Arizona Wildcats basketball important dates to remember during off-season

Sean Miller has a busy off-season schedule ahead (YouTube video capture)

With the 2013-14 school year nearing the end, important questions about the off-season for Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball come to mind.

Sean Miller’s work seemingly never ends. At least he will have the month of May to spend quality time with his family.

When do underclassmen have to declare for the NBA draft? What days can Miller and his staff recruit players?

Here’s a calendar to keep track of important off-the-field events that make successful seasons possible:

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Important Dates,Event,Notes
4/1-7/5,Quiet period,Includes only on-campus visits without seeing prospect play (time frame includes exceptions with noted recruiting periods below)
4/10-4/23,Recruiting period,College coaches are allowed to have in-person contact with recruit or recruit’s legal guardians. This period means coaches can watch a prospect compete anywhere and the coach can text/e-mail/make telephone calls. Exception is following dead period.
4/14-4/17,Dead period,No in-person contact but phone/text/e-mail communication allowed with high school seniors-to-be in 2014-15. Text and e-mail allowed with juniors-to-be but phone calls to them not allowed until June 15.
4/15,NCAA early entry withdrawal deadline,Any player that makes himself eligible for the NBA draft must remove himself by April 15 in order to retain his collegiate eligibility. No Arizona players have declared for the NBA as of yet.
4/16-5/2,Spring Signing Period,Serbian center Dusan Ristic is expected to sign with Arizona during this period.
4/24-7/5,Quiet period,Includes only on-campus visits without seeing prospect play with the following exceptions (a/b)
4/25-4/27,(a) Evaluation period,Certified events only
4/27,NBA Draft early entry eligibility deadline,8:59 p.m./Tucson time. Expect Aaron Gordon/Nick Johnson/Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to announce their decisions this week. Gordon will head to the NBA as a projected lottery pick. Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson have not made their intentions clear.
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[table=”desc”]
Important Dates,Event,Notes
5/1-5/8,2014-15 non-conference schedule released,Most of it was released on May 6 last year. For certain: Arizona will play in Maui Invitational (other teams include BYU/Pitt/Kansas State/Missouri/Purdue/San Diego State) and play Michigan and NAU at McKale and at UNLV.
5/22-5/30,(b) Dead period,No in-person contact but phone/text/e-mail communication allowed with high school seniors-to-be. Text and e-mail allowed with juniors-to-be but phone calls to them not allowed until June 15.
6/9-7/10,First Arizona summer session,Some incoming recruits may begin classes/train with existing players. Coaches are allowed to work with players enrolled in summer school for eight weeks for up to eight hours per week. That includes two hours of skills-related instruction each week.
6/9-6/19,USA U18 national team training camp,Miller (an assistant coach) and Class of 2014 recruit Stanley Johnson will be in Colorado Springs (Colo.) preparing for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship there
6/15,First day high school juniors-to-be in 2014-15 can be contacted by phone,Coaches already have unlimited access through text messages/e-mails
6/20-6/24,FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs,USA matched with Mexico/Argentina/Uruguay
6/20-6/27,Pac-12 hoops schedule released,Released June 21 last year
7/7-7/31,Dead period with the following exceptions (c/d/e),
7/9-7/13,(c) Evaluation period,Permissible for college coach to evaluate player in live competition including AAU events. Coach coach cannot have off campus in-person contact with the prospect or the prospect’s legal guardians. Coach can still make telephone calls and recruits are allowed to make campus visits during this period.
7/14-8/14,Second Arizona summer session,Remaining incoming players will begin classes/train with existing players. Coaches are allowed to work with players enrolled in summer school for eight weeks for up to eight hours per week. That includes two hours of skills-related instruction each week.
7/16-7/20,(d) Evaluation period,Permissible for college coach to evaluate player in live competition including AAU events. Coach cannot have off campus in-person contact with the prospect or the prospect’s legal guardians. Coach can still make telephone calls and recruits are allowed to make campus visits during this period.
7/23-7/27,(e) Evaluation period,Permissible for college coach to evaluate player in live competition including AAU events. Coach coach cannot have off campus in-person contact with the prospect or the prospect’s legal guardians. Coach can still make telephone calls and recruits are allowed to make campus visits during this period.
8/1-9/8,Quiet period,Includes only on-campus visits without seeing prospect play
9/9-11/9,Recruiting period,College coaches are allowed to have in-person contact with recruit or recruit’s legal guardians. This period means coaches can watch a prospect compete anywhere and the coach can text/e-mail/make telephone calls.
10/3,Practice begins,Approximate date. Teams can begin practice 42 days before first official game. First official game can’t be until Nov. 14 (second Friday in November as mandated by NCAA).
11/10-11/13,Dead period,No in-person contact but phone/text/e-mail communication allowed with high school juniors and seniors
11/12-11/19,Fall signing period,Class of 2015 high-profile recruit Tyler Dorsey of Los Angeles may sign (he has verbally committed to Arizona) among others
11/14,Potential season opener,Teams can play first official game starting second Friday of November
11/14-3/31/15,Recruiting period,Except for exception (f)
12/24-12/26,(f) Dead period,No in-person contact but phone/text/e-mail communication allowed with high school juniors and seniors
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.

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