Sean Miller’s Already Busy in This Offseason, What’s New? What’s Not?
Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Stanley Johnson (5) celebrates with center Kaleb Tarczewski (35) after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. The Wildcats defeated the Buckeyes 73-58. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Stanley Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski are still deciding whether to stay, meanwhile Sean Miller’s working on the class of 2016, and actively shopping the Graduate Transfer Market.
According to Bruce Pascoe (Arizona Daily Star) Stanley Johnson‘s mom reminded us repeatedly that he is young when asked why he is taking his time making up his mind, “He’s only 18.” Being a parent of young adults, this is a very important fact, he is a young freshman. My young freshman turned 19 last December and still getting used to college life not to mention real life after college. Stanley is still 18!
Stanley was originally slotted in draft spot about four or five before the Elite Eight NCAA Tournament game. After, many still have his spot at five and some have dropped him to nine. If you remember correctly, Aaron Gordon was not projected to go No. 4 in the NBA Draft last year, he rose up in the draft, so you never know. The difference in the picks determines the amount of money Stanley could stand to make, and it could mean millions.
Arizona Wildcats
Stanley’s Mater Dei High School coach Gary McKnight, told Pascoe, “To me that’s a good sign that he’s seriously considering coming back. I’ve encouraged him to stay.”
This means if Stanley gets a one through five pick, he could make double what a nine pick would give him which is about two million dollars. Is this not enough to leave school? I think we would all be very excited if he stayed one more year, it cannot hurt to be more mature when leaving college. Derrick Williams and Aaron Gordon both had mentioned that they missed college in their first NBA season.
As far as Kaleb Tarczewski, most feel he is going to stay and give himself one more year to be a leader, to get even better, to work through the pressure, and to get better projections for the NBA Draft. And oh yeah, he can graduate with a degree from the Eller School of Business, not too shabby.
According to Pascoe, Kaleb’s “former coach and mentor John Carroll, said earlier this month that Tarczewski was taking his time with his decision.”
They both have to decide by next Sunday, April 26th. I want them both to stay, Arizona would be a powerhouse and don’t think we would need any graduate transfers, but I am not the coach, so what do I know? Whatever the case, it’s going to be a wild ride.
Next: What is the Graduate Tranfer Market and who's Miller going after?