Chris Coduto/Arizona Daily Wildcat Jawann McClellan tries to block Oregon State's J.S. Nash during the first half of Arizona's game against Oregon State at Gill Coliseum on Jan. 22 in Corvallis, Ore. Assistant coach Josh Pastner calls McClellan a 'tough competitor' and believes the sophomore forward will have a breakout season.

In this edition of Pastner's Notebook, the first of the fall semester, Arizona men's basketball assistant coach Josh Pastner discussed the NBA's new mandatory age limit, the merits of recruiting for four-year players and who he thinks could win the Pacific 10 Conference this season.

Wildcat: What is your opinion on the 19-year-old age limit for entrance into the NBA draft, and how does that affect Arizona basketball?

Pastner: The age limit will not affect recruiting because right now we're trying to recruit guys who are going to be here for at least a couple of years.

I wish the age limit was put in like (Major League) baseball, where you're either going to go pro out of high school or you're going to be mandated to stay for three years in college. That would help both the NBA game and the college game that much more.

The college game will never be affected because it's about rivalries and that's never going to change.

Obviously for the NBA, they want a better product and they're better off utilizing the college game leaving those players in the college system longer because they're going to be more prepared and more ready when they get to the league.

Wildcat: Will there be an influx of athletes who come play one year in college and then bolt for the NBA?

Pastner: There's going to be a lot, but that's just the way it's going to be. That doesn't mean we're going to change our recruiting. I still think you build a program and maintain tremendous consistent success with good players who are going to be here for two, three, four years, more so than just one year.

Wildcat: Lute Olson has been adamant about letting all 10 Pac-10 teams into the Pac-10 Tournament, and this year that will be the case.

Pastner: I think that's great. I think when you only have eight teams, it just puts more pressure on the coaches that didn't make it there. It's not good for the league, and it's not good for those two teams. Having all 10 teams is the way it should be, and it makes the tournament that much more exciting.

Wildcat: Pac-10 football signed a deal with ESPN in the offseason. Would you like to see a similar deal for basketball?

Pastner: We have a great deal with Fox Sports, but the more we can be on ESPN, the better.

Wildcat: How much has (sophomore guard) Jawann McClellan improved in the offseason, and is he ready to step up and be a leader this year?

Pastner: Jawann has improved, and we know what kind of freshman year he had last year. You could see the potential in him.

I think this year he's going to have a breakout season. We're expecting a lot of leadership from him. He's a tough, tough kid. He's a tough competitor. He brings it every time out on the practice floor and on the game floor, so we're fortunate that we have a guy like that.

Usually those are the best team leaders. That's why a guy like (senior forward) Hassan (Adams) is a great leader because of the fact that he brings it every single night. Our three seniors, with Hassan, (guard) Chris Rodgers and (forward) Isaiah Fox, all bring it, and when you bring it, it forces the others to pay attention and listen to what you say.

Wildcat: How nice is it to be sure that Adams and Rodgers will be back for their senior seasons?

Pastner: It's critical to have continuity and consistency with three- and four-year guys in your program. It's very important when you have guys at the level of our three seniors. That's just going to make our team that much better because they've been through the games and the elite level games. They've been involved in high-level contests so they'll have the experience being battle-tested, and they'll give the young guys the fundamental base of what they need to know and what they need to do to be ready to compete at this level.

Wildcat: How good will the Pac-10 be this year?

Pastner: I think the Pac-10 will be a strong conference. I think we can be the strongest conference from top to bottom in any of the power conferences in the country.

There's a lot of good teams, especially if you look at the top. The Pac-10 championship is up for grabs. If you look at some teams that are really going to be good this year, Stanford is going to be dynamite; UCLA; Oregon has everybody back; Cal has (forward) Leon Powe back (from a season-ending injury last fall). I think it's going to be a stacked league.

Of course Washington is going to be good. Washington State is never an easy win. You can say maybe Arizona State (will not be good) because they lost (Golden State Warriors forward) Ike Diogu, but I'll tell you what - they have some talent around there, and sometimes when you lose one star, other guys step up, and they form a better team then they were before. ... Any of the 10 teams can win the Pac-10 championship this year.