When teams try to guard him straight up like Duke did, yes, he's really that good. Those 3s have been going in all season at a 60% clip which has made him virtually unguardable, he's a decently smart guy who's put a ton of work in on his perimeter game so he can play SF in the NBA, which has paid tons of dividends for him. Hopefully UCONN makes the same mistake Duke does and tries to guard him straight up.
And Sean Miller deserves as much credit as D-Will. This is a team with no 5 star recruits, a few 4 star recruits with most of the rotation players being 3 star recruit, and only 1 senior. I've never seen someone maximize talent the way Miller can, idk wtf is gonna happen starting next year when Miller has 5 star talent to work with.
With or without Williams, 2012-13 is the year that Arizona contends for a le. Hill, Parrom, Jones and (possibly) Kyryl will be seniors, Mayes will be a junior, Turner, Johnson, Chol and Johnson (top-5 class, 4 top-60 prospects) will be sop res and their 2012 class has the offensive posts needed to put them over the top.
As for Williams, guys been a monster vs. the best compe ion his entire career. This was highlighted by last night, Williams also went off for 27 points vs. the Morris twins and had 18 games of 20 or more points while averaging less than 30 minutes per game. He's been around 60% from the field, 60% from range, got to the line more than anyone in the country, and only tapered off late because of a broken finger that negated some of his shooting and ability to catch the pass on the run/take people off the dribble. For 2/3rd of the year, he was on pace to break the points-per-shot record.
Williams needs to return. This can't be it. I understand if it is, but Williams needs to return to finish what he started. For as great as this year was, Arizona isn't back until it's back in the Final 4.
good riddance Horne. Have fun missing wide open game winners in Europe. Derrick Williams is still my favorite player if he leaves, but he picked a really rushed and re ed shot to end his collegiate career with if he decided to leave. Can't wait till next year when Momo Jones and dumb terrorist Horne aren't on the court to end games.
"Hopefully we'll be back in this spot next year" - Derrick Williams, hopefully that word choice actually means something.
Williams thanked all the fans for support on his facebook, a message most thought signaled his departure.
His response: "Who says I'm leaving?"
His mom values education, he values his time at UA, there's a lockout that threatens him getting pay and played, and next year's UA team has everything is takes for a legit le run. Please, man, few people get these opportunities. The NBA will always be there. This team, this community, won't.
He's also not the type to make re ed "hype me up" statements like "Who said I was leaving?" as in when he says it there's something real behind it. Maybe it's blind optimism, but the way he use "we're" during a press conference seemed like it was a foregone conclusion he's back next year.
He doesn't want to go. I know you know.
To say what he's said after this game when we all figured him gone either means he's leaning towards coming back, or it's a cruel trick.
Not gonna count them chickens, but it's worth hoping for:
PG: Turner, Momo, Mayes
SG: Fogg, Johnson
SF: Hill, Parrom
PF: Perry, Johnson
C: Williams, Chol
With either Kyryl, Lavender or Bajarano as the 12th man. I'm leaning towards Kyryl, since he's useful as a big.
Hill needs to get his together. He made some considerable strides this year from last, but he needs to find consistency in scoring. He needs to become a 12 ppg player. He's too talented to not be. Parrom needs to work on his 3-point shot, as does Perry.
Agreed, Hill needs to work on finishing around the rim and develop at the very least a reliable shot. He does so many little things well tho. Momo idk what to think. He's so feast or famine it's gotten beyond annoying.
In a perfect world Momo is your scoring PG off the bench. Hopefully Turner comes in, wins the job, Momo accepts his role (like Parrom) and Arizona has the best 10-man rotationin the game.
I don't put too much into the loss though. The officiating was incredibly one sided and took D-Will outa the game when it looked like a potential blowout, and Arizona would have won if they didn't miss so many wide open shots. Defensively I think Miller learned a lot about not trying to overplay the other team's star player after this game. The rebuilding process has been about as smooth as possible the last two years, you can't expect much more.
I cannot wait until we get the athleticism of Turner, Johnson and Chol on this team next year. Johnson may be the best perimeter defender in his class, and Chol is a stud shot-blocker, both of which we need.
I'd love to see UA pull some 40-Minutes-Of- press at times. They'll have the depth, the defenders and the intensity.
