In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1987-88 Arizona Wildcats (35-3)
–Beat North Carolina 70-52 in the West Regional Final; lost to Oklahoma 86-78 in the Final Four. To note: The Wildcats of 1987-88 continue to hold school records for victories (35), points in a season (3,234), average margin of victory (22.9 points), field goals made (1,147), field-goal percentage (54.5 percent), three-point field-goal percentage (48.3), fewest foul-outs (only six), and fewest blocked shots by opponents (only 1.4 a game).

2010-11 Arizona Wildcats (30-8)
–Lost to Connecticut 65-63 in the West Regional Final. To note: The 2010-11 Wildcats set school records for three-point field goals made (296) and opponent three-point field-goal percentage (only 29.3 percent).

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Previous Arizona Elite Eight Event Matchups (Polls still open at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net):
>> 1993-1994 versus 2004-2005
>> 1996-1997 versus 2002-2003
>> 1975-1976 versus 2000-2001

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Steve Kerr (1984-1988) vs. Lamont “MoMo” Jones (2009-2011)

Steve Kerr

Lamont MoMo Jones

A Kerr vs. Jones matchup at the starting point guard spot is as contrasting as this Elite Eight event can muster. Kerr is the cool, calm and collected player from the serene beach town of Pacific Palisades, Calif., while Jones is the rough and tumble, get-in-your-face player from Brooklyn.

Their polar-opposite characteristics is indicative of the different capabilities each team had to offer. The teams had one thing in common: They share the record for playing the most games in a season (38) in the program’s history. But more contrasts exists than similarities.

The 1987-88 Wildcats, led by the deft outside shooting of Kerr, shot a school-record 48.3 percent from three-point range. The 2010-11 edition, captained by the defensively active Jones on the perimeter, held opponents to a school-record low of 29.3 percent from three-point range.

Who would win the battle? The 1987-88 team with its offensive perfection or the 2010-11 team with its defensive prowess?

Kerr set UA records shooting 57.3 percent from three-point range and posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 5-to-1 (150 assists compared to only 36 turnovers). Jones was not as good of a shooter making only 31.6 percent of his three-pointers last season. But he converted 82.8 percent of his free-throw attempts and was clutch in memorable victories over California, scoring a career-high 27 points in a three-overtime game in Berkeley, and Duke, with 16 points, six assists and no turnovers in the Sweet 16 game.

Kerr was the model of reliability and consistency. Little-known fact: Kerr played all 50 minutes (a school record) in a double-overtime 79-72 victory over Cal at McKale Center on Jan. 12, 1986.

Jones is the only starter on an Arizona Elite Eight team who transferred to another school. He switched to Iona this season to be closer to home so he can be near his ailing grandmother. The NCAA granted Jones, a junior, a hardship waiver and allowed him to play this year for Iona.

Shooting Guard

Craig McMillan (1985-1988) vs. Kyle Fogg (2009-2012)

Craig McMillan

Kyle Fogg

McMillan, a Parade magazine and McDonald’s All-American, was the first blue-chip recruit signed by Lute Olson. Fogg was a late relatively obscure addition to the Class of 2008, noticed by former assistants Russ Pennell and Mike Dunlap at the 2008 Cactus Classic on Arizona’s campus.

Both matured into decent college players, serving as functional complementary players to standouts such as Sean Elliott and Derrick Williams. UA fans should be forever grateful to Fogg, who served as the host on Williams’ recruiting trip to Arizona’s campus before the 2009 season.

McMillan and Fogg also came up big late in memorable games at McKale Center.

McMillan converted the “McMiracle” or “McClutch” last-second shot against Oregon State in 1986 after picking up a loose ball from a deflected inbounds pass from Kerr that was almost the length of the floor. That victory unseated the Beavers as the dominant team in the Pac-10. The Cats won their first conference title that season.

Arizona beat USC and former coach Kevin O’Neill 86-84 in double-overtime on March 6, 2010, after Fogg sank three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point shot with 0.02 seconds left in regulation. The pressure-packed free throws tied the score at 69 and forced the first overtime.

“I wish I could tell you that I’ve got ice water going through my veins, but, man, I was shaking,” Fogg told reporters after the game.

McMillan and Kerr comprise the only UA backcourt with each player ranked in the top 10 on UA’s career three-point field-goal percentage list. Kerr is tops with his 57.3 percentage and McMillan is sixth at 41.1 percent.

Small Forward

Sean Elliott (1986-1989) vs. Solomon Hill (2010-2013)

Sean Elliott

Solomon Hill

This matchup is unfair for Hill, not because he would not welcome the challenge of playing against the greatest Wildcat in the history of the program. Most players would be at a disadvantage against Elliott, especially a player like Hill who is blossoming but has not yet reached his potential.

Hill would benefit from seeing up close the manner in which Elliott played. No other UA player is better to emulate than the school’s career scoring leader with 2,555 points, which at the time topped Lew Alcindor‘s Pac-10 record. He is the only Wildcat to lead the program in scoring four consecutive seasons.

Former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, an Arizona nemesis, once said about Elliott: “He plays as though he invented the game of basketball.”

Elliott was the third overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, taken by San Antonio. That was the highest a UA player was drafted at the time. Hill is not projected to be picked in the first two rounds, according to NBADraft.net. There is always next year for Hill to further prove himself as a versatile prospect.

“I think his progress won’t just be felt in one statistical area,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “He’s always given us a lot of things as a player, and that well roundedness is what we want him to do better more than any single stat.”

Power Forward

Tom Tolbert (1987-1988) vs. Derrick Williams (2010-2011)

Tom Tolbert

Derrick Williams

This is one spot the 2010-11 could have an advantage over the 1987-88 club because of the way Williams could extend his game to the perimeter. Tolbert, however, would be a load for Williams to handle around the basket.

Significant in Arizona’s tournament run to its first Final Four in 1988 was the way Tolbert outplayed North Carolina All-American forward J.R. Reid in the Elite Eight game won by the Wildcats 70-52. Tolbert scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half. He shot 7-of-11 from the field after halftime and scored 12 points during a decisive 19-6 run.

That run started with Tolbert’s acrobactic, behind-the-back, reverse shot that went in and drew Reid’s third foul. Tolbert made the free throw for the three-point play that put Arizona ahead to stay 43-42. Reid and Tolbert were both about 6-8 but Reid weighed 256 pounds compared to Tolbert at 240, but Tolbert somehow got the circus shot to go in.

“I figured it had a 100-to-1 shot to go in,” Tolbert told reporters after the game. “I’ve made shots like that in practice, but never with a 256-pound monster hanging on me.”

Williams made an acrobatic shot of his own against Texas last year enabling the Wildcats to advance to the Sweet 16. With 9.6 seconds left, Arizona got the ball into Williams, who put his head down and charged toward the basket. He was bumped hard by Jordan Hamilton and blindly flung the ball toward the basket as he tried to lighten the impact with the floor. The ball went in and Williams hit the free throw, putting Arizona ahead by the winning margin of 70-69.

