SAUL LOEB/Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman walk-on Beau Muhlbach goes up for a dunk during Saturday's season-opening men's basketball scrimmage in McKale Center. Muhlbach scored 36 points.

Newcomers wow McKale crowd of 4,000-plus fans

Arizona basketball fans making their way to McKale Center Saturday afternoon to celebrate the start of Arizona's 100th year of basketball were treated with a surprise when a new face stole the show.

Walk-on guard Beau Muhlbach amazed the more than 4,800 in attendance ÷ as well as his coaches ÷ by pouring in 36 points during Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage.

Just the fifth player in the Lute Olson era to hail from Texas, Muhlbach is being touted by Arizona coaches as the best walk-on the Wildcats have ever had.

The freshman led all Wildcat scorers while showing he can knock it down from the outside and score with a big man's touch down low.

At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, the freshman out of Lufkin, Texas made an early season statement that he could bring depth to the No. 2 guard position.

"It's the first time we've gotten to see him play in something other than shooting drills," Olson said after the scrimmage. "He doesn't mess up defensively, but he's got a lot of competition out there."

The white squad ÷ featuring junior center Channing Frye, sophomore forward Andre Iguodala, Muhlbach and freshmen Mustafa Shakur and Kirk Walters ÷ handed the blue team a 46-33 defeat in the scrimmage.

Starring for the run-and-gun blue shirts were sophomore guards Hassan Adams and Chris Rodgers, junior sharpshooter Salim Stoudamire, junior forward Isaiah Fox and junior transfer Matt Brase.

The duo of Rodgers and Adams provided the crowd with plenty to "ooh" and "ahh" about, connecting on three alley-oop plays, each finished by thunderous dunks from Adams.

The Wildcat offense showed an ability to move the ball up the court with tremendous speed.

The sharp-shooting Stoudamire led all first-half scorers with 22 points, including four 3-pointers.

Iguodala, emerging as a team leader all over the court, poured in 16 points before the half with some acrobatic, off-balanced shots en route to a 23-point outing.

Shakur was impressive in his debut in an Arizona uniform as well. All eyes were on the highly touted freshman to see if he could live up to his expectations ÷ a test he seemed to thrive on.

The 6-foot-3 point guard showed the UA crowd why he was nominated as a top-five high school recruit out of Friends Central High School in Wynnewood, Pa.

Shakur demonstrated his ability to create scoring opportunities off the dribble and move the ball downcourt quickly.

Olson likened Shakur to former Wildcat superstar and current Atlanta Hawks guard Jason Terry, based on Shakur's floor presence and ability to motivate the squad around him.

"I think you can see how Mustafa reminds us of Jason Terry," Olson said. "You get it in to him, and he's in attack mode right away."

The crowd greeted Olson with a standing ovation when the 20-year UA head coach first stepped onto the floor. Olson will be seeking his 500th win at Arizona when the Wildcats open the season at home against Northern Arizona on Nov. 24.

According to Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner, the players looked good for their first time out, though there was still room for improvement.

"It went really well today," Pastner said. "But we need to get better."

As for the backlash against canceling the popular Midnight Madness, Pastner said he can sympathize with the students, but knows what it will take for the Wildcats to be effective.

"I was a student once and I enjoyed the Midnight Madness, but we've got to look out for the best interest of our team," said Pastner, a UA guard from 1996-2000.

Olson stressed that the event is geared toward families, giving an opportunity for those who can't make it to a late-night practice a chance to come out a see the team.

Olson did say that it's possible that the team could alternate between a midnight opener and Saturday practice session in the future.

Fans were given the opportunity to meet the UA players and get autographs from their favorites after the game. The 45-minute session was a hit among younger fans, who brought posters, shirts and basketballs for the team to sign. Team posters and autograph books were also handed out near the McKale Center Ticket Office as fans entered the arena.

The UA squad will begin closed practices this week, with the team's next public appearance coming Nov. 5 during the annual Pepsi Red-Blue game in McKale Center.