Chico State Athletics

Exhibition games mean little in the scope of an entire college basketball season. But the Chico State men’s basketball team’s trip to play the University of Arizona last Tuesday will be something the Wildcats will likely remember for a very long time. That might be especially true for Chico State junior Amir Carraway, who scored a team-high 13 points for the Wildcats and earned high praise from many of the game’s observers. He also earned this week’s Wildcat of the Week award.

Michael Rogner, the managing editor of the college basketball blog Run the Floor, had this to say after watching Chico State lose 98-60 to one of the top-ranked Division I teams in the land: “Amir Carraway is the real deal. He could play at a high major university. The junior who filled the stat sheet for Chico State last season is poised for a breakout year for the nationally ranked Wildcats.”

Carraway created a spark for the Wildcats early in the second half, scoring 11 points in the first 4:25 after intermission, during a modest 13-9 run that cut Arizona’s lead to 20. He hit a jumper on Chico State’s first possession and later scored on four straight trips down the court.

The junior from Vallejo finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed three rebounds in 23 minutes. Carraway was second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season.

Carraway and the Wildcats open the regular season Saturday at home against Pacifica College at 7 p.m.