Other articles by Bruce Pascoe:

UA recruiters look down the road Freshmen mean array of options Now that's a switch Like Fogg, Williams will come in unseen Cats gain one more of USC's recruits NY duo sure they can make it here It's not Rocket science: Chase faces challenge Hill goes No. 8 to Knicks Budinger traded to Houston RocketsHill chosen No. 8 overall by Knicks

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College basketball preview magazines typically have regional covers targeted to fans of the top local teams.

That's why former Arizona Wildcats such as Mustafa Shakur, Marcus Williams and Hassan Adams have graced covers in recent seasons.

On the regional cover of this year's Sporting News annual: James Harden of ASU and Wink Adams of UNLV.

No Chase Budinger. No Jordan Hill. No mention of Arizona whatsoever on the cover.

On the inside, Sporting News does happen to rank Arizona at No. 6 … in the Pac-10.

The regional covers of Lindy's College Basketball and Athlon Sports do both have Budinger sharing part of their covers, but Athlon didn't include UA in its Top 25 and Lindy's did only at No. 25.

So much for the usual high expectations around McKale Center.

But, for Budinger, that might be just as well.

"For me, I like (expectations) to be lower so you have that motivation," Budinger said recently. "I've always looked at things that way. I feel better when people are negative about something so I can prove them wrong. It gives me that extra boost of energy."

The Wildcats can get plenty of this kind of energy if they read the Sporting News preview.

"Based on their performance in recent years, the Wildcats don't deserve the benefit of the doubt," Sporting News wrote. "They used to, for sure. But not anymore. Instead, they've become one of the masses — the second-tier programs that must prove themselves on the court before receiving a premium ranking nationally or within their conference."

Lindy's was somewhat more optimistic, saying, "last season's team may not have deserved its at-large (NCAA tournament) bid. This one will."

Athlon, picking UA fourth in the Pac-10 but with a first-round NCAA tournament loss, noted that Brandon Jennings' departure to Italy dropped the Wildcats "from a team that could contend for the Pac-10 title to one destined to finish anywhere from fourth to sixth."

Forward Fendi Onobun is expected to be available for the start of full-length practices later this week after undergoing surgery in April to repair a stress fracture in his tibia. Onobun had a rod inserted that runs from his left knee to his ankle.

Whether he'll be in top shape quickly is uncertain.

After rehabilitating over the summer, Onobun has joined the Wildcats for their limited practices that began last month. He has declined to discuss his condition so far but told UA spokesman Richard Paige that everything was on track.

"From talking with Fendi, I think he felt confident with the way things were," Paige said.

Onobun is needed for critical help up front as a senior this season, whether as a starter or a reserve post player. He played in 21 of 34 games last season, routinely experiencing pain in games when he logged double-figure minutes.

UA's football game at Stanford on Saturday had another underlying story to it: Forward Andy Brown of Mater Dei High School was on the Stanford campus taking what is expected to be his final official recruiting visit.

Brown, who visited Arizona last weekend, is deciding between the Wildcats and the Cardinal, Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight said.

"He's kind of eliminated everyone else," McKnight said. "I've had five guys play for Lute Olson, and (Stanford coach Johnny) Dawkins is a class act. Like I told him, he can't go back and make a bad decision. Both are outstanding coaches. It just comes down to what he likes. Arizona has majors he really likes but the Stanford degree is really something."

McKnight said Brown, an unranked wing in the class of 2009, has the grade-point average to become accepted to Stanford but has not yet been admitted.

The highest-ranked Arizona player in the high school class of 2010, wing Daniel Bejarano of Phoenix North, does not have the Wildcats on his top 10 list of schools.

According to Ray Arvizu Jr., his traveling-team coach and an assistant at North High School, Bejarano lists Texas, ASU, UCLA, West Virginia, USC, Washington, Indiana, Kansas, Oregon and Memphis. Arvizu said Arizona is just outside that top 10 list, having dropped when assistant coach Josh Pastner went to Memphis in May.

"When Pastner left, there was sort of a drop in communication," Arvizu said. "What we heard was that they weren't interested anymore."

Arvizu said Bejarano's family was also negatively influenced by postings on UA fan message boards that were uncomplimentary toward Bejarano. But Arvizu said the Wildcats still could re-ignite their recruitment, if they want to, because Bejarano has a "tremendous amount of respect" for Olson.

Bejarano is rated No. 16 overall in 2010 by Rivals.com and No. 20 by Scout.com.