Armed with six new signatures from his incoming recruits, Sean Miller was finally able to publicly discuss his massive spring recruiting class Wednesday.
But first, the Arizona basketball coach felt compelled to address a big underlying issue.
That is, where all these guys will fit. Especially considering that the Wildcats will return two starters (Allonzo Trier and Kadeem Allen) plus two major contributors from last season (Dusan Ristic and Parker Jackson-Cartwright).
“You’re gonna ask how is this going to work out? We have to be able to put our best team on the court, our best players on the court,” Miller said. “None of these guys are relegated to only playing one position. We have to be flexible as coaches. I think we have to be able to have four perimeter players and one big on the court. (Or) no bigs, two forwards, three perimeter players.
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“It’s all going to come down to who is ready and who performs the best (as to) who will start, who will play.”
Miller said his staff will get to know the players in the coming months — though Lauri Markkanen (multiple Finnish squads) and Terrance Ferguson (USA’s U18 team) have national team commitments that will keep them away from Tucson this summer — and that things will really start coming together in September.
Until then, here’s how Miller broke down his six spring signees, which he was not able to discuss until their letters of intent or financial aid papers were signed. (Four-year transfers cannot sign letters of intent, and Ferguson may have signed only a nonbinding financial aid agreement, though Miller declined to say what Ferguson signed.)
Rawle Alkins
Size: 6 feet 4 inches, 200 pounds
Year: Freshman
Hometown (last school): New York (Word of God Christian Academy, North Carolina)
Game: Power wing
Miller says: “Rawle is New York City through and through in terms of when you’re from there, you’ve had to compete and earn everything, and I’ve found those guys have an inherent toughness about them, and he embodies all of that. He’s very, very physical. He believes in himself, and if you noticed Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) and Stanley (Johnson) when they first came here, one of the gifts that they had to make them successful as young players was their body. Rawle isn’t skinny. He’s strong and can play a number of different positions. We’re excited about adding him. I love his fight and his will. I’ve yet to talk to anybody who knows him and played against him that doesn’t describe him in that way, and I think that’s something our team needs, that we missed a year ago.”
Talbott Denny
Size: 6-6, 210
Year: Graduate
Hometown (last school): Tucson (Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee)
Game: Inside-outside forward
Miller says: “I talked to Talbott about that in college basketball it’s so much about building a puzzle with different pieces. We’re really looking forward to adding his experience, leadership, unselfish nature, and I know he’s a great competitor, can play inside and out and is somebody from Tucson who loves the University of Arizona and is thrilled to be a part of our program, and there’s something to be said for that, too. He’s an incredible student. A molecular engineering type of student. I mean, I can barely pronounce that, let alone go through the curriculum. He’s going to go on to be a part of the Eller graduate program, and I think he is going to go on to do some great things. It’s fun to see how excited he is to be back in Tucson.”
Terrance Ferguson
Size: 6-7, 190
Year: Freshman
Hometown (last school): Tulsa (Advanced Prep International, Dallas)
Game: 3-and-D
Miller says: “I’m as familiar with Terrance as anybody. Terrance is as good of a defensive player as anybody I’ve seen at his age. In terms of his ability to shoot the basketball, coupled with his ability to defend, he’s almost like an upperclassman in those two areas of his game. It’s just a matter of him picking up strength and size. He’s thin and as he does (gain strength), I think he’s got a very, very bright future.”
Keanu Pinder
Size: 6-8, 195
Year: Junior
Hometown (last school): Perth, Australia (Hutchinson CC, Hutchinson, Kansas)
Game: Rebounding and shot-blocking
Miller says: “Keanu led his team to the national championship game at ‘Hutch.’ He’s a wonderful kid. He’s somebody who has a skill level, an understanding of how to play, a very versatile forward. If you look at our roster, he kind of gives us an ingredient maybe we didn’t have in that we have a flexible defender, a mobile forward, somebody who rebounds the ball extremely well. I think that’s the thing that really stands out for us. Having an opportunity to get Keanu Pinder at the end of the spring was a great thing for us. We look for him to come in and compete for an opportunity. I know he’s hungry to do so.”
Kobi Simmons
Size: 6-6, 185
Year: Freshman
Hometown (last school): Alpharetta, Georgia (St. Francis HS, Alpharetta)
Game: Athletic combo guard
Miller says: “The word that really stands out for me in watching Kobi right now is talent. You watch the NBA right now in the playoffs, and you see someone like a Russell Westbrook — you watch how fast he runs, how high he jumps. He’s just something you haven’t seen before. Kobi is every bit 6-foot-5 and (has the) explosion, the ability to score and shoot, and it’s up to us to teach him the game and allow him to learn the tricks of the trade, so to speak. There’s no denying his talent level.”
Dylan Smith
Size: 6-5, 170
Year: Sophomore (will redshirt in 2016-17)
Hometown (last school): Mobile, Alabama (UNC Asheville)
Game: Big guard with 3-point touch
Miller says: “(He’s) someone I’m really excited about. Don’t be fooled by coming from UNC Asheville. Their coach is outstanding and they played Villanova (in the NCAA tournament) very tough for a period of time. … He’s a late-bloomer, great size for a guard, almost 6-foot-6 and made over 80 threes. You remember when we took a guy a few years from Duquesne University that I threw in at the end and said he’ll sit out and have two to play? T.J. McConnell. I feel really comfortable with Dylan that one day he’ll be a really special player at Arizona.”
