Arizona Basketball's Notice of Allegations Revealed, Has 5 Level I Violations
Mar 5, 2021
Arizona coach Sean Miller talks to the team during a timeout in the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Arizona State, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The University of Arizona has officially acknowledged a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, including five Level I violations—highlighted by a charge of lack of institutional control against men's basketball head coach Sean Miller.
The Notice of Allegations was delivered in October. The school then requested its case be presented to the NCAA's Independent Accountability Resolution Process, which accepted in December. The NOA was released to the public on Friday evening following a lawsuit by ESPN.
Level I represents the most serious violations of NCAA bylaws.
Per Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star, those five Level I charges are:
Unethical recruiting conduct by former assistant coaches Book Richardson and Mark Phelps
Unethical conduct by Richardson for accepting $20,000 in bribes
Unethical conduct by Phelps for asking a UA player to delete a text message thread related to an impermissible $500 loan he had provided, and lying to investigators
Head coach responsibility for Miller for not demonstrating he promoted compliance
Institutional lack of control for Arizona because of the men's basketball charges and two Level II charges involving swimming.
The two swimming charges include arranging improper tryouts and lack of head coach responsibility.
Richardson previously served a three-month prison sentence for accepting bribes as part of the FBI's investigation into federal corruption within college basketball Using wiretaps, the FBI recorded Richardsonallegingpayments of $10,000 per month for former Wildcats star Deandre Ayton in 2017.
Pascoe noted Miller stands to lose a $1 million retention bonus if found guilty, though the funds may be returned.
That would be just the start of potential consequences for Miller and the basketball program, which has already self-imposed a postseason ban in late December.
Per Pascoe:
"If a school is found to have committed a standard Level I violation, the NCAA's penalty matrix calls for one or two years of a postseason ban. But an aggravated Level 1 carries a two to four year ban (while a mitigated Level 1 brings either no ban or a one-year ban)."
The program may also have to vacate wins if past student-athletes were found to be ineligible.
There is currently no timeline available for the IARP to rule on Arizona's case.
Arizona Basketball Self-Imposes 1-Year Postseason Ban as 'Proactive Measure'
Dec 29, 2020
Arizona head coach Sean Miller reacts to a play against Colorado during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona is self-imposing a one-year postseason ban for its men's basketball team.
The school called it a "proactive measure in its ongoing NCAA enforcement process" and "an acknowledgement that the NCAA's investigation revealed that certain former members of the MBB staff displayed serious lapses in judgment and a departure from the University's expectation of honest and ethical behavior."
BREAKING: The University of Arizona announces a self imposed one-year postseason ban for @APlayersProgram pic.twitter.com/8Q74It25Fz
The Athletic'sSeth Davisreported in October the NCAA provided Arizona with a formal notice of allegations regarding nine possible violations, five of which were of the highest level (Level I). Sean Miller was charged with a lack of head coach control, and women's swimming and diving coach Augie Busch received the same charge.
By the school's own admission, the postseason ban is basically an attempt to possibly head off a more serious punishment. Whether the strategy will work is another story.
Arizona, long defiant about NCAA investigation, announces a postseason ban. The question is: will it be enough? Odds are no
Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star noted the NCAA's Independent Accountability Review Process is looking into the matter and has the authority to levy "a non-appealable resolution."
TheNew York Post's Zach Braziller criticized the move for what he viewed as shielding Miller from further scrutiny:
Arizona wants everyone to believe Sean Miller had no idea what his longtime assistants were doing, like they went rogue. Laughable. https://t.co/jydeZyEmrH
Arizona was one of the biggest schools implicated in the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.
Former Wildcats assistant Emanuel "Book" Richardsonpleaded guiltyto a felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery in January 2019. Richardson admitted to accepting money in order to direct Arizona players to specified financial advisers when they entered the professional ranks.
ESPN'sMark Schlabachreported in February 2018 the FBI had a wiretap in which Miller spoke to Christian Dawkins about funneling $100,000 to Deandre Ayton to ensure the star center would sign with the school.
In May 2019, prosecutors alsoshared a recordingof a call between Richardson and Dawkins in which Richardson said Miller was paying Ayton $10,000 a month while he played for Arizona.
