Wildcat Outlook 2002 7
Wildcat Outlook 2001-02 T 29: he numbers just kind of jump out at you: The percentage of minutes played in 2000-01 that returns in 2001-02 The percentage of points scored that returns in 2001-02 The percentage of rebounds that returns in 2001-01 Scholarship players in the freshman or sophomore class The number of seniors To put it simply, the 2001-02 edition of the Arizona Wildcats will be young. Very young. Entering his 19 th season at the University of Arizona, head coach Lute Olson sees a lot of promise in this group. But that promise is tempered by youth. This season will be a work in progress, says Olson. I think we have very coachable players and exceptional talent. When people ask me how are we going to be this year, I say young...very young. When you factor in (redshirt freshman) Andrew Zahn, we have six scholarship players in the freshman class, one sophomore and three juniors for the total of 10 that we are allowed. Luke Walton 22.2: 19.4: 7: 0: So this year its back to basics. For the first time since 1944-45, UA will start the season without a senior on the roster. The preseason hype that engulfed the team last season has all but disappeared. Gone are four starters. Gone are nine letterwinners that led the team to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament. Gone are the expectations. For the first time in a while, Olson can do what he does best...teach. He and his staff can teach a talented but inexperienced group the system that has won nearly 82 percent of its games over the past 14 seasons. It gets down to teaching, Olson explains. You have to spend a lot of time on the basics. With a veteran team you have a chance to get into intricacies of team offense and defense right away. But we ll have to keep things very basic. The difficult thing is the amount of inexperience, but the positive is that these guys have excellent physical capabilities. Helping each player find his place in the system will be the key in the preseason. It may take a bit more time to familiarize this team with the fundamentals, but necessary to put guys in positions where they can use their strengths to gain advantages. We are going to need to be a bit more structured this season, Olson says. Things will be pretty basic. It is still a game of percentages, and we want to put ourselves in a position where we can take advantage of percentages in our favor. The challenge will be trying to best utilize the talent at hand. We want structure, but without being confining. Three juniors carry the responsibility of leadership into the 2001-02 campaign, as Jason Gardner, Luke Walton and Rick Anderson enter the season as the most experienced players. To a certain extent, it will be this trio that helps the Cats find the structure necessary for success. Gardner, a 5-foot-10, 181- pound guard from Indianapolis, Ind., has led the team in minutes played over the last two seasons (2,409) and will be looked to provide the oncourt leadership that he s demonstrated since early in his freshman campaign. Andrew Zahn 8 ArizonaBasketball
Arguably the team s best perimeter shooter, Anderson, like his counterpart Walton, has the ability to play inside or out, and with his 6-foot-9 frame and long arms can be a force on the glass. He was so impressive last year that his teammates voted him the most improved player. Rick and Luke are capable of playing inside and out, says Olson. Rick is one of our best perimeter shooters. We ll need to find out if he can bang with people inside. Luke can go inside or out. They give us the ability to play four people on the perimeter. The biggest thing is that we face defensive problems with matchups, but on the other end of the floor we can use that to our advantage. These guys (Gardner, Walton and Anderson) will be required to give outstanding play on the court and leadership, Olson says. Without a doubt, this is a very challenging year for them, but I am excited because I feel like we have excellent team chemistry and leadership. Make no mistake, the loss of four starters to the NBA would have its effect on any club. But the cupboard is not bare here in Tucson. As Coach Olson says, this is a talented group of players. Replacing the inside presence from a year ago is a chief concern. Last year, UA s four-man inside rotation combined for 36.3 points and 19.9 rebounds. Olson is looking for someone to step up and carry the load. Travis Hanour He posted a 10.9 ppg average last season and led the team in three-point field goals with 76. As a testament to his point guard abilities, Gardner improved his assist-to-turnover ratio dramatically (0.66) over his freshman year and cut his turnovers by nearly a third. A preseason Wooden Award candidate for the second year in a row, Gardner continues to shine as one of the nation s best point guards, which is something that Olson feels has been overlooked in Gardner s game. Jason is one of the guys to provide leadership for us, says the UA mentor. On the court, he will be very important due to our youth. He s done an outstanding job as a freshman and sophomore. A point guard makes everyone else better and makes