By
Chris Martin
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Chicago point guard gave verbal commitment Sunday
The Arizona men's basketball team has already prepared itself well for the 2001-2002 season.
With the possibility of all five starters - senior center Loren Woods, junior forwards Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright; and sophomore guards Gilbert Arenas and Jason Gardner - leaving school to go pro, No.1 ranked UA has put together one of the strongest recruiting classes in the nation.
"It's going to be among the top three in the country," Rivals100Hoops.com analyst Dave Telep said. "The bottom line is (Arizona) is going to lose some guys to the NBA. They brought in a well balanced group."
With Chicago point guard Will Bynum giving UA a verbal commitment Sunday, the Wildcats have gotten verbals from four prospects ranked among the top-100 high school seniors in the country according to Rivals100Hoops.com.
Channing Frye, a 6-foot-10 center from St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, has also committed to Arizona but slipped out of the top-100 rankings after a struggling in this summer's AAU tournaments.
"I know Channing is a good player," UA recruit Dennis Latimore said. "I think he is going to grow and develop."
The commitment from Bynum will fill the point guard void for UA should Gardner decide to turn pro after the season.
The 5-foot-10 Bynum, is an extremely quick point guard who has a knack for "taking the ball to the rack" according to his high school head coach Anthony Longstreet of Crane Tech Prep in Chicago.
"He's got a lot of talent," Crane Tech Prep assistant coach Denny Horton said. "He can elevate a team to another level. (He's) a pure point guard with offensive skills."
Arizona's greatest strength in its 2001-2002 recruiting class is the power forward position though.
Both Rick Rickert of Duluth, Minn. and Latimore of Halstead, Kan. have given verbals to the Wildcats.
Rickert and Latimore are the fourth and fifth ranked power forwards by Rivals100Hoops.com and should contribute immediately for Arizona.
"Obviously, Latimore and Rickert is going to be the one, two punch," Telep said.
Latimore, who stands in at 6-foot-9, and Rickert along with Arizona recruit Salim Stoudamire all played together this summer for the "Pump and Run" AAU team based in Los Angeles.
"As far as Rick and I, I don't think there is any other player in the country I would rather play with," Latimore said.
Rickert, who is considered to be UA's top recruit, chose Arizona over Minnesota despite pressure from his parents to stay closer to home. The 6-foot-11 multi-talented big man averaged 29 points per game and 15.5 rebounds per game during his junior season for Duluth East High School.
The 6-foot-2 Stoudamire, a shooting guard from Lake Oswego High School in Oregon, will also provide Arizona with strong perimeter play.
Stoudamire, the cousin of former Wildcat All-American Damon Stoudamire, is considered to be the 15th best shooting guard in the country.
"Salim is coming in to shoot the basketball," Telep said. "Everyone would like to have the luxury of having a Salim Stoudamire."
