Lute Olson’s wish to be through with “one-and-done”
type players is quickly coming true.
Already, Jerryd Bayless, Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Negedu have vacated their UA positions or commitments without ever playing for Olson. Now, even though Abdul Gaddy is required to play two years of college basketball because of his young age, he appears less likely than ever to spend even those with the Wildcats.
In their places the Wildcats now have relatively unheralded guys such as Garland Judkins, Kyle Fogg and (in 2009) Reger Dowell. By most accounts, all three of them have athleticism, solid personalities and solid work ethics.
“He’s going to be a joy to coach, I guarantee you that,”
said Jonathan Moore, one of Dowell’s coaches on the Dallas Showtyme summer-circuit team.
It’s just a question of whether they can, in the long run, contribute more to the Wildcats than a short-time elite talent would.
It’s hard to say right now whether the Wildcats would still accept Gaddy, a Top 15 player. Gaddy decommitted in May after Olson’s coaching staff changed, said the Wildcats remained on top of his list, but still hasn’t made a decision.
Technically, UA still has room for him. The Wildcats have 13 scholarship players on paper for 2009-10 but are expected to lose Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill early next spring. History indicates that at least one other player is likely to leave for one reason or another, meaning the Wildcats probably have room to take two or three more commitments from 2009 players.
But in the past, Olson typically hasn’t had much patience with recruits who waver. He often offers two guys at the same position, takes the first to commit and immediately drops the other one (he did it in May 2007 when he took Jennings over Larry Drew, who then committed to North Carolina). Olson did wait several months for Bayless to recommit after he decommitted in the spring of 2006, but that was an extraordinary situation: An extremely talented in-state player who was a good student and a good character guy.
Gaddy didn’t return my phone calls or text messages today, even after he said he would in a brief phone conversation. So I’m guessing he’s giving this situation some pretty serious thought.
