Arizona

NBA Draft: A trio of Arizona Wildcats are on the radar

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2022

NBA Draft: A trio of Arizona Wildcats are on the radar

Mock draft courtesy of Jeff Tracy/Axios.

The 2022 NBA Draft is Thursday at 5pm PT and as many as three gamers from Arizona faculties could possibly be on their approach to the professionals subsequent season.

The large image: Nearly each mock draft within the nation has Arizona Wildcats star Bennedict Mathurin as a high lottery choose. The Axios mock draft isn’t any totally different, with the Detroit Pistons deciding on the sophomore guard with the fifth choose.

Mathurin was the driving pressure behind the Cats’ unexpectedly stellar first season underneath new head coach Tommy Lloyd. He led the group with 17.7 factors per recreation, together with 5.6 rebounds and a couple of.5 assists.
Anybody who watched Mathurin’s 30-point efficiency that saved Arizona from a second-round upset to TCU within the NCAA event, which included probably the greatest dunks of March Insanity, is aware of what he is able to.

In the meantime: He doubtless will not be the one Wildcat to get chosen. The Axios mock draft tasks 6-foot-7-inch sophomore swingman Dalen Terry going to the Memphis Grizzlies because the penultimate choose within the first spherical.

Different mock drafts have Terry going somewhat greater: NBAdraft.web has him going twenty seventh to the Miami Warmth, The Athletic predicts the 76ers will take him with the twenty third choose, whereas CBS Sports activities and Yahoo! Sports activities bumped him as much as the twentieth choose, sending him to the San Antonio Spurs.
Terry averaged 8 factors, 4.8 rebounds and three.9 assists per recreation.

What we’re watching: Arizona middle Christian Koloko is not getting as a lot love as the opposite two, with a number of mock drafts projecting the junior bigman, who averaged 12.6 factors and seven.3 rebounds per recreation, to go in the course of the second spherical.

Our thought bubble: As a proud College of Arizona alumnus, I watched many of the group’s video games this yr and was surprised by Mathurin’s growth from his freshman season. I feel he will shine within the NBA.

I am crossing my fingers for Koloko. I predicted large issues for him when he was a gifted however unpolished freshman, and that is the yr he reached that potential.

What we’re not watching: The Phoenix Suns. The group would not have any picks this yr, so barring a draft-day commerce, will probably be an uneventful day for them.

The Suns gave up their first-round choose this yr to Oklahoma Metropolis as a part of the commerce that introduced Chris Paul to Phoenix, whereas Indiana acquired their second-round choose within the midseason commerce for Torrey Craig.

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Arizona

3-star offensive lineman Michael Langi commits to Arizona, first pledge of 2026 class

Published

6 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

3-star offensive lineman Michael Langi commits to Arizona, first pledge of 2026 class

Arizona has been on a tear this month, picking up 13 commitments in June for its 2025 recruiting class after entering with only two. And now it already has one for the following class.

3-star offensive lineman Michael Langi committed to the UA on Tuesday night, giving the Wildcats their first pledge of the 2026 class nearly 18 months before those recruits could officially sign.

he 6-foot-3, 265-pound Langi, who goes by ‘Bobo’ rather than Michael, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 509 player in the 2026 class. He’s also considered the No. 41 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 79 prospect from California.

Langi, who was offered by Arizona in January, picked the Wildcats over offers from ASU, Colorado and Penn State, among others. He is the younger brother of 3-star offensive lineman Peter Langi, a 2025 recruit whom the UA had in for an official visit last weekend.

Both Langis play for Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco, the same school where Arizona recently got a commitment from 3-star offensive lineman Losipini Tupou. They are no relation to Sam Langi, who appeared in 21 games (with four starts) on the offensive line for the Wildcats from 2020-23.

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Arizona

Former Baylor pitcher Collin McKinney commits to Arizona baseball

Published

14 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Former Baylor pitcher Collin McKinney commits to Arizona baseball

In winning both the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles, Arizona put up some of the best pitching numbers in the country and led the nation in a trio of categories.

The Kevin Vance effect was real, and it’s made the Wildcats a desirable destination for pitchers hoping to improve their pro prospects.

Arizona has landed a second potential weekend starter from the NCAA transfer portal, getting a commitment Tuesday from former Baylor right-hander Collin McKinney.

The 6-foot-5 Texas native comes to Tucson with three years of eligibility, but with a big 2025 season could get drafted. He’s coming off a 2024 campaign as a redshirt freshman (he sat out 2023 due to injury) in which he started 14 games for Baylor and was 3-6 with a 6.70 ERA.

McKinney struck out 60 batters in 49.2 innings but also walked 35 and allowed 11 home runs. He had back-to-back 10-strikeout performances midway through the season but didn’t go more than four innings in any of his final seven starts.

He is Arizona’s second portal pickup, both righties who have started throughout their college career. Last week the Wildcats landed ex-Rutgers RHP Christian Coppola.

Coppola is ranked by 64Analytics as the No. 30 transfer, while McKinney is No. 168. For perspective, none of the players Arizona has lost to the portal was ranked in the top 1,000.

The UA is likely to lose all three weekend starters with righties Clark Candiotti and Cam Walty graduating and lefty Jackson Kent expected to get drafted and start his pro career.

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