It’s easy to look at the box score and see that senior point guard Nic Wise shot 3 of 13 from the field, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range against UNLV on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats dropped a 74-72 double-overtime decision, so let’s blame Weis’ shooting … or his shot selection.

That’s not exactly how coach Sean Miller saw it.

“Tonight, we relied really heavily on Nic. Too much so,” Miller said. “I thought, generally, in the second half, we really wore down on offense.”

Wise ended up taking some low-percentage shots, but if he’s not taking the shots, then who is?

Arizona was fine when it was able to feed Derrick Williams in the post — “A monster,” UNLV coach Lon Kruger said of the freshman who scored 28 points — but that was about it for the Cats’ offense.

“I think we have a number of guys who are in unfamiliar territory,” Miller said.

“It was one of the reasons we really depended on Nic a lot in the second half. On certain possessions, that wasn’t necessarily the game plan, that was people deferring. And as you defer, the ball ends up back in his hands at the end of the clock.

“He makes plays. He can’t make every play.”

In the first overtime, Wise missed a 3-pointer and had to force up a shot from behind the backboard as the shot clock was winding down. In the second overtime, he missed a deep 3 and didn’t get off a shot in the final sequence.

He took the ball on the inbounds pass with 5.8 seconds left, dribbled up the right sideline, and cut to the middle, but Justin Hawkins and Tre’Von Willis were there to smother a last-second attempt.

Game over.

“Some of the shots that Nic is missing he is having to take as a function of lack of confidence or sureness of ability of some of the other guys,” Miller said. “We had, I thought, a couple of opportunities for players to make plays.”

Against UNLV, Wise’s buddies on the perimeter weren’t a lot of help in making those plays.

Freshman wing Solomon Hill was 0-for-5. Sophomore guard Kyle Fogg was 0-for-3 off the bench. Sophomore guard Brendon Lavender was 1-for-5.

Junior forward Jamelle Horne, who made all five of his 3-point attempts against Colorado last week, was 2 of 8 from the field. Freshman guard MoMo Jones, typically aggressive, took 11 shots, but made only four.

At least Wise converted all 12 of his free throws to finish with 19 points.

He’s a senior — the team’s only senior — so he understands his role. But he needs help.

Jones said he had a meeting with Miller after last week’s trip to the Maui Invitational, which helped serve as a confidence-building session. Miller said that is one of a few individual meetings that need to take place.

“I think it is the growth of our team around Nic that will help him the most,” Miller said. Right now, he’s having to do a lot.”

Related links from TucsonCitizen.com:
UA-UNLV game blog

SteveRiveraVentures: Williams a ‘monster’ in loss to UNLV

I asked Arizona junior forward Jamelle Horne about what the team’s five freshmen are like. “Man, there are some clowns,” he said. “They’ve got spunk. They are bringing some character to the squad.”

He added: “More importantly, they’re pretty darn serious about their business.”

MoMo Jones

Arizona held its men’s basketball Media Day on Wednesday, and it was the first chance for many of us — and the media head count was 52, according to Rich Paige of the sports information office — to talk to the newbies in person.

The TucsonCitizen.com crew — me, Javier Morales and Steve Rivera — talked to each of them, and they are a colorful group. As journalists, we tend to scout out go-to guys for quotes. There should be no shortage of those for at least the next few seasons.

I spent much of my time talking to Lamont “MoMo” Jones. Let me say, it’s rare that a freshman has Jones’ ability to put together a thoughtful answer without talking a mile a minute and spitting out “uhs” every few words. Some head coaches haven’t mastered that yet.

Jones is a 5-foot-11 combo guard from Harlem, N.Y., who spent last season at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, playing basketball for a program that annually turns out elite prospects. In his first season at Arizona, he is expected to back up senior point guard Nic Wise and play alongside Wise as the shooting guard at times.

Jones and fellow frosh Kevin Parrom, from the Bronx, already have made an impact by helping bring in other East Coast recruits — forward Rod Odom (who is expected to sign next month) and forward Sidiki Johnson, who is in the recruiting class of 2011.