While unranked, Arizona looked to be on track for an NCAA tournament bid after winning seven of its first eight games. The Wildcats rank 51st in ESPN'sCollege Basketball Power Index.
Report: Sean Miller, Arizona Accused of Multiple Rule Violations by NCAA
Oct 25, 2020
Arizona head coach Sean Miller during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Washington Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The NCAA sent the University of Arizona a Notice of Allegations on Wednesday that included "nine allegations of misconduct, five of which are classified as Level I violations," according to Seth Davis of The Athletic.
Per that report, "The Level I allegations, which fall in the most serious category, include a lack of institutional control and failure to monitor by the university; a lack of head coach control by men's basketball coach Sean Miller; and a lack of head coach control by Augie Busch, the women's swimming and diving coach."
Can confirm basics here: Arizona charged with nine violations, five Level Ones, including a head coach control charge for Sean Miller. This is a whopper of a Notice of Allegations. https://t.co/S8fW1UWWZ7
As Davis reported, Arizona's outside counsel, Paul Kelly, noted when the school received the Notice of Allegations that the nine allegations "are greater than the number of violations alleged in any of the cases that have emerged as a result of the investigation into college basketball conducted by the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York."
One factor is that the NCAA said Book Richardson and Mark Phelps, former Miller assistants, didn't cooperate during the organizing body's investigation into the school. Arizona has denied the claim that this constitutes "adversarial posturing."
Richardson pleaded guiltyto a federal funds bribery chargein a sweeping investigation into illegal recruiting practices in college basketball. Richardson testified that he received $20,000 in bribes to steer Arizona players to Christian Dawkins and Munish Sood, an aspiring agent and financial adviser, respectively.
Richardson was also heard on FBI wiretapsimplying that Miller "bought" the commitment of Phoenix Suns center and former Arizona star Deandre Ayton. Additionally, he said Miller was "taking care of Rawle (Alkins) and them," referring to the former Arizona wing.
After Richardson was sentenced to three months in a federal prison and two years of probation, however, he denied any knowledge of Miller paying players.
"I have no knowledge of Sean Miller paying players or attempting to pay them ... I was on trial no one else. Again I apologize to the University of Arizona, President Robbins and the kind and great people of Tucson for this. Thank you Tucson and all the Wildcats across the world!"
Per Davis, Phelps was fired by Arizona after falsifying transcripts.
Former Arizona Coach, Hall of Famer Lute Olson Dies at Age 85
Aug 27, 2020
Arizona's head coach Lute Olson, who is on a leave of absence is on hand today to say farewell to his seniors after the game against UCLA at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Mar. 2, 2008. UCLA won, 68 - 66. (AP Photo/John Miller)
Former Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson died Thursday at the age of 85, Kelly Olson told Jeff Goodman of Stadium:
Former Arizona coach and Hall of Famer Lute Olson passed way earlier tonight, his wife Kelly told me. Olson was 85 years old.
Olson suffered a stroke in February 2019 and had been unable to fully recover. He also suffered a stroke in 2008.
Anthony Victor Reyes of KVOA Tuscon reported Tuesday the coach was in hospice care and he was in a "fight for his life."
Olson is best known for his 24 seasons coaching the University of Arizona, leading the team to the national championship in 1997 with a team that featured Mike Bibby, Jason Terry and Miles Simon.
He also led the school to four Final Four appearances, the only ones in school history, while adding 11 regular-season titles in the Pac-12.
The Wildcats had only three NCAA tournament appearances before Olson took over in 1983 but the school became a national power by the time he retired in 2007.
Former Wildcats Richard Jefferson, Jason Terry and Steve Kerr took to Twitter on Thursday night to pay tribute to their former coach:
It’s rare that a man is a Hall of famer and still under appreciated. I’ll always feel like you never got the credit you deserved as a leader, family man, grandfather, coach and as a mentor. I love you Coach O 🐻⬇️
Olson also spent time with Cal State Long Beach and Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to the Final Four in 1980, while totaling 781 wins over his more than three decades in Division I.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Report: Ex-Mavericks G Jason Terry Accepts Assistant Coaching Job at Arizona
May 27, 2020
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 02: Jason Terry #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on April 2, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Jason Terry is reportedly heading back to his alma mater to join the coaching staff.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Terry will join the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team as an assistant coach. He was the assistant general manager of the Texas Legends, who are the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.
