Because the Arizona Wildcats routinely win basketball games and recruiting battles in part due to the Pac-12’s best homecourt advantage — having led the conference in attendance since, well, forever — coach Sean Miller has sensed a little jealously.
“I know a couple people have wanted our attendance to maybe decrease a little bit,” Miller said. “It’s definitely going to happen this year, I promise you that.”
All the way down to zero, that is. The Pac-12 has said fans will not be allowed to attend sports played on its campuses until at least January because of COVID-19 concerns.
So, on a serious note, Miller expressed both concern for a newly rebuilt group of Wildcats that could use the extra support, and some sadness.
“I feel incredibly bad for our players first and foremost,” Miller said. “Our competitive advantage so often in recruiting, and it’s been this way for three decades here at Arizona, is that young people want to go to a community where they really care about college basketball … and you feel that at McKale Center.
“There are a lot of programs that have taken advantage of that hostile homecourt advantage arena that some of us have, so without that it is going to be different. But it’s up to us to adjust.
“I also feel bad for our fans. They love college basketball, they’re used to coming to McKale during the wintertime, and to not have that opportunity is certainly going to be different for them as well.”
In a different way, though, the Wildcats will try to use McKale Center to their advantage this season. During his annual preseason media day conference Thursday, Miller said the Wildcats will benefit from staying home throughout the nonconference season.
Initially expected to play in the NIT Season Tip-Off at New York and at Gonzaga and Illinois for single games, the Wildcats instead will hold their own “multiple-team event” at McKale Center against Grambling and Sam Houston State while the Gonzaga and Illinois games were postponed.
Arizona now will open with NAU at home on Nov. 25 and play all of its seven nonconference games at home against mid- and low-major opponents.
“Our first thought is just health,” Miller said. “For us to get on an airplane and travel and be away from Tucson, if we don’t have to, it’s clearly in (the interests of) our players’ health and wellness to be here, to be in their own apartment or dorm room, to be in McKale Center, to be tested every day, to be in a real strong regimen on a daily basis.”
Miller said the postponements with Illinois and Gonzaga were mutual, since neither opponent wanted to host Arizona without fans after having to already face McKale Center fans last season as the first part of the contracts.
Miller said the NIT’s move to Orlando brought with it travel cost and COVID-19 concerns noting St. John’s also withdrew from the event. He also said that the Wildcats will need the early home games to help prepare without the usual preseason preparation events such as the Red-Blue Game, a closed scrimmage against another Division I team and an exhibition against a Division II team.
“Those three things all help prepare your team and develop you,” Miller said. “Like checking in (during) a game — none of our guys have ever done that. I know that sounds silly, but how you substitute in a game in college basketball is different. And having a timeout, being able to play with referees, we’ve never experienced that. So, we’re gonna get all that experience during our nonconference season and we’re going to try to do the best that we can.”
Baker shifting off the ball
After transferring from Kentucky before last season, guard Jemarl Baker took on a combo guard role off the bench, playing point guard when Nico Mannion was out of the game or off guard along with him while also dealing with continued knee issues.
Miller said Baker has mostly played off the ball so far in practice, since the Wildcats already have Georgetown transfer James Akinjo playing exclusively at the point, while Estonian freshman Kerr Kriisa and Seattle U transfer Terrell Brown have also played the position.
Baker “certainly can play the one but based on how our team’s made up, I think he’ll be in a game most of the time, if not always, with a point guard in the game with him,” Miller said. “I think that frees him up to get away from running our team, and being more of a playmaker and a shooter.
“The biggest point is we need him to shoot the ball, effectively. When I watch him in drills — and all three of (UA’s assistant coaches) would say it — Jemarl is an excellent shooter, he makes free throws. He can shoot from the 3-point line. He has a great pull up.”
Baker shot only 26.3% from 3 in Pac-12 games last season but shot 34.3% overall and was the hero in UA’s 75-72 win at Washington, where he scored 17 points with 4-of-7 3-point shooting, including a go-ahead 3 with 44 seconds left.
“I believe he can be a double-figure scorer for us,” Miller said. “I think he can be a very consistent Pac-12 player.”
Akinjo bringing ‘inner toughness’
James Akinjo
While Baker may stay off the ball, Miller said Kriisa can play both guard spots because of his ability to shoot while Terrell Brown has shown the same kind of scoring ability he had at Seattle U, where he averaged 20.7 points and became an all-WAC pick.
Meanwhile, Miller may have found the tough-minded point guard he seeks in Akinjo, the Big East’s freshman of the year in 2018-19.
“He’s not only an excellent basketball player but he has more experience being through a year and a half of game competition,” Miller said. He was “here a year ago where he practiced in our second semester and played every day against Nico Mannion and they made each other better. So we expect a lot from James. He’s got an inner toughness that, you know, you either have it or you don’t. He has it.”
They’re golden
The Wildcats’ other redshirting player last season, Nevada transfer Jordan Brown, won the team’s first “gold jersey” for weekly overall practice production on Wednesday. Miller has said Brown benefited by practicing daily against Chase Jeter, Christian Koloko, Stone Gettings and Ira Lee last season.
“He had some great battles and I think that year of development has served him well,” Miller said. “Jordan is one of the most experienced players on our team, and I think he’s going to be a very productive player, not only in our program this year but I think he’s going to go on and have a great career.”
Later, Miller noted how Solomon Hill holds the gold jersey record with 17 in a four-year career that lasted until 2012-13 — and just happened to play in the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
“One thing about the gold jersey, those that have won them, it’s amazing how they seem to last the longest playing professionally,” Miller said. “Next year would be (Hill’s) eighth year as an NBA player. That’s one heck of a career, and it was great to see him play with the Heat.
“There are more talented basketball players athletically than Solomon, but I don’t know of any player that I’ve been around that’s more competitive, or cares more about winning than Solomon. That’s why he has a place in the NBA and that’s why he was such a good player for us during his four years.”
Extra year uncertain
The NCAA ruled last week that all winter sports athletes participating in 2020-21 will have an extra year of eligibility but Miller said it was too early to tell if either of his two seniors, Lee and Terrell Brown, would want to return in 2021-22.
“We’re just not there yet,” Miller said. “It’s our guys just got in the locker room two days ago and I think all of their mindset is on their academics, COVID, staying healthy, practicing, just preparing for this season. But I am aware of it, and I think it’s a great rule that was passed.”
Salute to Lute
Miller said the Wildcats will at least wear a patch honoring legendary former UA coach Lute Olson, who died on Aug. 27, and maybe wear throwback uniforms in future seasons if Nike has a chance to produce them.
Arizona men’s coach Sean Miller, left, chats with former coach Lute Olson at halftime of the women’s game against Northern Arizona in December 2018.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if moving forward (to have) a tribute to not only Coach Olson but one of the special teams or eras that he was a part of here, through our uniforms,” Miller said. “I could see that being a real possibility with our partnership. Obviously coach Olson had his own special relationship with Nike for a long, long time as well.
“We wouldn’t have time to make that happen this year. We would probably have way more opportunity to make that happen a year or two from now. And with the way it is this year, it’s probably appropriate that we do that when there’s fans in our arena and, hopefully, knock on wood, things return back to more how it once was.”
