Tadman excited by Stoops

Arizona's chances to land one of the top players in the West region just got a whole better with the announcement that the Wildcats named Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops as their new head coach.

"I love the hire," Mission Viejo (Calif.) athlete Marty Tadman said. "That's really who I wanted them to bring in all along. He's a great defensive coach and I'm familiar with the defense already because it's the same defense we run at Mission Viejo. Our defensive coordinator and linebacker coach go back to Oklahoma every summer to watch them practice and learn from them and then implement a lot of the same principles in our defense.

"Plus Coach Stoops is also a former defensive back and knows the position real well. I hear he's going to bring his other brother, Mark Stoops from Miami, to Arizona as well to coach the secondary. Right now, I'm just going to wait and see what kind of staff Coach Stoops hires and I could commit the next time they call me.

"I really loved my visit there and I think it would be fun to be a part of a rebuilding program. I think Arizona is a place where you can win and I think with the staff they're putting together, it would be a fun place to be a part of."

Tadman said he's still hearing from USC, his other top choice, but isn't sure how much longer he'll be able to wait before they offer.

"The last I heard, they wanted to wait and see what Ted Ginn does before offering me," Tadman said. "I still like them a lot, USC is a great school but I'm starting to think more and more that it's going to be Arizona for me. I just like how hard they've beeb recruiting me and how they've been on me since the beginning. I love the Pac 10 and if you're a cornerback, there's no better conference to play in as much as teams like to throw the ball around."

Tadman showed what he can do with the ball in his hands last night as Missio Viejo moved to the Div II semi-finals with a 52-19 win over Diamond Bar. Tadman scored the first four times he touched the ball, three on receptions and one on a 36 yard reverse and finished with four catches for 137 yards and four scores.