Charania noted an announcement is expected Thursday.
The LegendshiredTerry in September 2019, which was notable since he played with the Mavericks from 2004-05 through 2011-12.
Terry entered the NBA as the No. 10 overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft and played 19 seasons for the Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks.
He was best known for his time in Dallas, where he won 2008-09 Sixth Man of the Year and helped lead the team to a victory over LeBron James' Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
The sharpshooter played collegiately at Arizona from 1995-96 through 1998-99 and won Pac-10 Player of the Year as a consensus All-American in his final season. The Wildcats also won the national championship in his second campaign with the school.
It was the only national championship in program history, although he will look to help change that as an assistant coach.
Arizona's Josh Green Declares for 2020 NBA Draft; Projected 1st-Round Pick
Apr 10, 2020
Arizona guard Josh Green (0) in the first half during an NCAA college basketball game against Southern California Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Wildcats guard Josh Green's collegiate career is over after just one season.
Green declared for the 2020 NBA draft Friday, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has the freshman going 19th overall in his latest mock draft, calling him an "explosive wing and exceptional defender" who can at times struggle to create.
Green arrived at Arizona as a 5-star prospect and the No. 13 overall player in the class of 2019, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He is a versatile playmaker at 6'6" with the ability to attack the lane, shoot from the outside, create turnovers on the defensive side and help on the boards when needed.
He wasted little time flashing his potential with 22 points in a marquee non-conference win over Illinois in just his second game and then followed up with 17 points in a high-profile showdown with Gonzaga and 17 points in an important Pac-12 game against Oregon.
While Zeke Nnaji and Nico Mannion shouldered plenty of the team's offensive responsibility, Green was a key secondary option who could take advantage of spacing created when defenses collapsed on the other playmakers.
However, it was his defensive ability that stood out during his one season at Arizona.
Green is athletic enough to stay in front of ball-handlers and possesses the wingspan to challenge perimeter shots and disrupt passing lanes. His tendency to lock up the opponent's best player for extended stretches took pressure off his teammates on that side of the ball.
In February, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected him as a first-round pick and pointed to "his athleticism for transition and defense, plus the flashes of set shooting, floaters and passing" as reasons for optimism.
Green used that skill set to average 12.0points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
He will now shift his attention away from competing in the Pac-12 toward finding a role as a rookie in the NBA.
Arizona's Nico Mannion Declares for 2020 NBA Draft
Apr 7, 2020
Arizona guard Nico Mannion shoots against Washington State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, March 5, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won 83-62. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Point guard prospect Nico Mannion has declared for the 2020 NBA draft after one season at Arizona, according to a post on his Instagram page.
Head coach Sean Miller had initially confirmed in early March that Mannion was leaving after the season, but his father, Pace Mannion, denied those reports, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
The 19-year-old has now made his decision, although he will have the opportunity to withdraw from the draft by June 15.
An Italian native, Mannion first gained national attention in the United States as a high school player, becoming a viral sensation thanks to his athleticism:
Nico Mannion says he doesn’t “look like a good player in all honesty.” But the Red Mamba is the nation’s No. 1 point guard prospect for a reason.
He was rated the top point guard prospect and No. 9 overall player in the 2019 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
The high level of play continued at Arizona, where he averaged 14.0 points, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
It was enough for Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman to consider him the No. 20 overall prospect in the class heading into March.
At 6'3", 190 pounds, Mannion is slightly undersized for the NBA, and his outside shooting was a bit inconsistent at 32.7 percent this season. On the other hand, the guard showcased good athleticism with the ability to attack the basket and finish with ease.
Adding in his quality work on the defensive end, he has a chance to be an impact player in the pros.
His departure will also leave Arizona especially short-handed next year after it lost much of the rotation from the 2019-20 squad, including seniors (Dylan Smith, Stone Gettings, Chase Jeter, Max Hazzard) and other top draft prospects Zeke Nnaji and perhaps Josh Green, who has yet to decide. Miller will have a tough challenge getting the Wildcats back into contention in the Pac-12 with a lot of turnover during the offseason.
