Arizona Basketball: Returning Wildcats to begin their own legacy

The returning Wildcats are ready to add their chapter to an already storied  Arizona Basketball program.

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With all the focus being on those players leaving to pursue a career in the NBA, very little attention is paid to those players who have decided to return to school. For some student-athletes, their reason for returning could be to pursue a degree or to play another year to refine their skills before taking their talents to the next level. The Arizona basketball program has some fierce Cats coming back next season that have something to prove. We look forward to seeing who emerges as the team’s leader or leaders with two grand transfers coming in, will it be one of them or one of our returning Wildcats?

Our first returner wears the number three on the back of his jersey and stands 6-foot-5 inches tall. He reigns from the great state of Alabama, and his favorite hobby is hitting shots from behind the arc. He goes by the name of Dylan Smith.

Smith is coming back for his second year as an Arizona Wildcat. Dylan played in the 34 games for Wildcats last season and while shooting 33% from three-point range. Dylan played a vital role in the wins over Texas A&M, Arizona St. and a win over Cal when the team was short-handed. Dylan looks to play a more significant role next year and become a reliable scorer that the team can depend on throughout the season.

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The next Wildcat up is just chomping at the bit to play his first minutes as an Arizona Wildcat. If you follow him on social media, he is guaranteed to make you laugh. He also made the best decision of his life when he chose to leave the Duke Blue Devils and become an Arizona Wildcat.

Standing 6-foot-10 inches tall and hails from Las Vegas, Nevada wearing No. 4. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome back Chase Jeter! Chase played 48 games for the Blue Devils, and his best performance came to a tune of 11 points and eight rebounds in the 2016-2017 home opener. Jeter will add some size to the front line with the loss of Ayton and Ristic who both went on to pursue professional careers.

At this point in recruitment, Chase will be the tallest Wildcat on the roster next season by an inch. Incoming grad transfer Ryan Luther is 6-feet-9.

Another key piece to next years team comes from the bright lights of New York Wearing number 5 and weighing in at 175 pounds, Brandon Randolph looks to light up the nets next year. Brandon played in 32 games for the Wildcats last year averaging 11 minutes. It is expected that Brandon will see a more prominent role next year that includes more minutes on the court as they look to him to providing shooting and help out when it comes to running the offense.

The next critical piece to next years roster, originally from Arizona, comes to us from Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, California. Weighing in at 235 pounds and standing 6-feet-7 inches tall, Ira Lee will play a critical role when it comes to establishing a low post presence.

Lee played in 27 games last year while averaging 10 minutes a game. His best game came against Long Beach State when he posted a season-high 11 points while making 5/7 from the field. Heading into his sophomore year, Ira Lee will bring much-needed height and athletic ability to the Wildcats roster next year.

The next returning Arizona Wildcat comes from an area of the country traditionally known for their ice hockey and is the hometown NHL team that goes by the name of the Jets. Standing 6-foot-7 inches tall and weighing in at an even 200 pounds Emmanuel Akot, will look to be the defensive stopper for the Wildcats next year. Wildcats can probably recall his memorable defensive effort in a win over Utah. Akot looks to get off to another strong start next year by posting similar number to last year when he was averaging 6 points, four rebounds and three assists per a game.

Last but certainly not least, this Wildcat comes from our own state of Arizona. Played at Corona Del Sol high school where he was rated the No. 2 player in the state behind fellow Arizona Wildcat DeAndre Ayton. He goes by the name of Alex Barcello and looks to be the leader of this offense next season.

Alex appeared in 21 games this year, and his best performance came against LBSU where he tallied 11 points in a Wildcat victory. Alex also was able to knock some key jump shots from the baseline that led to a key win over Oregon St. Look for Alex to be the steady hand that battles for a spot to drive this Wildcat team night in and night out.

There is also a group of players that do all the dirty work but have not seen many minutes on the court. These guys are no less important than anyone in the starting five. They go by the names of Tyler Trillo, Jake Desjardins, Kory Jones and Matt Weyland. These Cats are held to same high standards of Sean Miller and are a big part of the team going into next year. As they bring the energy and excitement to both practices and games, and fans cannot wait for Miller to put them in. Maybe this year we will see more minutes from some of these players since they have experience and can provide a spark off the bench.

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Wildcats return a group of players with a chip on their shoulder who are all looking to prove themselves. This just might be the chip needed for the Wildcats to make another run at a PAC-12 Championship along with a run in March. Hold on to your seat Wildcats fans. Next season is guaranteed to be a “WILD” ride! Hopefully with little or no drama.