Arizona All-Stars: T.J. McConnell, Derrick Williams headline all-Sean Miller era team

Arizona produced 16 NBA Draft picks from 2011-22, including 11 first-round picks and six top-10 picks. We’re including Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko, who all finished their UA careers under Tommy Lloyd, but were recruited and played at least one season under Miller.

Washington Wizards center Deandre Ayton is the only player in Arizona basketball history to land at No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.

Arizona produced undrafted NBA talent and overseas standouts under Miller, like Kyle Fogg and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who is one of the top point guards in Australia’s NBL. Fogg has four CBA championships in China. Former UA shooting guard Josh Green played for Australia in the 2024 Olympics.

Even though Arizona never went to a Final Four under Miller, the Wildcats were among the top West Coast college basketball programs and produced a plethora of talent. Here’s a look at 10 of those players:

Starters

G T.J. McConnell (2013-14 to 2014-15)

For two seasons, the Wildcats were led by an under-recruited point guard from Pittsburgh — and it wasn’t Miller.

McConnell transferred from Duquesne in 2012, and after sitting out for a season, he took over the reins of “Point Guard U” for two seasons and emerged as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2015 and a two-time all-conference defender.

In his final season at the UA, McConnell averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game and shot 83% from the free-throw line. With McConnell at point guard, Arizona was the Pac-12 regular season champion and the Wildcats went 67-9 in both seasons and had back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight, where they lost to Wisconsin.

McConnell, who famously kissed the McKale Center floor during Senior Day and his Ring of Honor ceremony, went undrafted before playing in the NBA for 11 seasons.

G Nick Johnson (2011-12 to 2013-14)

In his first season at Arizona, the Gilbert native, who was an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection, averaged 8.9 points and 2.4 assists per game and shared time at shooting guard with Fogg. Johnson also handled point guard duties with Josiah Turner and Jordin Mayes.

Arizona failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in Johnson’s freshman season, but the Wildcats went to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and the Elite Eight in 2014. As a junior, Johnson averaged 16.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and received First Team All-Pac-12 honors, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors, and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year. Johnson was also a first-team All-American before declaring for the NBA Draft following his junior season. 

F Aaron Gordon (2013-14)

At the time, Gordon was Miller’s highest-rated recruit to ever play for him at Arizona. Gordon was a two-time California Mr. Basketball winner, USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, a first-team Parade All-American and the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP before arriving in Tucson.

Rivals and 247Sports.com also listed Gordon as the third-best recruit nationally in 2013. Once Gordon got to Arizona, he was immediately installed as the starting small forward before Brandon Ashley suffered a season-ending foot injury, which shifted Gordon to starting power forward.

Gordon received first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2014. He finished his lone season at Arizona averaging 12.4 points and 8 rebounds per game before getting drafted No. 3 overall by the Orlando Magic. 

F Derrick Williams (2009-10 to 2010-11)

Williams’ UA career took many by surprise, because he wasn’t the highest-rated recruit in Miller’s first class in 2009. Center Kyryl Natyazhko, New York forward Kevin Parrom, Los Angeles-area small forward Solomon Hill and New York-based point guard Momo Jones were ranked higher on ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports.

Williams molded into Arizona’s prized recruit immediately and averaged 15.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his first season. As a freshman, Williams was named to the All-Pac-10 Team, which set him up for a memorable sophomore campaign chock-full of memorable moments, including game-saving blocks against Washington in Arizona’s first-ever white-out game at McKale Center and against Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In the second round, Williams completed a three-point play after drawing a foul with 9.6 seconds left, and the Wildcats beat Texas by a point. In the Sweet 16, Williams’ 32-point performance that had high-flying dunks and outside shots gave Arizona the upset victory over Duke, which was the first time Arizona and Duke met since the 2001 national championship. Arizona lost to the Kemba Walker-led UConn Huskies in the 2011 Elite Eight.

Williams was named Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2011 and was drafted second overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves that same year. While Williams was a made 3-pointer away from taking Miller to his first Final Four, his time as a Wildcat will go down as one of the best

C Deandre Ayton (2017-18)

Ayton, a Bahamas native, played prep ball at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix and emerged as the No. 1 player in the country and a McDonald’s All-American prior to signing to Arizona.

In his only year as a Wildcat, Ayton pieced together arguably the best freshman season in Arizona history. Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and became the first player in conference history to win Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. In the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament, Ayton recorded a career-high 32 points against UCLA and USC while grabbing a combined 32 rebounds in both games.

To cap Ayton’s lone season at the UA, he was named a first-team All-American and won the Karl Malone Award, an accolade given to the best power forward in college basketball. Even though Ayton is a center in the NBA, he played power forward alongside Dusan Ristic, who is the winningest player in UA history. Ayton was drafted No. 1 overall by the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Draft, the first and only top draft choice in program history. 

Reserves

G Mark Lyons (2012-13)

The veteran point guard from New York reconnected with the same Arizona coaching staff that recruited him to Xavier. Lyons considered playing for John Calipari and Kentucky following the Wildcats’ national championship run with Anthony Davis in 2012. Instead, Lyons signed with the Wildcats and became a veteran presence for a team with a second-year shooting guard in Johnson, Hill and a freshman frontcourt with Kaleb Tarczewski and Brandon Ashley.

Lyons averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 35 games and led the Wildcats to a Sweet 16 appearance. Lyons, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, averaged just over 24 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. Lyons is widely known for his game-winning shot to complete the comeback against fifth-ranked Florida at McKale Center — which happened hours after Arizona football’s thrilling come-from-behind win over Nevada at the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 15, 2012 — a day in UA lore also known as “12-15-12.”

G Stanley Johnson (2014-15)

The five-star wing was the prized recruit in Arizona’s 2015 recruiting class following a stellar career at Mater Dei in Southern California. Johnson started 37 of Arizona’s 38 games in the 2014-15 season and averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 28.4 minutes per game. Johnson was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference choice.

Johnson helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight before he was drafted eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons.

F Solomon Hill (2009-10 to 2012-13)

Hill was a part of Miller’s first recruiting class at Arizona after he was originally committed to USC. Hill, Jones and Williams decommitted from USC, coached by Tim Floyd at the time, and flipped to the Wildcats.

Hill averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game over four seasons and became a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2012 and ‘13. He was named the 2012 Diamond Head Classic MVP after averaging 12 points and five rebounds in three games during the Wildcats’ trip to Hawaii.

F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (2013-14 to 2014-15)

The “Shim Reaper” and Philadelphia-area native was one of the highly touted players in Arizona’s 2013 recruiting class. Hollis-Jefferson played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic with Gordon.

Primarily a bench player as a freshman, Hollis-Jefferson’s defensive energy earned him a spot on the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. After Ashley suffered a broken foot injury, Hollis-Jefferson became a starter. Hollis-Jefferson averaged 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore and was named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team and All-Pac-12 First Team.

F Lauri Markkanen (2016-17)

Markkanen is probably the most successful Wildcat in the NBA from the Miller era, with current career earnings of just over $158 million.

Before he became an NBA veteran, the stretch 7-footer from Finland was the Wildcats’ top player as a freshman, averaging 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Wildcats were upset by Xavier in the Sweet 16, the same season as the Final Four in Phoenix — and the 20-year anniversary of Arizona’s national championship.

Markkanen was drafted seventh overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and has played for the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz. Markkanen was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player and an NBA All-Star in 2023. Markkanen is the fourth player from Arizona to reach NBA All-Star status, along with Gilbert Arenas, Sean Elliott and Andre Iguodala.