Breaking News: Jordan Hill, former University of Arizona forward, has been traded to the Houston Rockets in a deal that sends Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks. This trade unites former Wildcats, Hill and Chase Budinger in Houston, which also happens to be Nic Wise's home town. Could we see an Arizona Trifecta next season in Houston?

Arizona has had a flurry of recruiting activity over the last couple of weeks. Here's a look at where the Cats stand with some highly touted 2010 recruits as well as one that has been under the radar:

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It was officially announced today that Arizona Guard, Garland Judkins will transfer to the University of Texas-San Antonio. The sophomore appeared in six games this season averaging 1.2 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. Needless to say, this is not a huge blow to the program but perhaps even more appealing is that it opens up another scholarship for next season, which Arizona desperately needs.

I remember that Arizona signed Judkins almost immediately after they found out that Brandon Jennings, who had originally committed to Arizona, was instead going overseas. I hope he succeeds in San Antonio but from my perspective, I can't say I'm too torn up about it...

Former University of Arizona and current Washington Wizards guard, Gilbert Arenas, has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA for pulling a gun on teammate Javaris Crittenton.

"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game," commissioner David Stern said in a statement Wednesday. "Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."

This is a really unfortunate turn of events for Arenas, who has returned to the court this year after sitting out most of last year with a bad knee. I have read that the Wizards, even before the announcement from Stern was made, were exploring the idea of voiding Arenas' contract. Stay tuned as other parts of this story unfold. 

Following a dramatic victory yesterday over the USC Trojans, the Wildcats have officially been invited to play in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 30. The Holiday bowl will feature the Pac-10 runner-up (Arizona) and the third selection from the Big-12, which could very well be Nebraska.

With four players in double figures, led by Senior PG, Nic Wise's 15, Arizona built a big lead against the Rice Owls and never looked back. Solomon Hill (12 points), Derrick Williams (10 points) and Jamelle Horne (13 points) also scored in double figures and Horne led the way with 7 rebounds. Sean Miller also got 11 players on the floor throughout the game. Momo Jones had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists for a nice overall performance. But, the shot of the night came from Derrick Williams who delivered a sick, one-handed dunk on some poor Rice Owl. It was one of the sweetest things I've seen in a long time. 

And, with UCLA's recent loss to UC Riverside or Northridge (one of those scrubby basketball schools) and Cal's butt-whoopin' last night they received from Syracuse, it looks like the PAC-10 could be anybody's for the taking. Next up...Wisconsin for the first true test.

On Sunday, the Arizona Wildcats basketball team kicks-off its season against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. It's difficult not to keep expectations for this season high, especially with Sean Miller at the helm after a few years of uncertainty at the coaching position and one of college basketball's best recruiting classes. Here's a quick look at some of the things to watch for this season:

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It wasn't a top 25 opponent, or a Division I opponent for that matter, but it didn't stop the Wildcats from gaining some much-needed confidence. The Cats pounded the Western New Mexico Mustangs 96-55. It's hard to get too excited about an exhibition, let alone against a weaker school, but a couple of stats did stand out:

This win definitely adds some excitement to the first game, which is on November 15 at 3PM against Northern Arizona. BRING IT ON!!!

Well, it may only have been an exhibition game but for the first time, the 2009-2010 Arizona Wildcats basketball team took the floor at McKale Center against Division II Augustana and won easily 92-76 - officially ushering in the Sean Miller era.

Looking past the final score what was the most encouraging was the balanced offensive attack.

- Jamelle Horne led the team with 19 points and 10 rebounds

- Derrick Williams had 14 points

- Kevin Parrom had 12 points

- Nic Wise has 12 points and five assists with two steals in 19 minutes 

Other highlights from the box score include 7 rebounds by Solomon Hill in 19 minutes, 8 points for Garland Judkins in 15 minutes, and 7 points and 6 rebounds for Kyryl Natyazhko. 

Of course Miller is going to have to find time for everyone, including Kyle Fogg who apparently was home in California with an undisclosed reason (sickness I believe). 

And now we are less than 10 days to tip-off!!!

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The Arizona Wildcats 2010 recruiting class is certainly shaping up nicely...and quickly. Daniel Bejarano, a 6'5", 200 pound shooting guard from Phoenix has given his verbal commitment to the University of Arizona. Bejarano, considered to be the best 2010 prospect out of the state of Arizona, had recently de-committed from Texas after being on board for over 11 months.

