If just two regular-season games are enough indication, Arizona may be developing a “big three” comparable to the trio that led the Wildcats to the 2009 Sweet 16.
That is, a point guard (Nico Mannion) who is equally comfortable scoring and passing, a go-to wing (Josh Green) and a go-to big man (Zeke Nnaji) — kind of like how then-interim coach Russ Pennell had Nic Wise at the point, Chase Budinger on the wing and Jordan Hill inside as the team’s clear scoring leaders during an unusual transition season 11 years ago.
Except there’s one big difference: Pennell’s crew was made up of all juniors.
The current trio is all freshmen.
And the Wildcats have four fifth-year seniors to mix in at other key roles, giving them an unusual blend of talent, age and experiences to blend on the floor and in the locker room.
After the three freshmen combined for 62 points in the Wildcats’ 90-69 win over Illinois on Sunday, UA coach Sean Miller said upcoming games with San Jose State (Wednesday) and New Mexico State (Sunday) would test “how our team’s chemistry is and if we can keep growing.”
But so far, so good. The public indications are the Wildcats have a mature group of older players who realize the younger talent they’re working with — and a group of talented freshmen who don’t carry themselves abrasively.
Fifth-year center Chase Jeter, once a five-star high school recruit from Las Vegas, said before the season that Mannion and Green both “have a great head on their shoulders, and they’re great guys to be around. … When you have that type of attitude in the locker room, it rubs off on everybody.”
While Jeter has been giving up touches inside to Nnaji, grad transfers Max Hazzard (UC Irvine) and Stone Gettings (Cornell) are transitioning from standout roles at their previous schools to roles that are significant but still below those of UA’s standout freshmen.
Then there’s third-year combo guard Jemarl Baker, who transferred from Kentucky last spring. Experienced and yet still young in eligibility terms, Baker is in the middle of the Wildcats’ mix of experience and talented youth — and is cool with it.
“I think that’s the mix you have to have,” Baker said. “We have a lot of talent on the team, definitely. We have a lot of experienced guys, we have a lot of guys who can just play in general, and I think us putting that together ... it’ll only make us better.”
During a fast break, Arizona Wildcats guard Josh Green (0) shoots the ball during the first half of the Arizona Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini at McKale Center on November 10th, 2019.
Baker’s perspective is worth noting: He came from Kentucky, where packs of fleeting five-star freshmen work in with older, less-elite players every season.
The way Miller views it, that’s the way it’s going today, with elite players (and sometimes those who think they are) seldom sticking around long. While Budinger tested the NBA draft and returned after his sophomore season in 2007-08, he might have jumped in head-first after just one season if he were a freshman now.
“You know, college basketball is a different game today than it was a decade ago or five years ago,” Miller said. “It’s why it’s so hard to compare. If your best players happen to be freshmen, which isn’t just the case at Arizona — occasionally, it’s throughout college basketball — in some ways, you are asking them to take on a leadership role.”
In the Wildcats’ case this season, Miller said it helps that the freshmen have good habits that are a product of their backgrounds.
Mannion’s father played in the NBA and overseas, while his mother was a pro volleyball player in Italy. Green’s parents both played semipro basketball, while Nnaji’s parents moved him into a strong Minnesota high school program and invited UA staffers to prepare a conditioning plan for him as a high school senior.
They also may have the sort of inner makeup that also has a lot to do with it, regardless of background, Miller said.
Arizona Wildcats guard Nico Mannion (1) celebrates with Arizona Wildcats forward Jake DesJardins (55) after Arizona Wildcats 90-69 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini at McKale Center on November 10th, 2019.
“Some of the greatest kids that you ever have the opportunity to coach here at Arizona come from the toughest backgrounds,” Miller said. “I’ll give you Kadeem Allen as an example because he’s a guy who fought, scratched and clawed. He’s got a really good family behind him in Wilmington, North Carolina, but he had to overcome a lot of things.”
“When he left, I would say he’s been one of our best leaders we’ve had, and man, he really grew by leaps and bounds from the day we met him until the time he left.”
Mannion, Green and Nnaji didn’t have to overcome that sort of adversity.
They’re ready to go, ready to lead, now. At least if two games says anything.
“We could all feel differently a month from now, but I do really believe in our freshman class,” Miller said. “They are high-character guys. They know how to win. They come from backgrounds where they’ve won before. Not only do I think they’re talented players but they’re equally really good people, and that helps our team tremendously.”
