• Michael Lev Arizona Daily Star

Trey Townsend’s given name is Lawrence Townsend III. That’s where the “Trey” comes from. It wasn’t a nickname bestowed upon him because of his prowess from beyond the 3-point arc.

That could change this season.

In his Arizona debut Monday night, Townsend, a transfer from Oakland University, sank four 3-pointers as the Wildcats drubbed Division II Eastern New Mexico 117-54 in an exhibition game at McKale Center.

Considering that Townsend made 12 3-pointers all of last season with the Grizzlies, his proficiency from long range was a noteworthy development.

“If he can hit four out of five every night, 80% I think that's going to be really good for us,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said with a smirk. “No, it's great. He's really worked hard on his shot.

“A lot of times guys like Trey and Keshad (Johnson, the player Townsend essentially is replacing), these guys are really good players in winning programs. ‘Forced’ is a strong word, but they play a certain role to help that team win. So sometimes a change of scenery helps maybe break down some of the barriers, and it allows them to do different things.”

Arizona forward Trey Townsend grabs the rebound in the second half during an exhibition game against Eastern New Mexico at McKale Center on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Arizona won 117-54.

Townsend made 50 of 159 3-point attempts (31.4%) in 129 career games at Oakland. The Grizzlies ran a ton of set plays that often ended with Townsend isolated against a single defender. Lloyd’s free-flowing, up-tempo, team-oriented system creates more catch-and-shoot opportunities.

“I've always felt I was a capable 3-point shooter,” Townsend said. “It just wasn't my main role at Oakland University. But here it was something I wanted to work on to get confident, mentally, to be that great shooter.”

Both Townsend and Lloyd gave credit to assistant coach Ken Nakagawa for working with Townsend, among others, during the offseason. They spend countless hours on the court working on Townsend’s shot and building his confidence.

“It’s the repetitions in the workouts and then just getting them up in practice,” Townsend said. “Ken's thing with me is he doesn't care if I make or miss them in practice. He just wants me to shoot them so I feel like I'm a confident shooter.

“At first I was struggling with that because I wasn't making very many. But it's just that repetition, the mentality of the whole idea, and it worked out today.”

Townsend finished with a team-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

‘Super happy’ to be back

Third-year big man Henri Veesaar played in a game in a UA uniform for the first time in 366 days. He looked like a much-improved player, albeit against an undersized front line.

Veesaar scored 19 points in 18 minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers and a powerful dunk off a baseline spin move. The 7-footer from Estonia redshirted last season after suffering a dislocated elbow in a golf-cart accident.

“It felt great playing basketball again,” Veesaar said. “I was super happy to be on the court.”

Lloyd praised Veesaar’s patience and maturity after he worked back from the injury and agreed to use a redshirt as a true sophomore.

“I thought Henri looked great. He's practiced really well for us this fall — consistently well,” Lloyd said. “Getting better is hard. What's gotten lost in this day and age ... is patience and true development. One of the best development variables of all is time and experience. So he's giving himself time.”

Arizona forward Henri Veesaar, right, is defended by Eastern New Mexico's Mo Austin in the first half during an exhibition game at McKale Center on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.

Veesaar said sitting out wasn’t easy. But doing so probably will help him in the long run.

“For any basketball player, we love to compete. So it was hard just sitting out for a year and not playing any games,” Veesaar said. “But overall, I think it was a better thing for me. I was able to just work out and have like a double offseason. Just get better and work on my craft.”

Rotation situation

The exhibition contest provided a glimpse of what Arizona’s rotation might look like, but it’s a fluid situation. Additionally, center Motiejus Krivas did not suit up as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

"Not quite yet,” Lloyd said when asked if Krivas has returned to practice. “He’s doing some basketball stuff. So we’re building up to that for sure."

Without Krivas, Lloyd rolled out a starting five featuring Townsend, fellow transfer Tobe Awaka and returnees Caleb Love, Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis.

Veesaar was the first sub, coming in for Awaka. The next two players off the bench were transfer Anthony Dell'Orso and freshman Carter Bryant. Sophomore point guard Conrad Martinez and freshman center Emmanuel Stephen also got first-half minutes.

Arizona forward Tobe Awaka eyes the basket as players from Eastern New Mexico look on in the first half during an exhibition game at McKale Center on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.

Regarding player roles in general, Lloyd said he tries to let those evolve “organically.”

“I'm not trying to pigeonhole guys from Day One,” Lloyd said. “I want to see how guys react naturally in those moments. If I'm trying to control them as a player, before they've had an opportunity to really show what they can do, am I going to get the authentic version of that player? I want the authentic version of that player. And then once I see that, I want to help them do the things that can be effective.”

‘Hollywood’ seats

Monday’s exhibition marked the debut of McKale’s “Hollywood” seats — six spots located next to (and ever-so-slightly behind) the UA bench.

The premium seats are sold out for the 2024-25 season, a UA spokesperson said. He couldn’t say how much they cost. A season ticket for the most expensive floor seat for men’s basketball is $3,050 (plus a required contribution to the “Capital Campaign”).

Before the game, each seat had a menu of available food and beverages on it. It included Sonoran hotdogs ($10), flat breads with toppings ($12-$15) and alcoholic drinks such as Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop ($9).

A young fan seated next to Arizona’s bench smiles as he watches the coaches react to the game in the second half during an exhibition contest between Arizona and Eastern New Mexico at McKale Center on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Arizona won 117-54.

The stream rises

Monday’s game was streamed on ESPN+, the first basketball game the UA has produced in-house.

The announcers were Steve Quis and Matt Muehlebach. Daron Sutton and Corey Williams also will be part of the broadcaster rotation for in-house ESPN+ streams.

Next Monday’s exhibition vs. Point Loma also will air on ESPN+, as will the first two regular-season games vs. Canisius (Nov. 4) and Old Dominion (Nov. 9). The Nov. 15 road game vs. Wisconsin also will require a streaming subscription; that game will be broadcast on Peacock.

In all, nine regular-season games are slated to be streamed on ESPN+.

Rim shots

• Awaka had a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with 14 points. Martinez tied Townsend for team-high honors with five assists. Freshmen Bryant and Stephen each had two blocked shots. Bradley had a team-high four steals.

• Athletic Director Desireé Reed-Francois made the rounds before the game, talking to members of the ZonaZoo and the UA Pep Band. She also shared a hug with Wilbur the Wildcat.

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Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @michaeljlev