Arizona’s men’s basketball team has received a verbal commitment from Salim Stoudamire, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Lake Oswego (Ore.) High.
The Wildcats would like to snag another Oregonian Aaron Miles to fill its future backcourt.
Miles, 6-1 from Portland’s Jefferson High, is believed to be a priority of KU coach Roy Williams for the Jayhawks’ next recruiting class. Some recruiting analysts believe KU, in fact, is the strong leader for Miles.
“Salim can really stroke the ball,” Miles told Doug Carr of the Arizona Cat Tracks internet site. “With Salim and me playing in the same backcourt, we’d be the best backcourt in the nation. With his talent and my talent, nobody could stop us. We’d definitely be a Final Four team.”
Miles is being hotly pursued by KU, Arizona, UCLA and Duke. He’s also listed Oregon and Oregon State and others in the past.
He told Cat Tracks he’d like to stay in the Pac-10, however, “When you’ve got a Duke or a Kansas after you, it’s hard to pass up.”
For what it’s worth, Miles has been spotted wearing a KU T-shirt at some national AAU events.
“I’ve been told that I play like (ex-Arizona player) Jason Terry,” Miles told Cat Tracks, “and I like that. I love his game.”
KU and Arizona also may battle it out this upcoming recruiting season for 6-5 Josh Childress of Lakewood, Calif. Arizona still wants Childress despite the commitment of Stoudamire, who happens to be the cousin of former Wildcat Damon Stoudamire.
Rumorville: There’s still no official word on matchups for next season’s Coaches V. Cancer Classic, Nov. 9-10 at Madison Square Garden in New York. However, word from the West is first-round matchups will pit KU v. UCLA and St. John’s v. Kentucky.
Camp continues: Roy Williams’ camp fires up for a second consecutive week today through Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse and locations around town. Ex-Jayhawk Scot Pollard’s speech to the campers had to be a highlight of last week’s camp.
Pollard, a 6-11 ex-Jayhawk now with the Sacramento Kings, has heard rumors he and wife Mindy have some additions to their family.
“I keep hearing we have two or three kids. We’ve got one child,” Pollard said of baby daughter Lolly. “We do have two dogs now (both Great Danes, Otis and Cookie. “Cookie is a dog. Otis is like a human, like Scooby-Doo.”
