards into the hole. Double eagle.
Those who witnessed the hole-in-one and double eagle — Robert Moreno, Tyler Werbylo and Dylan Telford — had never seen anything like it. And apparently, few have. It is only the 11th known combination of hole-in-one and double-eagle in the same round in golf history, according to the worldwide registry of the Double Eagle Club.
Cordova finished the round with a 3-over-par 75.
3. Robin Landrith. On Senior Day at Baylor’s Getterman Stadium, the Flowing Wells High grad caught a no-hitter for seven innings, but the softball game against Kansas remained tied, 0-0.
In the bottom of the seventh, Landrith hit a walk-off, two-run home run to win it, in front of her father, David Landrith, a former UA catcher and longtime baseball coach at Flowing Wells.
“I’ve got to say it’s a little bit priceless,” Robin told reporters.
Robin Landrith comes from a historic line of catchers. Her grandfather, Hobie Landrith, played for seven MLB teams, and was the New York Mets’ first-ever pick in the expansion draft. Her father was part of Arizona’s 1980 NCAA championship team.
Robin is graduating this month with a near-perfect GPA in theology and has accepted a scholarship to Yale graduate school to pursue her master’s degree in art and religion.
4. Tara Erdmann Welling. The former state champion distance runner from Flowing Wells completed part II of USA Track and Field’s Triple Crown on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
Welling won the USA Half-Marathon championship, in a time of 1 hour 10 minutes 25 seconds, more than 40 seconds in front of the field. Last month, she won the USA 15K championship in Florida. The final leg of the distance-running Triple Crown is October’s USA 10K in Boston.
Welling, who now lives in Portland, Oregon, left Nike’s high-profile Oregon Project about two years ago, got married, and appeared to have completed a terrific career in which she was a six-time All-American at Loyola Marymount. Now, however, she has a strong opportunity to compete for the U.S. Olympic team in the 10,000.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Oro Valley's Seby earns WCC honors
Although Robert Seby did not compete in the Arizona state high school tennis competitions while a student at Basis North in Oro Valley, he became Arizona’s top-ranked boys junior tennis player. Last week he was named the West Coast Conference’s Freshman of the Year at Santa Clara, after a season in which he compiled a 12-11 record while competing at the top three positions for the Broncos, taking on the best in the conference. “This is just the beginning for Robert,” said SC coach Derek Mills. “He challenged a number of great opponents this year and held his own.”
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Desert Christian grad Malis finding footing as freshman
After leading Desert Christian to three consecutive state baseball championships, 2013-15, Zach Malis is hitting his stride as a freshman first baseman at Grand Canyon University. Malis was named the WAC’s Hitter of the Week last week, going 6 for 13 with five RBIs in a series at North Dakota. He bats fifth for the Antelopes.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Malis' ex-teammate Edwards a key to Central Arizona College
As Central Arizona College climbed to No. 6 in the NJCAA baseball poll, winning the ACCAC championship, Malis’ Desert Christian teammate, Andrew Edwards, became a key part of CAC’s pitching staff. He took a 4-1 record in eight starts into Saturday’s regular-season finale. Edwards was 25-2 in his final three years at Desert Christian.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Cats faced NFL pick's brother in 2012
In the opening series of Andy Lopez‘s 2012 national title baseball season, Arizona played host to North Dakota State. The star player on the Bison was Zach Wentz, who had a game-winning RBI in Game 2 of that series, won by NDSU 8-2. Wentz is the brother of quarterback Carson Wentz, chosen No. 2 overall in the NFL draft last week by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was recruited to NDSU by coach Tod Brown, a Sabino and UA grad who recently won his 200th career game in North Dakota.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Lots of Tucson ties in Golden State-Portland playoff series
When the UA-heavy, Walton-Steve Kerr-Andre Iguodala-Bruce Fraser Golden State Warriors resume the playoffs against Portland, Tucsonans have one tie to the Blazers: Jonathan Yim, the Blazers’ video coordinator and summer league assistant coach, is the brother of Arizona gymnastics coach Tabitha Yim. He played at Cal State-Fullerton.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Salpointe grad Carroll making an impact at SMU
Carlos Carroll, a big part of Salpointe Catholic’s 2013 state football championship team, is emerging as an impact player at SMU. Carroll, a junior linebacker, was named SMU’s MVP of its spring football camp for his work as a linebacker and special teams player. Carroll had 16 tackles for the Mustangs in 2015.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
UA women's hoops coach Barnes knows how to recruit