“If we would have lost the game, I would have taken it really hard on myself knowing that I didn’t have a great game,” said Williams, who had 17 points in the game but shot 4-of-14 from the field. “A lot of people on my team feed off of me.”

The 2010-11 team fed off Williams much like the 1987-88 team fed off Elliott, one other rare similarity between the two teams.

Center

Anthony Cook (1985-88) vs. Jesse Perry (2011-2012)

Anthony Cook

Jesse Perry

Another matchup pitting players with different styles at the same position, although Perry (6-7 and 217) is more of a power forward playing at the post position.

Cook, a wiry 6-9 and 195 pounds, ranks in the top five of UA’s career statistical categories such as blocked shots (record holder with 278), rebounding (861), and field-goal percentage (62.9). In the 1987-88 season, Cook was instrumental to the Wildcats’ success. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 61.8 percent from the field.

He may not have been physically imposing but the way he played was huge.

After Arizona won its first-round game against Cornell in the 1988 NCAA tournament, Lute Olson turned to Cook in the postgame press conference and said, “Flex for us, Anthony. Show these guys how big you really are.”

“We used to think we were playing with four guys,” Olson continued, “but then we’d find out that Anthony was standing sideways.”

Perry, a junior college transfer, looks like he means business with his fierce expression and those long and wild dreadlocks. He proved he can be a big-game performer, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting against Connecticut in Arizona’s 65-65 loss in last year’s Elite Eight game. He also pulled down seven rebounds.

A little-known fact is Perry, because of his aggressive style, went to the free-throw line with the most frequency in 2010-11 behind only Williams. Perry shot a free throw an average of every 8.1 minutes while Williams’ incredible average was at 3.4 minutes. Perry leads the Wildcats this season with a free throw attempt an average of every 7 minutes.

“He always offensive rebounds, he gets fouled, he’s getting better on our defensive end as he learns what we do,” Sean Miller told the media last season about Perry.

Bench

1987-1988 key reserves: Kenny Lofton, Joe Turner, Jud Buechler, Harvey Mason, Matt Muehlebach, Sean Rooks and Mark Georgeson.

2010-2011 key reserves: Kevin Parrom, Jamelle Horne, Jordin Mayes, Kyryl Natyazhko and Brendon Lavender

Kenny Lofton

Kevin Parrom

Arizona’s reserves of 1987-88 started the tradition of the Gumbies — those loveable guys on the bench who seemingly stood and cheered for every basket made.

Lofton was lightning quick and could jump out of the gym, exhibiting the skills of a center fielder, a position he played for 17 seasons in the major leagues. As a sixth man, he gave Olson’s team a tremendous change of pace, especially taking over for Kerr, who was not fleet of foot but made up for that by taking care of the ball.

Buechler, a future NBA player who averaged 11.7 minutes a game in 1987-88, also spelled Elliott adequately to give the All-American forward enough rest. Mason and Turner — who each added charisma to the team – did their part by giving enough support for McMillan, Tolbert and Cook.

Muehlebach and Georgeson played sparingly and Rooks redshirted that season. They formed the nucleus of the Gumbies.

Miller’s reserves in 2010-11 were symbolized by their fortitude. Parrom overcame early foot injuries to be a catalyst for the Wildcats. Horne, a senior, did not sulk and continued to try his hardest when Perry took over his starting position. Mayes was an overlooked freshman guard during the recruiting process who relished playing in pressurized moments.

Natyazhko and Lavender never gave up. Natyazhko played solid in the Pac-10 tournament for the Wildcats. Lavender, who struggled with his perimeter shot most of the season, kept working on that part of his game.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1993-94 Arizona Wildcats (29-6)
–Beat Missouri 92-72 in the West Regional Final; lost to Arkansas 91-82 in the Final Four. To note: The Wildcats made a school-record 279 three-pointers, which was broken last season by the 2010-11 club, which made 296.

2004-05 Arizona Wildcats (30-7)
–Lost to Illinois 90-89 in the Chicago Regional Final. To note: Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire set school records for three-pointers made (120) and free-throw percentage (91 percent, 122 of 134) that season.

VOTE ON THIS MATCHUP AT WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET!!!

Previous Arizona Elite Eight Event Matchups (Polls still open at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net):
>> 1996-1997 versus 2002-2003
>> 1975-1976 versus 2000-2001

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Damon Stoudamire (1992-1995) vs. Mustafa Shakur (2003-2007)

Damon Stoudamire

Mustafa Shakur

The Stoudamire cousins match up in this one — Damon and Salim — but at different positions. The point guard battle here includes one of the program’s elite in Damon Stoudamire against another in Mustafa Shakur who struggled to reach his potential but was a four-year starter nonetheless.

Among all the feats Damon Stoudamire achieved at Arizona — leading a team to the Final Four, only Wildcat with two 40-point games in his career, etc. — none were arguably more impressive than what he did against Oregon at McKale Center on Feb. 25, 1995.

Stoudamire, a native of Portland, burned his home-state Ducks with a triple-double in a 97-76 victory. What’s so impressive about that? He tallied 32 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists in only 26 minutes. Moreover, the win over the Ducks capped a 16-0 record in his career against Oregon and Oregon State.

Stoudamire, who later was chosen NBA Rookie of the Year and enjoyed a 12-year pro career, received just praise from Arizona coach Lute Olson after the triple-double performance. “Damon’s got spirit; he’s a fighter,” Olson said.

The knock on Shakur by some UA followers was that he did not embody the same win-at-all-costs, steady-as-he-goes characteristics as Stoudamire. Shakur, one of Olson’s more highly touted recruits from Philadelphia, is remembered as the point guard of the UA team that blew a 15-point lead against Illinois with four minutes remaining in the 2005 Chicago Regional Final. The Wildcats led by eight points with 1:15 remaining in regulation. But the top-seeded Illini rallied to force overtime and pulled out a 90-89 victory.

Shakur should be remembered for much more than that. Foremost, among Olson’s array of talented point guards — Damon Stoudamire, Steve Kerr, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry and Jason Gardner among them — Shakur holds the most career assists with 670. Damon Stoudamire finished with 663. Moreover, much like Stoudamire, Shakur proved to be a standup guy who always answered questions by the media, win or lose.

The year after Arizona collapsed against Illinois, the Wildcats traveled to Shakur’s hometown of Philadelphia to play in the NCAA tournament. They routed Wisconsin 94-75 behind Shakur’s 17 points and nine assists. The Wildcats then battled Villanova, which essentially playing a home game in Philly, before losing 82-78 despite 21 points and five assists from Shakur.

“Mustafa has played the way great point guards play,” Olson said after the Wisconsin game. “He ran his team; he backed it out when the advantage wasn’t there; he attacked the rim when he saw the opportunity to attack. And defensively, he’s made unbelievable progress just from last year. And he’s accdepted the role now of being the distributor. This was probaby as well as he’s played.”

Shooting Guard

Khalid Reeves (1991-1994) vs. Salim Stoudamire (2002-2005)

Khalid Reeves

Salim Stoudamire

Wouldn’t this be a captivating one-on-one game when Khalid Reeves and Salim Stoudamire were in their prime?

