Wash. point guard becomes first commitment of 2009
By Bruce Pascoe
August 24, 2007
No matter how long Jerryd Bayless and Brandon Jennings stick around, Point Guard U has itself covered.
Arizona received its first basketball commitment of the 2009 class, Top 25 guard Abdul Gaddy of Tacoma, Wash., on Thursday, keeping the flow of elite point guards streaming into McKale Center.
Bayless is an incoming freshman this season while Jennings will arrive next season, but each may only stay at the UA for a year. Gaddy, a 6-foot-3-inch, 170-pound prospect, may now take over for the 2009-10 season.
"I'm sure that's the plan," Scout.com analyst Dave Telep said. "There's no other way to look at it. Gaddy knows what's going on with Arizona's point guards."
But playing time wasn't the only issue for Gaddy. While Gaddy was unavailable for comment, his summer coach, Gary Ward, said Gaddy had a lifelong dream of wanting to play for the Arizona Wildcats.
The efforts of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar and UW assistant Cameron Dollar made it tough to leave home, Ward said, but Gaddy's attendance at Arizona's elite "skills" camp last week clinched the deal. During the camp, scheduled to coincide with the UA's reunion weekend, Gaddy met Wildcat coaches, plus plenty of current and former players.
"That weekend made a huge difference," Ward said. "It showed him that everything he wanted to do and accomplish as a basketball player he can do at Arizona."
Gaddy, known for his quickness and court sense, is rated No. 14 by Rivals.com and No. 25 overall by Scout.com in the class of 2009.
"He's a big-time point guard," said Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer. "He has special qualities with his length and lateral quickness, and he has impeccable timing on his passes."