Nico Mannion's Father Pace Denies Son Will Leave Arizona, Enter 2020 NBA Draft
Mar 8, 2020
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 30: Nico Mannion #1 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts in the second half against the Washington Huskies during their game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on January 30, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
Pace Mannion, the father of Arizona star Nico Mannion, denied his son has decided to enter the 2020 NBA draft despite comments from head coach Sean Miller.
"He will make that decision after the season," Pace Mannion told Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. On Saturday, Miller said Mannion would go pro after the Wildcats' 69-63 loss to Washington, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
Mannion is averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 39.0 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from beyond the arc for the Wildcats.
He's widely considered a first-round prospect and possible lottery pick this summer. In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Mannion at No. 13 to the San Antonio Spurs.
The added pressure that comes with making the step up to the NBA won't be that daunting for the 19-year-old either.
Pace was a second-round pick of the Golden State Warriors in the 1983 NBA draft, and he spent six years in the league before playing overseas.
B/R's David Gardner profiled Mannion in December, writing about how his distinctive look and highlight-reel dunks have helped him gain an ardent following already:
"His fame is only going to grow from here. A few weeks after he got back from Hawaii, he was walking around the mall with some friends. They weren't shopping. They just wanted to spend time together before scattering to schools across the country. So when Nico saw a group of kids coming for him, he decided to duck them. He bolted behind a support beam and then squatted behind a table. But he still heard: 'Hey Nico! What's up?'"
Many have commented on the state of the 2020 draft class and the lack of elite talent at the top of the board, and Mannion isn't exempt from the general skepticism about the group.
His frame (6'3" and 190 pounds) might limit how a coach can use him in the backcourt, though CJ McCollum has been effective at the 2 with similar physical tools. He'll need to improve his long-range shooting, too, especially since he might struggle to score inside when matched up against bigger guards.
While he might not reach an All-Star level in the NBA, Mannion should carve out a nice career in the league should he decide to leave.
With a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, he projects to be an effective facilitator.
Mannion's willingness to fire from the perimeter is also encouraging. He is averaging five three-point attempts per game. Assuming he continues to work on his jumper, a bump in efficiency could follow.
Teams in the lottery looking for a floor general would do well to target Mannion if he eventually confirms his exit from Arizona.
Miller knew there was a chance Mannion would be a one-and-done. The Phoenix native was the No. 9 player in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Mannion's departure would hurt all the same, especially since the Wildcats don't have a star-studded group coming in for next season. James Akinjo transferred from Georgetown in January, but their 2020 recruiting class is 41st in 247Sports' composite team rankings.
Arizona's Chase Jeter Suspended 2 Games for Violating Team Rules
Mar 5, 2020
Arizona center Chase Jeter (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon State Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona will have to play its final two games of the conference season without Chase Jeter.
The Wildcats announced they were suspending the senior center for the remainder of the Pac-12 season due to an undisclosed violation of team rules. The suspension means Jeter will be ineligible to play on Senior Night against Washington at McKale Memorial Center on March 7.
Chase Jeter is suspended the final two regular season games for a violation of team rules.
Jeter is averaging 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 16.8 minutes in 21 contests this year.
According to ESPN'sJoe Lunardi, the Wildcats (19-10, 9-7 Pac-12) are projected to enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed in the South region.
That may change if the Wildcats aren't able to hold serve against Washington and Washington State to close out the regular season. Equally pressing is the fact that Arizona is still playing for seeding in the Pac-12 tournament, which is likely to affect where the selection committee places it once the NCAA tournament begins.
The Wildcats have defeated both the Cougars and Huskies on the road this season, but losing at home to either of the conference's lesser teams—especially since Arizona is just 1-4 against ranked opponents—would surely hurt their standing on Selection Sunday.
Jeter has played 99 games over his collegiate career, but he has yet to recapture the success he found as a junior when he averaged 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds.
He transferred from Duke after his sophomore season and sat out during the 2017-18 campaign while an Arizona team featuring Deandre Ayton, Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins won the Pac-12's regular-season championship, as well as the conference tournament. However, the fourth-seeded Wildcats fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing 89-68 to a surging Buffalo team.
