The injury occurred near the end of the first half and will require surgery.

“There is no time to feel sorry for me or my injury. I really appreciate all the love and support but we still got to win the pac12!” Parrom Tweeted.

Parrom, a Bronx native, was shot in the leg and hand in September, but this incident is completely unrelated.

The 6-foot- 6 Parrom was averaging 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20 appearances this season (one start).  He tallied seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes of action Saturday against the Huskies.

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There is no doubt that Arizona’s last two recruiting classes can have a positive impact on the program.

But there are three players who can have the biggest influence overall — 2011 guards Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson and 2012 signed recruit Brandon Ashley.

All three are members of the talent-laden Oakland Soldiers program that finished No. 4 in the Five-Star Summer Top 25 .

There are more prospects on the way from the Bay Area travel squad, including un-committed and highly regarded juniors Aaron Gordon and Jabari Bird. With a heavy Soldiers presence already in Tucson, Coach Sean Miller’s team is in the mix for both.

Click here to read the full story at FiveStarBasketball.com.

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Sean Miller

Instead, he ended up appearing to condone their bloody brawl Saturday with Cincinnati that left eight players on both teams suspended.

Now, the Arizona coach is backtracking. In a big way.

“I made comments following our win Saturday over Clemson regarding my former team, Xavier University,” he said in a statement. “These remarks were in response to a question as to whether I have been following Xavier’s on-the-court successes this season.  My comments were directed toward my admiration of their on-the-court toughness and their respective approach to giving great effort as a team.

“In no way was I condoning a fight.  At the time of my press conference, I was only responding to my belief in several players that I once coached and a head coach, Chris Mack, that I have great respect for.”

Miller was originally quoted in the Arizona Daily Star as appearing to defend the Xavier players for their part in the brawl.

After the game, Xavier’s Tu Holloway also referred to the Xavier players as “gangsters” and said he and his teammates were “zipping them up.”

“If Cincinnati tries to do what they did (Saturday) they’re going to get a fight,” Miller said after Arizona beat Clemson on Saturday, per the Daily Star.

“So I’m proud of those guys.” [...] “They have a chance to win it all,” Miller said. “It’s just such a great story. I’m really proud of those guys and I watch them any time that I can. No one’s going to bully those guys.”

He added he was not surprised about the brawl.

“Happens every game,” he told the Star. “I’m proud of those guys, I really am. I would fully expect there to be a fight.”

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Following his suspension two weeks ago, Sidiki Johnson will transfer from Arizona.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Bronx native was averaging 0.3 points and 0.7 rebounds in three games this season.

Johnson remained in New York after Arizona lost to Mississippi State in the 2K Sports Classic championship Nov. 18. Arizona coach Sean Miller said then it was the coaches’ decision to let him stay home because he violated team rules.

“Sidiki Johnson is someone from a physical perspective — rebounding, giving us quality minutes, developing as our season grows — who we were really counting on to complement the big guys that we already have,” Miller said last weekend. “Him not being with us is not a positive.”

Johnson originally chose Arizona over Providence, Virginia Tech, St. John’s and others.

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The Bronx native had been home in New York since Nov. 18, when the Wildcats lost to Mississippi State in the 2K Sports Classic title game.

“He missed only 2 1/2 days of school last week,” Arizona coach Sean Miller told the Tucson Citizen Sunday. “That was our decision to allow him to stay home. It wasn’t his decision.

“Now, it’s a matter of him working very hard off the court academically, being a good person, being somebody who represents all the characteristics that we want all of our players to have at Arizona and kind of earning his way back into being a part of our team.”

Johnson was kicked out of Oak Hill Academy during his senior season for a violation of team rules and finished up at Wadleigh in New York.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound was expected to help Arizona up front where they are lacking, yet he managed just one point and two rebounds in seven minutes across three games.

“Sidiki Johnson is someone from a physical perspective — rebounding, giving us quality minutes, developing as our season grows — who we were really counting on to complement the big guys that we already have,” Miller said.

“Him not being with us is not a positive. We’ll find out in the next week or so if he remains with us. If he does, hopefully he can contribute down the line. … To me, the depth inside took a little hit there.”

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The team announced the “indefinite” suspension in a statement but there was no comment from head coach Sean Miller.

Bernard Bowen, Johnson’s mentor, did not immediately respond to a text.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Johnson is averaging 0.3 points and 0.7 rebounds in three games this season.

