TUCSON, Ariz. -- Gabe York's near three-week apprenticeship as Arizona's backup point guard might be coming to an end. But he's better for it.
The junior shooting guard said the experience has been "different." For sure, it's been useful. He has backed up T.J. McConnell for the past four games while freshman Parker Jackson-Cartwright recovered from a concussion suffered Jan. 28.
"In practice I've done it all year," York said of playing point guard, "so it's not something that I'm not able to do or something that I'm not comfortable with."
Still, when you're a shooter -- like York is -- it's a big change in mindset when you're running the offense and thinking more about the pass.
"I liked it a lot," York said. "I think I need to try to do a better job of knowing when to score and when to pass, but that all takes time and game reps."
York has played well recently and is averaging 8.9 points per game, but his overall playing time might diminish slightly this week because Jackson-Cartwright was cleared to return for Tuesday's practice. Whether Jackson-Cartwright will be ready to play Thursday vs. Southern California -- or Saturday vs. UCLA -- will be determined later.
York's time with the ball in his hands didn't go unappreciated, and he got a good education from McConnell. York called him "one of the best in the country" when it comes to point guards.
"I don't try to do what he does or try to mimic what he does because I don't think it's possible," York said. "I just try to go out and play my game."
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As the No. 2 point guard in practice the past few weeks, York had to guard McConnell every day. York watched and learned.
"He's telling me the ins and outs of how to be successful at point guard," York said. "It's good to have someone like him who cares so much about his position."
The ins and outs? It actually comes from the heart and head.
"You have to be passionate about what you do, no matter what it is," he said, referring to some of McConnell's advice. "He's passionate about giving assists. He likes scoring, but at the end of the day he likes seeing his teammates successful. That's the biggest thing I took from him."
Coach Sean Miller said York "in a quiet way did a great job of being our backup point guard."
"He kept us moving and going," Miller said, adding York became more and more comfortable last weekend in a road sweep of the Washington schools. "He's been working and has been ready."
Then again, it's York's job to be ready as the team's sixth man. On Thursday, he'll draw inspiration from former Arizona star Jason Terry, who will be at McKale Center for his jersey retirement ceremony. Through the last couple of years, Arizona coaches have used Terry as an example of an unselfish player who embraced the role of coming off the bench for the Wildcats' 1997 national championship team. Then, as a senior in 1999, he became an All-American and earned national player of the year recognition.
"(The coaches) told me he got to the NBA by being the sixth man," York said.
"He made a career off being the sixth man and that there was nothing wrong in coming off the bench. If you come to practice every day and act like a starter and practice like a starter, when the game comes around you play just as hard, just like the way you've been playing in practice. They definitely made some comparisons in being the sixth man with him."
Miller said everyone is healthy for the first time in at least three weeks. Joining Jackson-Cartwright back on the practice court will be freshman center Dusan Ristic, who didn't make last week's trip to Washington because of a throat infection. And Miller said McConnell and sophomore forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are fine. Hollis-Jefferson appeared to have been injured near the end of the Washington State game on Sunday after apparently being hit in the groin area. McConnell played with a pad on his right knee in that game.
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