Ready or not, it's time for UA basketball

Check back here on Sunday afternoon for Nick Prevenas' blog from McKale Center covering Arizona basketball's season opener (NAU, 3 p.m.).

The wait is over, Wildcat fans. It’s time to see Sean Miller’s new-look Arizona basketball squad in action.

It’d be a stretch to call this the most-anticipated season in recent UA history, given that fans of this program had grown accustomed to deep tournament runs and a steady place in the top-25 poll.

However, there is something to be said about the air of mystery surrounding the team. Granted, we’ve seen flashes of what this squad is capable of (both good and bad) in a pair of exhibition games, but nobody — not even Miller himself — is fully certain about what kind of team we’ll see this year, starting with today’s game against Northern Arizona (3 p.m.).

You know what? That’s just fine by me.

The last time this program has needed to start from scratch is 1984. We’re in the unique position to be on the ground floor of something brand new. It’s pretty cool, don’t you think?

Yes, it’s all fine and good to watch a handful of future NBA lottery picks slice and dice the competition and win Pac-10 titles. But there’s a different type of excitement that comes from watching a young team like this take its lumps and find its footing along the way.

Nobody is going to confuse these Cats for the 1997 team or anything, but I get the feeling that fans will grow a deep emotional attachment to this year’s squad, starting with Nic Wise.

The senior point guard is the last link to the Lute Olson era. In a program overflowing with memorable point guards, Wise’s career might be the most fascinating of all.

He’s seen four different coaches (and four totally different philosophies) in his Tucson tenure, but the 2009-10 team is undeniably his. Despite often being the smallest player on the court (UA lists him at 5-foot-10, but that’s awfully generous), Wise seems to win far more often than he loses, going back to his high school days.

If college basketball kept track of “points created,” (individual scoring plus assists), Wise would clearly be one of the nation’s leaders. His specific talents seem tailor made for Miller’s system.

Back at Xavier, Miller turned Drew Lavender (a point guard even smaller than Wise) into one of the nation’s premier backcourt players. It’s a real shame that Miller and Wise will only get to spend one season together. It’s rare when a player and a coach seem this compatible.

Today against NAU, Wise is sure to pull off one or two plays that defy explanation. It might be a through-the-legs bounce pass to a trailing Jamelle Horne for a dunk (“Wise has earned the right to make that pass,” Miller said when his senior pulled that trick in the squad’s final exhibition game), or it might be a jab-step fadeaway three-pointer with his signature leg-kick designed to draw contact and a possible four-point play. Heck, it might even be one of those wouldn’t-even-attempt-it-in-a-game-of-HORSE floaters over a 6-foot-10 shot-blocker.

“The Great Unknown” starts today. Wise will be up for the challenge. It’s time to buckle up and enjoy the ride.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747