Douglas, Jefferson eager to get back into action

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman guard Ruben Douglas (5) goes up for a shot against Sakalai Lithuania Nov. 8. Douglas, who was suspended from playing against Marathon Oil Saturday, is going to back up senior point guard Jason Terry and split time with fellow freshman Traves Wilson as a shooting guard.

"Missing a class showed a lack of respect for the team and I'm just going to have to go out there and show extra effort," Jefferson said. "I was glad I learned the lesson early (rather) than late in the season when we have a big game where I would really feel I was letting down the team."

Jefferson, a wing forward, and Douglas, who plays both guard positions, will have to start from scratch, said head coach Lute Olson, who added the starting wing spot will be filled by either junior Justin Wessel or freshman Ricky Anderson when the No. 12 Wildcats (1-0) play Texas (0-2) tomorrow night.

"There are team regulations that everybody has to understand that you follow," Olson said. "Every situation you get into, whether it's positive or negative, you learn from it. One of the things I assumed they've learned is that it's better to do the right thing. As far as this game, they didn't play in the last one so they're working their way back up from the bottom."

Jefferson had been in competition with Wessel for that starting spot, while Douglas was battling fellow freshman Traves Wilson for the starting shooting guard job.

But against Marathon Oil, which the Wildcats beat 96-77 Saturday at McKale Center, the 6-foot-8 Anderson started in the backcourt with senior point guard Jason Terry while Wessel started at wing forward.

"Ricky is going to be a key guy off the bench," Terry said. "He can come in and put some points in right away."

Along with either Wessel or Anderson, Olson said Terry and Wilson will start in the backcourt, while A.J. Bramlett and Eugene Edgerson would start in the post.

As for whether Douglas or Jefferson will see time against Texas, Olson's response wasn't exactly reassuring.

"I expect they would," he said, "but we'll just have to see."

Asked if they thought it was too strict a rule that a freshman not be allowed to skip any classes, as many students do, especially when most of them start at 8 a.m., both players said it is hard to get up that early everyday, but that it's worth it.

"It's tough," Douglas said, "but it's part of our agreement in coming here. (Coach Olson) explained that to us at the beginning of the year. I had to learn the hard way, but I'm going to work hard and make up for it."

Other than the frustration of having to sit on the bench, Douglas also missed an opportunity to play point against tough competition in former St. Louis University guard Erwin Claggett, who led all scorers with 27 points, including going 7 of 11 on three pointers.

But Terry, who has experience as a combination guard while sharing backcourt duties with Miles Simon and Mike Bibby in past years, said Douglas would eventually be able to make the transition from scorer to point guard.

"Ruben is going to take a little time," Terry said. "In high school he was primarily a scorer. What he has to do is realize playing the point guard is different than being the two guard. When you're playing the point you have to think pass first rather than shoot first, but once he makes that transition he'll be all right."

Seth Doria can be reached via e-mail at Seth.Doria@wildcat.arizona.edu.