Derrick Williams unleashes a thunderous dunk...a sign of the future for the Wildcats

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: University of Arizona freshman Derrick Williams took two giant steps in the key and unleashed a thunderous dunk four minutes into the second half of the Wildcats 66-49 win over the Rice Owls last night at McKale Center.

That one play alone showed the crowd of 13,000 plus what the future of Arizona basketball will be like for the next four years. Arizona coach Sean Miller inserted Williams and three other freshmen in the lineup during the not-so-easy, sluggish, Wildcats win over the Owls (3-1).

Arizona (2-0) made just five of its free throws and committed 17 turnovers during the contest, but those things can be expected from a team with just one senior and a handful of sophomores and juniors. On the upside, Williams tallied 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 29 minutes, while freshman Solomon Hill added 12 points, 3 rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes. Another freshman, MoMo Jones, pumped in eight points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes. Junior Jamelle Horne added 13 points and seven rebounds, while senior Nic Wise scored 15 points and dished out seven assists.

The Wildcats looked like a bunch of Energizer bunnies with Captain Wise leading the way. Sean Miller's uptempo game is fun to watch. And now it's on to Hawaii and plenty of ocean for the Wildcats to look as they jet toward Honolulu.