Star sports columnist Greg Hansen offers his opinion on recent sports news.
Schneider was long overdue in UA sports hall
Dan Schneider, pitcher for the University of Arizona Wildcats in 1962.
University of Arizona
Fifty-seven years after泭Dan Schneider泭threw his last fastball for the Arizona Wildcats, the first one-and-done athlete in school history was elected to the UAs Sports Hall of Fame last week.
It is a long overdue and well deserved award for the Rincon High School grad, a consensus first-team All-American in 1962, going 13-1 with a school strikeout record of 186 that has stood for 57 years.
The 6-foot 2-inch lefty was the centerpiece of the first team in UA history any sport to be ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Schneider was so good in 1962 that the Milwaukee Braves paid him a $100,000 bonus to leave school. At the time, he was one of the five highest-paid bonus babies in MLB history. He went on to pitch 117 games in the big leagues over five seasons.
Technically, Schneider wasnt one-and-done. Freshmen were not allowed to play varsity baseball in 1961, so Schneider went 5-0 for the Arizona freshman team.
His long wait to get into the UA sports Hall of Fame reflects on the productive history of Arizona baseball, as well as the schools overall success in sports the last 60 years.
The Class of 2019 includes seven former athletes, including 2007 Jim Thorpe Award winning football cornerback泭Antoine Cason. Sometimes you get lost in the shuffle, as Schneider did. He will be the 36th baseball player inducted into the UA sports Hall of Fame.
Editor's note: This section has been updated to remove a reference to Dave Stegman, who was inducted into the UA hall of fame in 1981.泭
Aari McDonald bids to be a first-team All-American
Arizona guard Aari McDonald cuts down her part of the net after their 56-42 win against Northwestern in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center, Saturday, April 6, 2019, 做厙勛圖, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell / 做厙勛圖
UA womens basketball coach泭Adia Barnes泭is the only player in program history to make one of the APs All-American teams. She was a third-team selection in 1998.
Arizona sophomore point guard泭Aari McDonald泭last week was among just 18 players chosen to the APs honorable mention All-American team. If she gets any better than she was this season, averaging a school-record 24 points per game, McDonald can expect to be a first-team All-American in 2020 or 2021, maybe both.
The differences between the mens and womens All-American teams are striking.
This years AP womens All-American teams 15 players included 12 seniors and three juniors. The game is dominated by upperclass players.
By comparison, the APs mens All-American team 15 players included just one senior, eight juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.
McDonald, who is probably close to 5 feet 5 inches tall, is also playing a game dominated by taller players. The 15-woman AP All-American team included just three players under 6 feet.
She hasnt let her size keep her from getting to where she wants to be.
Amphi grad Tim Derksen named Swiss player of the week
Tim Derksen, San Francisco 2015-16
San Francisco athletics
Amphitheater High School grad泭Tim Derksen, the Stars 2011 Arizona high school basketball player of the year, was named Switzerlands EuroLeague player of the week, scoring 23 points with nine rebounds and six assists last week. Derksen, 25, plays for Fribourg after completing the Slovakian EuroLeague season in February, where he averaged 18.8 points and was three times chosen the leagues player of the week. Derksen played last year in Spain.
Kevin Sumlin adds defensive analyst to staff
Arizona football players line up during the first practice of the spring season. The Wildcats went 5-7 in Kevin Sumlins first season.
Mamta Popat / 做厙勛圖
UA football coach泭Kevin Sumlin泭has signed a five-star recruit. Sort of. He has hired泭Jermauria Rasco泭to be a full-time defensive analyst, joining a staff that includes Arizona 1987 All-American safety泭Chuck Cecil. Rasco was a five-star recruit from Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2010. He signed with LSU and became a starting pass-rusher for the Tigers with 19翻 tackles for losses in his career. Rasco has been in training camp with Green Bay, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh but did not play in an NFL game.
Ten things I learned about 做厙勛圖 sports this week
Arizona's Hannah Martinez flashes the Wildcats hand sign as she trots to the plate after hitting her fist career homer against Arizona State at Hillenbrand Stadium, Saturday, March 30, 2019.
Kelly Presnell / 做厙勛圖
1.泭Rincon High School grad泭Chris Rastatter泭was one of 10 referees selected to officiate the ongoing Final Four. He was the only Pac-12 official chosen. This is Rastatters 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament since he got his start working in 做厙勛圖 adult leagues 25 years ago. Humble beginnings for sure.
