蜜柚直播

Sean Miller鈥檚 pursuit of SoCal point guard听Brandon Williams听was so purposeful that Miller flew to California four times in 44听days to watch Williams play: March 6, March 21, April 9 and April 18.

That鈥檚 the prescribed routine in basketball recruiting: Make your presence felt.

But this time Miller was dealing with an unprecedented variable: fallout from an FBI investigation into illegal recruiting. His once-dazzling Class of 2018 was blown to smithereens, leaving him to chase a grad transfer from Samford, of all places, and for lesser known players who probably wouldn鈥檛 have been given any attention by 蜜柚直播 before the FBI intervened.

But Miller鈥檚 persistence was the right formula with Williams, who on Saturday, for the second time, said he will play for the Wildcats in 2018-19.

Why did he choose 蜜柚直播? I think it鈥檚 as simple as believing more shots and more minutes will be available in 蜜柚直播 than at Oregon or Gonzaga.

This isn鈥檛 an absolute fix for 蜜柚直播 basketball. Remember听Josiah Turner?听Mustafa Shakur? A team that has performed three consecutive pratfalls in the NCAA Tournament needs more than a four-star freshman point guard to return to the high standards of 1988-2015.

Many times, uncelebrated recruits like听Steve Kerr听补苍诲听T.J. McConnell become the real difference-makers.

But getting Brandon Williams stops 蜜柚直播鈥檚 agonizing eight-month losing streak in off-field events, and it鈥檚 sure better than watching him suit up for the Oregon Ducks next season.

The five best things about 蜜柚直播鈥檚 remarkable high school baseball season, in which five teams were听still alive in the chase for a state championship in classes 3A to 5A, heading into Saturday鈥檚 action:

1. Flowing Wells, which isn鈥檛 a traditional power, went 1-26 in coach听Erick Estrella鈥檚 first season, 2014. The next year wasn鈥檛 much better, 3-26. But now the 19-9-1 Caballeros are one of six remaining in the Class 5A playoffs. Player to watch:听Juan Pablo Ruedaflores, who is hitting .495 and has struck out 59 batters in 46 innings.

2. 蜜柚直播 High senior shortstop听Alex Kelch, whose season is over, is the current leader as 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Player of the Year. Kelch hit a city-high .544 with six home runs and 43 RBIs, which also led all regular-season hitters.

3. Sabino coach听Mark Chandler听took a 26-3 record in Saturday鈥檚 Class 3A quarterfinals against the Catalina Trojans. Junior听Preston Clifford听is hitting .402 and is 7-0 with 80 strikeouts as a pitcher. Sabino鈥檚 1-2 punch is one of the best:听Tyler Wiltshire听won Friday鈥檚 state opener and is 9-0 as a pitcher with a .378 batting average.

4. Catalina Foothills, 23-7, is already 3-0 in the Class 4A playoffs and seeded No. 2 overall.听Chris Kowalcek听is hitting .409 with 19 stolen bases and听Matt Cullen听is hitting .419. They await further winner鈥檚 bracket play Wednesday.

5. After winning the 2011 state championship, the Catalina Trojans went 52-103 and failed to make the playoffs until this year. Coach听Shane Folsom鈥檚 team, 24-5 through Friday, remains alive in the 3A playoffs as听Jack MacDonald, hitting .458, and sophomore听Logan Johnson, hitting .406, have keyed an impressive turn-around.

The five best things about what I consider to be 蜜柚直播鈥檚 most successful individual high school sport, girls softball:

1. Sophomore stars. Although the season is over for 蜜柚直播 High鈥檚听Carlie Scupin听and Amphi鈥檚听Kristiana Watson, their numbers won鈥檛 go away: Scupin hit .619 with 11 home runs; Watson hit .716 with 14 home runs and 54 RBIs. Her batting average is No. 11 in the nation.

2. Salpointe Catholic, 30-4, has reached Thursday鈥檚 Class 4A semifinals. That鈥檚 what happens when you鈥檝e got someone like听Yannira Acuna听hitting .632 with 29 extra-base hits and听Malaea Rocha听hitting .519, and junior听Diana Montano听with eight home runs and 62 RBIs, which is No. 18 in the nation.

3. Catalina Foothills pitcher听Nic Conway听pitched the Falcons to the 2016 state championship, and although her supporting cast wasn鈥檛 quite at that level this season, she was terrific. Conway struck out 309 batters, which is No. 9 in the nation, and hit .505 with 39 RBIs.

4. Canyon del Oro, 26-8, the leading girls softball program in 蜜柚直播 history, is one of six still in contention for the 4A title. The听听Dorados have two .500 hitters:听Alexis Kaiser听补苍诲听Ellessa Bonstrom. Kaiser has 10 home runs, third in the city.

5. Cienega鈥檚 two-time state championship coach听Eric Tatham听has three powerful hitters: freshman听Breezy Hayward听is hitting .531, sophomore听Blaise Biringer听is at .548 and senior听Kaitlyn Anderson听is hitting .484 with 10 home runs. Six teams remain in play for the 5A title and Cienega seems likely to run into 26-8 Ironwood Ridge in its attempt to win the state title this week. Ridge鈥檚 leading hitter is听Isabel Pacho, at a remarkable .656.