Just days ago, Bejarano was deciding between Arizona and ASU. Shortly after Herb Sendek's in-home visit, ASU pulled its name from consideration essentially paving the way for Arizona to land this Rivals four-star recruit rated number 57 in next year's class. This is certainly a coup for Sean Miller and his staff, considering three days ago, they did not have anyone committed to the class of 2010.

Rod Odom, the 6'8" 195 pound power forward from Concord (Mass) Middlesex School has just announced his commitment to the University of Arizona. Odom becomes the first 2010 commitment for Sean Miller. Odom is a four-star prospect ranked 88th overall in the class of 2010. Odom was considering other schools such as Boston College, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.  

After being committed to playing at University of Texas for more than 11 months, Phoeniz, AZ 2010 shooting guard, Daniel Bejarano just de-committed and that could mean good news for the Wildcats. 

Bejarano is considered to be the best player coming out of the State of Arizona in 2010. This 6'5" Shooting Guard re-opened his recruitment and is essentially deciding between Arizona and Arizona State. 

According to Rivals.com, Bejarano is a four-star guard rated #57 overall in the class of 2010 and the 13th overall shooting guard. From what I understand, Bejarano is more familiar with ASU and Herb Sendak, but Sean Miller has already had an in-home visit with Bejarano is has set up an official visit this upcoming week. 

With a couple of 2010 recruits getting ready to make their decisions in the coming weeks, Bejarano could be a real coup for Miller and his staff should they be able to convince Bejarano to become a Wildcat and become the first official recruit for the class of 2010. Stay tuned... 

My first thought when they were interviewing Nick Foles after a really impressive road win in Oregon State was, "Wow, that guy looks a lot like a young Tom Petty." My second thought was, "Geez, Tom Petty Jr. sure was cool under pressure and definitely looks like the Willie Tuitama heir apparant." That was BEFORE I saw his stats. Let's see, 25 of 34 passing, 254 yards, 3TD's, 0Int's and 1 rushing TD. The most impressive part of about it was that I had total and complete confidence in him. That says a lot. I guess you can say that Foles is "Learning to Fly". Here's his pic in case you can't visualize the resemblance:

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With the final pick in the 2009 NBA D-League Expansion Draft, the Springfield Armor select... Kirk Walters, the 6'11" Center out of the University of Arizona. Walters will be joining other notable former Pac-10 players such as Cedric Bozeman (UCLA), Will Conroy (Washington), Malik Hairston and Luke Jackson (Oregon), and of course, Marcus Williams, the former Arizona Wildcat stand-out. 

The other new team joining the Springfield Armor is the Maine Red Claws. With Springfield's first pick, they selected Marcus Campbell, the 7' Center from Mississippi State. Maine selected James White, a 6'7" Guard/Forward from Cincinatti. For the full expansion draft, visit: http://www.nba.com/dleague/expansion_draft_board_2009.html

If the start of Wildcat Football and NFL at the same time just isn't enough for you then this should help satisfy those cravings. Members of the Arizona Desert Swarm community are invited to play the most innovative fantasy basketball game on the market today coined "Offseason Fantasy Basketball".  

Mock GM is the first fantasy basketball game that enforces the rules of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. A user takes over 1 of the 30 NBA GM jobs with rosters as of the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery (Vince is still a Net, Chandler still a Hornet, etc). Each league goes thru the different phases of the offseason leading to the Regular season ie the NBA Draft, and Free Agency. The twist is users can also have the option to form a sports agency and control player movement by the players they represent in free agency. It's a very real and interactive experience. Once the NBA season starts GMs compete head-to-head in an 18-week regular season. Agents compete in a Rotisserie points-based competition.

Here is a link exclusively for AZ Desert Swarm readers - so get in there and get GM'ing: http://paspn.net/default.asp?p=90&gmaction=34&leagueid=6133&seasonid=53

After 13 seasons and three Super Bowl rings, Patriots LB and former Arizona Wildcat, Tedy Bruschi, will officially call it quits on Monday. Here is a link to the AP story: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/10004834/Report:-Patriots'-Bruschi-retiring-after-13-seasons.  

VITALS

Name:  Shane Zink

Position:  Offensive Tackle

Height:  6'7''

Weight:  295 lbs.

Last College: Shasta College, Redding, CA

Rating: 2 stars (Rivals)

Recruited by: Jeff Hammerschmidt and Bill Bedenbaugh

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VITALS

Name:  C.J. Parish

Position:  Outside Linebacker

Height:  6'2''

Weight:  235 lbs.