2.泭Tim Kish, a superb linebackers coach at Arizona and Oklahoma and the UAs interim head football coach late in the 2011 season has moved back to 做厙勛圖. Kish, 64, retired after spending seven years coaching linebackers at Oklahoma, capping a remarkable career in which he coached at Army, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Bowling Green and Ball State. If you put together a list of the 10 leading UA assistant football coaches of the last 50 years, Kish would be on it.
3.泭OB Sports, which has operated the day-to-day business of 做厙勛圖s five city golf courses as well as the Sewailo Golf Course, the Stone Canyon Club, La Paloma Country Club and two El Conquistador Country Club courses, was recently acquired by Troon, one of the worlds largest golf course management organizations. OB Sports has significantly improved the operation of the citys five courses. If Troon can take it to a higher level it plans to keep OB Sports personnel in 做厙勛圖 itll be a win-win.
4.泭Arizona sophomore泭Brooks Fail泭became a first-team All-American at last weeks NCAA mens swimming championships. The Catalina Foothills High School grad finished third in the 500 freestyle finals with the second-best time in UA history. That puts Fail on a trajectory to seriously contend for the 2020 USA Olympic team.
5.泭No one keeps records of this stuff, but its likely 做厙勛圖 drew a record combined attendance for non-major sports last weekend. UA softball at Hillenbrand Stadium drew 8,698, Roadrunners hockey at the 做厙勛圖 Arena drew 8,857, WNIT basketball at McKale Center drew 7,717 and Sugar Skulls football at the 做厙勛圖 Arena drew 4,004. Thats 29,276 for a weekend in which the 做厙勛圖 teams went a combined 6-1. The Roadrunners, who play their final two regular season games at the 做厙勛圖 Arena on Friday and Saturday, could draw 12,000 for those games.
6.泭NAU has retained mens basketball coach泭Jack Murphy泭for the 2019-20 season. Murphy was an important part of泭Lute Olsons later-years operation at Arizona, and later an assistant coach for泭Josh Pastner泭at Memphis. Murphy had gone 19-75 the last three seasons at NAU but showed significant improvement this year, 8-12 in the Big Sky Conference. Murphys top four scorers all return in 2019-20, meaning the Lumberjacks are likely to contend for the Big Sky title as they did five years ago, finishing 13-5.
7.泭ASU basketball coach泭Bobby Hurley泭threw out the first pitch at the Diamondbacks home opener Friday. Really. On first glance it would seem that the Phoenix sports market has many more high-profile people to toss out the ceremonial Opening Day first pitch than Hurley. He has, after all, won a single NCAA Tournament game at ASU, and won no championships. But Hurley is the泭Adia Barnes泭of the current Phoenix sports market: his team is climbing, a fresh and enjoyable story, creating visions of much better things to come.
8.泭Pima College will learn this week if point guards泭JJ Nakai泭硃紳餃泭Abram Carrasco泭make the NJCAA All-American first teams. Nakai has narrowed her college choices to Nevada and NAU. Carrasco is still exploring options. I think its a lock both will be named first-team All-Americans after becoming the career scoring leaders at PCCs mens and womens basketball programs.
9.泭Mike Candrea's UA softball team will make history this week, playing three games at Grand Canyon University, the first time either Arizona or ASU has played softball on GCUs turf. ASU does not play GCU in any sport. Arizona is 8-0 in 做厙勛圖 against GCU softball teams. Its such a big deal to some that Fox Sports Arizona will televise Saturdays UA-Grand Canyon game at 1 p.m. The Antelopes are no ones bottom-feeder. They beat No.1 Florida State and lost just 1-0 to No. 3 Oklahoma earlier this season.
10.泭A few weeks ago, Oregon State eliminated its womens swimming program, which meant that Ironwood Ridge High standout泭Haley Mayhews scholarship would not be honored. But Mayhew persevered and last week accepted a swimming scholarship to NAU. The Lumberjacks won the WAC title last month and have a strong program, with swimmers from New Zealand, Scotland, England, Mexico and now, 做厙勛圖.
UA play-by-plan man Derrick Palmer learned from the best
Arizona guard Aari McDonald getting her long-range wrist loose before the Wildcats face Idaho in their third round game of the WNIT at McKale Center, Thursday, March 28, 2019.
