The moment freshman forward Zeke Nnaji belted out a piano keyboard version of the national anthem before Fridayβs Red-Blue Game, it was pretty clear that this seasonβs Arizona frontcourt has some serious versatility.
The same applied once the scrimmage began, too.
Stuck with a thin frontcourt that also lost Emmanuel Akot to transfer midway through last season, the Wildcats reloaded up front this time with the four-star athleticism of Nnaji, the shot-swatting presence of Cameroonian 7-footer Christian Koloko and the smart stretch-shooting game of grad transfer forward Stone Gettings.
Those three guys join two returnees, junior forward Ira Lee and senior center Chase Jeter, to give five different looks to fill the two post spots however UA coach Sean Miller deems most suitable for a given matchup.
Gettings, who sat out the second half of last season after arriving in December once he graduated from Cornell, says heβs already noticed the difference.
βI think this team, we have a lot more height, which is great,β Gettings said. βJust overall, I would say weβre a lot deeper, which enables us to practice a lot harder every single day.β
The new guys helped offset Fridayβs absence of Chase Jeter, who was sidelined with a groin strain.
βI think our front line speaks for itself,β UA coach Sean Miller said. βWhat I love about our practice environment is that we have quality depth, and we have a lot of size. Weβre not going to get spooked when we play that team that possesses those same qualities.
βThe gift of size and depth is something that everybody would love to have, and we have that. Itβs just now up to us to develop those guys, figure out the combinations, and see who plays well with who.β
Miller started Friday by putting Nnaji and Lee together on the Red team, while Gettings and Koloko joined Nevada transfer Jordan Brown on the victorious Blue team.
Nnaji pulled down six rebounds and, though he was 0 for 3 from the field, Miller wrote that off as freshman jitters. βJoin the club,β Miller said he told Nnaji, noting how many good players before have had difficult Red-Blue debuts.
Meanwhile, Koloko showed why Miller keeps saying heβs even better than expected, still something of a project who wonβt necessarily crack the regular rotation but has shot-blocking skills and a developing offense that suggests at least a spot role now and a significant future.
βEverythingβs on the table for us (as far as) whoβs going to play,β Miller said. βBut to have somebody at seven feet, it can protect the rim. Heβs still a work in progress offensively, but he can make plays, he can catch the ball, heβs a pretty good free-throw shooter.
βAnd mostly, I love his work ethic. He works at the game, even though heβs seven feet tall. Weβre really thrilled to have him.β
Lee had five points and two rebounds, but after two full seasons with the Wildcats, Miller agreed with a question over whether he was poised to make a leap as a junior into a player who can think less and just play more at this point in his career.
βIra Lee is your quintessential hard-playing athlete, right?β Miller said. βHe gives great effort. He likes to do the dirty work, heβll put his body on the line every day and compete, compete, compete. But β¦ early in his career, at times heβs going too fast, not taking what the defense gives. Heβs reckless when heβs going for an offensive rebound. But heβs learning and heβs growing in that area. I do believe he made a lot of progress last year.β
Then thereβs Gettings, whose possession of an Ivy League degree correctly suggests a keen sense of where to be, when to be there and exactly what to do.
Plus, Miller says, Gettings doesnβt just rely on his head.
βHeβs smart off the court, but heβs an incredibly hard worker on the court,β Miller said. βThe way he plays on offense is very different than our other bigs do. So having him out there changes the way you feel about our offense because he can score from behind the line. Heβs a clever passer, and heβs very good free throw shooter.β
Gettings had 10 points and four rebounds Friday to help the Blue team win 46-32, and hit both 3-pointers he tried, all while taking in an environment that isnβt quite the same as he experienced even in big games while playing three seasons for Cornell.
βThe fans are awesome here,β Gettings said after Fridayβs scrimmage. βEven if a game sells out in the Ivy League, itβs selling out a 4,000- or 5,000-person arena, whereas we had 15,000 people here.
βIt was quite the experience.β
Rim shots
β’ Injured sophomore guardΒ Brandon Williams made a bittersweet appearance at the Red-Blue Game in street clothes, having to sit out this season because of a congenital knee issue that could also threaten his career.
βHe got introduced and it was just hard for me to watch him walk out there,β Miller said. βHeβs a really talented player, one of the most talented guards that weβve recruited, and just to see him lose this year. β¦ Iβve got my fingers crossed, and his rehab continues to go well.β
β’ Miller expressed no concern over Jeterβs strained groin, which also forced him out of several earlier workouts. The Wildcats still have over five weeks left before their regular-season opener with NAU on Nov. 6.
βI think heβll be fine,β Miller said.