Rivera: Jefferson grateful Olson at gym dedication
by Steve Rivera on Dec. 09, 2008, under Sports
Richard Jefferson and retired UA basketball coach Lute Olson embrace Monday during the dedication of the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium.
The one thing Richard Jefferson wanted to make certain of was that he would get a key to the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium.
Heck, if University of Arizona officials were smart, they’d give him a few more keys to hand out to Lute Olson and Gilbert Arenas – some of the people who helped influence Jefferson’s basketball career at UA from 1998 to 2001.
“Without coach Olson, none of this would be possible,” Jefferson said Monday night at a dedication dinner for the Wildcats’ new basketball/multipurpose practice facility. “He helped me become a man and to be very successful not only here but also in life.”
Because Jefferson is successful and in his eighth year in the NBA, he was able to donate $3.5 million to help fund the $14 million gym east of McKale Center.
Olson, in his first public appearance since retiring as UA’s head coach, was there for Jefferson, sitting at the center table next to the NBA star.
“I’m feeling well. I’m still under doctor’s directions,” said Olson, 74, whose doctor announced six weeks ago the Hall of Fame coach had suffered a small stroke within the past year.
Olson looked right at home in his blue blazer and red tie Monday. He hugged his former players, patting junior guard Nic Wise on the head. Freshman guard Brandon Lavender made a beeline right to Olson once he saw him.
“It’s great to see (the players),” Olson said. “As soon as I have the OK, I’ll be able to come and watch them.”
The Hall of Fame coach has watched the Wildcats on TV, saying “they’ve been so close” as UA has lost its two games in the final seconds.
Senior Fendi Onobun was headed to speak to Olson, saying, “it was great to see him. I just want to say hello because I’m not sure when I’ll see him again.”
Nowhere in sight, however, was Jefferson’s former teammate Arenas, now a star with the Washington Wizards, who is currently injured.
Not that Arenas was expected to show up Monday night.
But Jefferson, who is averaging 18.4 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks, has joked that one of the reasons he gave the money to UA was so he wouldn’t be trumped by a donation from Arenas. His biggest fear: that Gilbert’s name would be on the building.
“I really mean that,” Jefferson joked. Later adding, “(Arenas) can come and see my gym any time he’d like. I don’t care. I just want to make sure I get my key. And soon.”
Arenas and Jefferson helped lead UA to the 2001 national championship game against Duke, along with Michael Wright and Loren Woods. All four were drafted in the NBA that year, but Jefferson has been the most consistent.
Current Wildcats thanked Jefferson for helping fund the 20,000-square-foot gym.
“It’s an awesome facility,” Onobun said. “What it does for the program is put us at another level in comparison to the other universities in the conference.
“It also gives us a competitive edge. At one point, we had three teams sharing one court” at McKale Center.
As Onobun said, it gives UA student-athletes a “chance to be the best that we can be.”
It’s another reason Jefferson gave the $3.5 million, the second-largest individual donation to the UA athletic department and believed to be the largest ever given by a current pro athlete to his alma mater.
Jefferson wants Arizona to succeed, so his “trash talking” about the school can be effective.
Just like in his days from 1998-2001, when the Wildcats helped rule the Pac-10 and fell to Duke 82-72 in the 2001 title game in which Jefferson scored 19 points and had eight rebounds.
The new practice facility makes Jefferson envious.
“Of course, I wish I had it,” he said. “We were playing in Bear Down, an un-air-conditioned gym in Arizona is something that is not pleasant. We definitely needed this. I’m just glad I’m one of the people to help bring this here.”
Monday’s dedication also included the Kasser Family Pool, which is connected to the gym to the south.
The Kasser Family Pool is a 33-meter-by-25-meter state-of-the-art diving well that features two 1-meter and three 3-meter springboards on concrete stands. The diving structure has platform heights of 3, 5, 7.5, and 10 meters.
“I’m very glad I did it,” said Michael Kasser, a real estate investor, who said his father had a liking for water polo and had earmarked money for UA’s attempt at fielding a women’s water polo team.
Kasser said his father was big on Latin quotes and one that stuck with him was “healthy minds; healthy bodies.”
“We have always followed that concept. … It so good to see all these successful athletes. It’s a real honor to participate in this.”
It’s another reason Olson felt compelled to be there.
Steve Rivera’s e-mail: srivera@tucsoncitizen.com
