Arizona Basketball still recruiting well, despite Notice of Allegations

With Arizona Basketball having received their Notice of Allegations last week, the Wildcats continue their hot recruiting streak for 2021.

It has been a rather eventful week for Arizona Basketball. From the Wildcats receiving their Notice of Allegations, learning their 2020-21 Schedule, and now adding their second Shane in their recruiting class, the news certainly has been rolling.

So even despite the whirlwind of events and the negativity surrounding the program, the Wildcats are still finding success on the recruiting front. Especially as Arizona added another four-star recruit in the last week, bringing their class up to No. 17 overall according to 247Sports.

Arizona Wildcats

If you have been paying attention to a lot of the hot takes out there, it is that the Wildcats are in deep trouble, or this is the end for Sean Miller, or Arizona won’t be able to recruit with the Dark Cloud hanging over the programs’ head.

Relax! As we are seeing, it is that the Wildcats are still finding success despite all of that negativity. Now while I’m not here preaching like the Wizard of Oz, shouting “pay no attention to what’s behind the curtain over here”, I do understand there are a lot of complexities to everything that is happening.

First off, I won’t ignore that Arizona may be seeing some negatives effects from the Notice of Allegations, particularly in the world of recruiting.

Arizona has not pulled in a single “All-American” caliber player since the addition of Nico Mannion and Josh Green. However, they are still recruiting quite well overall, despite all of the distractions.

Secondly, as I have said before, Arizona has a lot to sell as a program. Even with the Notice of Allegations, at the end of the day, this is still Arizona, and it is a big-time program that can offer a lot. We’re talking about valuable playing time against good competition, great exposure for kids trying to get to the next level, etc.

I mean, once the punishment actually is put forth you’re talking about potential reduction in scholarships and a postseason ban(s). Pardon the Arizona blinders here, but having a season of 25+ games to showcase your skills is going to still have NBA Scouts looking at your players, assuming they have the talent. That doesn’t suddenly go away because your program is in trouble.

So with the Wildcats producing 50+ professional in their programs’ history, the opportunity will still be there for recruits to go pro and showcase their skills at a program with a great track record for getting kids to the league. An NCAA punishment doesn’t really change that.

Lastly, because Arizona is going to fight the allegations, that review process still could take a year or so. The punishment isn’t fully known yet, so again, as long as the Wildcats and Miller are recruiting with full transparency, they could very well pull in some solid recruits, much like they are doing now.

Maybe this is a biased view, however, I feel like Arizona can still find success. I guess we will have to wait and see! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!