Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson has pledged to avoid recruiting "one-and-done"
type players, but that doesn't mean an end to the Wildcats recruiting elite players.
Nearly every player the Wildcats are actively courting in the 2009-10 class is ranked in the top 100 by at least one of the major recruiting services.
Solomon Hill of Los Angeles Fairfax High School, who orally committed to UA on Monday, is the nation's No. 26 overall player, according to Rivals.com.
Even with Olson's leave of absence last year and staff turnover, the Cats are getting their message out.
"The coaching staff and the tradition,"
said Mike Moser of Portland, Ore., about what drew him to give a commitment to UA. "Lute Olson, what he brings. The development of guys to the (NBA)."
Arizona has sent player after player to the NBA under Olson, and that is not lost on recruits.
"Lute Olson knows how to get guys to the next level, especially guards,"
said 2011-12 prospect Matt Carlino of Gilbert last week at a Las Vegas summer AAU tournament.
Added Seattle's Josh Smith, one of the top big men prospects in the 2010-11 class: "Coach Lute Olson . . . not a lot of guys get to be coached by him."
Another player listing the Wildcats as a favorite is Tacoma, Wash., point guard Abdul Gaddy. Gaddy was previously committed to the Cats, but opened up his commitment after the departure of assistant coaches Josh Pastner and Miles Simon.
Gaddy has a long list of schools, but says Arizona is still the leader at this point. He has no timetable for a decision but is expected to attend UA's elite camp next month.
Some players were concerned with Jerryd Bayless leaving for the NBA and Brandon Jennings choosing to play in Europe over UA. But for players who want to be pros, they actually see that as a plus.
"I know they are a producer of great guards,"
said Duncanville, Texas, swingman Roger Franklin, a 2009-10 prospect. "They just got done sending a great kid Jerryd Bayless. Unfortunately they couldn't get Brandon Jennings, but as you can see they get great guards."
UA's new staff has quickly made an impact with the recruits.
Hill and Moser form the early nucleus of a recruiting class that could be very good if the Cats can nail down a few players that favor them at this stage.
Moser can play either forward spot and could come in and compete for time right away if Jordan Hill departs for the pros after the upcoming season.
Moser could have company on the front line if Anthony Stover of the Renaissance Academy in southern California opts for UA.
The 6-10 Stover likes Arizona, UCLA and ASU, but as of now the Cats are his leader.
Other players considering UA include combo-forward Andy Brown of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, point guard Michael Dixon of Lee's Summit, Mo., and Franklin, who seems the furthest away from narrowing his list of schools.
Although Gaddy's teammate Avery Bradley is still trying to get to the Elite Camp, UA seems to be slipping, with Texas being the slight leader at this point.
Guard Michael Snaer of Moreno Valley, Calif., and forward Tyler Honeycutt of Sylmar, Calif., do not seem to be headed for UA.
