If there was ever any doubt about the way Sean Miller feels about his European big man, he made it clear after the Wildcats took down Washington State on Jan. 26. Here's what Miller had to say about Markkanen after the game:
"For him not to be considered one of the best freshmen in college basketball is a complete joke. I mean, I will put him up against anybody, not just the freshmen, toe-to-toe, the quality of player he is. Period. I don’t care if you’re from Finland, Russia, China, Japan, North Dakota, Florida, California, New York City — if you have eyes and you’re watching Arizona play, there aren’t many players that play the way he plays. (Against Washington State) he had 13 rebounds, 16 points — the three 3s he hit in the first half were 3s that you don’t oftentimes see a guy make in college. He’s a very good player, he’s a great teammate and he has other guys that he’s playing with that are very good as well but once in a while you just pay attention (to Markkanen) even if you’re not trying to. And you look at, 'Hey, here are the best freshmen in the country' and I’m looking there and I’m saying, 'Are you serious? It’s not even close.' And Rawle (Alkins) and Kobi (Simmons) are also outstanding on a very good team, but just watching Lauri play, I think he deserves a little bit more credit than he’s getting."