He was previously held out of Arizona’s game against Mississippi State Nov. 18, but that was not called a suspension.

Johnson attended four high schools, and finished up at Wadleigh High School in Harlem last year after he and current Kansas freshman Ben McLemore were dismissed from Oak Hill Academy.

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Much less compete on the big stage of Madison Square Garden.

Yet with 17:42 remaining in the first half of Arizona’s game against St. John’s in the 2K Sports Classic, the Bronx native entered the game to a warm and resounding cheer from the 9,036 fans on hand.

“It felt great,” Parrom said after contributing 6 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds in Arizona’s 81-72 victory that propelled them into Friday’s final against Mississippi State. “It was a great feeling and it was good to be back home.”

Home has provided some difficult life experiences in recent weeks.

Parrom was shot by an intruder, later identified by police as Jason Gonzalez of The Bronx, in his father’s apartment in The Bronx less than two months ago. The attack, first reported by SNY.tv, left Parrom with bullet fragments in his leg. Gonzalez was  charged with attempted murder in the case.

Parrom buried his mother, Lisa Williams, here four weeks ago.

His mother, like his grandmother, who passed away over the summer, both died of cancer so playing in a Coaches vs. Cancer event had even more meaning for Parrom.

Lisa Williams had wanted to hold on long enough to watch her son play at the Garden, but without her Parrom was supported by a large contingent of friends and family.

“I had a lot,” he said. “Some people got extra tickets, they bought tickets, so I don’t really know. It was a lot of support that was in the building today.”

He began the game wearing a breast cancer bracelet to honor his mother, but “they made me take it off.”

Immediately upon entering the game,  Parrom drained a 3-pointer, and then hit another a few minutes later. As he backpedaled down the floor, he looked strong and confident, not at all like the victim of a shooting and family tragedy.

They would prove to be his only points of the game, but head coach Sean Miller said Parrom’s leadership will be immeasurable going forward.

“Without him, we’re not nearly the same team,” Miller said. “With him down the road, as he gets more comfortable and he comes back, that’s why I’m excited about our future.”

FREE THROWS

Solomon Hill paced Arizona with 15 points and Jesse Perry had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Fogg (13 points), Jordin Mayes (12) and Nick Johnson (11) all scored in double-figures. Freshman point guard Josiah Turner returned from his one-game banishment and had eight points, four assists and one turnover. He also showed questionable judgment in leaving the bench during a second-half skirmish…Nurideen Lindsey led St. John’s with 18 points before fouling out. D’Angelo Harrison added 16 points, Moe Harkless tallied 13 and Phil Greene 12 for the Johnnies, who will face Texas A&M in Friday’s consolation game. “St. John’s has a very underrated team,” Miller said. “They lack some depth and they’re very young, but boy, they have some very talented players and I thought from their perspective they gave great effort. I mean, we’re fortunate to win a game like this in November, being so far from home in the great homecourt that Madison Square Garden represents.”

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NEW YORK

St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap once served as the associate head coach at Arizona — and in fact turned down the interim head coaching job there when it was offered to him.

“My experience there from the periphery, it appeared difficult, but I focused on helping that organization then and the report card at the end was surprisingly good,” Dunlap said Wednesday.

“We surprised the fan base and we surprised the administration. So I left on great terms and so it always resonated that when I see people from Arizona they are very kind.”

Dunlap helped the Wildcats reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament during the 2008-09 season, in one of the most bizarre coaching tenures in recent memory.

After legendary Arizona coach Lute Olson retired in October 2008, the school offered Dunlap the job on an interim basis. Known as a master strategist and tactician, Dunlap won two national titles at Division II Metro State in Denver and also served two years as an assistant under Denver Nuggets coach George Karl.

But because Dunlap didn’t feel that the commitment was serious enough, he turned it down.

The school then turned to Russ Pennell, a former Arizona State radio commentator, who took the job.

Dunlap stayed on as associate head coach and was frequently seen advising Pennell on the sidelines, even apparently calling substitutions on his own.

An awkward situation for sure, but the team thrived and reached the Sweet 16 before eventually losing to Louisville.

“It helped that the team did as well as it did because, of the teams that ended up matriculating to the 16, we were the surprise team,” Dunlap said.

“The only regret I had was that I was away from my family for nine months. That was uncomfortable every day because I am tight with the family . . . and I didn’t enjoy that.”

