By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Parents appear to be blocking power forward's path to Tucson
Arizona's warm, sunny climate wasn't enough to keep Rick Rickert from catching a case of cold feet.
Rickert, the UA men's basketball team's top recruit, was expected to sign a letter of intent to play for the Wildcats on Wednesday, but was a no-show at a press conference he called in his hometown of Duluth, Minn.
The 6-foot-10 power forward gave a verbal commitment to the UA coaching staff two weeks ago and said he would sign his letter of intent on Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period. However, Rickert apparently had not fully excused the idea of playing for Minnesota by 3:30 p.m. that afternoon when the media gathering was to take place.
Throughout the recruiting process, Rickert's parents have been against the idea of their son playing basketball in Tucson, saying that they believe he could better develop himself by staying in Minnesota.
There is also unwavering pressure from both his hometown and Minnesota coaches, who said they would continue recruiting Rickert until he signed his letter of intent.
According to NCAA guidelines, Rickert's parents have to sign his letter of intent in order to validate it. Getting them to ink their names seems to be the hard part.
"All Rick wants to do is go to Arizona and be a Wildcat," said Dave Telep, a recruiting expert for Rivals100hoops.com. "His parents are strongly against the idea and either won't sign the letter or are just not ready to do so quite yet. I see it as all hinging upon them."
Rickert and his family were unavailable for comment after they did not return phone calls left by the Arizona Daily Wildcat yesterday.
"This has been tough for Rick and he has been deluged with phone calls in the past few days," Telep said. "Imagine the position he's in right now - he wants to play for Arizona, yet he's torn between his parents' and friends' wishes for him to stay home."
Rickert is the No. 8 player in the nation, according to the Rivals100hoops.com rankings of prospective collegiate basketball players, and was the prize of Arizona's 2001 class.
"He was the nuts and bolts of their recruiting class," Telep said. "Let's put it this way, he was the best player to commit to the Pac-10. If he decides not to sign with Arizona, their class takes a serious step backwards."
Telep said that with Rickert, Arizona's 2001 recruiting class was No. 2 in the nation, only behind Florida's.
However, without Rickert, the Wildcats' freshman class falls out of the Top-5, he added.
Rickert's indecision to come to Arizona certainly overshadowed the news for UA coaches Wednesday, despite receiving three letters of intent.
Forward Dennis Latimore of Halstead, Kan., guard Salim Stoudamire of Lake Oswego, Ore. and center Channing Frye of Phoenix are officially signed to play for the Wildcats.
UA head coach Lute Olson called a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the incoming Wildcats, but canceled it after the he received news of Rickert's change of heart.
Under NCAA guidelines, college head coaches can only hold one news conference to discuss the entire recruiting class. So, while Rickert's decision hangs in the balance, Olson is delaying his opportunity to answer questions about UA's signees.
Arizona coaches have yet to receive a letter from their final recruit, point guard Will Bynum of Chicago, but he has showed no signs of wavering in his decision.
"On paper, it looks like an outstanding recruiting class," Olson said in a written statement prior to canceling the news conference. "It looks about as good as any class we've had come in here.
"We're very pleased with the way things worked out. I think they are the type of players that will fit very well together and fit with the type of players and teams we've had here in the past."
If Rickert decides not to sign with Arizona or his parents refuse to include their signatures, the Wildcats would be hard pressed to fill that void, Telep said.
"There is a lot to be seen, but if Rick picks Minnesota, Arizona is going to be without one of the best high school basketball players in the country," he said. "You just don't go out and find another Rick Rickert. He's that special."