Reeves, the relentless scorer who always aggressively worked for his shot, against Salim Stoudamire, who rivals Kerr as one of the most confident long-range perimeter shooters in the program’s history.

Reeves and Stoudamire also had a flair for the spectacular. Who can forget when Reeves drove the drove the length of the court in 1992 and scored at the buzzer to beat the Cardinal in Maples Pavilion? During the UA’s Elite Eight season of 2004-2005, Stoudamire converted on three memorable late game-winning baskets.

Stoudamire hit a three-point shot with 2.5 seconds remaining to beat UCLA and made a 14-footer with six-tenths of a second left against Arizona State. In a Sweet 16 game against Oklahoma State that season, his off-balance jumper near the baseline with 2.8 seconds remaining defeated the Cowboys 79-78.

“He’s about perfect when it’s down to that last shot,” Olson told the media before the Elite Eight matchup with Illinois.

Reeves is the only player in UA history to score more than 800 points in a season. He achieved that feat in Arizona’s Final Four season of 1993-94 with 848 points, averaging 24.2 points a game. Reeves and Salim’s cousin, Damon, comprised arguably the best backcourt in Arizona history. Damon averaged 18.3 points that same season.

On the UA’s career scoring chart, Salim Stoudamire ranks fourth with 1,960 points, Reeves is fifth with 1,925 and Damon Stoudamire is sixth at 1,849.

UA forward Chris Mills went so far as to say watching Reeves play was “pretty” after Reeves went 7-for-7 from the field in the first half and finished with a career-high 31 points (at the time) in an 81-70 victory over Oregon State in 1993. Reeves’ career-high was 40 against Michigan at McKale Center in that Final Four season of 1993-94.

“It was kind of pretty watching him shake a guy off and get the basket,” Mills said.

Small Forward

Reggie Geary (1993-1996) vs. Hassan Adams (2003-2006)

Reggie Geary

Hassan Adams

This would be a matchup of “Hot Sauce” Hassan Adams — because he could heat up from the field — against Reggie Geary, who had a habit of making opponents hot because he got under their skin with his defense and his choice words on the court.

Adams, one of Olson’s most versatile players who played at off-guard, small forward and power forward in his career, had his signature game at Washington on Dec. 31, 2005. He scored a career-high 32 points, including eight points and consecutive three-pointers in two overtimes, to lead the Wildcats to a 96-95 victory over the seventh-ranked Huskies. The loss snapped Washington’s 32-game home winning streak. Adams stretched his jersey so Washington fans could clearly read “ARIZONA” on his chest after the win.

“Man, this was big,” Adams told reporters afterward. “It was emotion. It wasn’t boasting. That’s my role on my team.

“My team, my coaches put that confidence in me.”

No other Wildcat has displayed more confidence than Geary, who was nicknamed “The Jacket” because of his defensive prowess. Few realize that Geary was quite the distributor as well. He had more assists in a season (231 in 1995-96) than other UA point guards such as Damon Stoudamire, Bibby, Kerr or Terry. Geary ranks only behind Russell Brown (247 assists in 1978-79) in this category.

Olson could count on Geary getting his teammates involved, and also drawing the ire of opponents, taking them off their game.

Olson came to Geary’s defense after the UA’s 96-77 win at Cal in 1994, when former Golden Bears coach Todd Bozeman accused Geary of trash-talking. Bozeman was assessed a technical for voicing his displeasure to the refs. That helped fuel a 22-0 Arizona run after the Cats were down by 14.

“Hey, sometimes Reggie gets under my skin too,” Olson told reporters. “He’s gotten under everybody’s skin, but I tell you, the guy’s a winner.

“I told him, ‘Don’t do anything to hurt your team.’ But I don’t want him backing down from anybody, either.”

Power Forward

Ray Owes (1992-1995) vs. Ivan Radenovic (2004-2007)

Ray Owes

Ivan Radenovic

Two of the more quieter components to an Elite Eight Arizona team — Ray Owes and Ivan Radenovic — were each valuable in their own special way for their respective teams.

On a lineup that had prolific scoring guards in Reeves and Damon Stoudamire, the verbose Geary and fearless Joseph Blair, Owes welcomed the role as a silent enforcer. He led the 1993-94 team with 8.1 rebounds per game. He also averaged 12.9 points a game. In the 1994 Final Four loss to Arkansas, Owes and Blair combined for 24 points and 26 rebounds.

Olson realized Owes would be a clutch performer in his career when Owes, as a sophomore, made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to clinch an 82-80 win over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

“It was the first time with the game on the line that I had a chance to win it,” Owes told reporters. “It felt good. My mind was clear. I wasn’t even thinking about the free throws.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. I heard the crowd but it didn’t bother me.”

A scout’s take on Radenovic, supplied to DraftExpress.com, describes the former Arizona forward adequately: “Radenovic did a great job setting the tone for his team by facilitating Arizona’s offense from the high-post, finding open cutters with his excellent court vision, setting screens, putting the ball on the floor and making his way to the basket when defenders closed off the angle for his shot, even going glass on one occasions after utilizing a nifty pump-fake.”

Radenovic’s mid-season acquisition in the 2003-04 season was one of Olson’s major recruiting coups and showed how the Hall of Fame coach could cross continents to bring talent to Tucson. Radenovic, a Serbian, joined the UA two days before Christmas in 2003 after graduating from the Secondary School of Sports in Belgrade, Sebria-Montenegro, earlier that year.

After playing two seasons for the KK Partizan youth team, he was classified as a 19-year-old freshman when he joined the Cats.

“He is fundamentally sound and has the skills to play both inside and outside,” Olson said of Radenovic upon his arrival in Tucson.

Little-known fact: Radenovic has the UA’s best free-throw percentage for the Cats (87.2 in 2006-07) for a player who attempted as many free throws as he did (172) in a season. He is also the only non-guard on the UA’s top 10 list for free-throw percentage in a season.

Center

Joseph Blair (1993-1996) vs. Channing Frye (2002-2005)

Joseph Blair

Channing Frye

Nobody has shot the ball better from the field at Arizona throughout a career than Joseph Blair, who made 61.3 percent of his attempts (470 of 767) from 2002 to 2006.

Channing Frye is also among the top 10 field-goal shooters in Arizona history at 56.2 percent. Frye attempted 490 more shots in his career (1,257) than Blair. That should not take away from Blair’s top ranking. Blair was the model for efficiency, taking shots when he should. He also knew how to throw his weight around to get that tip-on or post-up shot.

Furthermore, Blair did not have to shoot much playing mostly with guys like Damon Stoudamire and Reeves. That’s not to insinuate Blair and Arizona’s frontcourt players were bit players. Oklahoma State’s Bryant “Big Country” Reeves can attest to how valuable Blair, Owes and Co., were to the Wildcats’ success.

Blair helped shut down the much-publicized Reeves, holding Big Country to only 12 points and six rebounds in Arizona’s 97-84 victory on Dec. 5, 1993. Big Country entered the game averaging 28.5 points and 11.1 rebounds a game.