In her first month as Arizona’s women’s basketball coach, Adia Barnes has displayed strong recruiting instincts, which are desperately needed. In addition to hiring veteran Pac-12 recruiters Sunny Smallwood and Kelly Rae Finley to be on her staff, Barnes sent recruits a video of “Life on the UA campus,” which featured views from the rooftops of high-rise student apartments, including the massive swimming pools on the top deck. It’s not the same video you’ll see from rival coaches at Oregon and Washington.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Stanford connection paid off when Packers took Martinez
Green Bay didn’t just find fourth-round draft pick Blake Martinez’s name on a master list somewhere. The Packers’ chief West Coast scout, Sam Seale, is the father of former Stanford running back Ricky Seale, who was Blake’s teammate for three seasons. The two traded information on the dedication and draftability of the former CDO, Santa Rita and Mountain View High linebacker. Being drafted in the fourth round isn’t a hint that you might not have much future in the NFL. When Seale graduated from small Western State in Colorado, taken in the eighth round by the Raiders in 1984, he went on to play 10 NFL seasons.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
UA missing out on recruiting St. Bonaventure players
Arizona had always considered Southern California football powerhouse St. Bonaventure High School as an ally in recruiting. Led by Arizona grad Bob Hahn, a counselor at the school, about 10 or 15 St. Bonaventure prospects would take part in the Rich Rodriguez, Mike Stoops and Dick Tomey coaching camps every June for 20 years. But now St. Bonaventure’s coach, Adam Guerra, is a USC grad. None of the Seraphs prospects will visit Tucson in June.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Tomeys back in Tucson following stint at South Florida
After serving as a consultant to the South Florida football team in 2015, a shoulder to lean on for athletic director Mark Harlan, a UA grad, Dick Tomey has more or less retired, although that’s not a good word for someone as active as the 77-year-old former UA football coach. He and his wife, Nancy, have moved back to Tucson, although they still have a house in Honolulu.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
Tucson athlete of the week: Pima's Montano
Tucson athlete of the week: Pima College sophomore Kelsey Montano is ranked No. 1 in all of NJCAA in the women’s steeplechase. She climbed that mountain by shaving 31 seconds off her lifetime best last week in San Diego, running the steeplechase in 11:12.65. The Tucson High grad, who was 17th in the NJCAA cross country championships in November, now enters the ACCAC finals this week in Mesa, a final preparation for the national championships May 18 in Levelland, Texas.
- Greg Hansen
- Updated
My two cents: Scooby's skills should translate to NFL success, eventually
Two things about Scooby Wright’s NFL draft adventure (or misadventure):
One, if today’s scouting tools (for any sport) were used when someone like Yogi Berra was a baseball prospect, it would’ve said: “No prospect. He’s too short, swings at bad pitches, has slow feet and is not a good athlete.”
Two, when UA linebacker Mark Arneson of Palo Verde High School had his “pro day” on campus in 1972, he was measured at 6 foot 1, 220 pounds. He wasn’t considered a prospect the way All-Pac-8 stars Willie Hall of USC and Stanford’s Jeff Siemon were.
But a St. Louis Cardinals scout told the Star that Arneson “runs backward faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Everything changed because one scout found a strength that outranked Arneson’s weaknesses.
Arneson became the No. 32 overall pick in the draft and played for nine NFL seasons.
Scooby excels in two football categories: his relentless nature and his willingness to put his body in harm’s way. The NFL people say Scooby’s arms are “too short” and his lower body too brittle and “skinny.” No, he’s not a superior athlete, but in 2014, he was probably the best defensive player in college football.
All he does is make plays.
If that doesn’t get you to the NFL, what does?
- Greg Hansen
Once-inseparable trio of Walton, Jefferson, Anderson forging own paths
Life’s unpredictable paths: Luke Walton, Richard Jefferson and Rick Anderson were almost inseparable friends and teammates, part of Arizona’s 1998-99 basketball recruiting class. Walton earned $33 million in 10 NBA seasons and will be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jefferson has been paid $108 million in a career with seven NBA teams, and hopes to win his first championship this year, at 35, for Cleveland. Anderson, who wasn’t drafted by the NBA, earned a UA master’s degree in kinesiology, and is now an instructor at Long Beach City College, where his father played for Lute Olson a million years ago. Anderson wrote his master’s thesis on yoga, of all things. He now teaches a daily yoga class as part of his LBCC duties.
- Greg Hansen
Barrett, Cordova, Landrith, Welling highlight busy sports week
Tucson’s Big Four of the week in sports:
1. Brigetta Barrett. The six-time NCAA high-jump champion at Arizona, the 2012 London Olympics silver medalist, has apparently left the sport and won’t enter the U.S. Olympic Trials in July.