the team operate smoothly. Jason should be commended for doing a great job over the past two years. Walton, a 6-foot-8, 241-pound forward from San Diego, quickly became an elder statesman in 2001-02. One of the finest wing players in college basketball, Walton possesses an intelligent, unselfish all-around game. He ranked second on the team last season with 115 assists and ranked third with 39 steals, despite playing just 20 minutes per game. He will be adjusting to a new role as a starter in 2001-02 after coming off the bench over the last two seasons, but Walton has the ability to play around the basket or on the perimeter. Anderson, a 6-foot-9, 213-pound forward from Long Beach, Calif., returns to active duty after redshirting last year. The year off to grow and develop has paid off immensely, as he returns to the court a much stronger and more active player. Inside is the area of greatest concern, comments Olson. We re looking at four guys that don t have any college game experience. The key question is going to be which of those guys can defend, rebound and give us an inside presence offensively. Dennis Latimore, a 6-foot-8, 254-pound forward from Halsted, Kan., joins the program after a strong prep career. Another player with the flexibility to play a wing or small forward position, Latimore averaged 24.0 points. 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in earning Kansas 3A Player-of-the- Year honors and honorable mention All-America accolades from USA Today. No stranger to Arizona basketball, Latimore helped Mesa Mountain View High School to the 1999 Arizona Class 5A state title. Latimore has the ability to play the 3 or 4 position. He was an inside player in high school, so he faces the prospect of adjusting to the game from the perimeter, says Olson. He is the strongest of any of the incoming freshmen. He s athletic and a hard worker. His biggest adjustment will be defending the type of quality players at this level. He runs the floor Jason Gardner Outlook 2002 9
extremely well and at 254 pounds, he is strong enough to take a pounding. Isaiah Fox, a 6-foot-9, 286-pound center from Santa Monica, Calif., promises to be an inside force with a pair of soft hands. The son of a former UA football offensive lineman, Fox is not easily moved from his position on the blocks. As a senior at Crossroads High School, Fox averaged 20.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in leading his team to the California Division 4 championship game, where he tallied 30 points and 21 boards. Isaiah is the least heralded of the group, but is going to have an excellent chance of being a substantial contributor, says Olson. He s working very hard, and has great hands...probably as good a set as I ve seen here. He also has a big body that takes up space and will develop into an outstanding rebounder. Channing Frye, a 6-foot-10, 222-pound center from Phoenix, is built in the mold of former Wildcat Loren Woods. He averaged 22.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocks in leading St. Mary s High School to the Arizona Class 5A state title. A quick and athletic player, Frye runs the floor extremely well and has a soft touch on his shot. He is also a strong shot blocker. Channing has a lot of similarities to Loren (Woods) at this stage of his career, says Olson. He possesses great shot-blocking ability, and he is young and still growing, as his size 19 shoes would indicate. He also runs the court very well, has a body with the potential of carrying more weight, and a soft shooting touch. Redshirt freshman Andrew Zahn also figures prominently into the inside mix. A 6-foot-9, 254-pound forward from Redondo Beach, Calif., Zahn spent last season working against NBA draftees Loren Woods and Michael Wright. The added year has certainly helped in his adjustment to the college game. Andrew has benefitted tremendously from his redshirt year, says Olson. We re looking for him to be an active part of our inside game with his athletic ability both offensively and defensively. The UA backcourt has fewer question marks, with the return of Gardner and sophomores Travis Hanour and Jason Ranne. But this group also receives a boost from an outstanding group of newcomers. Hanour, a 6-foot-6, 188-pound guard from Laguna Beach, Calif., averaged 3.1 points in limited action a year ago. A versatile player, Hanour is a strong outside shooter with the ability to guard a two-guard or wing player, as was evidenced in practice last year against Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson. That multi-faceted ability gives the staff the ability to put him in any number of combinations. Travis gives us flexibility because he s a good enough athlete to guard either a wing or two-guard, especially at 6- foot-6, Olson says. He is also an outstanding shooter. He just needs to prove himself defensively. Ranne, a 6-foot-4, 204-pound guard from Tulsa, Okla., is a stellar spot-up shooter with great range. Despite seeing action in just nine games last year, Ranne was a tremendous practice player. You can never have too many good shooters on your team, and Jason is definitely that, explains