DAVID SANDERS / Arizona Daily Star 1999

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The NCAA last week reported that the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team ranked last (a poor 20 percent) in the Pac-10's 1998-2001 graduation rate report.

Much of that is because Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright turned pro early, and because Ruben Douglas and Will Bynum — whose academic careers are included in UA percentages — transferred.

What gets lost in those numbers is that someone like former Salpointe Catholic and UA guard John Ash stayed in school, earned a degree in business marketing and has made it work.

The former UA walk-on has released a debut album — "Johnny Ash'' — which is now available at all the favorite music sites: iTunes, Amazon.com and Napster, to name a few.

"I financed my own project, eight years in the making," said Ash, whose Tucson day job is as a commercial real estate agent with CB Richard Ellis. "Almost every day after work, from 5 o'clock until I went to bed, I worked on this album. It was a labor of love."

Ash self-produced his album, he says, using much of what he learned in his days as a UA business management major. He experienced the music business from the ground floor: copyrighting, distributing, marketing. He does all the vocals, wrote all 10 songs and spent about $15,000 hiring session musicians to help with the final product.

He hopes to schedule a debut concert appearance in Tucson in the late fall.

A day after winning the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda, former UA golfer Jim Furyk flew to Tucson and reminded us why he is considered one of the great ambassadors of pro sports.

The 2003 U.S. Open champion paid his own expenses Friday to assist in the 30th annual UA men's golf fundraiser at the Tucson Country Club. He spent six hours at the No. 12 tee, hitting tee shots for every group, matching every player's $20 contribution in a closest-to-the-pin contest. In all, Furyk contributed about $2,000 in the closest-to-the-pin contest alone.

Sure, he can afford it. He earned $600,000 by winning the Grand Slam on Wednesday and had official earnings of $3.4 million this year. But nobody asked the Ryder Cup standout to come two hours early to meet the registered golfers, or to stay two hours after the event to help in the distribution of prizes and to meet those who contributed to the golf program's bottom line.

"In 30 years, we have raised $2 million for our golf program through this event,'' said UA men's coach Rick LaRose. "Almost every year, whenever his schedule allows it, Jim comes back to help us. He is a class act.''

After four years of planning and fundraising, Tucson's chapter of the PGA Tour's "First Tee'' program is essentially complete. The $1 million project at El Rio Golf Course can now play host to the 975 young Southern Arizona golfers involved in the project. "Our clubhouse is the best I've seen,'' said David Noble, who operates the educational/golf program in conjunction with the Conquistadores. The building has about 4,500 square feet. A grand opening celebration is yet to be scheduled. … Former UA basketball signee Brandon Jennings made his pro debut with Italy's Lottomatica Roma last week. He scored seven points and played a mere 21 minutes; his team plays about once a week. Z-z-z-z … Tim Wood, a standout pitcher at Sabino High School and Pima College, hasn't allowed a run in four relief appearances in the Arizona Fall League. In his fifth season in the Florida Marlins system, Wood remains a top prospect, now playing for the Mesa Solar Sox. … I drove to Tucson High School on Friday night to get my first glimpse of Ironwood Ridge High School linebacker Jake Fischer. Two words: Spencer Larsen. With normal progress, Fischer has a chance to be a significant Pac-10 football player at Arizona from 2009 to 2012. Also couldn't help but notice running back/cornerback Adrian Brahler, a standout on the 6-1 powerhouse who leads the team in rushing (436 yards) and rarely comes off the field.