Her longtime coach, ex-Arizona jumps coach Sheldon Blockburger, now at USC, told me he hasn’t seen Barrett at the track in more than 10 weeks. UA head coach Fred Harvey said “it’s my understanding she has officially retired.”
At 25, Barrett is pursing a career in theater and singing, auditioning for various acting and commercial roles in Los Angeles. She was well-known as a singer in her UA days, doing the national anthem at Diamondbacks games, McKale Center and at the Fiesta Bowl. Barrett was ranked No. 1 in the world as recently as 2013, but had hip surgery last summer and did not compete.
Whatever her career choices, it’s probably too late now for her to properly train and contend for a spot on the USA Olympic team in Rio.
2. Cooper Cordova. The Mountain View High School senior, playing in the Ping Junior Interclub Championships last weekend at Randolph North, got a hole-in-one at the par-3, 135-yard No. 6 hole. A few minutes later, at the par-5, 496-yard No. 9 hole, he hit his second shot about 205 yards into the hole. Double eagle.
Those who witnessed the hole-in-one and double eagle — Robert Moreno, Tyler Werbylo and Dylan Telford — had never seen anything like it. And apparently, few have. It is only the 11th known combination of hole-in-one and double-eagle in the same round in golf history, according to the worldwide registry of the Double Eagle Club.
Cordova finished the round with a 3-over-par 75.
3. Robin Landrith. On Senior Day at Baylor’s Getterman Stadium, the Flowing Wells High grad caught a no-hitter for seven innings, but the softball game against Kansas remained tied, 0-0.
In the bottom of the seventh, Landrith hit a walk-off, two-run home run to win it, in front of her father, David Landrith, a former UA catcher and longtime baseball coach at Flowing Wells.
“I’ve got to say it’s a little bit priceless,” Robin told reporters.
Robin Landrith comes from a historic line of catchers. Her grandfather, Hobie Landrith, played for seven MLB teams, and was the New York Mets’ first-ever pick in the expansion draft. Her father was part of Arizona’s 1980 NCAA championship team.
Robin is graduating this month with a near-perfect GPA in theology and has accepted a scholarship to Yale graduate school to pursue her master’s degree in art and religion.
4. Tara Erdmann Welling. The former state champion distance runner from Flowing Wells completed part II of USA Track and Field’s Triple Crown on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
Welling won the USA Half-Marathon championship, in a time of 1 hour 10 minutes 25 seconds, more than 40 seconds in front of the field. Last month, she won the USA 15K championship in Florida. The final leg of the distance-running Triple Crown is October’s USA 10K in Boston.
Welling, who now lives in Portland, Oregon, left Nike’s high-profile Oregon Project about two years ago, got married, and appeared to have completed a terrific career in which she was a six-time All-American at Loyola Marymount. Now, however, she has a strong opportunity to compete for the U.S. Olympic team in the 10,000.
- Greg Hansen
Oro Valley's Seby earns WCC honors
Although Robert Seby did not compete in the Arizona state high school tennis competitions while a student at Basis North in Oro Valley, he became Arizona’s top-ranked boys junior tennis player. Last week he was named the West Coast Conference’s Freshman of the Year at Santa Clara, after a season in which he compiled a 12-11 record while competing at the top three positions for the Broncos, taking on the best in the conference. “This is just the beginning for Robert,” said SC coach Derek Mills. “He challenged a number of great opponents this year and held his own.”
- Greg Hansen
Desert Christian grad Malis finding footing as freshman
After leading Desert Christian to three consecutive state baseball championships, 2013-15, Zach Malis is hitting his stride as a freshman first baseman at Grand Canyon University. Malis was named the WAC’s Hitter of the Week last week, going 6 for 13 with five RBIs in a series at North Dakota. He bats fifth for the Antelopes.
- Greg Hansen
Malis' ex-teammate Edwards a key to Central Arizona College
As Central Arizona College climbed to No. 6 in the NJCAA baseball poll, winning the ACCAC championship, Malis’ Desert Christian teammate, Andrew Edwards, became a key part of CAC’s pitching staff. He took a 4-1 record in eight starts into Saturday’s regular-season finale. Edwards was 25-2 in his final three years at Desert Christian.
- Greg Hansen
Cats faced NFL pick's brother in 2012
In the opening series of Andy Lopez‘s 2012 national title baseball season, Arizona played host to North Dakota State. The star player on the Bison was Zach Wentz, who had a game-winning RBI in Game 2 of that series, won by NDSU 8-2. Wentz is the brother of quarterback Carson Wentz, chosen No. 2 overall in the NFL draft last week by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was recruited to NDSU by coach Tod Brown, a Sabino and UA grad who recently won his 200th career game in North Dakota.
