Cat Claws: Las Vegas to feature plenty of Arizona Wildcats talents soon

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Las Vegas, known for its spectacular shows, will feature Arizona Wildcats hoops mania, past and potentially future, in the upcoming weeks in the city. The NBA Summer League at Thomas & Mack Arena and its adjacent facility, the Cox Pavilion, should include former Arizona players Steve Kerr, Nick Johnson, Sean Rooks, Luke Walton and Derrick Williams. … Kerr’s Golden State Warriors are one of the 24 teams in the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts July 11. Johnson will be with the Houston Rockets, who selected him as the 42nd pick overall Thursday. Rooks is one of the coaches for the NBA Developmental League select team that will participate. Walton, who has attended Las Vegas Summer Leagues in the past as a spectator, was an assistant coach for the Lakers’ D-League team last season. The Lakers are in the Las Vegas Summer League and so are the New York Knicks, who are rumored to have interest of Walton being an assistant because of Walton’s past with New York team president Phil Jackson. Williams, a No. 2 pick overall in 2011 who completed his third NBA season this year, will be part of Sacramento’s NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas. …

More Arizona Wildcats from the past will be in Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League and exhibition games involving Team USA, which will prepare for the FIBA World Cup in Spain (Aug. 30-Sept. 14). Team USA will train in Las Vegas from July 28-31 and play a Team White vs. Team Blue exhibtion Aug. 1 at Thomas & Mack. Jamelle Horne, an Arizona forward from 2007-11, will play in scrimmages against Team USA with the Panamanian National Team between July 28-31. …

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Horne will then compete with Panama in the FIBA-sponsored Centrobasket Championship Aug. 1-7 in Nayarit, Mexico. While scrimmaging against Team USA in Las Vegas, Horne might get matched against former Arizona standout Andre Iguodala. Iguodala is one of the 28 players who are members of the 2014-16 USA National Team. … Add NBA Summer League: Other Arizona Wildcats ties should include Matt Brase, Lute Olson’s grandson who is a player development assistant with the Rockets, and Bret Brielmaier, an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Arizona alum and Tucson native Jesse Mermuys, an assistant with Toronto, will also be in Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League. …

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Isaiah Briscoe

Potential future Arizona Wildcats will compete in the AAU circuit in Las Vegas in late July. One of the prospects, Isaiah Briscoe of Union (N.J.) Roselle Catholic, has the Wildcats among his final seven teams. Briscoe, a shooting guard who recently won a gold medal with Arizona Wildcats guard Stanley Johnson in the U18 FIBA Americas Championship, will reportedly take an unofficial visit to Arizona this summer. … The Tucson connection in Las Vegas continues with former Palo Verde standout Bryce Cotton, a star guard with Providence, potentially playing with San Antonio’s NBA Summer League team.

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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.