In Act I of Sean Miller鈥檚 Arizona career, he was a master builder.
Act II was winning; Miller averaged 29陆 wins over the last six seasons.
Act III begins now. Rebuilding? It depends who you ask.
If you transferred Arizona鈥檚 roster to Arizona State, the Sun Devils would crow about their chances to play deep into March. If you traded rosters with Colorado, the Buffaloes would sell tickets in record numbers.
It鈥檚 different at McKale Center. Do you realize that Arizona opened the last six seasons ranked Nos. 1, 2, 2, 3, 4 and 7 in The Associated Press Top 25?
Predictions 鈥 not to be confused with Tucson鈥檚 expectations 鈥 are lower than at any time since Russ Pennell coached the Wildcats in 2008-09. The preseason Top 25? You鈥檙e not likely to see Arizona鈥檚 name on that list for just the third time in 33 years.
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Somewhat fittingly, on Monday afternoon Miller stepped into a rebuilt media center 鈥 double the size of the claustrophobic room that served (or underserved) UA basketball coaches for more than 25 years 鈥 and it wasn鈥檛 two minutes before he was asked about subdued expectations.
鈥淩ightfully so,鈥 he began, but added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 up to us to be better than people maybe outside expect us to be.鈥
For 30 years, media day for UA basketball has been alive with promise and possibilities. On Monday, there was a rare, subdued air, which began at the podium. Miller used phrases like 鈥渨holesale change鈥 and 鈥渋t鈥檚 like taking over a new program鈥 to describe the state of his 11th Arizona team.
Wholesale change? There鈥檚 not a one-and-done NBA prospect on the roster.
Instead, there are transfers from Pitt, Duke and Samford 鈥 yes, Samford 鈥 and Miller made the conversation provocative when he said sophomore Alex Barcello 鈥渋s our team鈥檚 best shooter.鈥
Barcello made 18 baskets as a freshman.
Yet Act III of Miller鈥檚 Arizona days shouldn鈥檛 be as difficult as Year 1. When he accepted the keys to the office, the 鈥渘ame鈥 players on his roster were Nic Wise, Jamelle Horne and Kyle Fogg. Aggregate scoring average: 28.6 points per game.
Two years later, Miller was a jump shot shy of the Final Four.
After a year in which Arizona鈥檚 long-bountiful recruiting outreach was essentially put on pause by an FBI investigation into college basketball, Miller is again recruiting at the highest levels.
His roster brims with talent, most of it in small-to-medium sizes. To be fair, Miller was off the recruiting mainline long enough that he has not had time to reload the roster with the requisite big-and-tall brigade that can stand up to, say, a Gonzaga.
Ryan Luther , a 6-9, fifth-year grad transfer from Pitt whose ideal position would be the new-age 鈥渟tretch 4,鈥 said Monday he 鈥渆xpects to play the 5 spot鈥 periodically.
Why? Because there鈥檚 no one else behind 6-10 Duke transfer Chase Jeter.
And 6-7 sophomore Emmanuel Akot , who said his position 鈥渇or the pros鈥 would be a mix of the 2 and 3 鈥 wing shooters 鈥 is likely to get his most action at power forward.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a lot of depth up front,鈥 said Miller. 鈥淪ince Year 4 here for me, that鈥檚 been one of our strengths.鈥
This size issue seems to deter no one.
鈥淚 think this can be a Final Four team,鈥 freshman combo guard Brandon Williams said Monday.
Akot鈥檚 assessment of his second Arizona team? 鈥淲e should go a long ways,鈥 he said. 鈥淒eep.鈥
Asked about his expectations, Luther said Arizona 鈥渟hould be one of the best teams in college basketball.鈥
The youthful exuberance isn鈥檛 likely to meet opposition until the Wildcats suit up in the Maui Classic on Nov. 19, two days after Miller鈥檚 50th birthday. That鈥檚 when they鈥檒l play Big 12 contender Iowa State, with the winner bracketed to meet, gulp, Gonzaga, which leads the West Coast in sizes XL and XXL.
Arizona is more like an M this season.
Miller turns 50 in November, an age at which John Wooden had not yet coached in a Final Four, and Lute Olson鈥檚 career record at Arizona was 11-17. Similarly, these should be the prime years of Miller鈥檚 coaching career.
As such, this isn鈥檛 truly a start-over as much as it is a reboot.
