Arizona Wildcats: The Kids are Okay

By Daniel Tran | Apr 16, 2015

The Arizona Wildcats are on the verge of losing four of their top players from last season; and they will be completely fine.

The Arizona Wildcats may have trouble breaking into the Final Four (CURSE YOU, WISCONSIN!!!), but you cannot deny that they put themselves in a great position to compete for the chance to make it there in recent years. That is a luxury that not a lot of universities have these days.

After completing the second consecutive season where the Wisconsin Badgers eliminated them in the Elite Eight (seriously stop it, Wisconsin), the Arizona Wildcats are looking at a second consecutive season where they lose a number of their best players. Last season, Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon declared for the NBA Draft. This season, the hits have a little more weight.

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Brandon Ashley, who came off a foot injury, decided that he did enough to show NBA scouts that he is a viable professional prospect and declared for the NBA Draft. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and his signature free throw line shimmy will also be joining Ashley in the 2015 NBA Draft Pool.

T.J. McConnell may not have the same level of NBA buzz surrounding him, but his leadership from the point guard position will be missed in Tucson. Those three players represent three of the four top scoring athletes on the Arizona Wildcats. So why are they still in a good position to be competitive? Sean Miller.

Head coach Sean Miller might catch a lot of heat for not being able to coach Arizona past the Elite Eight, but he is a master recruiter and his Class of 2015 may be his best recruiting class yet.

It all starts with five-star shooting guard Allonzo Trier, who is looking like one of the most explosive scorers in this incoming class. Just look at this kids high-flying resume.

Joining him are three four-star recruits that bring something different to the Wildcats. Justin Simon is listed as a shooting guard on Verbal Commits, but he has point guard skills and the ability to find the open man consistently. He may not have the leadership that McConnell had right now, but he can get the job done on the offensive side of the ball.

Ray Smith, a small forward out of Las Vegas High School, has the potential to be a Hollis-Jefferson clone if he puts in the work. He is long and athletic enough to become one of the best perimeter defenders in the Pac-12 Conference.

Rounding out the list of four-star prospects committed to Arizona is Beverly Hills High School product Chance Comanche. He has 220-pounds on his 6’11” frame, but on a team that has historically loved to run in transition, Comanche can run the floor with ease to get good looks close to the basket.

Don’t think I forgot about Stanley Johnson. While other star players across the nation have been declaring for the NBA Draft, the leading scorer for the Wildcats last season has been silent about his plans for the upcoming season. The 2015 NBA Draft is looking like one of the deepest in recent years, and Johnson may be considering returning so that he has a better shot at being a top five pick in the next draft.

It’s difficult to tell anyone what to do when they basically have a winning lottery ticket in their hands, but if he decides to return, The Arizona Wildcats will once again be the favorite to finish on top of the Pac-12 Conference.

Regardless if Johnson returns, the Arizona Wildcats will still have one of the best collections of freshmen talent in all of the NCAA. They may not make it to the Final Four like many fans hoped they would this past year, but at least head coach Sean Miller put them in a good position to have a chance.

Next: Predicting Destinations of Unsigned Prospects

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