Because most Zona Zoo seats are located behind the baskets, and up a gentle slope at McKale Center, the section may never be able to produce the sheer decibel level that the Wildcats had to endure last weekend at Washington and Washington State.
But that didn't keep Sean Miller from trying to fire up UA's student fans tonight. He spent 30 minutes with about 300 Zona Zoo members, who received free pizza, a trivia contest for T-shirts, and a brief instructional of some plays in exchange for a plea to be in full force this weekend against UCLA and USC.
"Tomorrow, get here early, be organized, energized," Miller said. "Because you make a statement to the world of college basketball. Most importantly, our players feed off your energy.
"You being here means the world to us. Thank you for everything we do. Let’s kind of finish off these next four to six weeks in a way that will lead to future success, so people who watch say, `That place is crazy. Did you see their student section?' "
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As a model, perhaps, Miller raved to the students about Washington, where students are seated along the baseline behind both benches.
"It's amazing," Miller said of Washington. "You can’t hear yourselves. The team can’t hear you talk. When Washington goes on a run, their homecourt is spectacular."
After his speech, Miller fielded several questions.
-- He said the Wildcats would wear their new uniforms for "probably a couple of years" and said the imprint design was "really, really unique."
-- When asked about next year, Miller said (and eventually appeared to be referring to Angelo Chol): "Next year? I'm worried about this year. We have a few players who signed national Letter of Intent. All three are going to be freshmen. We're excited about that and we're also recruiting one more player. You guys realize there’s always somebody important to our future and (the game atmosphere) may make an impression that 'That's the place I want to play, at Arizona.' "
-- On Derrick Williams' potential honors: "If our team continues to win in February and March, then Derrick will get all of that. That's the one thing you figure out in college basketball."
Miller emceed a brief UA basketball trivia contest, with the winners getting UA basketball T-shirts. I'm guessing the questions wouldn't be too hard for die-hard UA fans:
Which UA player won five NBA titles, with the Spurs and Bulls?
Who was UA's last NBA lottery pick?
Who is a guard from the Raptors who was a lottery pick from UA?
Who is UA's current top three-point shooter?
Answers: Steve Kerr, Jordan Hill, Jerryd Bayless and Derrick Williams.
