By Craig Degel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 18, 1997

Recruits could push UA to the top - again

The NBA is going to raid the Arizona basketball team's starting lineup in June, that is a given. Michael Dickerson, Miles Simon, Mike Bibby and Bennett Davison all have legitimate chances of going in the draft.

However, A.J. Bramlett, Jason Terry, Donnell Harris and Eugene Edgerson promise to form a strong nucleus of veteran talent for the 1998-99 season. With the addition of the new recruiting class, though, the Wildcats could be legitimate NCAA title contenders again.

This year's class includes four forwards in 6-foot-9, 200-pound Ricky Anderson from Long Beach, Calif., Richard Jefferson (6-7, 205) of Phoenix, Michael Wright (6-8, 225) of Chicago, and Luke Walton (6-8, 210) of San Diego as well as two guards with Traves Wilson (6-3, 205) of Moline, Ill. and Ruben Douglas (6-5, 185) of Burbank, Calif.

Anderson, from Polytechnic High School had his verbal commitment to the Arizona basketball team rejected in October when head coach Lute Olson told Anderson he didn't have a scholarship for him. It was speculated at the time that the scholarship Anderson thought was his was being held for Chris Richardson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Corpus Christi, Texas. When Richardson committed to UNLV last Wednesday, Olson called to offer the scholarship to Anderson.

"We are really excited about this, he is happy to be a Wildcat," said Ricky's father Gary Anderson, who played for Olson at Long Beach City College when Olson coached there in 1970-1972.

Olson is, not surprisingly, pleased with his new group.

"The should be the highest-rated group we've had. I am really excited with this group," he said. "One of the strengths of our program over the years has been our ability to make all the pieces fit together and we think we have done that with this class."

Those are strong words for a school whose recruiting class of two years ago included names like Mike Bibby, Bennett Davison and Eugene Edgerson.

Jefferson is the top-rated player in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's Best in the West poll. He averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds a game as a junior at Moon Valley High School.

"Richard is a tremendous athlete who is very strong and aggressive," said Arizona assistant Phil Johnson who is UA's primary recruiter and responsible for landing Jefferson.

"Every time I saw him play, I got excited and when you have done this for a while, you don't find many players who can do that to you."

Wright is from Farragut Academy, the same program that produced prep All-Americans Ronnie Fields and current Minnesota Timberwolf Kevin Garnett, whom Wright played with as a freshman. Wright averaged 25 points and 17 rebounds a game last season.

"Michael is a powerful player but he also has good finesse skills," Olson said. "The thing that I liked best was I never saw one possession were he didn't play hard."

Arizona associate head coach Jim Rosborough compared Wright to current UA forward Bennett Davison.

"Michael is an active forward in much the same manner as Bennett Davison is for us now," he said.

Walton, who is the son of former UCLA and NBA star Bill Walton, is from University High School. As a junior, he averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Walton is known as a smart, versatile player who sees the floor well.

"With Luke, we have a player who flat out knows how to play the game," Johnson said. "A guy that is his size who has the ability to pass, shoot and handle the ball as well as he does is something you don't see everyday."

Wilson, who is from Rosborough's hometown is a player in the mold of former UA guard Reggie Geary. He is an outstanding defensive basketball player with the ability to score, as evidenced by his being only 40 points shy of the state scoring record.

"Traves is a guy that is capable of playing the point guard position, but it also physical enough to play the wing as well," Olson said.

Douglas is sometimes referred to as a point guard but Olson projects the Bellarmine-Jefferson High School product to see most of his time at the two-guard position.

"He's more a two-guard," Olson said. "Although, he wants us to be aware that he can put the ball on the floor and create."

Most early projections had Arizona's class rated No. 2 nationally behind DePaul. But Arizona has every reason to believe that this is the kind of class they should have had following a national title. Although the championship may have helped, Olson said he believes that UA would have gotten most of these players anyway.

"We had a very strong interest from this group before we ever won (the title)," Olson said.

UA Recruit Profiles

Ruben Douglas -

6-5, 185 guard (Burbank, Calif.)
Versatile point guard who averaged over 10 rebounds as a junior.

Traves Wilson -

6-3, 205 guard (Moline, Ill.)
Forty points away from breaking Illinois high school career scoring record .

Luke Walton -

6-8, 210 forward (San Diego)
Son of former UCLA and NBA star Bill Walton.

Michael Wright -

6-8, 225 forward (Chicago)
Played with Minnesota Timberwolves' star Kevin Garnett at Farragut Academy.

Richard Jefferson -

6-7, 205 forward (Phoenix)
Rated No. 1 in Best in the West poll; pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Ricky Anderson -

6-9, 200 forward (Long Beach, Calif.)
Received scholarship offer when recruit Chris Richardson signed with UNLV.