WILDCAT NOTEBOOK: The new guy just gets it

“BOING! BOING! PASS! BOING! BRICK!” Those words echoed throughout the McKale Center for the first 5:20 of Arizona’s 66-49 win over Rice on Thursday — a stretch that must’ve seemed like an eternity for the visiting Owls.

On Tuesday night, head coach Sean Miller met with a few hundred members of Arizona’s enthusiastic students (affectionately referred to as the “Zona Zoo”) to teach them some new and improved ways to affect the game.

Each time an opponent dribbles, the students are to scream “Boing!” in unison. During each pass, holler “Pass!” As an opponent sets up to shoot, yell “Brick!” Keep doing it until the opposing team scores.

Eventually, the rest of the crowd caught on. When more than 13,000 people start shouting in unison, it’ll rattle just about anyone. And it definitely rattled Rice.

“It was so loud in there,” Kyle Fogg said. “It really got us going.”

The Owls came into the game with a spotless 3-0 record, albeit against some rather weak competition. They boast a talented shooter in Connor Frizzelle and a pair of wonderful freshmen in Tamir Jackson and Arsalan Kazemi. They’re led by a coach in Ben Braun (formerly of Cal) who has more than a decade of experience coaching in hostile environments.

But for those five minutes and 20 seconds, the McKale Center crowd had them completely psyched out — and Miller was very appreciative.

“I would like to personally thank our students on behalf of our team,” Miller said. “The students were almost like another defender out there.”

The Owls shot 1-12 from the floor and turned the ball over seven times in the first 10 minutes, eventually finishing the game with 28 percent shooting (including a ghastly 2-18 from 3-point range) and 19 turnovers.

The squad’s defensive intensity went through some peaks and valleys throughout the rest of the game (Rice even closed to within six midway through the second half), but the Wildcats put them away after Nic Wise and Jamelle Horne (who came alive in the second half after a shaky first 20 minutes) redirected the mometum back toward Arizona.

Despite the occasional lulls, it was still Arizona’s best defensive effort of the season (by far, actually), and the crowd played a large role in it.

During his five-year tenure at Xavier, Miller built that students’ section into a much more cohesive, energetic unit, but with an enrollment of roughly 4,000, he has a serious “strength in numbers” advantage at UA.

“That’s one of the many things that makes playing here special,” Miller said. “You look up in the stands and you ask ‘Are all those people students?’ It’s incredible. I just hope they continue to get more ferocious and more together and turn these games into an even bigger event.”

Some people were simply meant to coach college hoops. With the tight bond Miller has already forged with the “Zona Zoo” after just two regular-season games, it’s clear that this appears to be a perfect match.

The freshmen

Much of the focus of this young season has been on the potential of this terrific five-man freshman class.

Even though losing Kevin Parrom for the next few weeks (stress fracture — foot) has been a big setback, the remaining four have seen significant playing time.

A slimmed-down Solomon Hill has been even better than advertised, averaging 14.5 and 5.5 rebounds in these two wins, while playing at a remarkably efficient level for a first-timer (55 percent shooting, three turnovers).

Derrick Williams earned his first-career start against Rice (as did Hill) and made the most of it with 10 points and six rebounds, including the highlight of the season — a thunderous one-handed windmill slam four minutes into the second half.

Lamont “MoMo” Jones has been a strong backcourt contributor and a feisty on-ball defender. He’s fearless when taking the ball to the basket and absorbs contact quite well.

The lone straggler thus far? Kyryl Natyazhko.

Saying that the big Ukranian has struggled thus far would be an understatement. After three straight appearances in the starting line-up, Natyazhko came off the bench against Rice and saw only 11 minutes of playing time.

“Kyryl is much better than he played [against Rice],” Miller said. “It’ll be important to pick himsef up off the mat.”

It’s unfair to judge a big man this early in his career, given that bigs typically take longer to develop. However, Natyazhko has lacked aggressiveness on the glass and appears lost on the defensive end — a big problem for the size-starved Wildcats.

Natyazhko will take longer than Hill, Williams or Jones to contribute at a high level, but patience with the 6-foot-10 center could reap big rewards. There were no Wildcat fans who thought Channing Frye or (especially) Jordan Hill would eventually become NBA lottery picks after their freshman seasons.

“Some post guys hit the ground running, but others, you remember them as freshmen thinking they’ll never able to help, but a few months later, that same kid keeps developing and getting better,” Miller said. “Watching Kyryl work as hard as he does every day tells me he’s certainly better than he showed.”

Maui Invitational

The Wildcats embark on their first road trip of the season this weekend, and it’s a doozy.

The Cats will head roughly 3,000 miles and three time zones to take part in the Maui Invitational. The squad’s first game is on Monday against Wisconsin (4 p.m. Arizona time, ESPN2).

It’s sure to be a bit different for this young team to leave the friendly confines of McKale Center and battle a hard-nosed, experienced Wisconsin team. In fact, Miller and the Wildcats left for Hawaii on Friday morning to adjust to the time difference.

“A lot of people don’t expect us to win at Maui,” Wise said. “It’s just another opportunity to prove people wrong.”

Colorado and Gonzaga will also be in Maui, so the Cats will see at least two — possibly three — tough opponents.

It’ll be the first trip to Hawaii for pretty much everyone on this roster. Does Miller think the tropical backdrop will provide any opportunities for this squad to get distracted?

“That won’t be a problem,” the coach said, matter-of-factly.

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