Only one thing really stopped Deandre Ayton on Wednesday, and it had nothing to do with Eastern New Mexico.
That is, he developed a leg cramp. Ayton leftย Arizonaโs 91-63 win over the Greyhounds with 7:15 left as he limped slightly and never returned.
It was a lesson Sean Miller figures Ayton is better off learning now than upon his return home to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis later this month.
โDeandre is learning the difference between high school and college,โ Miller said. โWe had (the kind of) shootaround today that heโs probably never done and then he played 24 minutes โ and it probably felt like 40 for him.
โWeโre still in early November but learning how to drink water, how to hydrate, the importance of your diet, those are all things that usually freshmen learn in November.
"He probably learned something tonight. In a couple of weeks when we go to the Bahamas, with the climate and him playing three games in three days, playing more than 24 minutes, thatโs something I think heโll be more ready for.
Other than that, Ayton and, really, all of UAโs freshmen pretty much lived up to expectations in their first exhibition game appearance. Miller said Alex Barcello โhandled himself really wellโ despite having to play 33 minutes at point guard because of Parker Jackson-Cartwrightโs absence, and praised Emmanuel Akot after the versatile wing hit two 3-pointers and dished a team-high six assists.
Shooting is โan area weโve really been on him about,โ Miller said of Akot. โHeโs more of a pass-first player. Heโs incredibly unselfish but we need him to take the open shots when heโs given those and tonight especially in the first half it was great to see him step in with confidence.
โHe already does some other things. Six assists at his size, thatโs a great performance. And one thing we really want him to do more of is rebound. You can tell heโs maybe not used to doing that as much. He only had one rebound. But itโs nothing like game experience to show him, to teach him, so heโll be more accustomed to going and helping us in that area.โ
Asked about his shooting, Akot said simply: โIโve been working on my shot all summer and my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball. And I just hit โem.โ
Of UAโs other freshmen, Brandon Randolph was 0 for 7 from 3-point range but redeemed himself by driving inside for five shots and hitting all four free-throws he took, finishing with 10 points.
โYou can tell heโs not one dimensional,โ Miller said. โFor him to score 14 points on a night where heโs 0 for 7 from 3 shows you maybe where heโll be as we keep moving forward. He really puts the ball on the floor well and the attacks basket better than you think.
"For Brandon, itโs all about experience. Learning how to defend, the speed of the game. โฆ but heโs very explosive on offense. Heโll have nights where he can score 20 points.โ
Barcello had seven points, three rebounds and two assists to two turnovers, playing in a role Miller said would not be easy because of Jackson-Cartwrightโs absence. (PJC took some early warmups before the game as part of his rehab and is expected to return Sunday against Chico State).
โAlex is a really tough kid, he really is,โ Miller said. โHe practices a lot like T.J. McConnell did. Every day heโs the same and heโs going to do nothing but get better and better as he gets more game experience. Weโre really fortunate to have him.โ
Chico State will be returning for the third straight season to McKale Center, having lost 90-54 in 2015-16 but only 78-70 last season with teams that have made the Division II Elite Eight in each of the past four seasons.
The Wildcats of Chico return four starters and have been ranked between 5-13 in various Division II preseason rankings.
โChico State will be an upgrade,โ Miller said. โChico State has a chance to win the national championship at their level. So hopefully this game will prepare us to be that much better on Sunday.โ
Chico will play at Stanford on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a game to be streamed on Pac-12.com.
Our full coverage and a PDF box score from Wednesday's game is attached.
