The storyline of Arizona redshirt freshman Ray Smith entering the 2016-17 season one is an obvious one, but an important one.

It's one of waiting…

The kind of waiting they write songs, movies and stories about. When it's about how it's "the hardest part". It's obvious for Smith because it's important as the 6-foot-8-inch Las Vegas native has been waiting (and waiting). After back-to-back ACL injuries in each knee, he hasn't played the game he loves in two years.

"We are kind of taking it slow, making sure I will be the best I can be when it's time to actually play," Smith said of his rehabilitation.

That time to actually play is fast approaching. Smith's next official game action will come when he and the rest of his Wildcat teammates officially open the season on Nov. 11 versus Michigan State in Hawai'i. By then the waiting will reach nearly 1,000 days.

His last official game action came during his junior year of high school. It was Las Vegas High's 55-64 loss to Canyon Springs in the 2014 Nevada state tournament that saw Smith score 20 points. That came on Feb. 21, 2014, exactly 994 days before UA's season opener in the 2016 Armed Forces Classic.

Fans got their glimpse of Smith's bountiful athleticism and personality in the 2015 McDonald's Red-Blue game. Head coach Sean Miller raved about the then true freshman's work in the preseason in his first weeks of college basketball. Then the freshman's season came to an end just six days after the Red-Blue game with his most recent season-ending injury.
 

"His journey in getting to the top of the mountain might be different, but I have tremendous belief that he will get there with this type of support, his amazing determination to succeed and the love of the game of basketball that he possesses," Miller said in his statement that day. "Today, Ray Smith remains one of the most talented young players we have ever had at Arizona and that has not changed."

Miller was so unsettled by Smith's injury, he later told the media of avoiding the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium and avoiding the court where Smith suffered the knee injury for weeks.

"Mentally, I just love the game so much that I want to play 24-7," Smith reflected. "I always wanted to do this or always wanted to do that. Watching my guys battle last year, and not being able to help during through ups and the downs, was really tough."

But Smith's demeanor didn't change. The vivacious, always-smiling kid, who later showed off that personality in a lip sync battle, was that same guy after the injury. The loudest, most animated guy on Arizona's bench last season was Ray. When he filled in at a weekly media availability in February, he was all smiles.
 

Smith rehabbed extensively with athletic trainer Justin Kokoskie. He worked meticulously with strength coach Chris Rounds. By the time he was ready to turn the page to the 2016-17 season, Smith built his 6-foot-8-inch frame up to 220 pounds.

"I have been lifting a lot and that's helped a lot getting into a (defensive) stance, so I am ready defensively," Smith beamed. "I am ready to attack that Sean Miller mentality of stopping on every possession."

Smith's pursuit of the 2016-17 season with the Wildcats is at hand. The 2016 McDonald's Red-Blue game is Friday, Oct. 14 with a pair of home exhibitions on Nov. 1 and 6. They are part of his attack on that two-year wait. The one he has taken on faith and taken to the heart and learned that the waiting is the hardest part…