A sold-out McKale Center crowd of 14,601 was on-hand Saturday night to watch the Arizona men’s basketball team’s Red-Blue scrimmage. After introductions and a dunk contest, the Red squad prevailed in the intrasquad scrimmage with a final score of 67-54 in what, based off the atmosphere, might as well have been an NCAA tournament game.
Here’s a look at the highlights and the best moments from Saturday.
Top Performers
Jesse Perry
Head coach Sean Miller has been talking all offseason about how he plans to use Jesse Perry at the small forward position, and the senior’s performance in Saturday’s scrimmage is starting to make that idea seem like a good one. Perry led all scorers with 20 points on the day, including three 3-pointers, two steals and four rebounds.
“I think Jesse Perry is making that jump from his first year to his second that most players do,” Miller said. “When he has a wide open shot from 3, he’s great. He’s improved a lot over the off season and will make a significant impact this season.”
Nick Johnson
The high-flying freshman guard started the day’s festivities off by winning the second-annual Red-Blue dunk contest. He won the contest when he alley-ooped himself the ball and finished with a between-the-legs dunk. But it was his performance in the actual scrimmage that has everyone buzzing about his potential. In the scrimmage, he scored 17 points, had two steals and two assists.
Former Wildcat Derrick Williams, who left Arizona last season and was taken No. 2 in the NBA Draft, was impressed.
“He can shoot, dribble and he likes to pass too,” said the former Arizona forward. “He can really jump out the gym and that’s what fans want to see. They want to see that excitement, and they want to see little guys like that.”
Other notables
Senior Kyle Fogg
15 points,
five assists,
three steals
Freshman Sidiki Johnson
18 points,
7-of-7 from the field,
two 3-pointers
Senior Brendon Lavender
15 points,
four rebounds,
four 3-pointers
Play of the Day
Early in the first half, sophomore Jordin Mayes put up a mid-range jumper from the corner and missed. Nick Johnson was there to clean it up. The ball bounced off the rim as Nick Johnson ran from the top of the key, jumped and slammed it home on the put-back.
Press conference notes
• Mayes, who had surgery on his foot over the summer, says that he has completely healed and is ready to go.
“My foot feels great right now, I feel like I’m back to 100 percent,” the sophomore point guard said. “I have no pain in it and I’m running well, working hard, lifting with my feet well, so everything is going well.”
• Miller said that he is unsure of what the starting lineup will be at this point in time. Solomon Hill and and Kyle Fogg are the only locks to start right now, Miller said.
• After being shot in the knee and left hand in New York last month, the team considered redshirting forward Kevin Parrom, but that looks less likely as of now.
Miller said he will miss some part of the season unless something changes in the next week.
“We anticipate him joining us down the road … could be as early as mid-November, late November, early December,” Miller said. “Hopefully sometime between the fourth or third game, and the sixth game.”
Parrom left town on Sunday to attend his mother’s funeral in New York. He will return to Tucson on Wednesday night.
Tweets
@grant_jerrett: Thanks u of a, had too much fun!!!
— 2012 commitment Grant Jerrett
@Easy_Bo: Red/Blue game was CRAZY. I can’t wait to be here next year #Beardown
— 2012 commitment Brandon Ashley
@Air_Zona13: Thanks to all the fans that came out today. I love yall!
— Freshman guard Nick Johnson
@kingxsolo: Thanks to everyone that showed up and watched it online. All 14,000 of y’all! #WeNeverLeft #BearDown
— Junior forward Solomon Hill
@RealDwill7: One of the best days I’ve ever had. Tucson has always shown me so much love. Thank you all! Can’t wait for my UA boys to start this season.
— Former Wildcat and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams
@mindofAI9: At this red and blue. They lookin decent. Got some good young boys.
@mindofAI9: What’s up with all these Pac 12 teams complaining that zona got pros in town and they don’t want us talking to recruits???
@mindofAI9: It ain’t our fault y’all cant develop y’all players to the next level
— Former Wildcat, Philadelphia 76ers forward Andre Iguodala
Quote of the day
“I can tell all the fans here in Tucson that it was nothing like ’97 when we won. We were young kids then and I will still never forget that feeling, and it’s a blessing and I’m very honored to be back here today and winning a championship. It was good, it was great. But in ’97, that was special.”
_— Former Arizona guard Jason Terry on winning an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks _
