TUCSON, Ariz. – Head coach Sean Miller and the Arizona men’s basketball staff took a major step in building for the future of A Player’s Program over the last week, signing a nationally-ranked recruiting class that will arrive on campus for the 2014-15 season.
Kadeem Allen, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Stanley Johnson and Craig Victor comprise a class that is ranked No. 3 nationally by Scout, No. 4 by 247 Sports and No. 8 by ESPN. UA is one of two programs nationally that has ranked in the top-10 of ESPN’s recruiting class rankings in each of the last three seasons, and will look to make it four-consecutive years when the final rankings come out next spring.
“A while back, we recognized as a staff that this was a very important class to solidify our future,” Miller said. “I believe that this group of four certainly does that. We’ve added four hard-working, determined, well-coached competitors who will come in and add to the overall strength of our program from day one.”
Arizona’s 2013 Signing Class
Kadeem Allen – G // 6-3 // 180 // Wilmington, N.C. // Hutchinson CC
Parker Jackson-Cartwright – G // 5-8 // 150 // Los Angeles, Calif. // Loyola
Stanley Johnson – F // 6-7 // 220 // Santa Ana, Calif. // Mater Dei
Craig Victor – F // 6-8 // 220 // New Orleans, La. // Findlay Prep
Kadeem Allen
A breakout star in the junior college ranks last season, Allen was named a first-team NJCAA All-American after averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game to lead Hutchinson to an NJCAA Tournament appearance. Allen is a combo guard with length and athleticism who led the Jayhawk Conference in steals last season with an average of 2.5 per game.
“Kadeem Allen has a chance to win a junior college national championship this year,” Miller said. “He’s a guard who can play multiple positions. He’s an excellent defender. One of the striking things about Kadeem is his length and his 6-9 wing span.
“When you look at him defensively, he can really guard a variety of players and pressure the basketball. On offense, he has a great feel for how to play the game. With that feel and his ability to defend, Kadeem is going to be able to contribute in a lot of ways and play with endless combinations of players.”
- Named the 2014 NJCAA Preseason Player of the Year by the Sporting News
- Named a first-team NJCAA All-American and a first-team NABC All-American in 2013 after averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a freshman at Hutchinson
- Also picked up Jayhawk Western Division Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, as well as first-team all-conference and all-region accolades, while helping lead Hutch to the 2013 Region VI title and an NJCAA Tournament berth
- Scored 571 points in 2012-13 to rank sixth on Hutch’s freshman chart, and ranked fifth among all-time Hutch freshmen with a scoring average of 17.3 points per game
- Led the Jayhawk Conference in steals with an average of 2.5 per game and ranked third in the league with an average of 3.9 assists per contest
Parker Jackson-Cartwright
Jackson-Cartwright is a prototypical point guard who averaged 15 points and eight assists per game with an 8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a junior at Loyola. The 2013 MaxPreps Junior All-American has excellent court vision and thrives in the transition game.
“We identified Parker a long time ago as a priority for us,” Miller said. “The point guard position, in particular, is a real key in programs sustaining excellence over a long period of time. Parker is the consummate point guard. He sees the floor as well as any young player I’ve ever watched, he thrives in transition and his style on offense is a great fit for our style as a program.
“Parker plays in an excellent high school program that has a chance to win a California state championship this year. I look forward to him having an outstanding career at Arizona as our future point guard.”
- Rated as a four-star prospect, and ranked as the No. 50 overall recruit and No. 12 point guard in his class by Scout
- Given a four-star rating, and ranked as the No. 60 overall prospect, No. 12 point guard and No. 5 player in California in his class by ESPN
- Given a four-star ranking and rated as the No. 57 overall recruit in his class by Rivals
- Given four stars, and ranked as the No. 59 overall prospect and the No. 14 point guard in his class by 247 Sports
- An NBPA Top 100 Camp, CP3 Elite Guard Camp, LeBron James Skills Academy and Nike Global Challenge invitee
- An honorable mention MaxPreps Junior All-American in 2013
- Earned Cal-Hi Sports all-state junior second-team and All-CIF Southern Section honors in 2013
- Averaged 15 points and eight assists per game with an 8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a junior at Loyola
- A third-team Cal-Hi Sports all-state selection and first-team All-Sophomore honoree in 2012; also a first-team All-CIF Southern Section performer as a sophomore
- Earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section and California Freshman of the Year accolades in 2011
Stanley Johnson
One of the elite talents in this year’s graduating class, Johnson is a punishing wing who has won a pair of gold medals with USA Basketball and earned MVP honors at numerous high-level basketball events. The consensus top-10 recruit and 2013 MaxPreps National Junior of the Year has a rare blend of size, skill and intelligence that makes him a matchup nightmare on the court.
