Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom came to Arizona with head coach Sean Miller four years ago. Mark Lyons joined them this season after being recruited to Xavier by Miller and playing there for three years.
After Arizona’s loss to Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, all three players ended their collegiate careers.
“Those guys mean a lot to us,” Miller said. “To me because a long time ago, when we ventured out to Arizona, we needed people to believe in us without a lot of evidence. Hill and Parrom were two of those players. Mark had a lot of choices last spring. He could have joined a lot of teams and he decided to join us,” Miller said.
Here’s a look back at the careers of Hill, Parrom and Lyons at the UA and what the future holds.
Solomon Hill
Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 220 pounds
Position: Forward
Career Stats (139 games): 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals per game, 48.1 field goal percentage, 37.5 three-point percentage
Best game: Jan. 28, 2012 against Washington; 28 points, 11 rebounds, 9-of-10 shooting
Signature moment: Scoring 16 points in second round of 2011 NCAA Tournament, helping UA advance to Sweet Sixteen
Path to Arizona: Hill committed to Arizona when Lute Olson was still head coach, de-committed when Olson retired and then committed to USC, along with Derrick Williams and MoMo Jones. After Tim Floyd was fired as USC head coach, and Miller hired by the Wildcats, Hill recommitted to the UA.
What the future holds: DraftExpress has Hill projected as a second round pick. In January, it wrote: “Hill may not be a flashy prospect for the next level, but he’s a mature player who has consistently improved his game throughout his college career and offers some intriguing value as a role-player.”
In summation: Hill didn’t miss a single game in his four years at the program, and in the Sweet Sixteen game he tied Kyle Fogg for games played in his Arizona career with 139. He is the perfect example of what can happen when a highly-regarded recruit sticks around for all four years instead of leaving after one year and before they’re ready. In his freshman year, he attempted 18 three-pointers, making four of them. By his senior year, he hit 57 threes on 146 attempts. He’s not great in one area, but he’s good in most, and should find his way onto a NBA roster.
Quote: “It’s been fun. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love these guys. I love the guys that were before me.”
Kevin Parrom
Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 220 pounds
Position: Guard/forward
Career stats (110 games): 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game, 46.4 field goal percentage, 37.9 three-point percentage
Best game: Feb. 5, 2011 against Cal; 25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 9-of-12 shooting
Signature moment: Returning to the Wildcats seven weeks after being shot twice and losing his mother.
Path to Arizona: Parrom committed to Miller at Xavier as a senior in 2008, but de-committed when Miller was hired by Arizona. Parrom followed him there.
What the future holds: He’s not currently projected to be drafted by any draft websites.
In summation: Parrom went through more in a 12-month span than any person should — getting shot, his mother and grandmother passing away, missing most of the 2011-12 season due to injury — but when he did play, he was one of Arizona’s most valuable players. The Wildcats are trying to get Parrom another year of eligibility with a medical hardship waiver, but chances of that passing are slim to none.
Quote: “I’m sure everybody back home is proud of me. Our fans are proud of us. My mother and grandmother are proud. I finished not the way I wanted to finish, but I finished.”
Mark Lyons
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
Position: Guard
Career stats (133 games, 98 games with Xavier): 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 41.9 field goal percentage, 35 three-point percentage
Best game: March 23 against Harvard; 27 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 12-of-17 shooting
Signature moment: Scoring 73 points in three NCAA Tournament games for the UA
Path to Arizona: Lyons committed to Xavier when Miller was head coach and stayed after Miller left for Arizona. He came to the UA as graduate transfer in 2012.
What the future holds: He’s not currently projected to be drafted by any draft websites.
Looking back: Lyons’ lone season in Tucson was met probably with more criticism than it deserved. He’s not a point guard. He’s a combo guard, but he played the one at Point Guard U so his performance in that sense was widely panned. But, he led Arizona to the Sweet Sixteen. His pro prospects are slim — he’s too short to play shooting guard and proved he can’t play point guard — so expect a Nic Wise, Mustafa Shakur-type career overseas.
Quote: “We had a great year. Only team we lost to that wasn’t in the NCAA tournament was USC, so we lost basically to all great teams … It’s just been a great experience for me.”
