The Drive with Jody Oehler

The Drive with Jody Oehler

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Red/Blue Game Rankings

Red/Blue Game Rankings

Overall, it wasn’t the jaw dropping spectacle last year’s game was but we all know how that turned out so it’s not a bad thing at all for Arizona. Overall I was impressed with the team’s passing, movement and chemistry. On the other side, outside shooting and an alpha dog were noticeably absent in Arizona’s first look of the 2018-19 season.

Internet disclaimer: These were immediate impressions made from one intra squad scrimmage in early October. These are my rankings of the top 10 players from the day and a knee jerk comp to another former Arizona player. Enjoy!

1. Chase Jeter - He was no Ayton but no one on planet Earth expected him to be. What he was was a capable big man who showed nice touch around the basket, good timing on the boards and an ability to establish a presence down low.

Comp - More athletic Channing Frye

2. Ryan Luther - He’s all business, even forgoing any form of dancing during the introductions like he had just watched the movie Footloose for the first time. On the court, he was all businesslike he had just watched Ryan Anderson’s Arizona career highlights for the first time.

Comp - Ryan Anderson with a 3 point shot

3. Ira Lee - He’s an endangered species at the NBA level but still has a role as a wide bodied,mid range loving power forward in college hoops. Easy to see him playing an important offensive role for the team this year.

Comp - Jesse Perry

4. Devonaire Doutrive - Some players just pop the first time you see him. Devonaire already has a special place in Arizona basketball history as the first post-ESPN report recruit. On the court,he was silky smooth with a natural knack for getting buckets

Comp - Gilbert Arenas

5. Brandon Williams - His appetite for volume scoring and one on one possessions was already on display. His performance led me to believe Allonzo Trier is his spirit animal and that includes the good and not so good.

Comp - Allonzo Trier

6. Emmanuel Akot - There’s a lot to like about Emmanuel Akot but it never quite feels like he makes the impact you expect him to. He seems to have more confidence offensively and if he can commit himself defensively he could be the best player on the team this season.

Comp - Kevin Parrom

7. Brandon Randolph - Similar to Akot, there’s a lot to like with the idea of Randolph’s size and skill combination. He may have the most NBA-ish skill set of any Wildcat. The problem is he rarely impacts the game in any way but one on one scoring. He has to figure out how to become a more involved team player to take the next step.

Comp - Marcus Williams

8. Alex Barcello - I like Alex Barcello and I still think there’s a world where he could start at PG for Arizona but he just didn’t assert himself very much in this game. He may be a throwback four year college guard that could pay huge dividends down the road but right now appears to still be struggling with his role on the team.

Comp - Jordin Mayes

9. Justin Coleman - Transferred from Sanford, named a team captain and promised to bring a gritty pass first PG mentality to the team. He very well may do that but his first impression did not reveal that. A shaky outside shot and barely a single pass worth remembering, we’ll have to wait until the next game to get a better look at Arizona’s likely starting point guard.

Comp - Parker Jackson Cartwright

10. Dylan Smith - He missed 7 of his 8 shots and when Dylan Smith isn’t knocking down open,outside looks it can make for a frustrating presence on the court. But, he knocked down a number of big shots last year and is the most known entity on the team.

Comp - Chris Rodgers


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