“I think we’re very highly underrated,” Blair told reporters after the game. He finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in only 20 minutes.

“In all the magazines, they say we have a great backcourt, but there’s always a question mark on the front court. This shows we can play with the big men.”

In this matchup, Frye would likely try to draw Blair away from the hoop and attack him with his face to the basket. Blair, however, was athletic for his size (6-10, 265) and could keep step with Frye (6-11, 245).

Bench

1993-1994 key reserves: Corey Williams, Joe McLean, Jarvis Kelley and Kevin Flanagan

2004-2005 key reserves: Jawann McClellan, Chris Rodgers and Kirk Walters

Corey Williams

Jawann McClellan

Williams, McLean and Flanagan were consumate team players who did not mind their reserve roles. Olson could count on his 1994 Final Four team to be on the same page because of the leadership skills of Stoudamire and the role acceptance of every player on the team. As lethal as Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves were starters, Williams and McLean were damaging as well to opponents because of the backbone they brought to the 1993-94 team.

Arizona Daily Star sports columnist Greg Hansen once wrote that season: “You don’t beat Arizona when Joe McLean and Corey Williams are beating you every which way but loose.”

McClellan, Flanagan and Walters embodied the same team-first characteristics. Rodgers, who earned his bachelor’s degree in only 3 1/2 years, was a highly-touted recruit who never found his niche in Tucson. He was often in Olson’s doghouse and was eventually suspended from the team in the 2005-06 season. He appealed that suspension was allowed to return, but he hardly flourished.

McClellan should have a plaque at McKale Center to honor what he went through as a Wildcat. He did not transfer or give up after his father passed away when he was a freshman. Injuries or academic difficulties could have derailed him, but they did not. Any coach can point to his picture and tell his players that if they had his kind of heart, everything else would take care of itself.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1996-97 Arizona Wildcats (25-9)
–Beat Providence 96-92 in overtime in the Southeast Regional Final; beat North Carolina 66-58 in the Final Four; and defeated Kentucky 84-79 in overtime to win its first NCAA championship. To note: The Wildcats became the first team to beat three No. 1 seeds (Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky) en route to the title.

2002-03 Arizona Wildcats (28-4)
–Lost to Kansas 78-75 in the West Regional Final. To note: The Wildcats beat Gonzaga 96-95 in double-overtime in a West second-round matchup that is one of the classic games in NCAA tournament history.

Note: Please vote on which team you believe should advance in the bracket at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net. Thank you
Also: The poll is still open for the 1975-76 vs. 2000-01 matchup

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Mike Bibby (1996-1998) vs. Jason Gardner (1999-2003)

Mike Bibby

Jason Gardner

Mike Bibby goes against another storied Arizona point guard, Jason Gardner, in this one. Both have their numbers retired and hanging from the rafters at McKale Center. They are the only point guards to lead the Wildcats to a national title game.

Bibby is arguably the best point guard in the esteemed history of Point Guard U. He was the total package — student of the game (his father, Henry, experienced success at UCLA and the NBA), capable leader, solid playmaker, accurate perimeter shooter, clutch performer … and decent rebounder?

One of the most forgotten stats of Arizona’s magical national championship run was Bibby’s nine rebounds against Kentucky in the title game. This occurred a game after he yanked seven against North Carolina in the Final Four game. That showed more than anything Bibby’s nose for the ball and ability to always make something happen.

His second half against the Tar Heels has to rate among the best halves for a UA player in the program’s history. He drilled five 3-point shots, committed no turnovers, and scored 17 points to finish with 20 in the UA’s 66-58 victory. No Wildcat played more minutes than Bibby’s 38.

“I believe in fate and that there is little you can do about it,” Bibby said after the game. “So, I go out and just play basketball, doing everything I can to help fate turn my way. I play the games over in my mind at night. I dream about the game. I try to envision how the game will go, how it should go, and what I should do. And then I just try to go out and have fun and make it happen.”

Gardner, the Iron Man of the Arizona program, finished his accomplished UA career in 2003. The school’s career record-holder for average minutes played — 35.5 — Gardner also was versatile at point guard. He is third on the UA’s all-time scoring list with 1,984 points, and he also ranks among the top 10 in 13 statistical categories.

One of Gardner’s most impressive feats: He had 10 games in his career in which he played 30 minutes or more and did not commit a turnover. He and backcourt mate Gilbert Arenas established one of the best UA backcourts in history starting in their first game together against Kansas State in the 1999-2000 season-opener. They combined for 28 points, 15 assists and eight steals in the 88-69 win at McKale Center.

Gardner, selected Mr. Indiana after his senior season in high school in Indianapolis, nearly had a double-double in his first collegiate game, recording 14 points and nine assists.

“He is a freshman and he isn’t,” Olson told reporters after the game. “I’m not sure if we have ever had a freshman point guard come in and play like he did tonight.”

Shooting Guard

Miles Simon (1994-1998) vs. Salim Stoudamire (2002-2005)

Miles Simon

Salim Stoudamire

No sweeter words have been spoken for Wildcat fans than Billy Packer’s line: “Simon says … championship” after the UA beat Kentucky for the national title in 1997. That line also carries with it the image of Miles Simon’s wide grin as he is hugging the basketball.

Arizona’s only Final Four MVP helped carry the UA to a title because of his heroics. One of the more memorable performances was Simon’s second-half awakening against South Alabama in the NCAA tournament first-round game. If it was not for nine of Simon’s 11 points in the last seven minutes against South Alabama, the Wildcats would still be without a national championship.

Spurred by Simon’s production, the UA outscored South Alabama 22-4 over those last seven minutes and turned a 10-point deficit into a 65-57 victory. Simon was not all smiles in the locker room afterward, which showed how much he was bent on winning the right way.

“I’m glad we won, but I wouldn’t call it sweet,” Simon told reporters. “I know what I have to do now to make us a better team.”

Salim Stoudamire also emerged out of a funk in another early-round game — the second-round classic against Gonzaga in 2003 — to lead the Wildcats to a 96-95 win in double-overtime. Stoudmamire scored five of his 15 points in the second overtime. Two years later, Stoudamire’s off-balance jumper with 2.8 seconds left gave the UA a 79-78 win over Oklahoma State and propelled the Cats to another Elite Eight appearance against Illinois.

Stoudamire also made memorable game-winning shots against UCLA and Arizona State. Those heroics were indicative of how much Stoudamire matured during his UA career. He resided often in Olson’s dog house earlier in his career. As often was the case, Olson was seen openly frustrated with Stoudamire when the guard sat by him on the bench.

“If my hair would have been black four years ago, Salim would have turned it white,” Olson joked with reporters when Stoudamire was a senior in 2005. “But honestly, from the middle of March last year to the middle of March this year, I’ve never in 49 years of coaching dealt with a kid who changed as much in one year as Salim has.”

