The Arizona Board of Regents posted notice this week of an executive-session meeting to discuss the UA basketball program on Thursday, after a month in which more allegations about the program have surfaced.
When asked if UA or the Regents gave him any information about the meeting, UA coach Sean Miller said this:
“I’m aware,” Miller said. “It’s a regularly scheduled meeting and I’m in regular contact with (Arizona AD) Dave Heeke and Dr. Robbins.”
Miller declined to comment on the recent allegations or trial and said he was focused on caring for his players.
Miller’s entire post rotation has a history of injuries, and Miller said it actually helped that Chase Jeter sat out Tuesday because everyone else needs to get used to it.
“It was a good thing because other players had to do more and play in different roles,” Miller said. “That’s going to happen over the course of our season. I was pleased with our effort but our guys really tried to play together and at this time of year, great effort and the intent of playing unselfish those two things are at the top of our list.”
While discussing Ira Lee’s one-game suspension after his DUI arrest, Miller said the team has been trying to help him.
“He’s a great teammate and a great kid,” Miller said. “He’s had a lot of tough things happen to him in a short period of time. I think our support is unwavering to help him through this difficult time. When you’re going through a tough times, sometimes the court, the weight room, your teammates, the locker room, those are things that can bring a smile to somebody’s face like Ira. So we’re helping him get through it.”
Lee has a case management hearing scheduled for Dec. 6 in Pima County Justice Court. He faces a minimum of three days in jail if convicted of super extreme DUI (0.20 blood-alcohol level or higher), the stiffest charge he was given.
Even though Miller said Brandon Randolph hasn’t always shot well in practices over the past month, he said he has grown from last season.
“He’s more experienced,” Miller said. “Gotta realize he practiced hard every day last year. He played against some very talented wings, Allonzo (Trier), you see what he’s doing right now for the Knicks. Rawle (Alkins), they were very, very good college players last year.
"You play against them every day and maybe behind the scenes we recognized Brandon is growing and getting better, and he didn’t have the opportunity to play in games as much or have a big role but this year he does, and I think last really prepared him and helped him.
"He’s also had a real good offseason. He’s stronger and he’s just an overall better player. He’s going to have nights where the ball doesn’t go in the basket and one of the things we’ve talked to him about is still be a good player, not just a shooter. I think he’s really trying to embrace that.”
Miller spoke about playing a fast pace and shooting more 3s this season considering UA's downsized roster.
“That’s our team this year,” Miller said. “Everybody is used to watching us, I’m sure, rotate three or four true bigs in a game. That’s been a strength of ours for some time. I do really believe in our frontcourt. Emmanuel Akot is not small. And he’s very good with the ball. He’s a clever passer. He’s almost like today’s version of a wing, of a forward, kind of a Draymond Green type of player at Arizona.
“And then you have Ryan Luther, Ira Lee and Chase Jeter. Our key is that they’re healthy, that we’re able to keep them out of foul trouble and that we play to their strengths. When you watch us play, it’s about being able trap the low post. We’ve already talked about utilizing the 3-point shot more and we all need a little bit of good luck. Being able to keep those guys healthy, it’s more important this year than it’s ever been because we don’t have the luxury of that big maybe we’ve had the last six or seven seasons.”
Four-star San Diego guard Boogie Ellis posted a top five of Memphis, Duke, USC, North Carolina and San Diego State. It appeared unlikely that neither he nor Arizona would have much interest in each other after the Wildcats lined up commitments from Josh Green and Terry Armstrong earlier this month.
Our full coverage and the box score are attached.