Speed:  4.5 seconds

High School: Brenhan (TX) Blinn C.C. 

Rating: 3 stars (Rivals)

Recruited by: Dana Dimel and Tim Kish

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VITALS

Name:  Derrick Rainey

Position:  Athlete: WR/Defensive Back

Height:  6'2''

Weight:  185 lbs.

Speed: N/A

High School:  Northbrook High School (TX)

Rating:  2 stars (Scout.com)

Recruited by:  Bill Bendenbaugh 

Listed as an "athlete", it looks like Rainey can play both sides of the ball as either a WR or defensive back/ safety but the Arizona website has him listed as a DB. Based on today's depth chart, it doesn't look like he's in line to get much playing time on either offense or defense right now. In high school as a Junior, he averaged 7.4 yards per carry as a running back. 

According to the University of Arizona Official Athletic Website:

Rainey has athletic potential on both sides of the ball, with his first work in camp likely to be at free safety... Also could get an early look at receiver. 

VITALS:

Name:  Chris Putton

Position: Offensive Tackle

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 275

Speed: 5.3

High School: Cactus High School, Glendale AZ

Rivals: Three out of five stars.

Recruited by: Tim Kish

VITALS:

Name:  Jackson Powell

Position: Defensive End

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 215

Speed: 4.65

High School:  Newbury Park HS, California

Rivals: Three out of five stars.

Recruited by: Dave Nichol

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Fifty five games are now in the books at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. We did a middle-of-the-way-done check-in so let's see how ex-Wildcats fared at the completion of play. Players are ranked below from highest scoring average down. 

1. Jerryd Bayless (4 games) - 18 pts, 47% FG, 3.8 Reb, 4.3 Ast

2. Chase Budinger (5 games) - 17.8 pts, 68% FG, 2 Reb, 1 Steal

3. Jordan Hill (5 games) - 14.4 pts, 43% FG, 8.2 Reb, 1 Block

4. Mustafa Shakur (5 games) - 5.6 pts, 39% FG, 1.8 Reb, 1.6 Ast, 2 Steals

5. Salim Stoudamire (2 games) - 4 pts, 37.5% FG, 1 Ast, 1 Steal

6. Chris Rodgers (1 game) - 0 pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast

Here are my reactions based on the numbers...

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With the Las Vegas Summer League now officially half-way over, here's a quick look at how the former Arizona Wildcats are faring. I have ranked them in order by scoring average top to bottom:

1. Jerryd Bayless (POR - 1 game), 22 pts, 41% shooting, 4 Reb, 7 Ast

2. Chase Budinger (HOU - 3 games), 15.7 pts, 63% shooting, 2.7 Reb, 1 Ast

3. Jordan Hill (NYK - 1 game), 13 pts, 42% shooting, 8 Reb, 2 Steals

4. Mustafa Shakur (LAL - 4 games), 6.5 pts, 42% shooting, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2.5 Steals

5. Salim Stoudamire (MIL - 2 games), 4 pts, 37% shooting, 1 Ast, 1 Steal

6. Chris Rodgers (PHX - 1 game) 4 Mins, 0 pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast

7. Hassan Adams (HOU - 0 games) DNP

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According to Yahoo Sports, the Phoenix Suns will sign free agent and former Arizona Wildcat Channing Frye to a two year deal for reportedly $3.8 million. The 8th pick overall in the 2005 draft by the New York Knicks, Frye spent a season in New York before being traded to Portland in 2007. Frye has a career scoring average of 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, with his highest totals coming in his rookie year when he averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 boards. 

As of today, here are the odds of Arizona winning the Pac-10 Football title along with the other nine teams according to Lucky's Race and Sports Book (and pointed out by John Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News):

USC: 5/11
Cal: 2/1
Oregon: 4/1
UCLA: 9/1
Oregon State: 16/1
Arizona: 25/1
Arizona State: 25/1
Stanford: 40/1
Washington: 70/1
Washington State: 90/1

Does that seem pretty accurate to you?

To round out Arizona's 2009 basketball recruiting class, La Mirada High School power forward, Derrick Williams, a 3-star rated recruit by Rivals.com, will join Sean Miller in his first season as head coach of the Wildcats along with four other top rated recruits. A former USC recruit, who was let out of his letter of intent, Williams chose Arizona over Memphis so he could stay West - increasing the total number of USC defections to Arizona at three (Solomon Hill and Lamont Jones as the other two). 

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