Chase Jeter (Courtesy of Duke Athletics)
Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller talked about a variety of subjects at a Monday press conference, the foremost of which was the return of sophomore-to-be Rawle Alkins and the addition of 5-star wing Emmanuel Akot to the 2017 class.
But he also touched on other comings and goings, including the commitment of Duke transfer big man Chase Jeter, who made his announcement last week.
First of all, Miller corrected some reports that Jeter had undergone back surgery last season, when he averaged 2.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 14.9 minutes per game. He started six of the 16 games in which he played.
“He had a back injury that worked itself out,” Miller said. “Right now, he’s full-go, 100 percent healthy. We look forward to having him as part of our program this year.
“I think getting Chase was a big, big coup for us, as big as anything we were able to do this spring.”
Jeter will have to sit out this season because of transfer rules, which isn’t the worst thing. Miller noted that Jeter, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, is young for his class. He won’t turn 20 until September.
“His year of development here will be big,” Miller said.
Arizona tried to recruit Jeter out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School, but Miller was unsuccessful at that time, even though he was an assistant coach on the U18 Team USA squad that Jeter was on.
“We became very familiar with his character and his talent level,” Miller said. “I’m here to tell you when you look at where he’ll be in his career … we’re getting an excellent player and somebody we expect great things from.”
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