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UA officially lands 2 recruits

Arizona signs combination guard, power forward on day 1 of signing period

The UA men's basketball team got word of its second signee of the spring signing period yesterday, when guard Travis Hanour of Laguna Beach, Calif., officially committed to play in Tucson.

Andrew Zahn, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound power forward from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, Calif., also signed yesterday, which was the opening day of the signing period. Zahn verbally committed to UA last month.

Hanour is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound combination guard who will most likely backup sophomore-to-be Gilbert Arenas in 2000-01.

"Travis was a vital recruit for us, due to his ability to play all three guard positions," UA head coach Lute Olson said in a press release. "We felt we needed a combo guard badly. He has the size of a wing player but played the point guard in high school, so we feel very comfortable with him when he plays with any of the combinations of players we could have on the floor."

Hanour's high school coach, Brett Fleming, said he should fit in nicely to Olson's system because he can rotate guard positions.

"Obviously, you have two of the best freshmen in the country this year in Gilbert Arenas and Jason Gardner, and he understands that," Fleming said. "He hopes to develop into a three-guard rotation with the two of them. He has a great ability to score. He passes and handles the ball real well."

Hanour was originally supposed to sign with USC but backed out of that verbal commitment a few days later.

"A few days after I verbally committed to them, I found out they lied to me about some things during recruitment," Hanour said last night. "I figured if they lied to me during recruitment, they would probably lie to me throughout my four years there."

After backing out of the agreement with USC, Hanour narrowed down his choices to the Wildcats and Oregon State, where his high school teammate Chris Manker committed to play.

Hanour said the final decision came down to Arizona because of the national level the Wildcats compete at each season.

"I always wanted to be a part of a competitive team and have a chance to go to the Final Four," he said. "The competition will make me a lot better."

At Laguna Beach High School last year, Hanour averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, while shooting 40 percent from behind the three-point arc. He was also a first team All-California Interscholastic Federation player and the Pacific Coast League's most valuable player.

"He is the best player to ever come out of this high school," Fleming said. "He was easily the best player in Orange County this year, but sometimes, politics determine who actually is named the best player."

Hanour's senior season was marred in controversy, as according to Fleming, Laguna Beach High School had to forfeit 10 games due to a transfer situation and finished the year 8-18.

Zahn will be able to play either the power forward or center position for the Wildcats next year. He averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game, while leading his high school team to a 25-5 record last year and into the California high school Division II-AA semi-final game.

"Andrew is a banger inside and has an excellent mid-range jump shot," UA assistant coach Rodney Tention, who was the primary recruiter of Zahn, said in a press release. "He passes well for a big guy and he is a smart basketball player - kind of like Lute Walton is for us. He can hurt teams with his high post jump shot, and with his athleticism, he is suited to come in and make an impact."

Although Zahn and Hanour both played their high school basketball in Southern California, the two have never met.

Hanour, however, said they are both competing in the Dada Classic at Long Beach State University later this month.

With the two signees, Arizona has one scholarship remaining.

At the beginning of last season, UA had no available scholarships, but with the departures of Ruben Douglas, Robertas Javtokas and Luke Recker, three scholarships opened up.

UA is looking at Delta (Calif.) College forward Philip Ricci, a 6-foot-9 sophomore to fill the final scholarship.