Suns notes: Roy Williams appearance, Frye shoots set shots
Nov 1, 2012, 9:27 PM | Updated: 10:32 pm
November 1, 2012: Scola, Tucker impress in their Suns’ debuts
Suns rookie point guard Kendall Marshall was lifting weights Wednesday when he was told someone wanted to see him.
That someone turned out to be his college head coach.
Roy Williams, after a North Carolina practice, had flown out to watch Marshall’s NBA debut.
“It meant a lot to me,” Marshall said. “Outside of my family, that’s one of the most influential people in my life. On and off the court he was there for me in my two years at Carolina. I don’t just see him as a coach. I see him as almost like a guardian, someone that I can really look up to, a role model.”
Williams was also on hand to see another former Tar Heel, Harrison Barnes, whom the Warriors selected with the seventh overall pick.
“He does a great job of showing his players that he cares and that’s just one example,” Marshall said. “It means a lot to all of us that he does something like that.”
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Channing Frye took to the court Thursday following the team’s two-hour practice.
He attempted nothing but set shots as he made his way around the perimeter before ending up at the foul line for a couple of free throws to end the brief shooting session.
Frye, who is expected to miss the season because of an enlarged heart, said he tries to shoot at least once a week to keep himself engaged in the game.
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Luis Scola after a slow start recorded his third career opening night double-double, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds against the Warriors. “I think I went with the team,” he said. “The first quarter I was really uncomfortable. I was nervous. I wanted to play well and I was doing mistakes and then in the second quarter everything started flowing much better.”
PJ Tucker is a week removed from LASIK eye surgery. “It’s crazy because I can really see now,” he said. Tucker played in his first NBA game in five seasons scoring 10 points (5-9 FG) in 23 minutes, surprassing his previous high of 20 minutes. That night with the Toronto Raptors, he scored a career-high 12 points in a game at Phoenix on December 12, 2006.