Arizona scored more than 100 points over its first two games without Rawle Alkins and largely without Brandon Randolph, so it's probably fair to say Sean Miller probably doesnโt have a lot to complain about offensively.
But, of course, his focus never leaves the other side of the ball.
So even as Dylan Smith came off the bench to pop in half of his four 3-pointers, the UA coach made it clear Smith wonโt play as much if he doesnโt defend.
The same may apply to some other guys, especially after the low-major Retrievers hit 14 of 28 3-pointers on Sunday in UAโs 103-78 win.
While Miller said Smith can shoot well and has passed well in practice, he also added all this:
โI really believe heโs improved on defense and will continue to do so but in some regards a couple of our players who will eventually emerge are going to hang their hat on defense, because we need more of those types of guys right now,โ Miller said. โNot that everybody isnโt allowed to take a good shot but we need more balance. We need perimeter players who can maybe sign up to guard the other teamโs best offensive player. We need big guys to come in and do a really good job like Keanu (Pinder) and Ira (Lee) did tonight of giving us maybe a quicker look.
โAs we learn our roles and as we do a better job of figuring out who can do what, our defense will settle in. It has to improve. Itโs not bad. Like in the second half (Sunday) if you look at their numbers they shot 31 percent from the field and were 6 of 14 from 3. A lot of that had to do with our defense. I was hoping they couldnโt keep up the same pace they had on offense in the second half.โ
Smith did block two shots on Sunday with his long and slender frame.
โDylanโs long,โ Parker Jackson-Cartwright said when asked about them. โHeโs like 6-5, his arms touch the rim pretty much. So he got out there and blocked those shots. That was really impressive.โ
While Smith made his Arizona career debut Sunday, having missed two exhibition games and the season opener because of an unspecified team violation, Pinder made his senior-year debut after missing Fridayโs opener with a one-game suspension because of an unspecified NCAA violation.
Pinder and Lee hold promise of being the kind of defenders Miller is looking for inside: Pinder is older and more experienced, but Lee is physically capable as a freshman and also more athletic than his size might suggest.
โKeanuโs one of our most experienced players,โ Miller said. โHeโs in his last year of college on a team with so many young players, five freshmen. He gives us an older feel. He knows his role. Ira does too. They play with a lot of energy, theyโre quick and I think they really embrace the defensive role on this team and thatโs a healthy component for us.
Randolph played just two minutes in each half while coming back slowly from a concussion suffered in practice on Nov. 3. Randolph sat out the minimum seven days and then was cleared to play in full-contact practices on Saturday but Miller said the Wildcats didnโt really have a full-contact practice on Saturday.
โSo to put him out there in five-on-five game like that, I donโt know if it would be smart for him or our team,โ Miller said. โI was just glad he could get in the game and now he can start working his way back.โ
Here were Millerโs comments on Deandre Ayton after Sundayโs game. Weโll just print them all here:
โHeโs very talented. When I talk about him, I really like to talk about him in terms of how smart he is, how he has done things weโve asked him to do both on and off the court, to be in a structured environment. He hasnโt fought us at all. His talent speaks for itself but what Iโm so impressed with is how fun he is to be around. Heโs competitive and sometimes something doesnโt go right and you can see heโll leave his emotions on his sleeve but I would much rather tame a guy down and talk to him in those terms than wonder if he wants to compete.
โAnd with Deandre, you always know that he loves to play the game and he hates to lose. Just watching his competitive spirit, itโs fun to see with a guy that young and also that talented.โ
One of the few negatives spread around Ayton as a high school player was that he sometimes didnโt play hard. I asked Miller about that.
โI would love to get those guys in a room and figure out what they saw,โ Miller said of Aytonโs critics. โBecause Iโve watched him through 28 practices plus 11 (in the summer), so 39 practices, two games in Spain, two exhibitions and two games. Is he perfect? No young person is, but his ability to go hard is unquestioned and I think thatโs why he has such a bright future.โ
Miller also praised Aytonโs ability to see the need sometimes to pass out of double teams, and his ability to do it well.
โItโs so hard for young guys to know when to give it up, when to pass and when not to,โ Miller said. โSometimes they appear to be clumsy or selfish and itโs really not the case. Itโs just that their back is to the basket and all these different schemes are, like, swarming them. It takes time to grow and learn and he can do it now.
โThatโs of the best things that he does as a player and Allonzoโs been the beneficiary of a number of different looks where Deandre found the first open man, and all of a sudden the ball is swinging and Allonzo (Trier) will be more than happy to take that open shot. You donโt have to talk him into it. But that unselfishness from our post players is a good characteristic to have."
One performance that might have been easy to overlook considering Ayton and Trier's game on Sunday: That Alex Barcello had eight points, five rebounds and six assists โ to no turnovers in just his second game as a college player. Miller also spoke highly of his defense.
โAlex is a very, very good player,โ Miller said. โHe is tough. Doesnโt take a play off. His defense has surprised me. Itโs a very hard adjustment to go from high school to college and right away be good but if you look at tonight he might have done the best job on Lyles of any of our guards and thatโs really saying a lot. Six assists, no turnovers. Heโs one of our teamโs best shooters and weโve played him at the one and two.
"Alex is sometimes overlooked because heโs from Phoenix. Heโs the local kid. But heโs a very good player and he has helped us as much early on because heโs been one of the constants. E hasnโt missed any time. As he works so hard, you can see him getting better.โ
Barcello made 3 of 6 shots, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range.
โIf heโs open, I put my belief in his shot,โ Miller said. โI donโt know if there are any players on our team you feel better about shooting an open 3 than Alex. Thatโs also a weapon when heโs out there with somebody like Allonzo. He fits in very well because he can really make you pay.โ
Overall, UA shot 60.9 percent and made 15 of 28 3s against UMBC, even better percentages in their season opener against NAU.
โI believe we have a lot of talent on offense and can go inside and outside,โ Miller said. โItโs just a matter of us paying unselfishly and letting certain guys maybe learn their role.
"Emmanuel (Akot), heโs one of our most talented young players but he took a couple shots maybe in the second half that we donโt need him to shoot. Heโll learn. It wasnโt as if he was trying to do something we didnโt want him to do. It was more a matter of him figuring out what heโs supposed to do and what not. But things like that are what November is about.โ
The game story and related items are attached to this post, along with PDFs of the box score and UA's stats after two games.