Small Forward

Michael Dickerson (1994-1998) vs. Luke Walton (1999-2003)

Michael Dickerson

Luke Walton

This is how deadly a shooter Michael Dickerson was in his career at Arizona: In the second half against Washington on Feb. 5, 1998, Dickerson was perfect from the field, 11 of 11, in a 112-81 victory for Arizona at McKale Center.

The misnomer about Dickerson, quiet in his demeanor, is that he was shy on the court. Not so. He was one of Olson’s best defenders in the 1997 title run and he was not afraid to shoot despite bouts with his confidence. He is fourth on the UA career list with 1,460 field-goal attempts, so he took advantage of the green light to shoot. He made 668 of those, sixth on the UA career list, for a very respectable 45.8 percent from the field for a wing player who drew gimmick defenses from opponents.

“I feel like I can do a lot of damage,” Dickerson told reporters after scoring 30 points against Texas in an 83-78 win at McKale Center on Dec. 9, 1996. Texas coach Rick Barnes went to a straight man-to-man against Dickerson, which was obviously a wrong move.

“I love that,” Dickerson added. “Going against a box-and-one (zone) or a double-team is a lot harder.”

While Dickerson ebbed and flowed with his confidence, Luke Walton always had an air of confidence about him. He is one of six former Wildcats who achieved a triple-double, accomplishing the feat with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 97-80 win over USC on Jan. 17, 2002.

He also had four steals and a career-best four blocked shots. Defensively, he played at the point-guard position in that game and through some of his career because of his size (6-8, 235) and instincts. He is the son of Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton.

“He does things you don’t teach,” Olson told reporters after Walton achieved the triple-double. “It’s in the genes. He has a great feel for the game. He also has a great feel for leadership, and it’s always a positive thing. He really helps the young guys a lot with the approach that he takes to things.”

Power Forward

Bennett Davison (1996-98) vs. Rick Anderson (1999-20003)

Bennett Davison

Rick Anderson

Bennett Davison might be best known for messing Olson’s gray mane seconds after the Wildcats won the 1997 title, but former Providence All-American Austin Croshere most likely remembers Davison for a much less amusing reason.

Croshere, who went on to play 12 years in the NBA, was held to an NCAA tournament-low 12 points before fouling out midway through the second half of the Elite Eight matchup against Arizona in 1997. The Friars lost in overtime 96-92 thanks in part to Davison’s lock-down defense and somewhat surprising offensive performance. Davison finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Davison, who holds the UA record with nine steals against Stanford in 1998, limited Croshere to 14 points under his scoring average. Teammate A.J. Bramlett marveled at Davison’s record-setting defensive performance against the Cardinal the season after the win over Providence, saying, “Nine steals for a No. 4 man (power forward) is unbelievable.”

“Bennett was all over the place, and when we can run, nobody can stay with us,” Bramlett told reporters.

Rick Anderson has the dubious distinction of being whistled for the most fouls in a season in UA history with 119 in 2001-02. But in a positive light, that shows how scrappy Anderson was for the Wildcats as a player who was hardly in the spotlight.

Mostly due to his elder statesman status, Anderson was a co-captain his last two seasons, sharing the honors with Gardner and Walton. He was an important cog in UA’s lineup in its Elite Eight season of 2002-03 as the second-leading rebounder with 6.7 rebounds per game. He was also one of four players who averaged double figures in scoring (10.7 points per game) that year.

Center

A.J. Bramlett (1996-1999) vs. Channing Frye (2002-2005)

A.J. Bramlett

Channing Frye

What made Arizona’s run to the title in 1997 special was a case could be made for each player helping the Wildcats get that far. Bramlett’s time to shine was his 12-point, 15-rebound performance in a second-round victory over the College of Charleston. He also had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots when the Cats beat North Carolina in the Final Four.

After the win over the Tar Heels, teammate Donnell Harris told reporters, “A.J. is always near the ball. I look up all the time, and there’s Bramlett and there’s the ball. It’s like he has magnets.”

An interesting note about Bramlett, other than him breaking a backboard in practice in February 1997, is that he achieved a school-record 19 rebounds against Stanford in 1998 — the same game Davison set the UA record for steals.

Channing Frye, a four-year starter, is one of the most productive post players in UA history when it comes to career totals. He is No. 9 on the scoring list with 1,789 points, No. 2 in blocked shots with 258, No. 3 in rebounds with 975, and No. 9 in field-goal percentage (56.2).

Olson could count on Frye to rough it up inside or extend to the perimeter and stick the mid-range jumper. One thing that irked Frye the most was when he was called “soft”, sometimes even by his own coach.

“Everyone always says Channing Frye is soft, that he can’t establish himself with his back to the basket,” Frye said in the third person, shaking his head to reporters, after he had 14 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over Notre Dame in the 2003 Sweet Sixteen.

Bench

1996-97 key reserves: Jason Terry, Donnell Harris and Eugene Edgerson

2002-03 key reserves: Andre Iguodala, Hassan Adams and Isaiah Fox

Andre Iguodala

Jason Terry

Jason Terry is arguably the best sixth man in the program’s history, putting his ego aside when Bibby was made a starter although Terry had already been in the program for a year. Former UA assistant coach Jim Rosborough told me last May — when Terry and the Dallas Mavericks faced Bibby and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals — that Terry’s acceptance to be the sixth man was a significant reason why the Wildcats won the NCAA title.

“I can’t say enough about what Jason did for us that season,” Rosborough told me. “A lot of people don’t know this, but he approached Coach Olson and basically told him, ‘I’m OK with being the Sixth Man. I’ll be the Sixth Man because we have Mike Bibby, Miles Simon and Michael Dickerson already out there.’

“He never pouted and was always upbeat. He came off the bench his first three years and then in his senior year, he became a national player of the year. That goes to show you that if you pay your dues something good will come out of it.”

Donnell Harris and Eugene Edgerson had varied roles in Arizona’s title run. Harris came up big in the title game against Kentucky, scoring eight points with seven rebounds. Edgerson was a UA crowd favorite for his all-out hustle.

Andre Iguodala and Hassan Adams provided athleticism off the bench for the 2002-03 team. They combined for 15.5 points, 8.3 rebounds per game and 2.8 steals per game. Iguodala also chipped in 2.1 assists per game.

Isaiah Fox started five games and was most effectve on the glass, averaging 3 rebounds a game. Will Bynum started twice that season and played in eight games before transferring to Georgia Tech.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1975-76 Arizona Wildcats (24-9)
–Lost to UCLA 82-66 in the West Regional Final. To note: The NCAA tournament only had 32 teams in 1976 and the regional final was played on UCLA’s campus at Pauley Pavilion.

2000-01 Arizona Wildcats (28-8)
–Beat Illinois 87-81 in the Midwest Regional Final; beat Michigan State 80-61 in the Final Four; and lost to Duke 82-72 in the national title game. To note: The Wildcats advanced through the tournament playing in honor of Lute Olson’s wife Bobbi, who died of ovarian cancer on Jan. 1, 2001.

Note: Please vote on which team you believe should advance in the bracket at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net. Thank you!

The cover of the Arizona basketball 1976-77 media guide, a year after the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight. Pictured (left to right): Bob Elliott, coach Fred Snowden and Herman Harris

The 2000-01 team currently pitted against the 1975-76 edition in the TucsonCitizen.com Arizona Elite Eight Event features squads coached by Lute Olson and the late Fred Snowden, respectively.

Few Arizona fans remember that Snowden actually coached Arizona against Olson and Iowa during that successful 1975-76 season.

The Hawkeyes defeated Arizona 82-80 in a controversial second-round game of the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu on Dec. 29, 1975, five years before many of the 2000-01 Wildcats, including standout point guard Jason Gardner, were even born.

“I probably played something like 114 games in my career at Arizona , and a lot of wins did not stick out like that loss,” former center Bob Elliott, laughing, told me in 1996 when I first wrote about the encounter for The Arizona Daily Star. “We fought hard to get back into the game, and for it to be decided on a (referee) call like that . . .”

Iowa took a 35-7 lead 12 minutes into the game, and the Wildcats trailed 51-33 at halftime. It appeared that the UA would rather be on the beach, while the Hawkeyes took the game seriously.

“ Arizona was frankly a better basketball team than we were,” Olson told me in the Arizona Daily Star interview. “With a program like ours at Iowa, at the time, we didn’t have a lot of room for error, so we got over there and everything was focused on playing.

“We didn’t allow them on the beach. We didn’t allow them out. We had curfews, that kind of thing.”

Arizona slowly chipped away at the deficit in the second half, and with 14 seconds remaining, the Wildcats tied the game at 80 on a basket by Elliott. No records have been kept, but that is arguably the greatest comeback (trailing by 28 points at one point) in Wildcat history.

“I remember trying to hang on just a couple of more seconds, and thinking there is no way we should lose that game,” said Scott Thompson, a guard with Iowa who was later an assistant to Olson with the Hawkeyes and Wildcats, in the Arizona Daily Star story.

Iowa raced downcourt after Elliott’s basket, choosing not to call a timeout, and the Hawkeyes missed a jumper. But Iowa center Dan Frost grabbed the rebound, and he was fouled as he attempted a shot at the buzzer.

Frost went to the line to try the game-winning free throws after Arizona departed for its locker room. Snowden argued the foul was called after the buzzer and he was so incensed that he ordered his team off the court. Of course, video replay nowadays would confirm or correct the call. That technology was not around back then.

“When the shot went up, all of us were shoving and biting each other to get that ball, and the ref called the foul on (guard) Gilbert Myles,” Elliott told me in the Arizona Daily Star interview. “Anybody would tell you Gilbert never went into the lane to grab a rebound. He was not close to the play.

“We walked off the court in anger, and the only way we knew (Frost) made the free throws was by listening to the Iowa crowd.”

Olson remembers “holding on to the bitter end.” What impressed him most was the way Arizona, as a program, presented itself under Snowden. The Wildcats that year came one game away from the 1976 Final Four, losing to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in the West Regional finals.

“At the conclusion of the game (in Hawaii), Freddie Snowden did his post-game show out in the middle of the court,” Olson told me in the Arizona Daily Star story. “It was certainly an indication of good fans and a big-time program. There were a lot of Arizona fans there.”

Javier Morales wearing a Boot Camp for Cancer shirt with a picture of his father Hector Morales, a cancer victim, pinned to his shirt. A portrait of Javier with his father is in the background (Javier Morales photo)

The race started before I could say, “Yes”. I turned toward the course, looked back quick enough to nod yes, and darted away as quick as I could. I must have started slow because I could still hear her say, “I went to ASU.”

That only added more fuel to my desire to start our relay strong last Saturday morning at the Las Vegas Athletic Club. At that moment, I was not only participating in the spirit of my father Hector A. Morales Jr., who passed away in March 2010 away after a decade-long bout with lymphoma. I had to represent the UA the best I could with a Sun Devil looking on, observing how I would start our relay.

Although in the best shape of my life — thanks mostly to a regular routine of cardiovascular and muscle training — I am by no means a runner. I kept up as best I could, but two female runners, who obviously ran daily as part of their fitness regimen, passed me by before we touched hands with the next runner in the relay. My ego was not totally bruised — two other runners didn’t make it to the relay point until after I finished.

More importantly, the woman who was an ASU alum on our team gave me a high-five after I completed my run as if I set a world record. When it comes to raising money for a worthy cause that impacts our society, allegiances such as those for UA and ASU rightfully take a back seat. Throughout the two-hour event, nobody was separated by school allegiances, religion, political beliefs, or even if we liked Tim Tebow or not.

Boot Camp for Cancer co-founders Trish Georges (left) and Angela Farrar. Georges is a breast cancer survivor.

The day was all about giving and it went beyond donating the money Boot Camp for Cancer needs. We gave our heart and sweat and pushed ourselves physically — some beyond their limits as they lost their breakfast — to show how far we would go to help those are afflicted by cancer.

The mastermind behind the Boot Camp for Cancer is Trish Georges, a paramedic from Las Vegas who is a breast cancer survivor. She along with fitness trainer Angela Farrar of Las Vegas started the event last year to help raise funds for cancer patients in need. Their charity has a novel approach. The approximately $10,000 they have raised in two years goes toward helping cancer patients make ends meet financially. They need this aid because they are unable to work and draw income while being treated.

“Our goal isn’t to find a cure for cancer or save the world,” Georges explains on the Boot Camp for Cancer Web site (BootCampforCancer.com). “We simply want to put food in someone’s fridge, fill medications, provide daily essentials and offer some financial relief to make your fight just a little easier!”

Boot Camp for Cancer logo (click on it to access the organization's Web site)

Georges started the event Saturday by talking about her story. After her doctor discovered a tumor the size of a golf ball in her breast in 2009, she underwent treatment after moving out of her four-bedroom house in Las Vegas. She moved in with a friend in California, who did not charge her rent to help alleviate the burden of medical fees owed that insurance does not cover.

It was difficult to keep a dry eye as she explained the difficulties placed on her life because of cancer and how she has persevered. Countless others share a similar burden.

“Trish receives e-mails on a regular basis from friends and friends of friends asking for guidance, financial assistance, and sometimes just a kind word,” according to the Boot Camp for Cancer Web site.

Tucson will stage an event called Beat Cancer Boot Camp, which will be held March 17 at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park. The theme of this charity is different. Its mission is to help survivors stay active during cancer treatment and beyond.

“Studies show that regular exercise can help relieve stress, anxiety, and combat some of the side effects common to cancer treatment such as nausea and fatigue,” its Web site states.

Former Arizona football player and current undercover federal agent and New York Times best-selling author Jay Dobyns will speak tonight at a Beat Cancer Boot Camp event in Tucson

The Beat Cancer Boot Camp will hold an Anniversary Event today at 5:30 p.m. at Brandi Fenton Park. Former University of Arizona football player Jay Dobyns, a federal undercover agent, New York Times best-selling author and public speaker, will be the keynote speaker. According to the Beat Cancer Boot Camp site, Dobyns (a certifiable tough guy in UA football annals) will discuss “the amazing human spirit to overcome adversity and the resiliency of never giving up in the face of fear and danger”.

