Matthew Singer/Cronkite News
TUCSON – The lights dimmed, the crowd roared, and the flames erupted. For one night in Arizona basketball, it wasn’t about the product on the court but the excitement of a fan base reuniting with its beloved team.
For many years, the Red-Blue Showcase has been Tucson’s unofficial start to basketball season. This season’s version showed the tradition still burns bright under the McKale Center lights, showcasing the Wildcats basketball team with a few twists and some surprise celebrity appearances.
This event is more than just a preseason spectacle; it is an annual moment for the Tucson community to come together and celebrate Arizona basketball and its fans.
“I mean, one of the greatest things about our program is how it brings the community together,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I have the good fortune of being a representative of Arizona basketball. So a lot of people come up to me and share their stories about Arizona basketball to me. And it’s amazing, in this state, or basketball fans in general, everyone has a story about Arizona basketball that sits close to their heart.”
The athletics program started a new chapter to that story by introducing another way to connect with the community. The Adaptive Athletic basketball scrimmage, a program with competitive athletics and recreational sports to ensure equal access for students with disabilities, kicked off the festivities.
“The more things we can continue to do to engage with the community, I think, is a great thing,” Lloyd said. “We want our fans to participate in our journey and to be a part of it. I want our fans 20 years from now to be telling the next head coach at Arizona how there were moments with some of these teams we have now, or some of these events we’re doing now that they still remember and draw from.”
Even with fans still filing into their seats, the energy that the student section brought for the athletes showed the type of love the city has for its basketball program.
Once the fans were seated, the tension was palpable. And when the lights went off, the energy of the fans was evident. As the players were introduced one by one, the crowd noise seemed to get louder and louder with each player’s name.
When the crowd died down and the lights turned back on, the events for Lloyd’s team began.
A 3-point contest between the men’s and women’s teams started a skills challenge modeled after the NBA All-Star Game’s skills events.
Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso faced off in the 3-point final against graduate guard Mickayla Perdue. Dell’Orso won the tight contest, 19-18.
“It was a different experience, it was fun,” Dell’Orso said. “I didn’t honestly know who I was going against, since you can’t really see out there. It’s kind of confusing. But she did great, and she almost beat me. Almost.”
The dunk contest proved to be even more engaging to the fans. And that’s where the surprises started to unfold.
NFL and Arizona legend Rob Gronkowski, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, and other celebrities were there to judge the contest, and the energy level they generated was off the charts.
Gronkowski then transformed from judge to prop, as 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Addison Arnold received a snap from the former tight end, and proceeded to dunk a football over the four-time Super Bowl champion’s head, receiving a perfect score.
“I mean, it was hard to believe, but it was impressive,” freshman forward Dwayne Aristode said of Arnold’s dunk. “He almost jumped from the free throw line.”
But Gronkowski’s night wasn’t over. After what seemed to be a tie between Aristode and Arnold, Gronkowski took matters into his own hands with a stunning dunk – and his Gronk Smash turned him into the first judge to ever win the dunk contest.
With the pre-game show over, the main event the fans had been waiting for began: the Red-Blue Scrimmage. It might have been an exhibition, but both squads played with ferocity.
With the Blue team leading 25-15 at halftime, the fans were in for another surprise. And Gronkowski was in for a surprising transformation.
At the beginning of the second half, the public address announcer told fans that a transfer from “Buffalo State Penitentiary” named “Rocky Gronkstone” was eligible to appear in the second half of the scrimmage.
As the crowd fell silent, questioning what that meant, Gronkowski emerged from the tunnel wearing a wig and fake mustache with the number 48 on the front of his jersey and 87 on the back – his college and pro numbers, respectively.
After the brief interruption and resumption of play, “Gronkstone” quickly found his way into trouble.
Not even two minutes into the second half, a technical foul was assessed to him as tempers flared, leading to a second technical, and “Gronkstone’s” subsequent ejection.
He left the court like his alter-ego Gronkowski always left the field after a touchdown, with his signature spike of the ball.
“That new kid, Gronkstone, he’s got great energy,” Lloyd said. “I’ve got to work on his temper a little bit, but he’s got a great personality and a lot of attention.
“I’ll tell you what, that guy will try to sell anything. This guy’s going to crush it in NIL. It was a fun event, great to have him part of it.”
The Wildcats players thought it was a nice touch to the event.
“I didn’t realize it was him, honestly,” said freshman guard Brayden Burries. “At the time, we were down 10 points, so I just wanted us to win. I didn’t really notice it was him at the time, but looking back on it, that was pretty funny.”
After “Gronkstone” stole the attention of the crowd, the men’s basketball team took it right back.
After freshman Koa Peat dominated the first half, fellow five-star recruit Burries shone bright in the second half.
Taking over the game, Burries finished with a game-high 22 points, putting the Red team on his back to a comeback win over the Blue team, 45-44.
“It felt pretty good to finally be able to play in front of the fans,” Burries said. “I never played in front of that many people before, and it just gave me the energy I needed. My teammates had my back, and the coaches drew plays for us to be successful. It was just fun out there to compete.”
While the stats won’t show in an official box score, it is nonetheless an encouraging sign for Arizona fans that the freshmen on the Wildcats can dominate when needed. And it’s young players like Peat and Burries who the Arizona faithful really come to see at the Red-Blue event.
“They’re all really good players, and an intrasquad scrimmage is not going to be the end of the story,” Lloyd said. “I’ve been comfortable with these guys all along. These guys are winners, they’re built for it, they’re fearless, they’re physically ready, and they got to get a little bit more experience.”
Lloyd drew excitement for the season from the scrimmage, and he made the point that the fans should be amped up as well.
“I think we’ve got a good mix of guys,” Lloyd said. “When you’re a coach, these intrasquad scrimmages can sometimes be misleading, because eventually, you’re going to play five guys at a time. You’re not going to be splitting your team in half. I think once we get the view, we’re putting five guys on the court at a time. I think we’ve got a lot of options.”
After the scrimmage, the festivities weren’t over. Nor were the surprises.
A concert began with the four-time NBA champion, otherwise known as DJ Diesel, his son Myles, and an unexpected familiar face.
When the day turns into night, Lloyd evidently has his own alter-ego – DJ Tomm-E. He has been honing his craft for a while, but his musical talents were hidden from the public – and even his players – until recently.
“He’s been getting the word out about his practice on the (turntables), but I’m still a little skeptical,” Dell’Orso said before the concert.
Peat got to see his coach’s alter-ego a little earlier than most when he played on USA Basketball’s U19 National Team, which Lloyd coached.
“It’s going to be cool to see that again,” Peat said. “I think that also helps our chemistry, honestly, just seeing folks do stuff like that and get out of his box.”
Some were worried that this new hobby of Lloyd’s might distract him from the game of basketball. Those worries were quickly put to rest.
“I have an unbelievable ability to compartmentalize,” Lloyd said. “Tomm-E is a different guy from Tommy. So these two, I don’t even know if they’ve ever been in the same room.
“50 years ago, my parents were clairvoyant. They knew I would be a world-class DJ in my 50s.”
On a night that mixed music, energy, celebrity surprises, and a taste of what’s to come from the team, the Wildcats and their DJ quite possibly found their groove heading into the new season.
