Ebi chooses to enter NBA over UA

UA may have been able to beat Duke for prized men's basketball recruit Ndudi Ebi, but ultimately the allure of the NBA proved too great, as the Houston native chose to remain in the NBA Draft and forego his college eligibility.

Ebi, rated by many as the second best high-schooler in the nation after LeBron James, became the first UA signee ever to skip college by deciding to remain in the draft, despite uncertainty about how his size will match-up against the pros. Ebi is listed as a 6-foot-9, 195-pound power forward. Some experts have suggested that the college game may be a better first step for the high-school senior.

Ebi's decision to sign a letter of intent to go to Arizona instead of Duke came after a late push by the Blue Devils. Just before Ebi gave his verbal commitment to Arizona, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski flew to Houston for a two-hour sales pitch at Ebi's home. Ebi is one of just a few recruits since 1997 to pick another school over Duke. Former Indiana Hoosier Jared Jeffries is the other notable exception.

The NBA Draft is Thursday at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

UA track soars at championship

Highlighted by UA signee Yuliana Perez's second national championship in a row, Wildcat track and field fared well at the U.S. Outdoor Championships at Palo Alto, California last weekend.

Perez, a fall 2003 UA transfer from Pima Community College, won her second national championship in a row in the triple jump with a personal best 46 feet and 8 1/4 inches in her last try. Trailing late in the event, Perez nailed the jump to take over the top spot, also setting a new stadium record. Perez bested her 2002 national championship jump of 46-7 1/4, to win.

The win advances Perez to the world championships in Paris in August, although she had already qualified for it based on earlier performances.

Additionally, six 2002-03 UA athletes also competed. Connie Jerz and Amy Linnen competed in the pole vault while Jeff Hunter took part in the 110m hurdles in the senior events. Angel Perkins, in the 200m and 400m; Adam Kuehl, in the shot put and discus; and Jake Arnold, decathlon, competed in the junior events.

Perkins almost won the 400 meters, running a personal best 52.06 seconds and falling by just 0.02 seconds. Kuehl finished 12th in the shot put final with a throw of 56 feet.