While Jeter won't be able to start on Senior Night, he'll have plenty of time to give a formal goodbye to Arizona should it continue to advance through March.
Nico Mannion Can't Avoid Stardom Anymore
Dec 3, 2019
Nico Mannion gets noticed a lot. This past summer, a couple of months before he left for college, he and his parents went to Hawaii for vacation. One afternoon, he and his mother were strolling along the shoreline, talking about how life was changing, when they noticed something unusual. A 10-year-old boy sprang out of the ocean, snagged his phone off his towel and sprinted toward them to ask for a picture with Nico. The next day, two children made their parents wait in the hotel lobby—in Hawaii, with the beach thisclose—for three hours so they could ask for his autograph.
Nico says yes to almost every request. His parents were both professional athletes, and they taught him that he had two choices as his fame grew: Be the kind of player kids feel comfortable approaching, or be an ass. But even they couldn't have anticipated the kind of attention their son would receive.
It's not just that Nico is the star of Arizona's strong freshman class, or that he's already averaging 15.3 points and 5.8 assists for the undefeated No. 12 Wildcats, or even that he's a potential top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
It's that he really doesn't look like he could be any of those things. He's "shouldn't you be wearing some more sunscreen?" pale and "shouldn't you be drinking another protein shake?" skinny. And his signature red hair springs from the top of his head like a well-watered Chia Pet. The fact that he stands out, even among elite basketball prospects, has made him an internet obsession, with 400,000 Instagram followers and counting.
His fame is only going to grow from here. A few weeks after he got back from Hawaii, he was walking around the mall with some friends. They weren't shopping. They just wanted to spend time together before scattering to schools across the country. So when Nico saw a group of kids coming for him, he decided to duck them. He bolted behind a support beam and then squatted behind a table. But he still heard: "Hey Nico! What's up?"
To his horror, he turned and saw a group of eight police officers eating lunch. One of them wanted a picture. "I was like, 'Dang, that's not good,'" Nico says now. "They know exactly who I am. If I do anything wrong, I'm screwed. It was an eye-opener. It wasn't just kids that knew who I was. It was the general public. And it won't be long before even more people know who I am."
Before Nico Mannion was a viral sensation, before he was born or his parents had even met, his father was making the Mannion name known. As a senior in 1983, Pace Mannion led the 10th-seeded Utah Utes to an unlikely Sweet 16 run out of a regional in Boise, Idaho. Eighteen hundred miles to the southeast, a group of Rice students crowded around the television in their Texas dorm to watch the NCAA tournament. They became fixated on a 6'7" guard with floppy red hair. That day, they formed the Pace Mannion Fan Club.
When Pace turned pro, the club's members would come to watch him play whenever his teams were in town to face the Houston Rockets. Pace played for six seasons in the NBA and primarily came off the bench, but that never slowed the students' enthusiasm. They would chant, "Pace! Pace! He's our Mannion!" and wear green T-shirts with his face on them. The group began with just a dozen or so students but swelled into more than 100 within a couple of years.
"We weren't spoofing him," says Neil Liss, the president of the long-since-disbanded fan club. "We were authentic. He was this super-skilled guy, but he was an underdog who came off the bench. And he was kind of gawky and odd. There's no logical explanation for it, but we genuinely loved him and were excited to watch him play."
People have been excited to watch Pace's son play since he was in eighth grade. Before then, Nico says, "I wasn't very good, if I'm being honest. I was scoring on the wrong hoop." Indeed, in one of his first competitive basketball games, Nico checked in off the bench, caught a pass and heard the parents cheering, "Go, Nico, go!" as he sprinted toward the rim for a layup. It was only after he scored that realized they were actually yelling, "No, Nico, no!" He'd run to the wrong basket.
But he grew up around the game and learned from its greats. Nico was born in Italy because Pace played there professionally and stayed there when he met and married professional volleyball player Gaia Bianchi. When the family returned to the United States, Pace got a gig doing pre- and postgame analysis for Utah Jazz broadcasts. Nico would shoot around on the studio set hoop and single out Jazz players to talk to before games. After games, even though Pace worked for the home team, Nico would have no problem approaching an opponent and asking for an autograph.
