6 HRS AGO - Photo by David Grau/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images The Arizona Wildcats have to replace the 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds Zeke Nnaji averaged last season somehow, and maybe Azuolas Tubelis can do it. UA head coach Sean Miller compared the Lithuanian freshman to Nnaji on Tuesday, his first time speaking publicly about Tubelis, whose twin Tautvilas also signed with the Wildcats but is not quite as decorated as a player. “I think he gives us a lot of the same things that we came to love about Zeke Nnaji in that he’s a forward that’s versatile, very physical, can impact the game around the basket, but also is adept away from the rim, maybe even a little bit more so than Zeke,” Miller said of Azuolas. “Zeke maybe was a little bit bigger and more physical around the basket.” Nnaji won a Minnesota state championship at Hopkins High School before joining Arizona, but Tubelis has an even stronger resume. The 6-foot-9, 227-pound forward averaged 16.5 points per game for Perlas Collapse

16 HRS AGO - Photo by Jacob Snow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Players can start returning to campus for voluntary workouts on June 15, according to the Pac-12. While members of the Arizona Wildcats women’s basketball team may not be back that soon, the extended period of downtime will require them to start thinking about conditioning sooner rather than later. Then, they can start thinking about improving their games. What does each player need to improve on? We are taking a look at the returners to discuss the biggest areas of improvement they need to address. Links to the previous installments of this series can be found at the bottom. Next up is Helena Pueyo. Getting to the line Helena Pueyo was recruited primarily because of her shooting ability. It was hoped that she could help spread the floor for Aari McDonald and Cate Reese to better operate in the paint. Her stats say she is very efficient at that. Her scoring is heavily reliant on her 38.3 percent outside shooting percentage with Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images Sean Miller became the latest Arizona Wildcats coach to address the death of George Floyd, issuing this statement via the men’s basketball Twitter account: I am deeply saddened by the senseless act that cost George Floyd his life several days ago. Unfortunately, this incident reflects a bigger issue in today’s society: racism. The hatred that accompanies racism destroys everything in its path. There is no place for it anywhere in the world. In sports, we learn many valuable lessons that carry us throughout our lifetime. The ability to work cohesively together, overcoming adversity, demonstrating sportsmanship, and defining the meaning of being a great teammate all become part of us. However, there are no lessons learned without the complete understanding that we RESPECT each other at all time—regardless of race, color, gender, religion or national origin. We then can become a Family, solving our problems together and completely depending Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - Photo via @jthand55 on Twitter The Arizona Wildcats have landed a commitment from three-star offensive lineman JT Hand, he announced Sunday on Twitter. Arizona offered Hand earlier in the day. He visited campus in November for the Oregon State game. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound lineman is listed as a center and guard on various sites. He attends Mission Viejo High School in Mission Viejo, California. @CoachDeVan @CoachSumlin @TaylorMazzone1 @NzoneFootball @GregBiggins @GiantSkillz @diablocjohnson @ArizonaFBall pic.twitter.com/3boEMG6zf1— JT Hand (@jthand55) June 1, 2020 Hand was listed by MaxPreps as one of the Top 100 under the radar high school football players. He also had an offer from UNLV, which he received in April. “Can play at a high level anywhere on the offensive line. Doesn’t have any offers yet but expect some to come during his senior season,” Zack Poff wrote in April. Hand is Arizona’s third 2021 commit, joining three-star linebackers Jackson Bailey and Kolbe Cage. Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images Arizona Wildcats coach Kevin Sumlin, the first black head football coach at the UA, addressed the murder of George Floyd on Sunday, releasing this statement on Twitter: It has been nearly 137 hours since George Floyd had his life snuffed out in a matter of nine minutes at the hands of an officer of the law on a street in Minneapolis. 137 hours of me trying to process what I witnessed on video yet again and wondering how many others have suffered without it being caught on a cellphone. 137 hours of my players and coaches and friends calling me, texting me, seeking answers for a problem that is so much bigger than just one man, one death. 137 hours of calming my young black sons, of alleviating their worst fears of trying to explain—again—why this keeps happening in our country. 137 hours of many Americans thinking, not again. 137 hours of many Americans thinking, not again. 137 hours of Black Americans wonder when it will all end. 137 hours Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Ryan Kelapire Arizona soccer announced two more signees on Friday, growing their freshman class to 13 players, which is believed to be the largest group in the Tony Amato era (2013-present). The first signing was goalkeeper Alani Mexia from Granada Hills Charter in Granada Hills, California. She also plays for LA Surf Soccer Club. Mexia will join sophomore Hope Hisey—the incumbent starter—and fellow freshman Sami Hauk, a former Oklahoma commit, in the goalkeeping room. Please join us in welcoming Alani Mexia to the Wildcat Family‼️#BearDown | #BuildingALegacy pic.twitter.com/l6EWvaG0u7— Arizona Soccer (@ArizonaSoccer) May 29, 2020 The second signing was forward Kayden Heinrich, who was originally a UC Davis commit. She attends Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach, California and stars for Pateadores SC at the club level. Per MaxPreps, she had four goals and two assists in 23 games as a sophomore at Huntington Beach High. Heinrich also logged two goals in Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jacob Snow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Paige Whipple is the face of Arizona volleyball, somewhat by default. She is UA’s star outside hitter, yes, but also the only four-year senior on a revamped team that in 2020 will consist of 11 newcomers and just six returners. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Whipple arrived in 2017 as the highest-ranked recruit in a class that featured five other freshmen (and two transfers). But three years later, only Whipple remains. “I never really thought going into my senior year that I’d be the last original person from my class, but I’m just excited to take on and continue my leadership role,” she said in a phone interview. “And just with the new group coming in, I’m a person who has had a lot of experience in the program going into my fourth year, and so I’m just excited to be able to lead in that way and show the new girls how to adapt quickly to set them up for their future at Arizona.” Whipple is a good player to build around. Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Jason Terry didn’t look like his usual self. The 18-year old freshman should have been riding high from Arizona’s upset win over Georgetown a few days earlier. Instead, he found himself struggling to keep up with exhibition opponent Marathon. Perhaps Terry and his teammates were experiencing a bit of a letdown after their Preseason NIT championship victory against the Hoyas, which catapulted the Wildcats from preseason unranked to a top 5 team. Plus this was Terry’s first time playing significant minutes in a college game, even if it was just an exhibition. Early season jitters of playing in front of a packed McKale Center can creep up on a freshman. But to the close observer, what was missing from Terry’s game was obvious. He had forfeited the high knee white socks in favor of low cuts. A rookie mistake. When Terry returned his socks to their proper length the following game against Montana, it seemed to boost his confidence. He knocked down a pair of 3-pointers against the Collapse