GETTING INSIDE
Derrick Williams has a big jump on Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors.
Two months ago, that award was being reserved for Washington guard Abdul Gaddy, whose best days apparently are still down the road.
But as Gaddy has gotten off to a modest start, Williams has been a dynamo for the Wildcats.
The 6-8, 235-pounder from LaMirada, Calif., was averaging 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and shooting 56 percent from the floor through games of Dec. 27. He had scored double-digit points in six straight games, and three times fell just one rebound short of a double-double for points and rebounds.
But after Arizona’s 76-74 win over North Carolina State, one more thing was evident: Williams plays his best against the best.
He had 24 points against the Wolfpack, and has averaged 25.7 in games against Wisconsin, UNLV and N.C. State.
As good as he’s been, first-year coach Sean Miller believes there is more Williams can give.
“Sometimes I don’t even know if he’s trying,” Miller said. “He’s just kind of out there floating around and you look at the end and it’s, ‘Wow, he had 24 points.’ I don’t mean not trying but he has that way of walking around.
“We’re trying to get him to compete harder on every possession. He has an incredible knack around the basket. Plays behind the backboard, gets fouled and he’s done it against some really good teams now. If you’d ask me in August, would he be able to do it early on, I probably would have told you ‘no.’ He’s a big reason we have the six wins that we have.”
Senior point guard Nic Wise is the Wildcats’ clear leader. He showed his clutch ability in two recent wins, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in the overtime victory against Lipscomb, then going the length of the court for the winning layup with nine-tenths of a second left against North Carolina State.
But Wise can’t do it all by himself. And thanks to Williams, he doesn’t have to.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Entering their Dec. 28 game against a BYU team averaging 83.3 points, the Wildcats ranked last in the Pac-10 in points allowed, surrendering 72.2 per game.
• Freshman F Kevin Parrom, expected to be a key reserve this season, saw his first six minutes of action against N.C. State after suffering a foot stress fracture on Nov. 10.
January At A Glance: Sean Miller is blunt in his honesty about where the Wildcats are, but you know he’d like to see his young squad take a couple steps forward to start the Pac-10 season. The Wildcats open in Los Angeles, which normally is a treacherous conference weekend. But UCLA is vulnerable right now, so the Wildcats have a chance to pocket a road win or two before returning home to face the Washington schools. The month also includes visits by Cal and Stanford and a road test at rival Arizona State.
Quote To Note: “Having success in games like this really gives us the confidence that we can do it in the future and also allows us to just really work on improving instead of repairing the damage from another loss.”—Arizona coach Sean Miller, after the win over N.C. State.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: In a nutshell, the Wildcats have beaten the poor teams, lost to the good ones. They were 6-5 entering their Dec. 28 matchup with BYU, but didn’t have a marquee victory until beating North Carolina State 76-74 two days before Christmas. Things didn’t go their way against Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, UNLV, Oklahoma and San Diego State.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—F Derrick Williams, F Jamelle Horne, F Solomon Hill, PG Nic Wise, G Kyle Fogg. Key Subs—G Lamont Jones, C Kyryl Natyazhko, G Brandon Lavender, C Alex Jacobson, F Kevin Parrom
Game Review:
San Diego State 63 Arizona 46
Arizona 83, Lipscomb 82
Arizona 76,North Carolina State 74
Game Preview:
vs. BYU, Monday, Dec. 28
at USC, Thursday, Dec. 31
at UCLA, Saturday, Jan. 2
vs. Washington State, Friday, Jan. 8
vs. Washington, Sunday, Jan. 10
In Focus: A few Wildcats, including senior Nic Wise, can remember back two years ago when Kevin O’Neill was Arizona’s interim coach. Arizona gets another look at KO in its Pac-10 opener at USC, where he has directed the Trojans to six straight victories entering league play. This will be a tough matchup for Arizona, which must face a sturdy defense and an offense beginning to develop confidence and a flow after the arrival of transfer Mike Gerrity.
Roster Report:
• Senior PG Nic Wise was shooting 48-for-50 from the free throw line until missing two of eight tries against North Carolina State. He entered the post-game interview room after the game wearing a boot on his right foot, although he didn’t say what was wrong with it, only admitting “I have something wrong with my foot.” It hasn’t kept him from any playing time, yet.
• Freshman F Solomon Hill averaged 12.0 points through Arizona’s first five games, then just 6.3 points over the next six.
• Sophomore G Kyle Fogg entered the Dec. 28 game vs. BYU leading the Pac-10 in 3-point accuracy at 61.5 percent, on 16-for-26 shooting.