In 2008, when Nico was seven, he made Pace wait an hour after the Jazz lost Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals to the Lakers so that he could meet Kobe Bryant. Pace had played with Bryant's dad in Italy, and he told Nico to get his attention by talking to him in Italian. "Kobe took time out of his day to come talk to a little kid," Nico says. "He took 10 minutes, and he made my year." To this day, Nico has signed and framed jerseys from Bryant, Steve Nash, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James on the wall above his bed.
Pace was Nico's coach when they lived in Utah, but he retired from that title when they moved to Arizona. Nico was 12 at the time, and Pace says he "wanted to be Nico's dad and not his coach." Pace used to tell Nico that, because of the way he looked, he had five minutes to surprise opponents. Nico would smile when he saw the opposing team's worst player ask his coach to defend him. In Arizona, it wasn't long before he stopped surprising people.
In his first viral highlight, Nico, then a rising ninth grader, dunked for the first time in a live game, going over a kid who was about half a foot taller than him. The clip prompted Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott to follow Nico on Instagram—along with a few thousand others. Later, Kevin Durant was recorded watching a Nico mixtape. "Oh yeah, I done seen players like him before, having long careers," Durant said as he watched Nico drain a three. And then, a moment later, when Nico assaulted the rim with a slam: "Oh! I ain't seen that, though."
It's the incongruity between the way Nico, who's 6'3" and 190 pounds, looks and the way he plays that never ceases to surprise newcomers to his game. "He's white and he's got red hair," Pace says. "… There aren't too many guys like that with his skill set. Not even in the NBA. … That's what's drawn people to Nico."
When Nico's Pinnacle High School team would visit rivals, fans would hold up signs that read "Nico Mannion listens to Nickelback" or "Nico Mannion sleeps with a nightlight." Once, the entire student section brought carrots with them to taunt their redheaded foe. "Not like baby carrots," Nico says. "Real big ones." But Nico had a double-double by the end of the third quarter, and the carrots ended up on the floor beneath the bleachers. By the age of 15, he had been featured in a lengthy profile by Sports Illustrated and had received countless college scholarship offers—including from Arizona.
But before he could jump to the next level, he had to return home.
The hardest moment of Nico Mannion's young basketball life happened in Colorado Springs. He had just finished his freshman season at Pinnacle, averaging 20.2 points a game and being named a MaxPreps first-team freshman All-American. His next goal was to qualify for the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship with Team USA. For all attention that AAU offers, USA Basketball is a much more serious operation, and its camps are a chance for prospects to put themselves ahead of their peers. Nico thought it might be his last chance to surprise people.
For the first couple of days at the camp, Nico got to show off the skills that were making him a coveted college prospect. He is a strong finisher at the rim, given his slight frame, and he has the kind of basketball IQ you'd expect to see from the son of a pro. He's flashy but still a facilitator, and he can change speeds with ease. But after the first couple of rounds of cuts, Team USA coaches switched him off the ball. He didn't feel like he played his best basketball, but he still felt confident he would make the team.
That night, USA Basketball Assistant Director Samson Kayode called the kids into a recreation room where he would announce the final cut. Crowded onto a couch with teammates, Nico heard Samson say the first name. He was safe. The second. He was still safe. The third. He felt sure he'd made the team. And then he heard the fourth cut: "Nico Mannion."
He hustled back to his dorm room and threw his gear in his bag. He called his parents, pissed. He asked them to come pick him up. And then he called his trainer and told him to meet him at the gym in Arizona as soon as possible. Two days later, they were back at work. "It was probably the toughest thing Nico went through in basketball," Pace says. "Someone told him he wasn't good enough to play. It was also probably the best thing to happen to him. It lit a fire under him."
When he returned home, Nico heard from the Italian Basketball Federation. They knew he was a dual citizen, and they wanted to know: Would he come play for Italy at the FIBA U16 European Championship instead? He would. And in seven games that summer, Mannion averaged a tournament-high 19.9 points, to go along with 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Two summers later, after leading Pinnacle to an Arizona 6A state championship, he turned down a chance to return to Team USA and instead made his debut for the Italian national team at age 17.
