Miller speaks on Bahamas Trip

For Sean Miller and the Arizona Men’s Basketball team it has been a busy summer. He and his team just returned home from a trip to the Bahamas! Unfortunately this was not a beach, sun, and girly fun. This trip was a much needed business trip for the Wildcats and Sean Miller, who had many question that needed to be addressed.

One of the biggest questions he wanted to address was a three part-er, that was the freshman class. How would they adjust and how would they gel with the rest of the team? Team chemistry is always a huge concern with top incoming classes. All of these guys are used to being the man, can they adjust their game and buy in to the team concept?

Miller was quick to address how the freshman were buying in, “All of those guys can really pass the ball, they want to pass it, they can pass it. They are very clever how they move the ball.”

He also talked about their mindset when arriving, “I think each of them arrived with the right mindset to get better and to be a part of a winning team… All three are extremely hard workers”

Miller also wanted to see how Kevin Parrom would return. Having gone through the year he went through last year, Parrom’s health both physically and mentally is something that Miller wanted to observe. Miller mentioned how he was not only playing great lately but he was also practicing great. That is a good sign for Miller and the Wildcats. Miller said of Parrom, “Watching him move and how he shoots the ball. How he plays, he’s going to be difficult to keep off the court.”

This trip is the first time that Parrom has been able to play serious minutes so it is reassuring that he was able to get this experience in. Miller added about Parrom “His injury is in the rear view mirror.” He also added “Functionally he is 100%.”

Also Miller seemed very excited about the play of transfer Mark Lyons. Lyons is reuniting with Sean Miller from Miller’s Xavier days. It is nice for Miller to have a fresh face with experience within his system. Miller said of Lyons “He is very old by today’s standards of college basketball. He’s been through a ton of practices. He’s been in big games.”

Miller also seemed extremely happy about Lyons, particularly on the defensive side of the ball “I got away from recognizing that maybe the best thing he does is how quick he is on defense.”

He is also a smart player. That will be needed with the youth he is playing beside, “He not only has the ability on defense, but he has the know-how,” Miller added.

The time together is in-valuable with the dynamics of this team look completely different to last years despite being only a year apart. This experience included ten practices, which will help integrate the many new additions to this year’s team. Also being in a foreign country together will help this team bond off the court, which can be as valuable as the bonding on the court.