Sean Miller and his speed-recruiting tactics are at it again.
After quickly assembling a Top 15 recruiting class of incoming freshmen after becoming UA basketball coach last spring, Miller wasted no time once Phoenix senior Daniel Bejarano suddenly became available Thursday.
Bejarano, a Top 50 shooting guard from North High School, decommitted from Texas on Thursday morning, and by 8:15 p.m., Miller was on his doorstep.
According to Ray Arvizu Jr., Bejarano's mentor and traveling-team coach, Miller did not leave until 11:15 p.m. — and said he would come back Monday with his assistant coaches.
In turn, Bejarano agreed to visit the UA campus Wednesday, with an eye on deciding soon between the Wildcats and ASU, which was a runner-up to Texas for his original commitment. Bejarano also is scheduled to have a home visit from ASU today.
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"I was there and I think it went really, really well," Arvizu said of Miller's visit. "Daniel was impressed with his energetic style and his desire to bring Arizona back. … Sean came by himself, and he expressed to Daniel the importance of getting to know him as a head coach."
Arvizu said Bejarano originally shied away from the Wildcats because of the UA's previously unstable coaching situation, but noted that Miller and associate head coach Archie Miller contacted him within 24 hours of getting the Wildcat job.
"They wanted to reach out and get to know me as a coach, but also to make sure Daniel was solid on the commitment," Arvizu said. "I told him he was solid on Texas. They told me if anything changes to call them."
Backing off on Bejarano last spring meant Miller has even more catching up to do with ASU coach Herb Sendek, who has been recruiting Bejarano for years. But already, Miller may have made progress: Arvizu said Bejarano is now split evenly between the schools.
"I think that U of A is the better fit," Arvizu said, "but at the same time, ASU is right here."
Harvard priced out
Unable to offer athletic scholarships, Harvard has priced itself out of the Rod Odom derby.
The father of the Long Island forward, Rod Odom Sr., said he received a formal financial aid package from Harvard this week that was higher than he anticipated. He said he has two other children in private schools and cannot afford the share Harvard is asking him to pay.
As a result, Odom Sr. said his son is focusing on Boston College, which he is visiting this weekend, along with the UA, West Virginia and Vanderbilt.
"When Rod's recruiting started, it was with the Ivy Leagues and we thought we had a pretty good indication of what (the financial picture) would be," Odom Sr. said. "When it came back short, it sort of solidified his decision."
The younger Odom is expected to make a decision after visiting BC this weekend, since he has already visited the other finalists, and his father said the elimination of Harvard "absolutely" helps the UA's chances.
More updates
Here are the other high school seniors the UA is pursuing as the November signing period approaches:
• Top 25 shooting guard Doron Lamb of Brooklyn, N.Y., is visiting Oklahoma this weekend, and plans to go to Kansas for the opening of practices on Oct. 16. His father, Calvin, said it is still possible Arizona will receive a campus visit from him. "Of course, Arizona is still in the running," Calvin Lamb said. "I was just telling the (UA) coach, don't go by the order" of visits.
• The UA has offered a scholarship to Top 20 power forward C.J. Leslie of North Carolina and may visit him Monday, according to his mother. Lisa Leslie said Friday her son will consider the UA along with teams such as Kentucky, Florida, Oregon, Georgetown, North Carolina State, Seton Hall, Maryland, Florida International, ASU and Georgia Tech. She added that her son has not yet scheduled campus visits, preferring to finish in-home visits, which are allowed only through Monday.
• Power forward Adreian Payne of Dayton (Ohio) Jefferson is visiting Michigan State this weekend, having already looked at Kentucky, and is expected to visit Tucson next weekend.
• Portland Jefferson forward Terrence Jones is listing the UA among finalists that also include UCLA, Oklahoma, Washington, Kentucky and Oregon, and there are conflicting reports about whether he is considering Kansas.
Phone rule may change
The Pac-10 Conference initiated an NCAA committee proposal to end the NCAA's long-held rule limiting coaches to one phone call per week to recruits during the open contact period.
Bill Morgan, the UA's compliance chief, is all for it, saying coaches looking to skirt the rule could always buy prepaid cell phones that are not traceable.
"I was standing on the chair jumping up and down" about the proposal, Morgan said. "Those rules were put into place when mom and dad were upset because they couldn't get on the phone because of some coach. Now, it's a different world. Everybody has cell phones."
Morgan said it was also difficult to corroborate coaches' phone records with the numbers of recruits to ensure the once-per-week limit was not exceeded.
Rim shots
• Forward Sidiki Johnson, the UA's first commitment from the class of 2011, has transferred from St. Raymond High School in the Bronx to Newark's St. Benedict Prep. "For Sidiki, it was time for him to get away from New York and mature a little bit better as a young man," Johnson's godfather, Bernard Bowen, told SNY.tv. "There were too many distractions in New York. Not enough discipline." UA freshman Kevin Parrom also transferred from St. Raymond, finishing his prep career at South Kent School in Connecticut.
• Sporting News did not list the UA in its preseason Top 50, with only three Pac-10 schools making the list: Washington (13), California (16) and UCLA (28).
