In his first Olympics as National Team Director, the Arizona Athletics hall-of-famer led Team USA to its best finish in the pool since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics

With all swim events done and everyone toweled off, Team USA leaves London with 31 medals, including 16 gold. That’s 11 more gold medals than the next closest competitor, China.They also exit the pool with nine silver and six bronze medals hanging around their neck.

The 1984 USA Swim team was as dominant a force ever to squeeze into Speedos. USA wracked up 34 total medals, including 21 gold – 17 more than runner-up Canada.

They also won 13 silver medals and no bronze. That’s correct, 34 medals, none of them bronze.

Where the similiarities between the Los Angeles and London squads gets interesting is medal differential. The ’84 team bested Australia by 22 total medals. The London swimmers paddle away with 21 total medals than No. 2 China.

Busch served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2004 Greek and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. But he gained his notoriety as head coach of the University of Arizona.

In Tucson, Busch spent 22 years building an American Swimming Coaches Association-hall of fame portfolio that boasts NCAA (six times), Pac-10 (11), USA Swimming and United States Olympic Committee coach of the year honors.

It certainly helped having familiar talent in London. All told, swimmers with ties to Busch at Arizona or his Tuscon Ford Dealers Aquatics club team earned four gold medals and two silver.

The pool is now closed and covered until the 2016 Rio Games. That’s gives Busch and company four years to figure out how to overtake the 1984 Los Angeles team.

MEDAL PERFORMANCES BY SWIMMERS WITH TIES TO BUSCH AT THE LONDON GAMES

Alyssa Anderson – Gold: 4X200 Freestyle Relay

Matt Grevers – Gold: 100-meter Backstroke

Matt Grevers – Gold: 4X100 Medley Relay

Matt Grevers – Silver: 4X100 Freestyle Relay

Nick Thoman – Silver: 100 Backstroke

Nick Thoman – Gold: 4X100 Medley Relay

Bear Down…and Blog!

Current and former University of Arizona athletes are always making news and not always in traditional mediums. We scoured the Internet and found Wildcats online by visiting these lynx

.

PHOTO

Washington Wizards point guard Mustafa Shakur (22) against the Boston Celtics during the first half at the Verizon Center. Rafael Suanes-US PRESSWIRE

Second chance, here we come.

Former Wildcat point guard Mustafa Shakur signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards on Saturday, his second stint with the team in less than a month.

Shakur made his NBA debut on Jan. 22 in grand fashion, helping the injury-depleted Wizards (14-38) to an upset victory over the Boston Celtics (38-14).

The ex-Wildcats’ stay in the pros lasted four games, however, before knee and foot injuries relegated him among the Wizards’ infirm. Washington failed to re-sign him due to his health.

The Wizards came out victorious just once in 10 tries during Shakur’s absence (1-3 with him in the lineup).

By re-signing, Shakur (3.2 PPG, 2.6 APG) forfeits his roster spot in Friday’s NBA Developmental League All-Star game — an honor he’s received in consecutive seasons in the D-League with the Tulsa 66ers and Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Not everything about Shakur’s debut was smooth. New to the roster, the Wizards clearly scrambled to get him a jersey.

.

NEWS

.

THE FAST AND THE BLURRY-IOUS

Former Arizona student Kurt Busch won NASCAR’s Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night in Daytona.

The exhibition is the first race on fabled track’s new, smoothly-paved pavement. Busch emerged victorious, but not before nine drivers swapped the lead 28 times and actual winner Denny Hamlin was disqualified for crossing the out-of-bounds mark. The new pavement is said to have produced speeds up to 206-mph.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series ignites its engines for the 2011 season on Feb. 11 on the same track. Busch finished last year’s Sprint Series in 11^th place with earnings of more than $6.7 million.

.

WAKE-UP CALL

Former Wildcat and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and FedEx Cup champ Jim Furyk signed a sponsorship deal with Westin Hotels.

Insert your own ‘wake-up call’ pun here.

Furyk didn’t let an alarm-clock snafu (the ex-Cat overslept for a pro-am and was disqualified for The Barclays) last summer derail his season, cruising to the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour player of the Year honors.

.

TWITTER

.

“I bet u some kid from asu pulled the fire alarm smh”

- Arizona basketball’s Kevin Parrom, possibly sleep-deprived, setting up some psuedo-drama between the Wildcats and Sun Devils before tonight’s game in Tempe. 

.

“When I think of romance the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby, toddler coming at me with a weapon. (Via @Brit_Mama)”

- Former Wildcat Brianna Glenn not exactly setting the mood for Valentine’s Day.

.

“I’ve discovered, the more I work, the less I spend and the more money I have. Funny how that happens..tho I am due for a shopping spree”

- Sam Bannister, former Arizona softball star, discovering the harsh world outside of meal stipends

.

“today is an international kiss day. it means everyone has to kiss an international person HELLLOOOOOO”

- Wildcat center and Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine-native Kyryl Natyazhko getting a head start on Valentine’s Day.

.

“I should get the big brother award today! Lol jk! love taking care of my baby bros, good 2 be home & do things I miss out on during the year”

- Fendi Onobun, ex-Wildcat and current St. Louis Ram tight end, on the joys of family.

.

“Mike and I had a great time today with Ed Crenshaw, the CEO of Publix and his buddies. Wonderful guys!”

- That must be nice, former Wildcat golf great Annika Sorenstam. All I ever get is weird looks at my local Piggly Wiggly.

.

FACEBOOK

.

The irony is not lost that ex-Wildcat golfer and LPGA player Natalie Gulbis used Twitter to announce her new Facebook page. Be-friend her here.

.

YOUTUBE

.

When you’ve coached NCAA swimming for as long as Frank Busch, it’s kind of hard not to get wet.

Just in case he’s remained dry for more than two decades as Arizona swim coach, his Wildcat squad tossed their beloved head coach into the pool at the conclusion of this weekend’s dual meet with Arizona State — the final home match of Busch’s long tenure in Tucson.

The six-time NCAA coach of the year is leaving the Wildcats to become the National Team Director for USA Swimming. He’ll stay with the Wildcat through the post-season, which begins on Feb. 23 at the PAC-10 Championships.

For good measure, the Wildcats’ men’s and women’s squads swept the Sun Devils in Busch’s final meet at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

.