Miller welcomes three new Wildcat recruits

Seven weeks isn’t a long time to put together a recruiting class.

Yet, despite the time constraints and the dozens of bridges that needed to be rebuilt due to the tumult that surrounded the Arizona basketball program, Sean Miller held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to announce the arrival of three quality recruits to Tucson.

Solomon Hill, Kyryl Natazhko and Kevin Parrom will join the Wildcats this fall and compete for playing time in what is sure to be a new-look roster.

NCAA rules prohibit Miller from commenting on players like New York phenom Lance Stephenson who have been connected to the program, but didn’t sound like he was planning to add a fourth recruit to the class. However, he didn’t completely shut that door, either.

“We’re not necessarily actively recruiting a fourth player, but unexpected things can happen in recruiting,” Miller said. “We want a player who will fit into our team concept not only now, but in the future.”

Fans expecting the 2009 recruiting class to bring Arizona back to the Final Four might need to temper those expectations, but Miller’s first UA recruiting class signals that the former Xavier head coach is well on his way of establishing a solid foundation for future success.

“We’re building a program here, not just a team,” Miller said. “Once you build a program, winning will follow.”

That’s typically not what UA basketball coaches say after the spring recruiting season, but things have been far from typical during the last two years.

When health and personal issues sidelined UA basketball patriarch Lute Olson, the fluctuations in the coaching staff scared off many of the elite recruits the Wildcats had been targeting.

Once Miller was hired in early April, he and his staff had to quickly spring into action in order to secure a 2009 class and lay the groundwork for the 2010 and 2011 classes -- where recruits are quickly getting snatched up.

“More than 50 percent of the top 100 players in 2010 have already committed,” Miller said.

While Miller’s focus is clearly on building long-term success for Wildcat basketball, he has no interest in calling the upcoming season a rebuilding campaign.

Hill, ranked as the No. 3 small forward and No. 28 overall prospect by Rivals.com, has been on the UA radar since the Olson era. His on-again, off-again commitment finally became official when Miller came aboard.

“Solomon had an affinity for Arizona long before I showed up,” Miller said. “He has a deep love for Arizona, and we’ve built a good relationship in the short time I’ve been here.”

Hill led Fairfax High in Los Angeles to a No. 4 ranking in California by averaging 16.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound swingman is a tough one-on-one matchup, given his terrific ball-handling skills and surprising physical strength. He hopes to be another in a long line of L.A. prospects -- most recently Gilbert Arenas and Hassan Adams -- who have succeeded at Arizona.

Natazhko was one of Miller’s high-priority recruits while he was at Xavier. The 6-foot-10 center from Ukraine has played the last two years at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. -- a prep school that typically faces the highest level of competition. He averaged 21 points and nine rebounds per game his senior season.

Miller expects his 250-pound frame to fill out even more as he grows older, as well.

“What we really like about Kyryl is his ability to put the ball on the floor, pass it and shoot it,” Miller said. “In our system, our front-court players need to be skilled, and Kyryl is very skilled.”

Parrom was also on Xavier’s radar, thanks to assistant coach Emmanuel “Book” Richardson’s connections in the New York prep system. Ranked as the No. 25 small forward prospect by Rivals.com, Miller called Parrom (6-6, 200 pounds) one of those “classic Xavier players who turns out to be a steal.”

Miller added that “we couldn’t be more fortunate to have Kevin come to UA with us. He’s very versatile and he can defend a number of positions.”

Miller’s most important 2009 recruit -- veteran point guard Nic Wise -- is still testing the draft process and has until June 15 to make up his mind.

“Nic has done everything right and he’s handled the entire process extremely well,” Miller said. “We want what’s best for Nic.”

Check Sunday’s edition of the Green Valley News for more UA recruiting news.

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