Barring any further developments, Josiah Turner is clear to play in Saturday's game against Clemson after being suspended for UA's game on Wednesday at Florida.
UA coach Sean Miller was not available for comment Thursday or Friday - so there is no word on exactly how his meeting with Turner went - but UA spokesman Richard Paige confirmed today that the original term of a one-game suspension has not changed.
While freshman guard Nick Johnson is still likely to be the starting point guard against the Tigers, there's no doubt he would welcome some help from his former travel-ball teammate.
"He's definitely on our team and we're looking forward to having him back," Johnson said.
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Johnson wasn't available for comment after the game Wednesday but he reflected on the experience today at a news conference along with Kyle Fogg.
"It was different," he said. "I talked to coach Miller about it before and he felt confident in it with what I can do. I wasn't particularly happy with my performance but that's one of my first times playing the point so I'm going to keep chipping away at it and getting better."
Johnson said he had been at point guard in early season practices but only on a limited basis until Monday, after which Turner was suspended.
"For probably about two months, I've been getting little reps" at the point, Johnson said. "But Monday was probably the first day when I started getting full reps in at the one instead of the two."
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One of the benefits UA has when Johnson plays the point is getting to put Kyle Fogg back at his natural shooting guard spot, where he has spent the vast majority of his UA career.
"They're really similar" positions, Fogg said. "But just (things like) running a certain side of the floor, just doing it for so long it's a little different when you do it at the three. It's a little bit more comfortable on defense - it's pretty much the same. I'm always guarding their best player on the floor."
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Clemson is allowing opponents only 55.4 average points a game, the 15th best defensive average in the nation.
The Tigers won't try to run the same wide-open style that UA thrived in at New Mexico State and Florida.
"Coach has told us they're a great man-to-man defensive team," Fogg said. "In order for us to score we're going to have to go out there and play together and execute on the offensive end. I think we did a good job of that against Florida and we're going to continue to do that."
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Big day for news involving several UA opponents:
-- NAU announced longtime coach Mike Adras has resigned. Adras had a friendly and respectful relationship both with Lute Olson and Sean Miller, taking his team to McKale Center nearly every season for the past decade.
-- ASU guard Jahii Carson was ruled ineligible for the entire season, and he'll be a sophomore next season if he can gain eligibility by then.
Just before that happened, coach Herb Sendek received a two-year contract extension, in what the Republic's Dan Bickley called a good move.
-- UCLA coach Ben Howland held a news conference to discuss his dismissal of Reeves Nelson, saying the situation was "too much of a negative and a distraction."
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