My father embodied that kind of amazing human spirit throughout his life, and it never diminished when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the late 1990s. A former Tucson city councilman and community activist, he always was a symbol of strength when he served and represented the less fortunate in Tucson despite not being wealthy himself.

I recall that he never became overwhelmed by his chemotherapy treatments. He tried to keep that smile and his positive attitude, mostly to try to alleviate his family’s worries. Although those treatments weakened him physically, he continued to fulfill his duties as the Executive Director of El Pueblo Clinic. He also served on the Fair Housing Council before moving to the Pima County Health Board, where he served until cancer finally claimed his life on March 12, 2010.

He was an active member of the Lions Club, Elks, and Knights of Columbus.

My father’s spirit and resolve spurred me to take part in the Boot Camp for Cancer event in Las Vegas last Saturday. I know he would be proud of such an event because it brings awareness to the struggles of cancer victims, particularly those who need help financially to meet life’s demands. My father was a champion to those who were challenged to meet those demands and worked hard to try to provide for themselves and their families.

While taking on the grueling regimen of the boot camp, his spirit and the inspiration from my aunt Norma Contreras and cousin Yvonne Lizardi — both cancer victims as well — helped me complete the exercises.

The boot camp included four phases. The first included 20 minutes of non-stop fitness drills that would make even NFL players have to take a breather. The next was the relay by the side of the Las Vegas Athletic Building (nothing like trying to run as fast as you can into a strong cold wind). Following that was timed results in sit-ups, push-ups and a two-lap run on the track within the building. In the end was a strength training session that included the use of barbells, dumbbells, steps and exercise balls.

Javier Morales' father Hector Morales (left), aunt Norma Contreras (center) and cousin Yvonne Lizardi (shown with her daughter Lauren) all fell victim to cancer (Javier Morales photos)

The movement from one station to the other was non-stop. It was indeed a boot camp with the volunteer fitness instructors — who donated their valuable time — pushing us along the way.

More than 175 people participated this year, an increase from the 150 or so who took part in the inaugural event last year. Each event raised close to $5,000, according to the event organizers.

Georges talked about how last year’s fund-raising helped some individuals stricken with cancer pay bills and get through temporarily some of life’s financial hardships. She has first-hand knowledge of that experience, much like my father knew all about trying to help others while going through difficulties of his own raising a family of five children with my mother Elsa in the barrio of South Tucson.

My father was all about giving back. He also respected those who paid it forward, with acts of kindness either random or planned.

Cancer has such a negative impact on our lives. It has altered mine forever. I know, through the spirit of my father, aunt Norma and cousin Yvonne, that the best way to combat cancer and all of its evils, is to take it on with an unbending strong faith and desire to rise above it.

Standing up to cancer goes beyond funding preventative research. Those who are already afflicted need our support. They can’t live without our support. We can all stand on common ground with that mission to improve their livelihood — UA and ASU fans, Democrats or Republicans, those for or against Tim Tebow, etc.

Participating in the Boot Camp for Cancer helps provide that hope for a better today for cancer patients. We may not be beating cancer, but we are literally giving it a run for its money. That run was grueling, as my sore legs are a testament, but I will be back next year, stronger than ever and gunning for first prize. Count on it.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1975-76 Arizona Wildcats (24-9)
–Lost to UCLA 82-66 in the West Regional Final. To note: The NCAA tournament only had 32 teams in 1976 and the regional final was played on UCLA’s campus at Pauley Pavilion.

2000-01 Arizona Wildcats (28-8)
–Beat Illinois 87-81 in the Midwest Regional Final; beat Michigan State 80-61 in the Final Four; and lost to Duke 82-72 in the national title game. To note: The Wildcats advanced through the tournament playing in honor of Lute Olson’s wife Bobbi, who died of ovarian cancer on Jan. 1, 2001.

Note: Please vote on which team you believe should advance in the bracket at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net. Thank you!

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Jim Rappis (1972-76) vs. Jason Gardner (1999-2003)

Both of these leaders exemplified fortitude.

The media coined Rappis, a senior, as Arizona’s “Six Million Dollar Man” before the Cats lost to UCLA in the West Regional Final at Pauley Pavilion.

He fractured an ankle as a freshman and still managed to play nine games. He suffered a ruptured appendix at the beginning of his sophomore year and had a series of ankle injuries but still played in 24 of 26 games. Another ankle injury when he was a junior forced him to use a cane off the court throughout the season. He underwent surgery to correct a spinal disc before the 1975-76 season and was in grave danger of losing his life when he contracted peritonitis.

In the 1976 West Regional Semifinal — one of the most thrilling games in UA history when the Wildcats beat coach Jerry Tarkanian and UNLV 114-109 in overtime — Rappis injured his left heel with 5:57 left in the first half but continued to play despite being hobbled throughout. He finished with 24 points and 12 assists against the Running Rebels.

“Jimmy is the epitome of courage,” Snowden said after the game. “He was in great pain but he went out there anyway.”

The heel injury slowed Rappis considerably against UCLA in the regional title game and he managed only four points. He was still chosen to the Western Regional all-tournament team along with teammates Herman Harris and Al Fleming.

Gardner, a sophomore in 2001, is the Iron Man of the Arizona program. He holds the record for career average minutes played — 35.5 per game — and is third on the all-time scoring list with 1,984 points. Nobody has played more games (136) or started more (135) in the history of the program.

After Gardner led the Wildcats to the national title game in 2001 as a sophomore, it was speculated that he would forego his last two seasons and head to the NBA.

“He certainly will be one of our captains and will be a guy looked to for even more leadership than he what provided this year and I think that is a growing process anyway,” Olson told the media after Arizona lost to Duke 82-72 in the national title game.

Shooting Guard

Herman Harris (1974-1977) vs. Gilbert Arenas (1999-2001)

While the backcourt of Gardner and Arenas is arguably one of the best in the history of the program, the combination of Rappis and Harris has to rank high.

Harris was not a shy shooter — he holds the UA record for most field-goal attempts in a game with 29 (making nine) against San Diego State in 1977 — and he was set up many times by Rappis.

Harris, a junior in 1975-76, led the Wildcats with 18 points against UCLA in the 1976 Elite Eight game. He averaged 12.7 points in his career, highlighted by a team-high 20 points a game as a senior in 1976-77.

Arenas averaged 15.8 points in his two seasons with the Wildcats, as he left after his sophomore season for the NBA. He emerged from relative obscurity during the recruiting process to becoming one of the more flamboyant NBA players.

Olson believed after the 2000-01 season that Arenas, who led the 2000-01 team in scoring with 16.5 points a game, was mature enough to make the jump from college to pros. He is a 10-year NBA veteran and three-time All-Star selection.

“He is somebody that is going to be an outstanding pro,” Olson said. “I do think he grew a lot from a maturation standpoint. I think he would gain a lot from an additional year but I certainly understand his position. To me, it is not surprising.”

