ERIC M. JUKELEVICS

UA associate head basketball coach Jim Rosborough conducts business in his office yesterday in McKale Center. Rosborough spends much of his off-season recruiting over the phone and visiting potential players.

Thursday October 11, 2001

UA athletics keeps seats filled, one recruiting class at a time

UA men's basketball head coach Lute Olson was out of the office yesterday. In fact, he has not been in his office much the last few weeks.

With the start of the men's basketball season a few weeks away, Olson has been on the road recruiting for next fall, with the uncertainty of his team in the back of his mind and the hopes and dreams of Wildcat fans waiting in the balance.

Olson, like many other collegiate coaches, must constantly look ahead. With the careers of their athletes lasting from one to four years, coaching staffs must work constantly on rebuilding, renewing and recruiting for future generations to keep students, fans and administrators happy.

A program like Arizona must not simply recruit - they must reload.

Associate head coach Jim Rosborough said that during a typical fall, the basketball coaching staff makes between 10 and 12 home visits to recruits.

"We are selling our program," Rosborough said. "(We are) talking about our staff and academics - taking questions from the youngster and his family."

Rosborough said that when junior point guard Jason Gardner was recruited, more than 20 of his friends and family members showed up when the Arizona coaching staff visited his home.

"The (home) visits can last an hour and a half to two hours," Rosborough said. "Coach (Olson) does our sales pitch to the athlete, coach and his family. That's where being with Coach Olson and with the reputation that he has is a real key for us."

Rosborough said the most important part of recruiting is keeping contact with the potential Wildcat.

"Mail goes out all the time," Rosborough said. "We mail probably about four or five things a week. The seniors are getting something fairly common."

Because of NCAA recruiting regulations, a coaching staff is limited to one phone call a week to the prospective player, Rosborough said, a far cry from the process used 30 years ago.

"In 1974, there were parts of the year where I would be gone the whole week," Rosborough said. "There were no guidelines or a recruiting calendar. You were lucky to be home."

Olson said that when he recruits a player, he looks for a player who can make an impact - with the hope that player will stay at UA.

"If we feel that he is only interested in one year (before entering the NBA draft), we aren't really interested," Olson said.

Olson said that with so many players leaving college early for the NBA draft in recent years, keeping on top of the college basketball world is a constant struggle.

"I would use as an example Gilbert Arenas," Olson said. "He wasn't heavily recruited. No one knew he would progress like he did over two years."

As many coaches are quick to point out, athletic programs and quality athletes contribute much more to the university and community than simply their actions on the playing field.

"I may be a little biased," UA athletic director Jim Livengood said., "but the athletic program is so critical for the university."

UA softball head coach Mike Candrea agreed and cited the example of sports as a microcosm of American life.

"I think any athletic program brings a common goal," Candrea said. "It's something people can rally around."

Candrea said a successful program begins with recruiting - something made easier by the school's success.

"Any kid that comes here will come to play softball," Candrea said. "Not so much the beach and the surroundings."

UA recruits not only quality athletes, but fans to support them, some students and coaches say.

History senior Kyle Dei Rossi said the athletics attracted him to UA even though he did not plan on playing.

"One of the reasons I came to this school was the sports," Dei Rossi said. "We have so much here. Every team is really good. Softball, volleyball and of course basketball. (Tucson) isn't on the beach like some of the schools back home, but when you're watching the game, who cares."

Livengood said securing a top-flight program that students and fans can root for is important to the success of the school, but it doesn't come easy.

"There always is pressure," Livengood said. "These are tough jobs. It's harder to stay on top than it is to get on top."

"A whole lot of the pressure comes internally," Rosborough said. "The whole pressure is to have good kids to stay at this level. You don't compete for national championships with average kids. You compete for a Pac-10 and national championship with great players. You have to be relentless, can't let up. Once you finish this class, you start on the next class and the next class."

UA head volleyball coach David Rubio said any UA sport's recruiting success makes it easier for other sports.

"Men's basketball has probably made the greatest impact because they are recognized nationally," Rubio said. "Softball has done a terrific job, too."

Hoarding the country's top athletes is difficult, coaches say. The key is finding a quality personality in recruits, then convincing them that the UA is the place they can grow athletically and academically, Rubio said.

"Recruiting is creating a relationship with the person," Rubio said. "The better relationship you have with the person, the harder it is for them to say no."

Rubio said talent is not the only criteria desired in a future Wildcat.

"I think for me (personality, academics and talent) go hand in hand," Rubio said. "If they don't fit in, they don't have a chance. If they are risky academically, but show a willingness to get themselves on track, it's worth the risk."

While athletic success is the obvious goal, Rubio said it is not the only concern.

"We want to take care of them regardless of what kind of player they become," Rubio said.