Here are the highlights from part of Jones’ conversation with reporters:

Q: You and Kevin (Parrom) have already played host to recruits. What do you tell them about your experience so far?

Jones: “I just tell them it’s a great atmosphere. Great. It’s everything a high school kid coming in would dream of. This is what we really look for growing up. This is what we want. This is what we dream of. This is our aspiration. I just tell them if this is what they want — if they want to go to the NBA, if they want to be coached by a great coach, if they want to come to a great college atmosphere, then this is the place to be.”

Q: In the workouts you have been able to do with the coaches, what have they been emphasizing?

Jones: “Stay focused. Stay focused. They know that I may tend to just go on a scoring streak alone. They know that I can get a little rowdy. They know that I can start talking back to a player who is popping junk to me or is saying something wrong to me. Their biggest thing with me is just stay focused and stay positive; everything I want to do in life is easier if I stay that way.”

Q: How comfortable are you playing off the ball?

Jones: “Oh, I’m very comfortable. I have played off the ball most of my life until I got to Oak Hill. For me to come back to college and at least play a year off the ball, I get to show people that I can play two positions — again. Next year, when we bring another point guard in, I can slide over to the 2 at times, and also be able to play the 1. It’s double the pleasure.”

Q: Being a point guard, how important was it to you that Sean Miller was a point guard and knows what he’s talking about in that department?

Jones: “It was big. Not only with him being a point guard, but having multiple coaches on our staff who played the point guard position and having alumni who were great point guards in Steve Kerr and Damon Stoudamire, etc. Knowing I can come in during the summertime and maybe get a run with them or see if one of them can work me out, that’s just a great opportunity.

Q: Have you have a chance to meet any of those guys?

Jones: Yes. During the Lute Olson thing, I got to meet Mike Bibby, Steve Kerr and Damon Stoudamire.

Q: When you think about those guys and you potentially being the next in line, where do you see yourself maybe fitting in in the history of the program? Is it too early for you to even imagine?

Jones: “Not at all. It’s actually been in my mind. It’s been in my mind since I made the decision. This is why I made the decision to come here, to be considered one of those great point guards to come out of Arizona. That’s a big dream of mine. I have no doubt I’ll be one of the top point guards to come out of here.”

Q: Are you old enough to have any familiarity with Khalid Reeves (another Wildcat from New York)?

Jones: “No, I wasn’t old enough, but I have watched tapes. He was a great player. If I could be like him, I would be like him.”

Q: How much of a benefit was it for you to play at Oak Hill? Was that like a college experience?

Jones: “I think it benefited me in the greatest way possible. It’s made me a man; it’s made me a better point guard; it’s made me a better shooter; it’s made me a better team player. Just going in there with Coach Steve Smith and walking in that gym and looking at the great guards and great players that came out of there … you want to be a part of that. Going from someplace like Oak Hill and walking in here seeing the retired jerseys of Steve Kerr and Mike Bibby, it’s kind of the same thing. You just want to continue that.”

(more…)

Dondre Wise, the younger brother of Arizona senior guard Nic Wise, will fill UA’s final scholarship for this season, the school announced today.

UA also is adding two walk-ons: Ross Davidson and Max Wiepking.

Dondre is a 6-1 sophomore guard who played at Pima Community College last season, averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 games. He started 17 of those games. Dondre has been working out with the Wildcats and was expected to be with the team this season one way or another, even if it was as walk-on.

The Wise brothers played together at Kingwood (Texas) High School in 2005 and 2006.

Davidson is 6-7 freshman forward from San Juan Capistrano, Calif. He played at Junipero Serra Catholic High School.

Wiepking is a 6-6 freshman forward from Englewood, Colo., where he earned second-team all-state honors.

Arizona will hold its annual Media Day on Wednesday afternoon, so check back tonight for coverage on the Wildcats from me, Javier Morales and new TucsonCitizen.com blogger, Steve Rivera, who brings about two decades of experience covering UA hoops.