Rondae Hollis-Jefferson acted out the sixth- man role Sunday in the same kind of uniquely electric way he did last season.
During No. 2-ranked Arizonaโs 86-68 win over Cal State Northridge, Hollis-Jefferson used his combination of athleticism, toughness and hustle to rack up 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, all while helping limit Matador wing- threat Stephan Hicks to just four points.
It was his role. A role he thrives in.
โI think I might have the most energy in the country in terms of coming out there, giving it my all,โ Hollis-Jefferson said. โI think that is a big part of it. Teams need that spark when they come into games. I feel I bring that spark every time.โ
Thereโs only one problem with all of this.
It is now Hollis-Jeffersonโs sophomore year. The one in which he has been aiming to become a Top 10 NBA pick. The one in which heโs been expected to start by, oh, about everyone.
But thereโs also this: UA coach Sean Miller found last year he needed the defense-stretching shooting of Gabe York in the starting lineup, and he might not want to start a game without the immense scoring potential of freshman Stanley Johnson, who led the Wildcats with 17 points Sunday.
Moreover, T.J. McConnell is a no-brainer at the point while the post spots are all but locked up, too. Brandon Ashley appears largely recovered from a foot injury, scoring 13 points against CSUN, while ever-improving junior center Kaleb Tarczewski has started all but one of his 75 career games.
So somebody has to sit out at the beginning of the game and โฆ maybe it is Hollis-Jefferson.
Again.
โWeโre gonna talk that out,โ Miller said. โThatโs what all coaches try to learn early in the seasons, what combinations seem to do well with each other, who does better maybe coming off the bench than starting.
โBut weโre very much in search of some of those answers. I donโt mean that in a negative way but weโre just going to have to keep watching whatโs best for us.โ
Whether the starting lineup is better with Hollis-Jefferson is still possible, too. UA actually struggled somewhat without him early in Sundayโs game against the Matadors, turning the ball over three times over the first five minutes. The Wildcats also needed almost 15 minutes to take a double-digit lead over a Big West opponent that was several players short because of a school investigation.
But this much Miller knows: Hollis-Jefferson has the mentality to enjoy coming off the bench.
โEverybody likes to start,โ Miller said. โSacrifice is a big deal in sports, and Rondae is a very unselfish kid. I donโt think not starting necessarily takes away from how well heโs playing or how good a player he is.โ
Miller also suggested that Hollis-Jefferson could continue to make a name for himself off the bench, as Jason Terry did in the 1990s at Arizona and later in the NBA. But Miller also said he might start Hollis-Jefferson in UAโs game with UC Irvine on Wednesday, so maybe nothingโs for sure at this point. It is only two games into the season, after all.
All Hollis-Jefferson knows is this: that he didnโt start UAโs season opener on Friday against Mount St. Maryโs largely because he tweaked his shoulder and didnโt practice Thursday, and that Miller opted not to change that lineup Sunday.
โIt was just to keep the flow going smoothly,โ Hollis-Jefferson said.
After their bumpy start Sunday, the Wildcats eventually were smooth Sunday, even as Miller shifted deeply into his rotation, playing nine players most of the evening.
After committing five turnovers in the first six minutes in their season opener Friday, the Wildcats had the three turnovers over the first five minutes. They led just 6-5 after five minutes, scoring on three-pointers from York and Johnson.
Arizona couldnโt pull much further ahead during the middle of the first half, missing 6 of 7 field goals at one point, and led just 18-14 when Zacarry Douglas drove the baseline to score for CSUN with 8:16 left.
The Wildcats also struggled with free-throw shooting. After they went just 12 of 25 from the line on Friday, they started off 2 of 6 after Tarczewski missed two free throws with five minutes left in the first half.
But a three-pointer from York gave UA a 29-18 lead entering the final four minutes of the half, and UA took a 37-23 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Wildcats were up by 17 seven minutes in, and later went on an 18-6 run to take control. The six-minute run was engineered by freshman point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who had five points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal during it.
โParker was rock solid in his role,โ Miller said.
Arizona not only shot 53.8 percent overall, but also held the Matadors to 42.3 percent shooting. CSUN actually shot under 40 percent and hit only 1 of 9 from three-point range until both teams emptied the bench in the final minutes.
However, the Wildcats had 18 turnovers that led to 23 CSUN points. They also allowed the Matadors to take 28 trips the free-throw line, where they converted 78 percent of the time.
The win moved No. 2 Arizona to 2-0 entering Wednesdayโs game while CSUN is 0-2 after losing to both San Diego State and UA in Maui Invitational preliminary games.
