Arizona News: Wise Returns, Gaddy Leaves
What would a week in college basketball be without more Arizona news? On the bright side, Arizona sophomore guard Nic Wise has decided to return to the Wildcats after seriously contemplating transferring over the past couple of months. "This is where I want to be," Wise said in a release. "I trust coach [Lute] Olson and he wants me to be a leader -- the captain -- next season, and that's what I'm going to do." Olson is looking forward having Wise back next season. "We're happy to have Nic back," Olson said. "His experience and his leadership are things we will rely on next season." The 5-9 Wise, arguably the team's only true point guard last season, averaged 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He will likely start alongside Scout.com's top-ranked recruit, Brandon Jennings, in the backcourt next year.
However, Arizona also received some bad news, as the Wildcats lost their top signee in their 2009 recruiting class. Point guard Abdul Gaddy has announced that he is decommitting from Arizona because of the turnover in the coaching staff. "There's just a lot of change going on," Gaddy told the Arizona Daily Star. "I don't really know the coaching staff. I know Lute Olson, but when I committed, I committed to Lute Olson, Kevin O'Neill, Josh Pastner and Miles Simon. I had a relationship with that coaching staff." All three assistant coaches -- O'Neill, Pastner and Simon -- are no longer on staff with the Wildcats. Gaddy said Arizona is still going to be in the mix, but the fact that he does not have the same relationship with the current assistants played a role in his decision. "The coaching staff is new and there's a lot of questions there," he said. "I hadn't been contacted for more than two weeks until I talked to Reggie Geary two days ago, and it was really brief." Despite that, though, he remains interested in the Wildcats because of Olson's presence: "Lute Olson is still there. That's a good thing. That's a really good thing. Arizona's always going to be Arizona. It's always been one of my favorite schools since I was a kid." Gaddy is ranked No. 9 by Scout.com and No. 14 by Rivals.com.
However, Arizona also received some bad news, as the Wildcats lost their top signee in their 2009 recruiting class. Point guard Abdul Gaddy has announced that he is decommitting from Arizona because of the turnover in the coaching staff. "There's just a lot of change going on," Gaddy told the Arizona Daily Star. "I don't really know the coaching staff. I know Lute Olson, but when I committed, I committed to Lute Olson, Kevin O'Neill, Josh Pastner and Miles Simon. I had a relationship with that coaching staff." All three assistant coaches -- O'Neill, Pastner and Simon -- are no longer on staff with the Wildcats. Gaddy said Arizona is still going to be in the mix, but the fact that he does not have the same relationship with the current assistants played a role in his decision. "The coaching staff is new and there's a lot of questions there," he said. "I hadn't been contacted for more than two weeks until I talked to Reggie Geary two days ago, and it was really brief." Despite that, though, he remains interested in the Wildcats because of Olson's presence: "Lute Olson is still there. That's a good thing. That's a really good thing. Arizona's always going to be Arizona. It's always been one of my favorite schools since I was a kid." Gaddy is ranked No. 9 by Scout.com and No. 14 by Rivals.com.
posted by Jeff at 9:00 PM
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