Arizona Basketball: Highlights of the 2018-19 annual Wildcats Red and Blue game

The start of the 2018-19 Arizona Wildcat basketball season has begun, starting with the annual Wildcats Red and Blue game. Time to recap the highlights.

This is Arizona! Those are three words many Wildcat fans have waited to hear since the Arizona Basketball season ended way too early last year. With how the football program has been performing of late, Wildcat fans were in need of something to get them excited. The Wildcats Red and Blue game couldn’t have come at a better time. Player intros, dunks, ring of honor inductee ceremony and red vs blue full-court scrimmage, this event had it all!

Prior to the start of the annual red and blue game, up on the big screen, the “This is Arizona” video played, recapping the legacy of Arizona Basketball and highlights from last season. Every time I watch this video, whether in person or on television it gets me so hyped! If you haven’t had the chance to see it, highly recommend you do so. Plus, it gets the crowd inside McKale Center really hyped and ready to see their Cats live in action!

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Before the festivities got started, it was announced on Twitter that the Belgium Secret, Omar Thielemans would not being playing in the red and blue game due to “personal reasons.” Maybe he is redshirting or maybe something else is happening? Who knows, hopefully this week we will find out what’s happening. We are there for you Omar, stay strong man!

To kick things off were the player intros. Most of the Wildcats showed off their dance moves in the fog as they were introduced for the first time for the 2018-19 season. Dancing of the Stars, watch out! Our Wildcats are coming for that crown.

After the introduction of the players and coach Sean Miller, Miller made his speech to a sold-out fan-filled McKale Center and to all those watching at home. He indicated the Wildcats have the best college basketball fans. Amen to that! Also, he expressed his appreciation for the support he has received from President Robert Robbins and Athletic Director Dave Heeke with the adversity this program has faced.

Dunk contest

As is tradition, the afternoon got underway with the slam dunk contest. Contestants for this year’s contest was defending champion Brandon Randolph, Brandon Williams, Ira Lee, Dylan Smith, and Devonaire Doutrive. Several players had some sensational dunks, including freshmen showing off their hops. Lee attempted to jump over Chase Jeter, Ryan Luthe, and Jake Desjardins, but was unable to finish the dunk.

Randolph ended up winning the dunk contest, becoming the first Wildcat ever to win back-to-back dunk contests. We see you Slim!

Red vs Blue scrimmage game

Following the dunk contest, the team split up to take part in a red vs blue scrimmage game. Right from tip-off, it was clear these players had the adrenalin flowing. They were going back and forth at a very high pace. Eventually, they started to slow down somewhat, but you have to remember it is the first time these guys were playing as a cohesive unit in front of a sold-out arena on the Pac-12 network so the nerves and excitement were there.

Between halves, Deandre Ayton and Jerryd Bayless were both inducted into the Ring of Honor inside McKale Center. Both were one-and-done’s and have gone on to play in the NBA. Bayless was there in person to receive this honor, but Ayton was not. Ayton did mention he will try and make it to Tucson this season to acknowledge this honor.

As the first half got into full swing, the style of play was very different from last year. There was a lot more ball movement, spacing, players moving without the ball and good defense. With a more guard-oriented offensive, players like Williams, Justin Coleman and Alex Barcello will have the responsibility to distribute the ball to other guards or bigs on screen and rolls this season

Some of the players that stood out in today’s scrimmage are Williams, Lee, Jeter, Luther, Randolph, Emmanuel Akot and Doutrive. Williams displayed that level of athleticism on the offensive end with his three-point shooting and aggressive style of taking it to the rim along with a euro step and ability to dish the ball. He finished with six points, two assists, and one steal.

Lee seemed to be a lot more confident and comfortable putting the ball on the floor, taking the mid-range jump shot and finishing with both hands. Lee was also aggressive and active on the board. He finished as the overall leading scorer with 12 points and had three rebounds.

Randolph also seemed very confident with his shot, finishing with eight points and two rebounds. As one of the returnees, he will be relied on to bring his experience and shot-making ability to the forefront for the Wildcats to be successful. During some of the action today, Randolph’s style of play reminded me a little of Allonzo Trier in how he was looking to creating his own shot.

Luther was impressive on both ends of the floor. Three point shooting, dribbling the ball up the floor, distributing the ball,  grabbing boards, jump shots, finishing around the rim, Luther showed why he was selected as one of the captains on this team. He even knocked down a three pointer for the red team at the end of regulation to seal the win. Luther finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Akot and Doutrive round out the players who stood out. Akot, a returner from last year, will play a very crucial role with his size and ability to take the ball to the rim. He didn’t see a lot of minutes last season, but except him to see more due to lack of depth in the frontcourt. Akot finished this scrimmage with eight points, three rebounds and two assists.

Last but not least is freshman guard Doutrive, the hidden gem. He may not get a ton of minutes this season, but if he keeps on putting in work he can turnout to be a special player for the Wildcats long-term. Doutrive finished with nine points, one rebound and three assists. Most of his points came from his creativity to the rim.

Here are highlights of the Red and Blue scrimmage game:

Overall, this team has a lot of potential. Miller said after the game that the one thing he would like his team to focus on this season his teamwork. That will be key as everyone will need to rely on each other to produce wins and make a deep run come postseason. At Zona Zealots, we would like to wish this team much success for the 2018-19 season. Bear Down!