A year later, Dunlap moved on to become the associate head coach at Oregon, while Arizona hired Sean Miller.

Miller went about reviving Arizona’s tradition and after a 16-15 campaign in his first season, took the Wildcats to the Elite 8 last season where they lost to Kemba Walker and UConn.

Dunlap joined Lavin’s staff before the 2010-11 season, and helped the Johnnies make the Big Dance for the first time since 2002.

“I don’t think Coach Lavin could have done better in selecting Mike Dunlap as an assistant coach,” Olson said when Dunlap was hired. “He is one of the outstanding minds in the game. His strengths are in organization and on-the-floor coaching, and he is a great addition to the staff at St. John’s.”

When Lavin was sidelined at the start of this season after undergoing prostate cancer surgery Oct. 6, Dunlap took over the team and coached during its two exhibitions and season-opening win against William & Mary.

“I’m a little bit hardened to it in terms of knowing what coach would want,” Dunlap said last month, referring to the Arizona situation.

“Day by day, obviously Mike is the head honcho as far as the older guy,” St. John’s assistant Rico Hines said then.

Lavin returned to practice Nov. 8, and a day later it was Dunlap who helped prod Lavin to return to the sideline.

“It feels right, come on back,” Dunlap texted Lavin, who was at his home in Manhattan’s SoHo the afternoon of the game.

After trailing by 14 points in the second half, St. John’s churned out a 78-73 victory over Lehigh in this event.

The Arizona Daily Star reported that Parrom — who was shot in the right leg Sept. 24 in New York after an assailant broke into his home — has been cleared for basketball activities without contact for up to 60 minutes and will begin playing 5-on-5 next week.

“He’s made a lot of progress,” Arizona coach Sean Miller told the paper. “We talked about December. I think there’s a chance optimistically that it could be before that. We’re starting to count on him joining us in early December then it all comes back to, what role will he have, how successful will he be when he plays in the game.”

Parrom should help a young Arizona team that has a stellar freshmen class and has also lined up the No. 1 recruiting class for 2012.

“When you look at our struggles off the bat, I look at Kevin as a really big part of what we’re doing,” Miller said. “Having him return to 100 percent will really be a significant boost to our performance.

“Why is that? He can really shoot the ball. He’s one player on our team who we know from his past can score 20 points a game,” Miller added. “He’s one of our most physical players. He rebounds, defensively he’s experienced. All those things are things we really need right now.”

Arizona comes to New York Nov. 17 to face St. John’s in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic. Texas A&M and Mississippi State are the other semifinalists.

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The 7-footer from St. Mark’s (Mass.) joins a loaded 2012 class that includes Gabe York, Grant Jerrett and Brandon Ashley, all of whom were on campus two weekends ago.

“If they stay around long enough, they can be a contender for a national championship,” longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski told SNY.tv by phone.

“You never know, some of these kids think they can be one-and-done.”

Tarczewski, out of St. Mark’s (Mass.), chose the Wildcats over Kansas after visiting both schools in October.

“He has tremendous potential,” Konchalski said. “He has as good of a frame as any guy. He’s not quite as thick as Mitch McGary right now, but he has a great frame. His offense has improved. He uses his left pretty effectively around the basket and he has gotten better offensively. He still has work to do that way.”

The 2012 group will join the current freshmen core of Josiah Turner, Nick Johnson, Sidiki Johnson and Angelo Chol on campus next year, when Arizona will really be loaded going forward.

“Right now, they’re like Noah’s Ark, two of everything,” Konchalski said. “They have a full team. Josiah Turner can be an NBA lead guard. He has that type of potential. Nick Johnson is a classic scoring guard. Sidiki is a Karl Malone or a Charles Oakley type and now they have an aircraft carrier in the middle [in Tarczewski].

“Grant Jerrett is a skilled four man. He’s sort of a counter-point to Sidiki, who’s a lunchpail guy who’s physical. Right now, [Jerrett] is soft, there’s no question but he’s skilled. He had a disappointing summer, but he’s a very talented player.”

Despite all the individual talent, Konchalski warns that the team must jell — and that indeed will be Miller’s challenge going forward.

“If you get a cohesive team, and guys are on the same page and guys who care about winning and playing together for a team, if they have the right goal rather than their own self-aggrandizement, the sky’s the limit for this team,” he said.

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