TUCSON, Ariz. - Arizona Men's Basketball unofficially kicked off the 2025-26 season with its annual Red-Blue Showcase on Friday night inside the McKale Center.
The night began with Arizona's Adaptive Athletics wheelchair basketball game, which was followed by the introduction of the evening's judges, Hannah Fields, Myles Oneal, Rob Gronkowski, Mix Master Mike, and Camille Kostek. After player introductions, the competitions started with the three-point contest. Four Wildcats participated in the competition: Anthony Dell'Orso and Evan Nelson for the men's team and women's basketball players, Mickayla Perdue and Mireia Jurado. Dell'Orso and Perdue made it to the final round, with Dell'Orso winning the shootout by one shot. Dell'Orso won the competition 19-18.
After the shootout, four Wildcats participated in the dunk contest: Dwayne Aristode, Mabil Mawut, Addison Arnold, and Koa Peat. Aristode and Arnold made it to the final round of the competition, with special guest Rob Gronkowski taking the win.
The showcase ended with a scrimmage between the Wildcats, who split up into two teams. The Red team came out victorious, outscoring the Blue team 45 to 44. The Blue team led at the half, 25 to 15, in the back-and-forth competition. Brayden Burries led all scorers, totaling 22 points on the night, including 4 three-pointers for the Red team. Jaden Bradley recorded 12 points and led the game with 4 assists for the blue team. Rob Gronkowski, as "Rocky Gronkstone," made an appearance for the blue team in the second half.
Up next for the Wildcats is an exhibition game against Saint Mary's on Oct. 18, at the McKale Center. The first regular season game for the team will be on Nov. 3, against University of Florida at the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