IMO, Fogg is gonna be a major factor next year. I blame him just as much as Solo for the disappointing year not being a reliable 2nd option to D-Will. Momo I don't think has the height or ability to be a 2nd option so I really don't fault him, he simply plays hard in a role not meant for him. Idk how Miller is gonna find time for Mayes, Fogg, Nick Johnson, Josiah Turner, and Momo at two positions. Mayes has shown too much promise to be taken out of the rotation, Nick Johnson and Turner are the most talented players by far at each position, Fogg I have a hunch is due for a rebound year, and Momo is too important to chemistry/the program/moral to be taken out of the rotation. I guess having too many rotation worthy players is a good problem to have, but I don't see how Miller keeps everyone happy, and IMO there is such a thing as using the bench too much and having too big of a rotation. Anything past 10 players is overkill
Lavender is probably a sure thing to transfer even tho he'd only have 1 year, he knows he's getting no minutes next year. Bejarano all but said he's transferring which isn't a surprise. My ideal rotation to start next year assuming D-Will returns, and Lavender + Bejarano transfer would be:
PG: Turner 20-25/ Mayes 10-15/ Momo 0-10
SG: Fogg 20-25/ N. Johnson 10-15/ Momo 0-10
SF: Solo Hill 25/ Parrom 15
PF: Williams 25/ Sidiki Johnson 5-10/ Perry 0-10
C: Chol 15-20/ Williams 5/ Perry 10/ Kyryl 0-15
I don't see a 12 man rotation working, IMO Momo will be a good energizer combo guard who can come in when the team needs to be woken up, and Kyryl can be used when the other team has a 7 footer scorer or 7 footer who's killing them with rebounds.
The ideal rotation is 9 players with double-digit minutes and one or two hustle bums at 5 minutes or so.
In all honesty, UA has one too many guards. Ideally, both Turner and Johnson come in and demands 20+ minutes, and Fogg takes a backseat...
PG: Turner (20-25), Mayes (10-15), Jones (0-5)
SG: Johnson (20), Fogg (10-15), Jones (5-10)
SF: Hill (20), Parrom (15-20), Williams (0-5)
PF: Williams (25-30), Johnson (10-15), (Hill on occasion)
C: Perry (15-20), Chol (15-20), (Williams/Kyryl on occasion)
Williams played the cards close to his chest the whole process. Anyone who says "they knew" his decision is lying. He never gave a solid indication in either direction.
All that said, Williams to the NBA, will hire an agent, will go top-3, possibly #1 overall if the lottery breaks right. Sucks for next year's team, but it's a nice feather in the cap of Miller's short tenure as coach. Having a player drafted top-5 is a HUGE deal.
What sucks is, unless the policies for jersey retirement change, it's unlikely he ever gets the recognition he deserves, as the criteria wasn't met. Maybe if he's drafted #1 overall for the first time in school history he'll get the nod?
Opens up primary roles for Hill and Parrom, who each showed flashes, and minutes for Chol, who'll be a monster.
.
Arizona!? More like Southeast California i saaaaaaaid
I'm not holding anything against him, but he doesn't deserve to get the rules bended just so his jersey is retired.
I hope he dominates in the NBA, and I'll always be thankful for him greatly shortening the rebuilding process Andy Katz said would take 6 years, but he passed up the opportunity to play for a national le and maybe become the best Arizona player ever. Hopefully the decision works out well for him, but I really don't give two s about his jersey being retired for two years.
I don't believe Simon, a four-year player and FF MVP, and Terry, a national POY, don't have their jerseys retired yet. Tough to justify his inclusion over them.
Sucks. Oh well. Sucks for next year, but also gives more important roles to players who'll be KEY cogs on the 2012/13 team that, on paper, seems like a preseason top-5 team.
Next year isn't lost. Call me stupid, but I actually expect Hill and Parrom to play consistently. It's a guard-driven game, and Arizona will have some of the best depth and talent of any team in the country. With Miller coaching them up, and with the defense they can play, they'll be a damn tough team to beat by regular season's end.
lol re ed SEC athletic director who thinks our 7-6 football program is more important than our elite 8 basketball program.
Never hire a Sun Devil to do the job of a Wildcat.
Never hire a Sun Devil to do any job that's important
I wouldn't go that far. They are pretty solid at porn and experience in the identification of STDs... That's gotta be worth something.Never hire a Sun Devil to do any job that's important
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