Seen and Heard: On captain's patches, history with Chaminade and sick kicks

Captain’s patches

For the first time, at least in the Sean Miller era, team captains will wear a “C” patch on the right collarbone portion of the jersey. 

The team captains for Arizona are graduate transfer point guard Justin Coleman and Duke transfer Chase Jeter. Jeter returned from injury Sunday night, but had a quiet night with only one point and six rebounds off the bench.

Previous matchup

The Wildcats and Chaminade Silverswords have only met once before Sunday, which was in the 2000-01 season at the Maui Invitational, a tournament Chaminade hosted.

Arizona beat the Silverswords 97-57 behind Richard Jefferson’s 16 points and six rebounds while Michael Wright racked up a double-double with 15 points and 19 rebounds. 

Gilbert Arenas also contributed 14 points. Arizona went on to win the Maui Invitational by beating Illinois 79-76 in the championship game.

What’s in a name

Chaminade had a few interesting names on its roster, including junior guard Masa Swain, pronounced Mah-sah, and Kobe Young. However, the name of the night goes to an Arizona native in Morningstar Takapu, whose last name is pronounced Tah-kah-poo. 

Takapu is a 6-foot-7-inch forward from Goodyear and attended Millennium High School. He also played tight end for Millennium’s football team.

Sneakers of the night

Brandon Williams wins sneaker of the night with these red Kobe A.D.’s. pic.twitter.com/Q5wp0pqoDk

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) November 5, 2018

Over the last few years, former Arizona guard Allonzo Trier was usually spotted in this category, considering he claimed to have owned more than 200 pairs of sneakers. That number might have doubled since he become a pro with the New York Knicks. 

So who’s the sneaker head for the Wildcats this season? That remains to be seen, but the kicks of the night went to freshman guard Brandon Williams, who sported all-red Nike Kobe A.D.’s, which are priced at $165 at Foot Locker.

Recruits in the house

Four-star shooting guard Terry Armstrong was in attendance for Arizona’s final exhibition game. The 2019 UA commit sat behind Arizona’s bench, where recruits normally sit.

Per 247sports.com, the 6-foot-6-inch Armstrong, from Scottsdale’s Bella Vista Prep, is the fifth-best shooting guard nationally. He committed to Arizona in October and selected the Wildcats over New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arizona State. 

Local standout and Salpointe Catholic forward Majok Deng was also spotted at McKale Center. The 6-foot-5-inch Deng is a three-star prospect for 2019 and is also considering Cal, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Stanford, UCLA, Utah and Vanderbilt.

End of an era

President Trump used to be in the hallways of McKale Center every day until recently. Not the actual president of the United States, but a note on a piece of concrete that read “D. Trump owns my house!”

According to former UA media relations director Tom Duddleston, the message had been on the concrete since the mid-1980s.

As @KellyPresnell pointed out, the piece of concrete at McKale Center with the scripture "D. Trump Owns My House" has been covered. According to @TomDudd last season, the slab has been at McKale since the mid-1980s. pic.twitter.com/Yaa4nlhn00

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) October 31, 2018

Around that time, Trump — then a billionaire businessman and not yet leader of the free world — was a household name. He and then-girlfriend Marla Maples attended a game in McKale in 1990, well after his name was written in the cement.

The big number

19-1

Sean Miller’s record in exhibition games at Arizona. Miller’s only loss came in 2011, when Seattle Pacific beat the Wildcats 69-68.