Among the things that became pretty clear after Sundayβs Red-Blue Game: That newness is not to be confused with a lack of experience.
Grad transfer Ryan Luther (10 points, four rebounds) and junior transfer Chase Jeter (nine points, 14 rebounds) were among Arizonaβs most efficient and productive players.
While Luther was debuting at McKale following four years at Pitt, Jeter was having his second McKale playing experience following two seasons at Duke. He fouled out in just 12 minutes during last seasonβs Red-Blue Game but played 21 impactful minutes this time.
βWe believe in Chase,β UA coach Sean Miller said. βHeβs not an incoming freshman. He was a high school all-American, was very well-coached at (Las Vegasβ) Bishop Gorman High School, spent two years in Dukeβs program and that speaks for itself, and a year ago he was a part of what we did every day.
βHeβs a leader and thatβs why we named him captain. I donβt think you can judge Chase on one thing but where heβs at his best is he does a lot of different things. Rebounding is one of his strengths and there will be times weβll depend on him to score.β
Miller also raved about Jeter as a person, saying heβs a βgreat kidβ who is also one of the best students heβs ever coached. Jeter is on track to graduate in December.
βHe has a great future on the court but off the court as well,β Miller said.
Meanwhile, Miller was encouraging Luther for more.Β
βOne thing heβs learning right now is our team needs him to be productive,β Miller said. βHeβs more than happy to be a good team player. He sets good screens, does what heβs supposed to. If he misses an assignment on offense or defense heβs very hard on himself.
"We want him to play with confidence and look to score because when he looks to score heβs only going to make good decisions. He knows whatβs heβs doing out there. Being more aggressive I think is the message that heβs hearing, a lot from us.β
Miller said Luther will be playing both center and power forward, while he can play a stretch-four role in what may be a four-out scheme more often this season.Β
βRyanβs a very good shooter at every level -- around the basket, he can shoot the 3-point shot, is one of our top 3 or 4 three-point shooters,β Miller said. βSo he can really be in some of those four-out positions. Heβs an excellent free-throw shooter. You might have seen today heβs a clever passer, takes care of the basketball.
"He has been very well coached. There arenβt too many coaches in our game that are better than (former Pitt coaches) Kevin Stallings and Jamie Dixon. Heβs played good defense and good offense. One of the things we feel so good about is they loved coaching him. Heβs also an incredible teammate and a good person, someone weβre relying on for leadership and experience because thatβs not something we have a lot of.β
Luther said heβs been trying to lead by example βand just play my game, donβt do anything I canβt do, just be aggressive for myself and my teammates.β
Lee, who had 12 points and three rebounds, will also need to be versatile.
βHe can play both the five and the four and heβll play both,β Miller said. βWeβre not blessed with great depth up front like weβve been. We have to stay healthy. And you have to stay about of foul trouble. But Ira is one of our most athletic players. Heβs got quickness, speed, agility. The biggest point is he always has to play the game with great effort. If he does that youβll see his athleticism show up and he can impact the game in a lot of different ways.β
The way Miller spoke, there's a pretty good chance he'll see that effort.
βIra Lee is a tremendous teammate,β Miller said. βHe has the qualities you can see as far as the team and program. Thereβs always a smile on his face. Heβs energetic, very very athletic and that type of player is contagious. I think heβs a good place right now with the role that he has and how hard heβs worked.β
Lee dunked for most of his points but also showed a mid-range jumper. Miller said Lee has worked hard on his shooting in the offseason.
βWeβve worked hard even behind 3-point line, shooting free throws, because thatβs something he has to continue to develop,β Miller said. βHeβs worked extremely hard on that. A lot of these guys β Alex (Barcello), Emmanuel (Akot), Brandon (Williams) and Ira β you have to remember they were part of a really strong recruiting class.
"Deandre (Ayton) was the fifth but those four were all valued and each of them was recruited at a very high level. Sometimes the most significant jump is between the freshman and sophomore years especially if youβre in a bigger role in your second year. We expect them to all be much improved from where they were a year ago.β
If Lee had one problem Sunday, it was his misses in the pregame dunk contest, despite jumping over three teammates to do so at one point: Jake DesJardins, Luther and Jeter all hunched together as Lee flew over them but ultimately missed the basket.
βI donβt regret any of my dunks,β Lee said with a grin. βWe put on a show last year so itβs kind of hard to top last year.β
Then thereβs a freshman, Brandon Williams, who already appears as important to the Wildcatsβ success as anyone. Miller said itβs difficult for a freshman to learn both point guard and combo guard, but that Williams can play them both βfrom Day 1.β
βHeβs your prototypical guard in todayβs game in that he does both, score and make his teammates better,β Miller said. βItβs very hard to judge him right now because heβs only had 10 practices and right out of the gate weβre introducing two positions.
βIf thereβs anyone who should be confused or feeling like a robot, he should be that guy. But the more that he continues to practice and the days add up, heβll be more comfortable and I wouldnβt trade him for any guard thatβs out there coming in as a freshman because he does it every day and heβs very, very coachable. Heβs humble, heβs a great teammate, he showed up here without any type of ego, and I think itβs refreshing, and I think itβs something we really respect and appreciate.β
Miller said the Wildcats will "expound" on Omar Thielemans' absence Sunday as the week goes on, with the Belgian freshman forward also having missed practices. Didn't sound like he'll be returning anytime soon.
As a 19-year-old freshman with a European passport, Thielemans has a lot of options. He said before arriving at UA that his club BC Oostende, wanted him to stay and that he was on track to be offered a pro contract.
When asked at UA's media day on Oct. 1 what he had seen of Thielemans so far, Miller said:
"You know, Omar is a great kid and he's really in a transition from FIBA basketball and playing in Europe to playing college basketball at a high level. I think the best years are ahead of him. I think he's more of a developmental player, development being at the forefront of what we're trying to do. We're excited to have him as part of our program."
Our full Red-Blue coverage is attached, along with a PDF of the box score and play-by-play.