Kelly Presnell / 做厙勛圖
If you listened to any UA womens basketball games on 1400-AM this season, you learned that play-by-play man泭Derrick Palmer泭knows his stuff. Palmer has spent about 10 years working UA womens games; he learned from one of the best, former KNST sports-talk host泭Ryan Radtke, who hired Palmer as an intern more than a decade ago. Radtke is now one of the leading play-by-play voices for Westwood Ones college basketball and football operation.
Both Gibbons, Ramer done playing three years removed from CWS
Arizona's Zach Gibbons follows through on his two-run hit in the fifth inning of an NCAA College World Series baseball game against Miami in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 18, 2016.
Mike Theiler / AP Photo
During Arizonas run to the 2016 College World Series championship game, outfielder泭Zach Gibbons泭was sensational. Gibbons hit .385; he and second baseman泭Cody Ramer泭(.348) were about as good a twosome as UA baseball has ever had. Gibbons last week announced he is retiring from baseball even though he reached Double-A last year, hitting .261 at Mobile. Ramer, a UA grad assistant coach, retired a year ago after hitting .266 in the Angels farm system. Baseball is not my identity, Gibbons wrote on Twitter. Minor league baseball is not an easy profession. Triple-A players are paid by scale, between $2,150 and $2,700 a month. In Double-A its $1,760.
Jason Terry is 'a coach at heart'
Lute Olson talks things over with Jason Terry during an NCAA Tournament game against Providence in 1997.
做厙勛圖 file photo
Arizonas 1999 All-American point guard泭Jason Terry泭last week told Phoenix radio 910-AM that he wants to be a head coach in college basketball, and especially at Arizona. Terry had strong interest in being Georgia Techs new womens basketball coach, but isnt likely to get the job. Im a coach at heart, Terry, 41, told 910-AM. Ive been doing a lot of broadcasting, but coaching is my passion. Terry said he strongly supports泭Sean Miller. Were in good hands, he said. I think hes going to kick that door down and go to the Final Four. Hes a couple in-game adjustments away from doing so. With a couple of right matchups, hell get the job done.
My two cents: Tom Belter's return from retirement has Catalina back on track
Catalina's Jose Lugo (20) jostles with Desert View's Isaac Ruiz, left, and Eddie Hernandez for a rebound at Desert View High School, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018.
Kelly Presnell / 做厙勛圖
Tom Belter泭retired last spring after 10 outstanding seasons as Empire High Schools baseball coach. He walked away with 159 victories and two state championship game appearances.
Little did he know he would soon be back in the game, the head coach at Catalina High School after two coaches,泭Shane Folsom泭硃紳餃泭Paul Rojas, left the Trojans during the school year.
Folsom moved on to become the head coach at defending state champion Sabino, and Rojas did his best to fill in on short notice.
After the Trojans started 1-6, Belter came out of retirement and picked up where he left off at Empire. The Trojans went on a 9-2 roll, capping the turnaround with a surprising 4-2 victory over Folsoms fifth-ranked Sabercats.
A little baseball justice, you might say.
Folsom did a remarkable job in his six years at Catalina, going from 7-19 and 6-17 to last years 24-6, one of the better rebuilding jobs in 做厙勛圖 prep sports in a long time.
His former players havent let up. Catalina senior泭Jonah Lauten泭is hitting .500 through 18 games; pitcher泭Micheal泭Romero泭has struck out 43 batters in 23 innings;泭Jon Lerma泭is hitting .433 and has an 0.62 ERA as a starting pitcher. Catcher泭Logan Johnson, a defensive standout, is hitting .372.
Catalina lost Friday to third-ranked Sahuarita last years Class 3A state finalist but will soon get rematches against Sabino and Sahuarita.
The high school, dubbed the JTED Innovative Learning Campus, will offer industry training in disciplines including culinary arts, medical assisting, mechatronics and more.
做厙勛圖's largest school district, TUSD, had one high school student overdose on opioids at school last year. First responders saved the student's life with a dose of the reversal drug.泭
The Army Corps of Engineers is backing Hudbay Minerals Inc.'s position that the EPA, Pima County and Rosemont Mine opponents incorrectly criticized the company's plans to compensate for the mine's damage to washes.