While playing golf in Scotland recently, Tucson pros Mike Russell of Golf Club of Vistoso, Paul Nolen of the Gallery Golf Club, Dean Vomacka and Todd Huizenga of The Stone Canyon Club were privileged to play the historic Carnoustie Golf Links. Incredibly, at Hogan's Alley, the 585-yard No. 6 hole, Russell and Huizenga both made double-eagle, the rarest feat in golf. Back-to-back double-eagles. What are the odds? Maybe 100 million to 1. … Local game of the week: The fifth-ranked Pima College men's soccer team, under coach Dave Cosgrove, plays at undefeated No. 1 Yavapai College on Wednesday night in Prescott. Pima is 15-1 after winning 5-1 Saturday at Arizona Western. Beating Yavapai in ACCAC soccer is the equivalent of trying to beat USC in Pac-10 football. … Tucson broadcaster Dave Sitton, who seems to be everywhere, will be honored Nov. 7 at the Tubac Golf Resort in the 21st annual Salpointe Willie Kane Memorial Golf Tournament at 10 a.m. Proceeds benefit Salpointe athletics and the Willie Kane Endowed Fund. Information: 398-3526 and dpalmer@tubacgolfresort.com. … Tucson golfers Ben Kern and Jake Rogers enter the PGA Tour's Qualifying school (first stage) this week, joined by ex-Wildcats Henry Liaw and Eric Meeks. This is how difficult it is to advance: The first stage has 10 sites over two weeks.

In the first Top 25 poll of 2008-09, the defending NCAA champion UA women's swimming team is ranked No. 1; Frank Busch's men's team is ranked No. 3.

About 150 former UA swimmers are expected to attend the school's homecoming festivities next weekend, honoring the 2008 NCAA champion men's and women's teams at the school's annual sports Hall of Fame ceremony.

There is no mystery why Busch's former swimmers remain close to the program and often return. He treats people the way he would want to be treated.

Here's an example: At the annual preseason dinner for UA swimming officials (and their spouses) last week — in which Busch paid expenses — he presented each swimming official with a tote bag containing a "Pac-10 swimming'' golf shirt, a UA swimming license plate frame and a UA swimming notebook.

He is on a first-name basis with all of the officials and their spouses, which is the type of first-class gesture that has identified his program.

And then came the best news of the week: Israeli Olympic swimmer Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or, who is considered a franchise recruit in the rank of ex-UA NCAA champs Albert Subirats or Simon Burnett, was approved by the red-tape infested NCAA Clearinghouse and is immediately eligible.

Palo Verde High School senior Adam Hall has two cell phones. One is for college football recruiters, the other is for his family and friends.

Hall has scored 26 touchdowns for Todd Mayfield's 7-1 team this year, a performance of such note that it reminds you of Michael Bates' superb senior year, 1988, at Amphitheater.

Hall really doesn't have a position, which is a testament to Mayfield's resourcefulness. Hall has rushed 58 times for 505 yards, he has caught 19 passes for 420 yards and, incredibly, he has scored three times on fumble/interception returns and four times on kickoff/punt returns.

USC has offered Hall a scholarship as a defensive back; he has taken three unofficial visits to 'SC and was in the Trojans' locker room during last month's victory over Ohio State. And now that word has spread about Hall's skills, Alabama and Texas have entered the recruiting derby.

No one has successfully been able to deal with Hall this season; the high school football game of the year in Tucson stacks up to be the Halloween night showdown of 4A-II powers Santa Rita (7-0) and Palo Verde.

Santa Rita coach Jeff Scurran has spent a career coaching top prospects such as Hall — Brian Poli-Dixon of UCLA, Corey Hill of Stanford and Cole Ford of USC — but now he'll have to find a way to stop Mr. Hall.

Get your tickets now.

Three-time All-Pac-10 point guard Jason Gardner and 2002 U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes will be unable to attend their UA Sports Hall of Fame inductions next weekend.

Gardner, averaging 11.5 points for Oldenburg in Germany's top Euroleague, has a game next weekend against Ludwigsburg.

Barnes has much more at stake. He is No. 25 on the Nationwide Tour money list ($188,652) as he enters the final round of today's tournament in Chattanooga. The top 25 money-winners will be given playing privileges on the PGA Tour in 2009. Two events remain after today.

Here's how tenuous it is: Arjun Atwal leads the ongoing event in Tennessee and would receive $85,000 if he holds on and wins today. That would catapult him from No. 34 and past Barnes into the Top 25.

Everyone from No. 15 to No. 35 could be shuffled in or out of the Top 25 today and in the final two events.

It's not pressure. It's stress, duress and tension squared.