Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Michael Ignatov Arizona guard Nic Wise, backgroud left, and former Wildcat Hassan Adams talk while UA forward Jordan Hill preps for a free throw in a Tucson Summer Pro League game at the Northwest Center. Adams, who has a full year of NBA experience, is one of many former Arizona players to return to Tucson after they've gone pro.

Nic Wise drove hard down the court, checked left, then checked right. The lane was open right down the middle.

The UA guard sprung up for a layup and former Wildcat Hassan Adams jumped from nowhere to swat the ball away from the hoop, igniting a loud response from the crowd of about 120.

Wise laughed. Adams laughed. It was like pickup games back in McKale Center again.

But this is much more than pickup basketball. This was the opening day of the Tucson Summer Pro League, now in it's fifth year of existence. It was started by former Wildcat Cory Williams in order to get organized games together for those seeking a bigger challenge.

On Sunday in the Northwest Center - a new location this summer - the bigger challenge was Adams.

"It's always great to play against someone that's an NBA-caliber player and he's a friend as well," Wise said of Adams, who played for the UA from 2002-06 and carries one full season of NBA experience. "When you have a good player like Hassan, he helps with your game during the game. He was talking to me a lot during the game. He was trying to help me out.

"It's fun when you've got guys like that that are willing to play hard against you and help you out at the same time," Wise added.

It's an advantage that Wise almost walked away from. The guard announced he'd be returning to the Wildcats program on May 30 after spending weeks contemplating a transfer. On Sunday Wise suited up in a Moore Law Firm Jersey and scored 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting to go with nine assists and two steals. His roommate and teammate - UA forward Jordan Hill, who has put on 10 pounds over the past few weeks and now weighs 235 - wore the same jersey and scored 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting to go with five boards and four blocks.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools