Arizona decided earlier in the spring that former Wildcats and NBA guard was the man it wanted to be the team's next assistant coach on Sean Miller's bench. The program has already been through a similar situation with Damon Stoudamire having a role with the Wildcats before eventually moving on and ultimately becoming the head coach at Pacific where he earned the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year award this season.

Miller views Terry in a similar light.

The 19-year NBA veteran has won titles at every level and he comes to UA with plenty of experience under his belt. Unlike Stoudamire, Terry has no college coaching experience as he has spent his time after retiring as a player to join the other side of the game as an assistant general manager of the Texas Legends of the NBA's G-League.

Terry's foray into college coaching is not something Miller is concerned about and when speaking with the local media earlier this week he even mentioned that the former UA guard is an exact match for what the Wildcats need at this moment.

"What I love about him is you feel him coming," Miller said during a Zoom call with reporters this week. "He brings a smile to your face. He has an energy about him, an enthusiasm and a love for the game. He's a father and a husband. He has five daughters and they love basketball.

"I think that he's, in many ways, the perfect assistant coach to come in at this time."

Miller referenced Stoudamire often when discussing what drew him toward Terry as an option for the open coaching position on his bench once Justin Gainey departed the program for Marquette earlier in the spring. The success Arizona felt both on the court and on the recruiting trail was something that left an impact during Stoudamire's two-year stint and it is something Miller recounted as the went the process this spring.

"They have a presence with players that you coach already, they have a presence with on game day that gives everybody confidence that they're a part of what we do, they give our crowd and our fans an excitement because people fell in love with them many years ago when they watched them play as an Arizona Wildcat and then above and beyond that I think there's two other factors," Miller said. "Damon brought these types of things to the table as well. They have a presence recruiting.

"In our day and age when so many dreams and goals are to leave school whenever that time is and make their dreams come true as an NBA player, a draft pick, and to do it early not after four years but maybe before that time, Jason Terry has been there and done it and he's been there and done it in a big, big way.

"There are a lot of answers that he has to questions. I think the other part of it is when you go on and have a storied NBA career, like Damon and Jason have, and then you want to come back to Tucson. I mean isn't that what this is all about? The place that allowed you to reach your dreams and goals, the place that you love, the place that you got a college degree from, that you wanted to come back and give back and be a part of the program again."

Anyone who spends any amount of time around Miller knows that work ethic is necessary to be part of his staff. Coaches at UA are going to be asked to go above and beyond to help bring the team together on the recruiting side and aid with the day-to-day work of running a college team. When doing his due diligence as he pursued Terry, Miller found that working hard is not going to be an issue and it is something the former NBA player can pass along to UA's players.

"Anyone you talk to about him as a player they talk about his intelligence, his process," Miller said. " ... He did it through hard work. He did it through having routines. He did it through taking care of his body in a way that very few people can do. Those are all things that he can give knowledge-wise to our players.

"Working with guards. Working defensively. ... I believe that he's going to impact, really, all aspects."

There was, of course, a hurdle that the two had to get over before Miller and Terry could reach this point. Terry was critical of Miller on social media after an ESPN report accused the UA head coach of being involved in paying Deandre Ayton to play at Arizona. Terry called for the program to "clean house" as a result of the report with the UA alum clearly voicing his opinion on the situation.

Miller said the pair previously had a conversation about the tweet and it is not something that came up during the hiring process.

"We repaired that, talked about it and had a good conversation about it some time ago," Miller said. "I appreciated at that moment just the thought that he had of reaching out and getting back on the same page. He didn't need to explain the emotion behind what he said. I think I understood it.

"It's one of the things that you appreciate about our program ... there's people that our program matters to them. They want us to do well, they care a great deal about it and when you care about something sometimes you can become emotional but we crossed that bridge a long, long time ago. That had, obviously, nothing to do with me coming his direction and eventually making him a part of our staff."

For Miller the thought at the forefront of his mind is now next season. The Wildcats have put together one of the top recruiting classes in the country once again and only believe that the progress can continue with Terry on staff.

"As Jason's career has winded down I've gotten a chance to really know him and I'm thrilled to add him as an assistant coach and really a big, big part of our future."

Terry will speak with the local Tucson media for the first time since being named UA's newest assistant coach when he has a virtual press conference Friday morning.