“I haven’t seen many players with Stanley’s combination of skill level and physical attributes,” Miller said. “His physicality and athleticism speak for themselves, but you very seldom see that type of player really know how to play the game, be that smart and that skilled of a player. It’s that combination of skill and intelligence matched with that physicality that makes him an exceptional talent.
“Stanley comes from Mater Dei High School, where he’s already won three state championships, and I think that speaks for itself. He’s the ultimate winner. Two prominent players from Mater Dei to play at Arizona before my time here were Reggie Geary and Miles Simon, both of whom went to the Final Four and one of whom won a national championship, so we’re excited to rekindle that relationship with Mater Dei.”
- Rated with five stars and ranked the No. 2 overall recruit and the top prospect both at his position and from the state of California in his class by 247 Sports
- Tabbed a five-star recruit and rated the No. 3 overall prospect, No. 1 small forward and No. 1 player from California in the Class of 2014 by Rivals.com
- Named a five-star recruit and ranked the No. 7 overall prospect, No. 2 small forward and No. 1 player in California in his graduating class by Scout.com
- Rated a five-star recruit and ranked the No. 9 overall prospect, No. 2 small forward and No. 1 player in the state of California in his class by ESPN
- Helped lead Team USA to gold at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania
- Member of the 2011 U.S. U16 National Team that captured the FIBA Americas championship
- Garnered co-MVP honors at the 2013 Under Armour Elite 24 Game
- Captured MOP accolades at the 2013 Pangos All-American Camp
- Collected co-MVP honors at the Nike Global Games after leading USA West to the championship with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the final
- Posted a double-double at the 2013 adidas Nations with 17 points and 11 rebounds for USA 2014 Red against USA 2014 Blue
- Has led Mater Dei to state titles in each of his first three high school seasons, posting 26 points and 12 rebounds in the 2013 title game
- Named National Junior of the Year and a first-team All-American by MaxPreps following a 2012-13 season in which he averaged 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game
- Named CIF Division I State Player of the Year and State Junior of the Year, CIF Division I-AA co-Player of the Year and Orange County Register Player of the Year in 2013
- Won the Wooden Award for Division I schools within the CIF Southern Section as a junior
- Earned first-team Cal-Hi Sports all-state accolades as a junior
- A first-team All-CIF pick and the Cal-Hi Sophomore of the Year in 2012 after averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game
- A MaxPreps honorable mention Freshman All-American in 2011
Craig Victor
One of the most versatile players in this year’s class, Victor averaged a double-double as a junior last season at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans before transferring to Findlay Prep over the summer. The 2013 MaxPreps Junior All-American has a relentless motor on the floor and his combination of skill and size allows him to play either forward position.
“Craig Victor is a forward with tremendous versatility,” Miller said. “So often, the word ‘motor’ is used when describing players, especially forwards. Craig Victor has a high motor. He has the intangibles of a winner and he does a lot of things on the court. We look for players whose style of play is a good fit for our style of play at Arizona, and Craig’s versatility caught our eye. He has the ability to step away from the basket, he has the ability to score in the post, he can pass and he runs the floor in transition. Defensively, he can guard a variety of players. I believe he’ll be able to come in here and contribute in a multitude of ways and have an excellent career with us.
“Playing at Findlay Prep, Craig has a chance to win a national high school championship this season. Findlay has an excellent basketball program, and having already coached Findlay alums Nick Johnson and Brandon Ashley, we know what type of competitor we’re getting in Craig Victor.”
- Rated with five stars and ranked the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 4 power forward in his class by Scout
- Given a four-star ranking and rated as the No. 28 overall recruit in his class by Rivals
- Given a four-star rating, and ranked as the No. 29 overall prospect, No. 6 power forward and No. 1 player from Louisiana in his class by ESPN
- Tabbed a four-star recruit and the No. 29 overall prospect and No. 5 power forward in his class by 247 Sports
- An NBPA Top 100 Camp, Pangos All-American Camp, adidas Nations and adidas VIP Exclusive Run invitee in 2013
- An honorable mention MaxPreps Junior All-American in 2013
- Named the 2013 NOLA.com Large School Player of the Year
- Ranked No. 1 on the 2013 NOLA.com Super 16
- Earned first-team all-state honors from both the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and USA Today in 2013
- Averaged 14.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while shooting 60 percent from the field, as a junior at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans
- An honorable mention all-state selection by the LSWA as a sophomore in 2012
- Led St. Augustine to a state title as a freshman and a state runner-up showing as a sophomore
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