Four years after he won his eighth NCAA championship as an 蜜柚直播 distance runner,听Lawi Lalang听is back on the scene. He was in a world-class field Friday at Stanford鈥檚 Jordan Invitational, running 13 minutes 24.09 seconds over 5,000 meters. That鈥檚 24 seconds off Lalang鈥檚 UA-record set in 2012, but it put him just three seconds behind Salpointe Catholic grad听Andy Trouard, a senior All-American at NAU who will be one of the favorites in the NCAA championships next month. Lalang gained his U.S. citizenship since leaving the UA and then joined the Army and the American Distance Project.

How is this for a pair of unlikely teammates? 蜜柚直播鈥檚 2001 Final Four center,听Loren Woods, 39, and Santa Rita鈥檚 2010 state championship point guard听Terrell Stoglin, 26, are together on the Al Ahli franchise in the Asia-Euro basketball league. Both have played around the world. Stoglin鈥檚 career includes teams in Greece, France, Ukraine, Poland, Lebanon, Italy, Turkey, China and Qatar.

At 29, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 2007 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year,听Chase Budinger, is back in pro ball. But it鈥檚 not the NBA, where Budinger played seven years and was paid $19 million. He made his Pro Volleyball beach debut Friday in Los Angeles in the FIVB Huntington Beach Open. Budinger, who in 2006 was named Volleyball Magazine鈥檚 high school player of the year, lost to a two-man team from the Netherlands. Talk about tough competition: That Netherlands team won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Budinger completed his basketball career a year ago in Spain.

Rather than compete for a state tennis championship last week 鈥� in which he would鈥檝e been favored 鈥� Salpointe Catholic鈥檚听Harsh Parikh听won the USTA National Level 3 championships at the Reffkin Tennis Center, undefeated in all sets. Parikh, who finished third in the prestigious Easter Invitational in Indian Wells, California, a few weeks earlier, thus climbed to No. 7 in the USTA rankings for boys-16 in the United States. He rejoined Salpointe on Saturday to compete for the team state championship. Parikh鈥檚 brother,听Yash Parikh, a two-time state champion, recently completed his freshman year at Davidson with a 14-10 record in combined singles and doubles. Only a handful of 蜜柚直播 tennis players have climbed into the USTA鈥檚 top 10 over the years, from听Maddie Pothoff听补苍诲听Robert Seby听to听Carlos听补苍诲听Dominic Bermudez.

Sunnyside High鈥檚 four-time undefeated state champion听Roman Bravo-Young听was selected Friday as the 蜜柚直播 prep wrestler of the year by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and is under consideration as the national wrestler of the year. That award will be announced Tuesday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Andrew Mike, a Sabino High School grad who played in 27 games at Florida and twice made the SEC football Honor Roll, is leaving the Gators as a grad transfer. At Sabino, Mike played on Sabercats teams that went 30-6. He is 6 feet 6 inches and 300 pounds and although he hasn鈥檛 said if 蜜柚直播 will be on his list of potential teams, the UA has a strong need for offensive linemen.

One of the top recruits of the听Mike Stoops听years at 蜜柚直播, safety听Robert Golden, will be back on campus this week. Now in his first year with the Kansas City Chiefs, Golden completed his degree requirements last month and plans to participate in graduation ceremonies at the UA. Undrafted after the 2011 season at 蜜柚直播, Golden played six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He turns 28 in September.

Former 蜜柚直播 lineman听Charlie Dickey, who later coached under听Dick Tomey听补苍诲听John Mackovic, was in 蜜柚直播 last week to offer Salpointe Catholic running back听Bijan Robinson听a scholarship to Kansas State. After that, Dickey spent time at Pima College and offered 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman听Sam Moala听a scholarship. Robinson now has scholarship offers from 蜜柚直播, ASU, Washington, USC, Utah, Illinois and Coastal Carolina.

Virgil Grant听arrived on 蜜柚直播鈥檚 football team as an undersized offensive lineman from Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the fall of 1960. By the time he completed his UA career in 1964, he established a reputation as one of the toughest players in school history. On the 8-1-1 team of 1961, behind quarterback听Eddie Wilson听and running backs听Bobby Thompson听补苍诲听Joe Hernandez, Grant become the starting right guard even though he weighed just 180 pounds. Grant died last week at 75. After leaving 蜜柚直播, Grant earned a master鈥檚 degree at Pepperdine University and became a championship football coach at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, before going into the grocery business.

Proof that this is a new age of college football: The family of 蜜柚直播 junior quarterback听Khalil Tate听created a 鈥淔an Site,鈥� , that calls attention to Khalil鈥檚 interviews, statistics, photographs and a 鈥渨hat the media is saying鈥� category.

Maybe that works in the NFL, or at Ohio State or Florida, but it鈥檚 unbroken ground at a football school like 蜜柚直播.

Tate won鈥檛 need an organized marketing campaign by the UA or anybody to be seriously considered for the Heisman Trophy next season. That stuff is no longer necessary.

Tate is on the map, known by all in the football community, and his play will 鈥� or won鈥檛 鈥� speak loudly. His performances will be tracked by all media at all levels.

If 蜜柚直播 opens 4-0 and is in the Top 25 when it plays host to USC on Sept. 29, Tate will get more attention than even those in Trojan uniforms.

By then, maybe we can all agree on a universal nickname for him.