Olson. He is Lute Olson and Luke Walton certainly an asset to this team. Two much-heralded freshmen guards join the program, as Will Bynum and Salim Stoudamire hope to join in the succession of great Arizona players at the position. Bynum, a 6-foot, 183-pound native of Chicago, enters the program as one of the top guards in the country. He averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists last season in earning first-team all-state honors from the Chicago Tribune. He has continued his strong play since then, competing in the Wendy s All-Star Shootout in Chicago and the Nike Derby Festival in Louisville before holding his own in the Chicago Pro-Am league this summer. Will had a great senior year and played very well in the Chicago Pro-am League against college and professional players, says Olson. He has shown tremendous athletic ability and an ability to adapt. He is an extremely talented and very coachable player. Perhaps no one has benefitted more from Gardner s return to school. Olson thinks the duo could see court time together and the competition will be good for both. There is no question that they (Gardner and Bynum) could play together he says. Will was very happy to have Jason come back. He sees the advantage of having that competition every day. Stoudamire, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard from Lake Oswego, Ore., left high school as the Oregon Class 4A alltime leading scorer with 2,219 career points. He averaged 10 ArizonaBasketball
non-conference schedule? asks Olson. The biggest danger is keeping things in perspective and not losing our confidence. I ve always thought that you actually play three seasons: the non-conference season, the conference season and, if you are fortunate, the postseason. Our non-conference schedule has always been set up to prepare us for our conference schedule. We have to learn from this experience. The ability to learn from each experience is what makes you a better team. Regardless of what hurdles await, the Wildcats are ready to go out and answer the bell. This season, more than most, will be a test of the program s strength. And the players are keenly aware of that fact. When you build a program, the goal is to be looked at every year for national attention, Olson explains. The fact that we have so many question marks leads some people to overlook us. Kids come here because of the tradition. Our goal is to have the U of A among the top teams in the nation every year. I think our guys look at this season as a challenge. The ability to mold a group of youngsters has Olson excited about his 19 th season on the UA sideline. This is a very talented group of freshmen, he says. I am pleased with our developing chemistry and leadership. It is certainly going to be a fun group to coach. Rick Anderson 28.5 points as a senior (a state high) and earned McDonald s All-America honors. He is also the cousin of former Wildcat All-American and NBA standout Damon Stoudamire. Salim has had the advantage of watching us closely for a number of years, Olson says. Damon has helped with what he needs to do to be a contributor. He s a solid scorer that is capable of playing either guard spot. This team s character will be tested early and often, as the squad faces one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In addition to the always-rugged Pac-10 Conference slate, UA s non-conference schedule features games against 2001 Final Four participants Maryland and Michigan State, in addition to the likes of Kansas, Illinois, Connecticut, Purdue and Texas. Normally, you wouldn t want to turn up the heat on a group of youngsters so soon, but the circumstances of this schedule were unforseen. When we originally set up the schedule, this looked like it was going to be a very experienced team, says Olson. We now have a team that is totally different than anticipated. But I think that our newcomers will provide us a lot of support. We re just going to have to be patient as we go through this difficult schedule. There is not a lot of time for them to get their feet wet before they are challenged. Being able to show patience and keep its collective confidence up will be a key, especially early. But this is a schedule with no easy games. Are we strong enough mentally to deal with the difficult Jason Ranne Outlook 2002 11
2001-02PhotoRoster Bynum,Will G 6-0, 183 Fr. Chicago, Ill. (Crane Tech Prep) Walton,Luke 3 Zahn,Andrew F 6-9, 254 Fr. Redondo Beach, Calif. (Redondo Union) Halsted, Kan. (Halsted) 12 San Diego, Calif. (University) 4 Hansen,Peter 3 1 F 6-8, 241 Sr. Palo Alto, Calif. (Palo Alto) 34 F 6-9, 213 Jr. Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Poly) G 6-6, 188 Fr. Laguna Beach, Calif. (Laguna Beach) Ranne,Jason 5 Stoudamire,Salim 4 1 Anderson,Rick Latimore,Dennis F 6-8, 254 Fr. F 6-8, 241 Jr. Hanour,Travis G 6-1, 176 Fr. Lake Oswego, Ore. (Lake Oswego) C 6-10, 222 Fr. Phoenix, Ariz. (St. Mary s) Tulsa, Okla. (Bishop Kelly) 11 Gardner,Jason 20 G 5-10, 181 Jr. Indianapolis, Ind. (North Central) 22 Fox,Isaiah Frye,Channing 35 G 6-4, 204 Fr. 45 C 6-9, 286 Fr. Santa Monica, Calif. (Crossroads) 52 ArizonaBasketball