Before Arizona went to Washington to face the Huskies and Washington State on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, head coach Sean Miller insisted little-used freshman guard would be inserted into the rotation.
He played eight minutes that weekend, scoring three points, but was kept on the bench for the next four games.
Miller must like York against the Washington schools, because the 6-foot-1, high-flying fan favorite checked in early in Wednesday night’s 70-52 win at McKale Center.
“I think from this point on you can count on him being a part of things,” Miller said. “The hope is that he gets more and more comfortable as we go and he’s another threat out there to make threes.”
York came in with 13:32 left in the first half, and was subbed in and out three more times. In a two minute, four second span in the second half York grabbed a rebound, got a dime and hit a three. His 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a 52-30 lead, a game-high.
Frye impressed with Wildcats
In the second half former Arizona center Channing Frye was introduced and received a standing ovation. Frye, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, is sitting out the NBA season after a preseason physical revealed he has an enlarged heart.
Earlier Wednesday, Frye made an appearance at the UA main bookstore on behalf of Heart Awareness month and “One Heart”, t-shirts being sold to help raise awareness of the heart disease.
Without basketball, Frye told the Arizona Daily Wildcat has had extra time to watch a lot of the UA, and he’s impressed.
“They’re really good,” Frye said. “They’re young. Very young. So much talent. On different nights you get different guys. I think overall Sean Miller’s got them playing great this year. For me it’s exciting to see this team back to being a Top 10 team.”
At 6-foot-11, Frye knows the pressures that go with being a starting center at the UA. If anyone knows what Arizona freshman Kaleb Tarczewski is going through manning the middle, it’s Frye.
“He looks great,” Frye said. “I just think he needs to stop thinking so much. He’s better than what he shows. He’s extremely talented and I think he is just learning how hard you have to work every night to be successful. There are flashes of greatness from him and I think he’s going to be a great college player.”
In four years as a Wildcat, Frye had averages of 13.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Arizona Daily Wildcat next week for a more in-depth feature about Frye and his struggles with his heart problems.
Pac-12 commish psyched for first Vegas Pac-12 tournament
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott had never been to McKale Center before Wednesday. Scott, who was named to his position in March 2009, said going to McKale Center was on his bucket list as commissioner.
“I’ve heard so many good things about it, the atmosphere” Scott said at halftime of Wednesday’s game. “Obviously I’ve watched a lot of games on TV and the experience has not disappointed. I’m thrilled with the atmosphere here, so much energy. It feels big time.”
This year, the Pac-12 Tournament will be making its debut in Las Vegas after years calling Staples Center in Los Angeles its home.
The tournament often held majorly empty seating in Los Angeles, but if what Scott said is any indication, that won’t be the case this year.
“I’m very bullish on Las Vegas as a home for the Pac-12 tournament,” Scott said. “The overriding objective of making the move from Los Angeles to Las Vegas was the atmosphere for fans, how it projected on TV.
The tournament will take place March 13-16 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Scott said there has already been more than 80 percent sales in a few sessions, and that Arizona is clearly ahead of the pack in terms of ticket sales.
Scott said the arena will hold a capacity of 13,000 fans for the tournament.
ASU student section and an awkward 10 minutes of silence
The Sun Devils handily defeated Washington State 69-57 on Wednesday night, but perhaps the biggest news to come out of that game was the ASU student section’s celebration of James Harden Appreciation Night.
First, the former Sun Devil wasn’t even at the Wells Fargo Center in Tempe, Ariz., rather he was facing his former NBA team as a member of the Houston Rockets in Houston.
In his time at ASU in 2007-08 and 2008-09, Harden was one of the best scorers in the conference, so the Sun Devil student section decided to honor him by going silent until ASU scored 13 points. No. 13 is Harden’s jersey number.
The Sun Devils didn’t hit that total until almost 10 minutes had passed.
According to Doug Haller of azcentral, ASU head coach Herb Sendek said after the game that he didn’t know about the students’ plan until after the game. Before that, he was thinking “this is the quietest gym I’ve been in.”
Abound with alumni
In addition to Frye, former Wildcat forward Jamelle Horne was at the game.
Also, former Arizona baseball outfielder was at the game. Refsnyder currently is in the New York Yankees organization, while Horne plays for a professional team in Mexico.
