As Arizona Basketball is postponed, here’s why it’s a good thing

As Covid continues to have its impact on fall sports, perhaps postponing the 2020-21 Arizona Basketball season will have its perks.

It’s hard to find silver linings amid the Covid pandemic, especially as we now hit the five-month mark since last having any sort of Arizona Athletics competition. Well, now we will have to wait even longer for Arizona Basketball.

If there is one thing to note, it’s that we should all be aware by now that the Pac-12 announced that they will be postponing fall sports and that unfortunately means Basketball too.

Arizona Wildcats

So instead of tipping off in late October/ early November, it makes sense that with the football season postponed, basketball is seeing a similar fate as well.

Now while it’s certainly not the outcome I’m sure many (including myself) we’re all hoping or looking for, but perhaps there is a bit of silver lining with this outcome here.

As we all know, the Wildcats and Sean Miller are essentially retooling an entire roster. With players like Ira Lee, Christian Koloko, Jemarl Baker, and Jordan Brown only returning, Arizona will have to break in seven new players.

That’s certainly a lot of turnover for any squad, but what partly makes this more challenging too, is having numerous international players. Plus the style of play overseas is a little different than college, and there is typically a bit of an adjustment for most kids.

So with Arizona now likely not tipping off until January, that gives Miller more time until the start of the season. More time for Miller to develop his guys, coach his incoming players to learn his system.

I don’t know about you, but that seems like a great thing for us, and a bad thing for the rest of the Pac-12.

For those that need a reminder, there was no doubt Arizona was going to be talented this year, it was always going to be a matter of how quickly the team adjusted and learned his system. Well, it seems like giving Miller more coaching and development time is a blessing in disguise.

So with the NCAA’s announcement to postpone fall sports, Miller even addressed his thoughts on the matter.

“The announcement made yesterday regarding the delay to the start of our season did not come as a surprise to our Pac-12 coaching group. Since the early part of April, we have been communicating regularly on several topics, including the 2020-21 season. The new start date gives our conference the best opportunity to have a successful season in the safest environment possible for everyone involved, especially the student-athletes” he said.

“We appreciate the leadership President Robbins has provided our campus during these uncertain times, and we are eager to welcome our players safely back to campus. Our staff is looking forward to utilizing the coming months to develop our team and build for the beginning of an exciting New Year.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see how things turn out, especially as this program will have more time to prepare! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!