A couple of months later, in September 2018, Nico surprised people with another commitment. Although he held offers from Duke and Villanova and just about every other college in the country, Nico only held one in-home visit in the fall before making his decision. Sean Miller and then-assistant coach Mark Phelps drove to Phoenix and showed Nico a slideshow with Arizona greats and then told him how he could be the Wildcats' next star freshman. The next day, Nico drove his parents to the airport for a vacation in Mexico. By the time Pace and Gaia landed and got to baggage claim, Nico had called to tell them he was ready to commit.
Even as scandals swirled around Arizona—the firing of Phelps or the release of the transcripts from the trial of former assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson in the college basketball recruiting scandal—Nico didn't waver. When bad news stories were about to break, an Arizona coach would call the Mannions and explain their side. Nico's friends would pester him with questions, but he felt at home—literally—in Arizona.
"Everyone was like, 'Why don't you go to Duke? Why don't you go to Villanova?' Nico says. "Duke was the main one. But everything I wanted was in Arizona. There's no reason to go all the way across the country when I have everything I need and want two hours away."
It helped that one of his AAU teammates, Australian wing Josh Green, committed to being part of Arizona's class. They were among the most lethal backcourts in grassroots basketball over the past three seasons, and that connection has proved fruitful so far this season too. Mannion and Green are Arizona's second- and third-leading scorers, respectively, behind fellow freshman Zeke Nnaji. "There's no other college backcourt where the 1- and the 2-guards have played with each other for four years," he says.
In April, the pair teamed up again for the Nike Hoop Summit. Because Nico had chosen to play with Italy, he was a member of the World Team, facing off against the U.S. team that had cut him a few years before. He finished with five assists, five rebounds and 28 points on 12 shots.
"I saw the coach that cut me sitting on the bench," he says. "That was definitely part of the motivation. I really believed I should have made that team. The fact that I didn't shocked me. I thought to myself, I guess I have to do more. It still motivates me. All those kids on the team, they're still succeeding. I won't stop till I've proven to myself that I belong with them."
On an early October afternoon, Nico Mannion walked to the McKale Center to get taped for practice. Outside the arena, high school swimmers scurried around him, dripping wet and dancing to Lizzo. They were in town for a competition that could help them become college athletes, and they were a little too absorbed in their own world to notice Nico. Already, it's hard for him to cut across campus without being stopped, but on this day he smiled as he reached the mirrored glass door without interruption. He paused for a second to check his hair and then walked inside.
"People used to call me Red," he says, "but that wasn't too creative. I don't feel strongly about any of the nicknames. I'd rather people call me Nico. The people close to me all call me Nico. The nicknames are all social media. I don't really care for them. They're not a big deal to me."
But Miller knows the nicknames and the attention can add weight to what can already be a challenging transition to college. "He's not like the other star freshmen we've had," Miller says, "but he could be as good—or better—than them. Some of the players we've had who have had great freshman years didn't really look like freshmen physically. Stanley Johnson was 240 pounds when he showed up. Deandre Ayton could bench 185 pounds 19 times. Aaron Gordon was Superman. That's not why Nico is good. Nico is good because of how he understands the game and because of the number of ways he can affect it. He could go down as one of the great point guards in Arizona history."
Through November, Nico and the Wildcats have cruised. After failing to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years last season, Arizona is pummeling opponents by an average of 22.3 points. Nico boasts an offensive rating of 126.6 while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 43.2 percent from three and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line. And he is still throwing down brutal dunks.
Although he is still seen as the second or third point guard in the 2020 draft class, behind LaMelo Ball and North Carolina's Cole Anthony, Mannion isn't far behind. That's part of why he chose the Wildcats—to learn under one of the best point guard teachers in the college game, someone who starred at the position himself.
Back on that early October day, Miller spent more time instructing Nico in practice than any other player. And when Nico would sub out of a drill, he'd stand behind Miller, like a shadow, as the coach described what he saw as plays unfolded. Near the end of practice, Miller kneeled on the baseline and watched Nico bring the ball up the floor. When Nico crossed half court but failed to signal the play, Miller blew his whistle. He stood and took two steps toward his star freshman.
"Nico!" he shouted. "You're the point guard! Everyone is looking to you! You've got to step up!"
