Recruiting has been pretty, well, standard for UA under Sean Miller so far. You know, no Emmanuel Negedus signing LOIs and leaving anyway. No Jerryd Baylesses committing, decommitting and then committing again. No Reger Dowells committing and being reneged on.
But Miller was finally thrown a curve ball today when Rod Odom backed out of his commitment to the Wildcats.
Odom’s decommitment leaves Miller with just Daniel Bejarano in the class of 2010 though UA still has a shot (as Jessie constantly reminds us) at Adreian Payne.
Even if it doesn’t land a big man in this class, UA also has Sidiki Johnson lined up for the 2011 class.
This also means that Miller probably won’t be oversigning next month, unless both Payne and Ray McCallum commit.
Odom’s decision was a surprise because it happened with less than three weeks to go until signing date, but probably not a huge one considering the length of time that his decision took. Nor considering the fact that there were contradictions over whether UA was a leader and other aspects of his recruitment.
Odom did not respond to my request for further comment, so it’s speculation about what he’s thinking now. I’m guessing that, since the family cannot pay for Harvard and Odom does value quality education and playing time, Vanderbilt might be in a pretty good position now.
We’ll find out soon. But for UA, of course, it will be much more important now to see what Payne does.
—
Larry and dr have asked about the Red-Blue scrimmage. It’s not known yet what the lineups will be.
But the game never sells out and it won’t this year, either. It’s not part of the season-ticket package so people have to go out of their way to buy it. But that also makes it a great chance for fans to sit down low without paying a ton. And this year, it should be interesting because so much is new.
This doesn’t upset me. Don’t get me wrong I though he was a great kid and a great catch for us. Now I don’t have this crappy feeling about almost having to force someone to transfer. We might be able to get a better player now as well.
— Boise Cat 10/25/2009 10:35 PM #
I am sure Arizona has some good news about a recruit. And because R.O. had issues with Distance…..it probably best.
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Portland:
Does the RO news make the TRI-FECTA look better?
I hope an Angel brings in Ray and Adreian.
— Jessie Wildcat 10/25/2009 10:46 PM #
Maybe PAyne is on the way. Miller hinted at at least one more commit .
— YEs! 10/25/2009 11:18 PM #
I’m really blown away at this news. Wow.
— Steal Your Face 10/25/2009 11:36 PM #
We talked about Adreian Payne ,the last few days.
It appears that Coach Art is FINALLY talking.
There is NEWS expected from Adreian Payne on Monday!
Maybe Coach Miller received a pleasant call from Grandma P.
Tick Tock…a few hours away.
— Jessie Wildcat 10/26/2009 12:08 AM #
Hey Bruce, it’s obvious Vandy coach Stallings continued with his recruitment of a “committed” Odom.
Does Miller & Co. employ the same tactics?
If not, should they?
All is fair in love, war, and recruiting, I guess.
Just ask our own Coach Stoops who “suffered” through a couple of key commits having a change of, uhm, uh, hmmm, well, heart, and deciding instead to go with UCLA and Mr. Warm and Fuzzy, Neuheisel, and at the very last minute.
Bruce, you have these players’ names I’m talking about?
Do you recall this happening to our gridder program just last spring or summer?
Now more than ever, THE U needs players who are ready to not only commit but also compete.
That requires a 17, 18, 19, 20 year old to leave his comfort zone, the nest, the womb as it were.
It’s best that we find this out now, though, about Mr. Odom.
And BTW, I wouldn’t sell a UA education short.
The UA College of Law is nationally rated at about 40 out of 100 top colleges(www.lawschool100.com).
But we’re being lead to believe this kid Odom has game and could end up being fitted for a cap and T-shirt by the NBA commish some day.
Good luck to Rod getting it done – getting both a law degree and a NBA contract – while playing for the Commodores.
Meanwhile for the ‘Cats, it’s definitely onward and upward.
— catmendo! 10/26/2009 12:15 AM #
Wow, hopefully this is a good thing. We definitely need some help for next year on the front line!
We need someone at least 6’10 for next year! We don’t need any more 6’7s or 6’8s…unless they’re the Michael Wright type!— Native B 10/26/2009 01:00 AM #
I’m disappointed by this news. I liked Odom. But I’m not worried about the team with his decommitment.
— confused, maybe not (stephen) 10/26/2009 05:52 AM #
Perhaps now it is a case of “no Payne no gain”? ;)
— Billy Bob 10/26/2009 06:18 AM #
I keep hearing Randy Newman although no music plays: “ … you got to roll with the punches, yes you do … “
I agree, I liked Rod Odom, this stings a little but is not a killer, and at the end of the day the mix could end up better. Crazy stuff.
