Sat, Nov 21, 2009
Rod Odom says he will play for Vanderbilt.

UA Sports

ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Miller scrambling for big man after decommitment

By Bruce Pascoe
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.27.2009
Sean Miller's back is to the wall again, and he still hasn't coached a game for the Arizona Wildcats.
The decision of top-100 forward Rod Odom to play for Vanderbilt, following his decommitment from UA on Sunday, meant the first-year UA coach suddenly will need to find another big man for his 2010 recruiting class at a time when the available talent pool has greatly shrunk.
"You realize at this stage you're pretty much stuck with the guys you've got," said Dave Telep, national analyst for Scout.com. "But this stuff happens. And it's much better to know now that a guy from Massachusetts doesn't want to come to Arizona than on Sept. 1, 2010."
Already, Miller had to scramble to put together a surprisingly strong 2009 recruiting class last spring, and now he has just guard Daniel Bejarano lined up for 2010 with just over two weeks before the fall signing period begins.
But the Wildcats still have a shot at top-25 big man Adreian Payne, who is expected to decide soon from among UA, Kentucky, West Virginia and Michigan State. They may also have a slight hope for Portland's Terrence Jones, but Jones' mother has said he would not visit UA because of the direction the Wildcats were going — possibly referring to Odom's presence at that point.
Telep said trying to get back in the Jones derby is "like being down to Mariano Rivera in the last inning" and that Miller needs to make Payne an urgent priority.
Payne's coach at Dayton (Ohio) Jefferson High School, Art Winston, has not returned messages seeking comment, and Jones' coach, Pat Strickland, was unavailable Monday.
Odom, meanwhile, has not responded to requests for further comment from the Star. The Long Island forward, who is attending prep school outside Boston, told Zagsblog.com via text message Monday that Vanderbilt is "a better fit for me academically, and it's closer to home."
Onobun progressing
Having spent most of his time as a blocking tight end, Fendi Onobun finally made the offensive stat sheet on Saturday with a 15-yard catch for Houston against SMU.
Onobun's catch converted a third down in the Cougars' 38-15 victory, and a photo of him unsuccessfully trying to avoid a tackle was featured in Sunday's Houston Chronicle.
"My teammates posted it on my locker," said Onobun, the former UA forward who transferred to Houston this fall. "It felt good. It was the first time I've ever taken a hit."
Onobun has played in four of the Cougars' seven games so far, nursing a high ankle sprain early in the season. He said he usually gets in during third-down and goal-line situations, mostly to block.
"I'm definitely learning the game," Onobun said. "It's going good."
Bosh case frees about 800 domains
A successful lawsuit by Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors has cleared the way for hundreds of athletes and entertainers, including several current and former UA players, to claim their namesake dot.coms.
Bosh sued California-based Luis Zavala to gain control of chrisbosh.com and, according to his attorneys, accepted Zavala's portfolio of about 800 domain names in lieu of the $120,000 judgment that he sensed Zavala would not pay.
"Chris is basically willing to just give them back to anyone who has rights to the domain, if they demonstrate who they are," said Marc Trachtenberg of Chicago-based Winston and Strawn LLP. "A number of celebrities and athletes have come forward."
Domains in the name of UA players Jamelle Horne and Kyryl Natyazhko as well as former players Andre Iguodala, Chase Budinger, Salim Stoudamire and Jeff Withey were owned by Zavala and transferred to Bosh. But Trachtenberg said none of those players have requested them so far. Iguodala currently uses www.iguodala9.com.
Lamb still may visit
The father of Oak Hill Academy guard Doron Lamb said his son would probably visit Arizona and Connecticut, after having visited Oklahoma, Kansas and Kentucky.
However, Calvin Lamb said Doron cannot take a visit this weekend because of Oak Hill's schedule.
"We're trying to set it up but have nothing set at this moment," Calvin Lamb said. "He'll be cutting it kind of close."