The Holiday’s are finally here! Grab that eggnog, that hot cocoa, and cuddle by the fire… err maybe not in Tucson, and join us as we unveil the Zona Zealots Holiday Wish List!
The holidays can certainly bring much joy, and as we inch closer and closer to those days with family, we too as Arizona Wildcats, can enjoy that special bond! Whether you love giving or receiving, it only seems àpropos for us over here at Zona Zealots to put together our Holiday Wish List, the Arizona Athletics version!
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Bring on the goodies and endless amounts of treats, get into the Holiday spirit, and count the many blessings before we do those last minute shopping trips… especially if you’re like me!
Whether it is the new, latest and greatest gadget, or those ugly socks Gammy always gives you, we comprised a Holiday wish list that is fitting for the University of Arizona and its athletic department.
Yes, even our Wildcats could use a little Holiday cheer, and we certainly wouldn’t mind either, if our Holiday Wishes came true.
With that said, here we go!
No More De-commitments to the 2017 Recruiting Class!
So 2016 wasn’t exactly Arizona’s year for football. However, perhaps the silver lining was the season-ending throttling of rival ASU that knocked them out of post-season play, as well as the good recruiting class we had. Well, that was until recently.
Following the departure of defensive coach Donte Williams, it was to be expected Arizona would have a player or two drops off. Indeed the risk you run when you have such a large class committed so early, so naturally, you may lose a recruit or two, but hopefully no more!
After a bit of shuffling on the staff, Arizona has their replacement coach, and things still look pretty positive in this class. The Wildcats have to ability to pull at least a couple more nice pieces to the class as we highlighted before, and that would certainly be a strong finish should Arizona receive a commitment or two.
As it stands, the Wildcats have the 25th ranked class according to Scout, and features notable recruits like; Joshua Brown, Nathan Tilford and Braxton Burmeister, among many others!
So for this holiday season, our wish is to have a strong recruiting class, and please, NO MORE DE-COMMITS!
Beat ASU in Everything!
Seems obvious…
There is absolutely no love lost between Arizona and ASU, and probably for a good reason, so it goes without saying that we hope this next Holiday wish comes true!
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2016 ended on a high note, with the Wildcats throttling the Sun Devils in Tucson, and knocking out ASU of making a bowl game. Football had a rough year, but the season was pretty much a wash, based on how the season finished.
There may not be many better feelings in the world than beating your most hated rival, especially when that rival is ASU. The trash talk is real, the hatred is real, and it feels oh so glorious to rub it in their face after a victory.
Bias aside, we all know who the better school is anyway, and beating them is only the icing on top of the already sweet and delicious cake. So for 2017, we wish to beat ASU in everything! Unrealistic? Maybe, but we hope it would come true!
No More Athletic Injuries for 2017!
This past year has been pretty rough for the Arizona Wildcats. From the baseball diamond to the football field, and all the way to the hardwood, the Wildcats have certainly seen their fair share of bad luck and injuries.
The football team certainly got bit by the injury bug, and if you recall, the quarterback and running back situation was a bit of a revolving door. That bit of bad luck seems to have carried all the way to the hardwood.
As we learned months ago, senior graduate transfer Talbott Denny tore his ACL and would miss the entire season. Just a few months later, Ray Smith would tear his ACL yet again, subsequently cause him to walk away from playing basketball for good.
If that wasn’t enough, junior point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright suffered a high ankle sprain a few weeks ago that will keep him out of basketball action for an extended period of time! However, things are at least looking up for PJC, as a return could be sooner than expected.
Sean Miller won't rush it, but point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright might be back before you know it.https://t.co/oznRGtDNlu
— Anthony Gimino (@AGWildcatReport) December 20, 2016
For this Holiday Season, we just hope for health and prosperity! The injuries are certainly getting irksome, and we just wish for healthy Wildcats moving forward!
For Allonzo Trier to finally return to the Hardwood!
The long drama-filled saga regarding the status of sophomore Allonzo Trier has certainly been the topic of discussion since we first learned of his eligibility status.
Rumors have circulated, causing many differing public opinions. Adversely, that has caused a lot of false information being strewn about, causing the constant one-ups-manship as to who is correct, and who is first.
We have certainly done our best to provide updated information when it becomes available, but of course not much can be known still, based on student privacy laws… hence the reason of no comment by head coach Sean Miller.
We can understand Trier’s frustration as he put in a lot of work this off-season to come back better than last year, and he still hasn’t played. Plus, we aren’t trying to read too much into what he posts, although it does appear to help keep him in high spirits.
Things have been looking much more positive lately, and we can only hope a return is soon! This holiday season, we wish to see Trier return to the court, where can hopefully see things like this…
https://twitter.com/JMIXTAPEProduct/status/807069004959535104
A Final Four!
It’s long overdue!
Arizona has been so close under the guidance of Sean Miller multiple times, but luck has just not been on our side. Call it bad timing, being unable to perform on the big stage, whatever the case may be a Final Four seems to continue to elude Miller as well as this team.
We’ve certainly had our fair share of heartbreaking losses, coming within just a play or two of advancing. The Wildcats have not been to the NCAA Semi-Finals since 2001 when Arizona lost to Duke in the NCAA Finals.
With the Final Four and Championship games being in Glendale, AZ this year, perhaps it’s kismet? Arizona certainly has a talented roster, and even with Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Allonzo Trier currently out, maybe that gives us a bit of advantage since they’re sitting on the bench with fresher legs.
Additionally, our freshmen are getting tons of crucial playing time. With the limited depth currently, they’re getting the ability to get meaningful minutes and can continue to develop and adjust as the season progresses.
Also, if you don’t remember, Miles Simon (the 1997 Final Four MVP) was suspended for the first half of the 1996-97 season, and we all know how that turned out!
So with this holiday wish, we wish for an Arizona Final Four!
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At Zona Zealots, we have many wishes this holiday season, but most importantly we wish our readers the happiest of holidays! Like our wishes? Have any of your own? Let us know on Twitter or on Facebook! BearDown Arizona, and Happy Holidays!