When Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller signed Alex Barcello in November 2016, he raved about the motor of his incoming Phoenix-area guard.
βI think that he has a fire inside of him, a toughness, and a love of the game that at that position you love to have,β Miller said then.
But during Barcelloβs freshman year last season, he played in only 21 of 35 games, partly because of a December ankle injury. In the games he did play, Barcello averaged 9.6 minutes.
This season, despite playing on a team that lost five starters, Barcello averaged just 8.7 minutes through UAβs first six games.
After all that bench time, could his fire still possibly be there two years later? Did he get discouraged after playing just 12 total minutes over three games in the Maui Invitational last week?
βNo sir,β Barcello said Thursday, after scoring a career-high 16 points at McKale Center against Georgia Southern. βIβm just trusting the process. Iβm trying to get better every day. My teammates also help me with that, building my confidence, getting me open shots and picking me up if I make a mistake.β
Because the βprocessβ talk has long been something of a mantra β or even a clichΓ© β around Arizonaβs program, those sort of words can sound rehearsed and automated. But in UAβs 100-70 win over Georgia Southern, Barcello displayed the sort of body language that probably said much more than any words could have.
Barcello was aggressive and confident, playing like the hungry four-star prospect who won two state titles with Tempe Corona del Sol and joined the Oakland Soldiers in the summer of 2016 in an attempt to gain exposure and experience at travel-ballβs highest level.
Barcello was 6 of 10 from the field against the Eagles and hit 2 of 3 3-pointers after making just one of his first seven from long range this season. His 16 points came with one assist, one rebound and one steal.
βIt was great to see him make shots in the game,β Miller said. βWeβve really stayed with him, and Alex is one of our hardest workers. We watch him every day in practice β¦ and itβs just a matter of him playing with confidence, knowing that we want him to shoot the ball.β
After a game in which UA had 22 assists to just six turnovers, Barcello repeatedly said teamwork helped. The Wildcats spread the ball around so much in Thursdayβs fast-paced game that seven players scored eight points or more.
βWeβre playing really well together right now and finding the open man,β Barcello said. βThat helps me build my confidence as I come in the game. It helps my teammatesβ confidence as well.β
With Barcelloβs 18 points, and another eight from the lightly-used Devonaire Doutrive, the UA bench collectively scored a season-high 47 points.
More so than Barcello, Doutrive has also been hard-pressed to get on the floor. He played only a minute in Maui, and just 22 over UAβs first six games, but played well during 11 minutes Thursday.
βHeβs a young player who just keeps coming on,β Miller said of Doutrive. βYou watch him every day in practice and heβs working extremely hard. Weβve talked to him about just staying with it and he has.
βHe plays with confidence. Itβs kind of fun to see a young guy like him develop and I think heβll be a part of what we do here moving forward.β
Miller inserted Doutrive after eight minutes and said he purposely tried to insert Barcello earlier Thursday in an effort to help his rhythm. Barcello entered the game after six minutes and sank a midrange jumper less than a minute later.
βSometimes if you sit there for eight minutes of game time, itβs not easy to just kind of come in and make the first shot,β Miller said. βBut the fact that (Barcello) made six of them is a great sign and weβve started to see it a little bit with him playing with more fire and confidence in practice.β
Sort of like the guy he recruited.
Rim shots
- Miller said forward Ryan Luther is getting closer βtoward 100 percentβ with what appears to be a sprained finger (UA doesnβt detail injuries any more). Luther played with his left middle and ring fingers taped together on Thursday, and Miller said heβs also lacking confidence. βI think every couple of days it moves forward and heβll play with more confidence and not worry about it as much,β Miller said. Luther had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting over 15 minutes Thursday.
- The Wildcats will board their charter flight Saturday to face UConn on Sunday at the XL Center in Hartford. UA is 1-5 against UConn β which is 6-1 this year under new coach Dan Hurley β having beaten the Huskies for the first time last season at McKale Center.