- Greg Hansen
Lots of Tucson ties in Golden State-Portland playoff series
When the UA-heavy, Walton-Steve Kerr-Andre Iguodala-Bruce Fraser Golden State Warriors resume the playoffs against Portland, Tucsonans have one tie to the Blazers: Jonathan Yim, the Blazers’ video coordinator and summer league assistant coach, is the brother of Arizona gymnastics coach Tabitha Yim. He played at Cal State-Fullerton.
- Greg Hansen
Salpointe grad Carroll making an impact at SMU
Carlos Carroll, a big part of Salpointe Catholic’s 2013 state football championship team, is emerging as an impact player at SMU. Carroll, a junior linebacker, was named SMU’s MVP of its spring football camp for his work as a linebacker and special teams player. Carroll had 16 tackles for the Mustangs in 2015.
- Greg Hansen
UA women's hoops coach Barnes knows how to recruit
In her first month as Arizona’s women’s basketball coach, Adia Barnes has displayed strong recruiting instincts, which are desperately needed. In addition to hiring veteran Pac-12 recruiters Sunny Smallwood and Kelly Rae Finley to be on her staff, Barnes sent recruits a video of “Life on the UA campus,” which featured views from the rooftops of high-rise student apartments, including the massive swimming pools on the top deck. It’s not the same video you’ll see from rival coaches at Oregon and Washington.
- Greg Hansen
Stanford connection paid off when Packers took Martinez
Green Bay didn’t just find fourth-round draft pick Blake Martinez’s name on a master list somewhere. The Packers’ chief West Coast scout, Sam Seale, is the father of former Stanford running back Ricky Seale, who was Blake’s teammate for three seasons. The two traded information on the dedication and draftability of the former CDO, Santa Rita and Mountain View High linebacker. Being drafted in the fourth round isn’t a hint that you might not have much future in the NFL. When Seale graduated from small Western State in Colorado, taken in the eighth round by the Raiders in 1984, he went on to play 10 NFL seasons.
- Greg Hansen
UA missing out on recruiting St. Bonaventure players
Arizona had always considered Southern California football powerhouse St. Bonaventure High School as an ally in recruiting. Led by Arizona grad Bob Hahn, a counselor at the school, about 10 or 15 St. Bonaventure prospects would take part in the Rich Rodriguez, Mike Stoops and Dick Tomey coaching camps every June for 20 years. But now St. Bonaventure’s coach, Adam Guerra, is a USC grad. None of the Seraphs prospects will visit Tucson in June.
- Greg Hansen
Tomeys back in Tucson following stint at South Florida
After serving as a consultant to the South Florida football team in 2015, a shoulder to lean on for athletic director Mark Harlan, a UA grad, Dick Tomey has more or less retired, although that’s not a good word for someone as active as the 77-year-old former UA football coach. He and his wife, Nancy, have moved back to Tucson, although they still have a house in Honolulu.
- Greg Hansen
Tucson athlete of the week: Pima's Montano
Tucson athlete of the week: Pima College sophomore Kelsey Montano is ranked No. 1 in all of NJCAA in the women’s steeplechase. She climbed that mountain by shaving 31 seconds off her lifetime best last week in San Diego, running the steeplechase in 11:12.65. The Tucson High grad, who was 17th in the NJCAA cross country championships in November, now enters the ACCAC finals this week in Mesa, a final preparation for the national championships May 18 in Levelland, Texas.
- Greg Hansen
My two cents: Scooby's skills should translate to NFL success, eventually
Two things about Scooby Wright’s NFL draft adventure (or misadventure):
One, if today’s scouting tools (for any sport) were used when someone like Yogi Berra was a baseball prospect, it would’ve said: “No prospect. He’s too short, swings at bad pitches, has slow feet and is not a good athlete.”
Two, when UA linebacker Mark Arneson of Palo Verde High School had his “pro day” on campus in 1972, he was measured at 6 foot 1, 220 pounds. He wasn’t considered a prospect the way All-Pac-8 stars Willie Hall of USC and Stanford’s Jeff Siemon were.
But a St. Louis Cardinals scout told the Star that Arneson “runs backward faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Everything changed because one scout found a strength that outranked Arneson’s weaknesses.
Arneson became the No. 32 overall pick in the draft and played for nine NFL seasons.
Scooby excels in two football categories: his relentless nature and his willingness to put his body in harm’s way. The NFL people say Scooby’s arms are “too short” and his lower body too brittle and “skinny.” No, he’s not a superior athlete, but in 2014, he was probably the best defensive player in college football.
All he does is make plays.
If that doesn’t get you to the NFL, what does?
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