It's worse than I thought

I'm not so sure it was a good thing I was able to watch Arizona's first exhibition game at work. It was downright scary.

Against a division II team that I a) had never heard of and b) lost 11 games last season, Arizona trailed by one early in the second half. The Wildcats gave up 83 points. On the bright side, Jordan Hill had less than the 9 turnovers he had in the Red/Blue game.

However, the most despicable moment came in the first half. It was a moment that made me cringe. I felt embarrassed to be an Arizona basketball fan.

We all know this is a team that's going to need help to make the NCAA tournament. The majority of these guys aren't blue chip prospects, so it's going to take hard work, dedication, and a scrappy effort to make up for the lack of talent.

It appears that Jamelle Horne is far from comprehending that concept.

Horne was one of the few players who was making shots early. He hit several contested three pointers that would have been bad shots if he didn't make them. After hit hit a third, Horne ran down the court dancing, with his tongue out, his hands in the air, like he had just won the national title. Meanwhile, the guy he was guarding beat him down the court and hit a wide open 3.

Thankfully, Russ Pennell had the wherewithal to sit Horne at the next break. But that play alone put a damper on any positive thinking I had regarding this team.

Maybe this team would rally with all the surrounding conflicts. Maybe this team of under-recruited players would change the stigma of soft Arizona teams. Maybe they still will. Maybe I'm reading too much into a glorified scrimmage.

But maybe I'm right. Maybe the first impression will tell the story. Maybe this team will fall in the face of adversity.

I hope it doesn't happen but judging from the beginning, it's worse than I thought.

Check it out:

Though I don't want to affiliate myself with any kind of Phoenix Suns propaganda, check out Michael Schwartz's new website, valleyofthesuns.com. It will be well-researched and well-written.