PS: Trifecta look better, Jessie? Who can say? Maybe better from Angel Nunez POV.
— Portland Catfan 10/26/2009 06:57 AM #
I am not bothered by this.
— MCAT 10/26/2009 07:36 AM #
I said numerous times before and after Odom’s “commitment” that I preferred a true power forward like Terrence Jones to a small forward like Odom. It’s just too bad that Odom knocked us out of the running with TJ. I bet that Odom was worried that we would get Payne, which would allow Horne to play at the 3 part of the time and Odom would have to compete with Horne and all our other talented and more experienced small forwards. I don’t see this as a big loss, since we have so many talented wings.
Hopefully, we will get Payne (or Jones will reconsider us) and then McCallum for a great 2010 class.
— Taco Bill 10/26/2009 07:56 AM #
Congratulations to most of the contributors of this blog for not demonizing this young man.
We (myself included) sometimes lose sight of the fact that these are still just kids, albeit talented kids, and like my kids were, and grandsons are, make plenty of decisions I don’t agree with. Life will go on.
I agree completely with Native B that the program needs some 6/10 and 6/9 guys. I prefer them with some bulk to clear some space in the middle, however. I doubt his decision was based on the fact that he was afraid of the possibility that AZ would get Payne.
— Adman 10/26/2009 07:59 AM #
A little thing about Angel.
quotes from Angel,Borzelo
Tell me if Angel has not been listening to the Arizona coaches. Angel is sold on Miller and Arizona.
The 6-foot-7 wing had to miss his scheduled visit to Connecticut for academic reasons. <MISSED AGAIN>
“I didn’t make it,” Nunez said. “I had to take the PSATs. I really wanted to go; I heard it went really well.”
In addition to the Huskies, Nunez holds offers from …Arizona…
“I don’t have any favorites,” he said. “I like a lot of schools.
It’s hard,” said Nunez, who has already taken trips to Virginia Tech, St. John’s and Rutgers. “I want to go during a break, but I don’t know. We might go during November vacation, or Christmas vacation.”
“I’m looking for a school that already had players like me before – big guards,” Nunez said. “I want a school that has developed pros and can develop players like me.”
“I’m a two,” he added. “But I like to show that I can play multiple positions, I like to show my versatility.”
<Doesn’t this sound very Miller familiar?>
“I just want to get strong physically,” he said. “I want to learn how to play the game stronger. I have to work harder and become a better defender. I have to become an overall better player, a better rebounder. I need to play all game, be involved the whole game.”
— Jessie Wildcat 10/26/2009 08:37 AM #
Terrence Jones:
TJ has a buzy schedule for this week.
So, maybe Arizona could be his last official visit.
Interesting…how Linda said something to the effect…Arizona has decide to go a different direction.
The comment didn’t leave a positive reflection on the Arizona staff communication ability. The other coaches were able to easily influence Linda . Linda beleived what the other schools were saying about Arizona.
I can certainly say that a WOOK (West coast Book equivalent) would NOT allowed other schools to dictate Arizona’s recruitment of TJ.
No Way.
— Jessie Wildcat 10/26/2009 08:51 AM #
Decommitments happen in recruiting, but it does bother me when you consider UAs limited scholarship situation. Would UAs recruitment of Terrence Jones gone differently if Odom hadn’t committed? Who knows, but his mother did say that they were eliminating UA because Miller went in a different direction, taking 2 guys already for the 2010 class. Who knows how Jones’ recruitment would’ve turned out if Odom hadn’t committed and then changed his mind 3 weeks later. I am more understanding of kids changing their minds on colleges over a long period of time like Bejarano because a lot of things happened with his personal life and with Texas in the time period between his UT and UA verbals. Its tough for me to understand committing to taking a scholarship from one school and then changing your mind 3 weeks later.
That being said, we don’t have to worry as much now about the schollie situation with the 2010 guys that are still available. Good luck to Odom wherever he ends up signing. I don’t hold it against him for changing his mind, but I wish things had gone a little differently if he wasn’t that solid on his UA verbal.
— Darren 10/26/2009 08:57 AM #
When asked if there was a reason for his decision, Odom did mention that academics and distance were two of the main issues.
“It was mainly academics, but also a little of it was because of the distance from home”
http://wildcatsportsreport.com/component/content/article/57-basketball-recruiting/506-odom-rescinds-commitment-to-arizona
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Thats what bothers me. He mentions that he got away from focusing on those two reasons as being important to him. Arizona is still in the same place and its still the same university that it was three weeks ago, nothing has changed. Odom changed his mind. Good luck at Vandy, its a better fit for him, which is what anyone going to college should look for.
— Darren 10/26/2009 09:04 AM #
This just ticks me off, because of what u guys already mentioned. He took us out of the TJ running and now he’s backing up. I know these guys are just kids, but if you want to be treated like an adult, you have to behave like one. Now i’m really hoping for Payne and McCallum to commit, and the class will still be great. If we could get TJ to reconsider us then it would be even better.
— Cat in the Desert 10/26/2009 09:20 AM #
You read my mail cat; considering the prospects being mentioned I agree fully. The thing I try to do is not get too excited about 2010 and beyond since the decommitt action has become such a regular thing.
— Larry 10/26/2009 09:45 AM #
I’m not so worried about a 2010 recruit. There’s still time, plus this team could be really deep (we will soon find out how deep). I think this development will work out for the best for all parties. It’s better that he decommitted now, than in a couple months.
— Chi_cat 10/26/2009 11:02 AM #
Isn’t it called “buyers remorse?” One can’t get too awfully upset considering that three or four of the 2009 class, and what’s left so far of the 2010 class, are kids who had previously committed to other institutions. In fact, didn’t MoMo Jones do it twice? In fact the timing for Odom isn’t that much different than the Benejaro’s.
As several have mentioned, it could work out for the better if the spot is eventually given to a true 4 spot or 5 spot player.
— Adman 10/26/2009 11:35 AM #
“Buyer’s remorse” might be a better analogy in cases that follow the actual LOI signing. And the remorse part might include actually staying on but feeling wrong about it, which we can all be thankful is not going to happen now with Odom.
Maybe this stage of de-commit is more like “runaway bride” or “Richard Jefferson” mode, not actually following through to finalize the commitment.
Anyway, it won’t be that hard to brew up some tasty lemonade in this case. I don’t really think Odom was a decisive factor in the Terrence Jones pursuit — which, by the way, is not any kind of done deal yet.
So a big weekend is coming up. Anyone know if Angel Nunez is definite? And whether he is bringing his young teammate along (Khem Birch, 2012, 6’9” going on 7’ kid)?
— Portland Catfan 10/26/2009 12:19 PM #
#21 – The timing of Bejarano’s decision (I don’t know who Benejaro is) isn’t different, except for the fact that he originally verballed to UT one year ago, where Odom verballed 3 weeks ago. As we all know, Bejarano’s dad was killed, UT recruited other SGs, and DB has said that he was not happy with the communication with the staff there.
Regarding MoMo and Derrick Williams, I can understand their decisions as well – Tim Floyd. Anytime there is a coaching change, kids will want to scramble and find a stable position. Solomon Hill seemingly always wanted to be a Cat and thats why he never signed with USC like MoMo and Williams. (I know MoMo verballed elsewhere before USC, was it VA Tech? I dont know the story on that one)
Kevin Parrom signed with Xavier, and then there was a coaching change. I guess he wanted to play for Miller no matter what.
My point is that nothing changed on Arizona’s front in the past 3 weeks – Miller is still here, the academics are still the same, its still across the country, and its still 110 in the summertime. So, Odom changed his mind and (maybe) Arizona’s recruitment of Terrence Jones suffered as a result. Initially when I heard the news, to be honest I thought that Harvard had come up with a larger aid package for Odom because thats why they eliminated Harvard in the first place. I don’t want to come across as overly critical of Odom, but it just frustrates me as an Arizona fan to see this happen. Unless there is another side to the story, thats my opinion.
Moving on, I can’t wait for the Red/Blue game this weekend. Man I hope UA can land McCallum…
— Darren 10/26/2009 12:46 PM #
Portland, I like the “runaway bride” analogy. if a person’s heart isn’t in something it’s better for all concerned to break off the relationship before going any further.
Think you are also correct that Odom and Jones situations are unrelated. Never did see Jones as being threatened anyway by Odom’s recruitment or talent. Frankly, don’t think Odom was ever at the same skill level as Jones even though I was accused me of being jealous of that commit. It would surprise me if Jones had a change of heart and took the visit. When the dust settles there I kind of think he’ll end up at Udub. Wouldn’t put any cash on it, just an uneducated speculation.
That same speculation makes me think that McCallum will end up playing for his Dad unless Senior thinks his son will benefit by exposure to another coaches style.
— Adman 10/26/2009 12:55 PM #
We will not have to wait for the weekend for recruitment news.
Adreian Payne is to have a final decision on Friday.
But, expect to have rumors in full force by end of today.
On Wednesday, there will be only two schools under consideration.
Hump Day news…
Note:
Was there any news of a de-commit from M. Chanlder.
— Jessie Wildcat 10/26/2009 01:10 PM #