Arizona Basketball: Possible starting five for the Wildcats 2019-20 season
By David Rosen
The Arizona basketball team will have a whole new look next season and whole new starting lineup.
Starting five! Many things will be different next season for Arizona basketball, including a whole new starting lineup. With five incoming freshman that have all committed and signed to Arizona, Coach Sean Miller will have many options to choose from when it comes to who starts and who doesn’t.
Brandon Randolph just announced he is testing out the waters in the NBA Draft and it was just announced on social media that Devonaire Doutrive will return. Things are constantly changing with the available players for next year’s roster, that’s what makes next year so exciting. No one really knows exactly who will be starting and who will be coming off the bench. These are good problems for a coach to have.
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Change. That is one thing that Arizona basketball fans will see next season. Next season’s starting five will look completely different then this past season. Justin Coleman and Ryan Luther are gone, and possibly others may transfer before next season begins. Who knows?
One thing is for sure and that is playing time will be earned. Of course everyone will want to play as many minutes as possible, but because of the depth the Wildcats will have next season, everyone will need to prove to Miller that they deserve to be out there on the court.
Finding the right combination of players is key for a team to be successful throughout the season. Before the season even starts, Miller has the luxury of both Nico Mannion and Josh Green have already developed team chemistry and special bond that can’t be taught. Plus, those returning will have the experience of playing with one another and knowing what each others strengths and weaknesses are.
As of right now, the following 12 scholarship players would be on the 2019-20 Wildcat roster (subject to change): Terry Armstrong, Alex Barcello, Doutrive, Stone Gettings, Josh Green, Chase Jeter, Christian Koloko, Ira Lee, Nico Mannion, commit Zeke Nnaji ,Dylan Smith and Brandon Williams. This doesn’t include Randolph, plus transfers Jordan Brown (Nevada) and Max Hazzard (UC Irvine) that the Wildcats are going after. Walk-on Jake Desjardins was awarded a scholarship during last season, but that is likely to change to open up the 13 available scholarship spots.
Based on experience, skillset and the immediate impact they will bring to the team, here is the likely starting five for next season:
PG – Nico Mannion
SG – Brandon Williams
SF – Josh Green
PF – Ira Lee
C – Chase Jeter
As any season goes, so does the starting line up. Depending if players get injured or they aren’t performing at the level they should be, wouldn’t be surprised to see Miller mix things up. Unlike last season, he has the luxury of trying a lot different combination of players.
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We are still seven months away from the Wildcats first game of the season, plenty of time for the starting lineup to change. At Zona Zealots we can’t wait to see what this team will look like come November. Bear Down, Arizona!