Meet the new guy whom you will be convinced has something against your Pac-12 Conference team of choice this upcoming season (ed. note: Tracy can be found on Twitter @tracy_mcdannald). Well, if I’m doing my job, anyway. For the last three college basketball seasons, I was the senior editor over at GOAZCATS.com, which covered the University of Arizona as well as its recruiting for Yahoo!/Rivals.com. While the backbone of the site was the recruiting side, I was the primary team beat writer and made it a point to keep a pulse on the rest of the Pac-12. So, the transition to RTC should be natural.

Although the job was Arizona-centric, the recruiting aspect offered a firsthand look at the top prospects in the country. To go with the looks at Stanley Johnson and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, the high school and AAU circuit provided a good dose of others new to the Pac-12 like Thomas Welsh, Robert Cartwright and Dorian Pickens.

No, there will not be a bias, either. The three years in Tucson was just that, three years. I just happen to have a better feel for what type of questions Sean Miller will sarcastically answer. I attended Long Beach State and am now back in Southern California. I’ve covered a 6-25 Long Beach State team and an Arizona team within a possession of the Final Four, so proper perspective and a realistic look should be no issue.

It could be the Big West or the Big Ten, you’re just getting a basketball junkie — period. I’m thrilled to be part of the Rush the Court team and I’m ready for the season to begin like the rest of you.