Arizona Basketball: Josh Jackson and Terence Ferguson, does Arizona need them both?

Will they choose Arizona Basketball? ESPN’s 100, number 3 Josh Jackson and number 13 Terrance Ferguson still undecided where they will be playing college basketball next season. 

College basketball had a sneak peek Wednesday night of the incoming freshmen class during the McDonald’s All-American game in Chicago. Small forward out of Detroit, Josh Jackson, put on a show on the West team receiving co-MVP honors with 19 points and three rebounds. Shooting guard Terrance Ferguson on the East team had a solid game with 10 points, three rebounds, and one assist.

Both  Jackson and Ferguson have yet to make a decision on where they will be playing college basketball next season. Jackson narrowed his list down to three Universities: Michigan State, Kansas, and Arizona (In no particular order).

On Tuesday during the McDonald’s All-American media day according to an Arizona Daily Wildcats article, “Jackson touched on the conversation he had with Miller. Both have experience with each other on USA’s basketball team in the FIBA U19 World Championships a summer ago.” Which could be a deciding factor if he joins Coach Sean Miller and Arizona.

Ferguson has six targets in mind: Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina and North Carolina State. According to an Arizona Daily Wildcats article, “Five-star recruit Terrance Ferguson tweeted in the afternoon he would be making his college decision via video at 6 p.m. In the meantime, Ferguson retweeted every mention of his name. When the clock hit 6 p.m., Ferguson posted a video along with the caption, “April Fools.” The internet went ballistic.”

Ferguson has since removed his tweet, but Wildcats fans had already poured all kinds of Arizona love on him before he pulled it. All-in-all, it may not have worked out for the worse.

With all of the internet pleas for these young phenoms, it seems the entire landscape of recruiting has changed forever. Arizona already has a great team put together, could the team become a dream come true for Miller and A Players Program? We will all find out shortly.

So does Arizona need these two athletes to commit to Arizona? First of all, you would never turn down either player unless there was some major character flaw. But who do the Wildcats have already in their positions if they didn’t commit?

If Arizona landed all three, the Wildcats would have three seasoned players coming back; Allonzo Trier, Kadeem Allen and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, and three of the top freshman guards in the country. The team would be perimeter heavy, and the would all be competing for playing time. So not thinking Arizona will land all both, either one or the other.

Ferguson is now an 85% Arizona favorite from 247Sports.com’s Crystal Ball. He is the No. 2 shooting guard in the class, and Jackson (now at 14% favored for Arizona) is the No. 1. One thing was definitely lacking on a consistent basis last year was shooting, and with Gabe York gone, Arizona needs scoring machines. They have already landed Rawle Alkins, who is slotted in at No. 3.  

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Miller has been known to shift players into different positions until he finds the right fit. So, even though they are shooting guards, he could use either of them as a point guard if they are a great dribbler. Allonzo has already said he wants to be a leader, so that would mean he could move to the point. With so many options, Miller would be in heaven, but he does love his experienced players. Let the battle begin.

The team is shaping up, and there will be high expectations and hopefully plenty of awards handed out in Tucson if at least one of these players commit. Plus the Final Four will be in Phoenix next year, so you better put down your non-refundable deposit on tickets now!

So the answer to the question is, yes. Arizona does need and want both Josh Jackson and Terrance Ferguson because who doesn’t need the top three shooting guards in the class?The better question is will they get them and if so, where will Miller play them? We will leave that answer for May. BearDown Arizona!