WILDCAT NOTEBOOK: Young Cats host Rice on Thursday

Solomon Hill’s game is wise beyond his years, which is why it can be all to easy to forget that he’s still just a teenager.

Hill made the most of his 25 minutes of playing time on Sunday, tallying a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds during Arizona’s 87-70 win on Sunday.

While much of the post-game focus was on Sean Miller’s successful start to the official post-Lute era, it was Hill who drew the biggest “ooohs” and “aaahs” from 13,448 at McKale Center.

“I just wanted to go out there and do everything right,” Hill said. “I didn’t want to have any bad mistakes show up on the video.”

Hill’s arrival in Tucson was met with many twists and turns. The four-star recruit out of Fairfax High in Los Angeles (ranked No. 28 overall by Rivals.com) originally committed to Arizona, but the unsettled nature of the coaching situation led Hill to switch his allegiences to USC. However, that program was thrown into even bigger disarray after the Tim Floyd saga, leading Hill back to the Wildcats.

If Sunday’s debut is any indication, he should have few problems fitting in here, as long as he keeps his weight in check.

Hill showed up woefully out of shape, as he gained 20-30 pounds during the offseason. Miller and his staff have helped Hill get his weight under control — he’s lost 24 pounds since arriving on campus — which has allowed him to regain his explosiveness and athleticism.

“Solomon weighed as much as 250 pounds,” Miller said of the 6-foot-6 wing player. “He’s worked very hard to get himself back in shape.”

The Wildcats are going to need a slender Hill to keep producing at this level, especially with fellow freshman Kevin Parrom expected to miss between 4-8 weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot.

Hill didn’t start the game, but saw action almost immediately. Few players on this roster possess Hill’s ability to grab a rebound and go coast-to-coast for a lay-up or an assist — something Hill pulled off at least three times on Sunday.

“The outlet pass doesn’t always have to go to Nic [Wise], especially if the other team is trying to jump the outlet pass,” Hill said. “Coach allows me to push the ball and get us into our offense.”

Wise’s ankle

When Nic Wise was on the floor against NAU, he was his typical self. The senior finished with 15 points on 7-12 shooting in 26 minutes, but he reaggrivated that nagging ankle injury during Friday’s practice, which limited his explosiveness for much of the second half.

Wise is no stranger to playing with pain, however. Die-hard UA fans might remember Wise gutting it out during his sophomore season through a terrible knee injury.

“It’s just a testament to what a great leader Nic is and how valuable he is for us,” Miller said after the NAU win. “Watching him do what he did [on that injured ankle] just shows you how unselfish he is. He also played great, by the way.”

Wise hopes to be at 100 percent for tomorrow night’s game against Rice.

Scouting the Owls

The Owls and Wildcats are in similar positions — not a lot of experience, but some very talented freshmen who are learning on the fly.

Under head coach Ben Braun (a name that should look familiar to Wildcat fans, as Braun used to coach at California), the Owls finished a disappointing 10-22, but ESPN.com’s Andy Katz picked Rice as one of his 10 programs primed to rise this season, thanks to Braun’s stellar recruiting class.

Sophomore guard Connor Frizzelle leads the way, averaging 14.7 points in the Owls’ first three games (all wins), but freshmen Tamir Jackson and Arsalan Kazemi (a pair of Big East recruits Braun wooed to Houston) will be counted on for big minutes this season.

Braun took over a program that had sunk to the depths of Conference USA, but appears poised for a quick turnaround.

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