He is currently trying to find a team to join as a free agent.

Small Forward

Phil Taylor vs. Richard Jefferson

Although Taylor occupied the small forward position as a sophomore in 1976, there was nothing small about him. He actually played at center after Bob Elliott ended his illustrious career with Arizona in 1977. Taylor, who had 14 points in the loss to UCLA in 1976, helped comprise one of the best frontcourts in Wildcat history with Fleming and Elliott when the UA advanced to the Elite Eight in 1976.

Taylor’s 10.8 rebounds per game in 1976-77 ranks as the eighth best in UA history. He scored 36 points in a victory over UNLV as a senior in 1978.

Jefferson and power forward Michael Wright were the elder statesmen of the 2000-01 as juniors. Both did not return for their senior seasons after the Cats reached the title game in 20001.

Jefferson averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds that season. He was second in assists with 2.7 a game. He had 19 points and eight rebounds in the loss to the Blue Devils.

“You know, if we were playing them again tomorrow, who knows what could happen,” Jefferson said after the game. “That’s never going to happen. But we’re not going to take it as, `Hey, this was good enough.’ Of course we’re never going to be satisfied. This is going to stay with us the rest of our lives.”

Power Forward

Al Fleming (1973-1976) vs. Michael Wright (1998-2001)

Michael Wright

Despite all the prolific scorers that Snowden and Olson recruited to Arizona, Fleming — a power forward known more for his rebounding — holds the McKale Center scoring record for Wildcat players with 41 against Detroit (coached by Dick Vitale) on Jan. 10, 1976.

Fleming, who passed away from kidney cancer in 2003, is also the only UA player to have a perfect field-goal percentage with at least 10 attempts, when he went 10-for-10 against Midwestern earlier in the 1975-76 season. He also holds the school record for field-goal percentage with 66.7 percent in 1973-74. He and Channing Frye are the only UA players to lead the Wildcats in field-goal percentage throughout the four years of their career.

Fleming also holds the career rebounding record with 1,190. He had 23 rebounds in a game as a freshman (against San Diego State in 1972) and 23 as a senior (against Old Dominion in 1975).

A matchup between Fleming and Wright at their prime would be something to behold. Both played with tenacity around the basket. Wright led the UA in field-goal percentage in his three-year career and he topped the team in rebounding in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.

If Wright would have stayed for his senior season and not tried to play professionally prematurely, he could have challenged Fleming’s career rebounding mark. Wright finished with 832. He most certainly would have been the third to eclipse the 1,000-rebound plateau joining Fleming and Bob Elliott.

Center

Bob Elliott (1973-1977) vs. Loren Woods (1999-2001)

Bob Elliott

Elliott, nicknamed “Big Bird” during his time at the UA, is among a select few in NCAA history who accomplished at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.

Woods, 7-foot-2 compared to Elliott at 6-10, was known for his defense with his 186 blocked shots in his two-year Arizona career after transferring from Wake Forest. Woods, however, was solid on the offensive end as well, averaging 14.3 points at Arizona and making 79.3 percent of his free-throw attempts.

He was the reason why Arizona advanced to the Elite Eight in 2001 when the Wildcats beat Mississippi 66-56 in the Sweet Sixteen. He outplayed Ole Miss center Rahim Lockhart. Woods led the Cats with 16 points and had three blocks, compared to Rahim’s 11 points and one blocked shot.

Elliott may not have blocked as many shots but he was an effective defender. The UA did not start tabulating blocked shots effectively until after Elliott exhausted his eligibility.

He arguably was as active around the hoop as anybody in UA history. In the 114-109 overtime win over UNLV to reach the Elite Eight, Elliott scored 20 points, and he and Harris each made all four of their free-throw attempts in the overtime session.

“When our team come over this week, I felt slighted,” the late Snowden said of the regional at Pauley Pavilion. “Everybody just kind of ignored us.

“But maybe that was good because our team showed a lot of character.”

Bench

1975-1976 key reserves: Jerome Gladney, Leonard Gordy, Gilbert Myles and Sylvester Maxey

2000-2001 key reserves: Luke Walton, Eugene Edgerson and Justin Wessel

Edgerson and Wessel, co-captains of the 2000-01 team, were holdovers from Arizona’s only championship team of 1996-97. Walton was the sixth man of the 2000-01 team, playng plenty of minutes.

Walton is by far the most talented of both groups. He led the UA in rebounding and assists in 2001-02 and was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Lakers.

Gladney was the best reserve for Snowden’s group. The burly forward, who started earlier in his UA career, was selected in the eighth round by San Antonio a year after the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight. Gordy emerged as a senior captain in 1977 and was one of Arizona’s best free-throw shooters. Myles was a very capable assist man later in his UA career.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

How would Derrick Williams and the 2010-11 Elite Eight Cats match up against Sean Elliott and the 1987-88 team? You will decide soon with the TucsonCitizen.com Arizona Elite Eight Event (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

In keeping with the spirit of the “Bear Down Leader” competition, the Arizona Elite Eight Event is upon us.

The Bear Down Leader was a bracket that I formulated a couple of years ago that pitted Arizona legends against each other in the form of a fan vote. Sean Elliott emerged the winner. Tedy Bruschi, Steve Kerr and Jennie Finch were part of the Final Four.

With this blog is a diagram that shows eight of the nine Elite Eight teams that represented Arizona in the NCAA tournament. One of the teams — the national championship 1996-97 squad — went to the Elite Eight the following year with the exact same roster. The 1997-98 Cats lost to Utah 76-51 in the Elite Eight so we will graciously omit that team from the bracket (they’re still represented in 1996-97 anyway).

The only other years players overwrap: In 2000-01 and 2002-03 with Jason Gardner as the starting point guard for each and Luke Walton a key reserve in ’00-01 and a starter in ’02-03, and in 2002-03 and 2004-05 with Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye starting for both teams.

There is no scientific method for how the bracket was set up. It’s this simple: Four of these teams have won and advanced to the Final Four and four have not. The four that have won are pitted against the four that have lost. They are matched in this sequential order: The earliest to win an Elite Eight game (the 1987-88 team) is pitted against the most recent to lose one (last year’s team with Derrick Williams) and so on.

The winner of each bracket contest will be determined by a fan vote that will be conducted at my site WildAboutAZCats.net.

The competition will start shortly. Please stay tuned. For now, observe the bracket and formulate an opinion of who is the best Elite Eight team in Arizona history compared to the others.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

The Detroit Free-Press recently quoted a Louisiana high school football coach remarking that new Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez chose the Wildcats over Tulane because the Wildcats have a better chance to win a national title, and because of one other interesting motivation.

Can a return to The Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., be in store for Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez in the next three years? (US Presswire photo/Matt Cashore)

“They (Arizona) promised him they’d put Michigan on the schedule in three years,” J.T. Curtis, the head coach of John Curtis High School in River Ridge, La., told Tulane boosters Nov. 30. “I’m telling you, it was a big deal.”

You can see Curtis make this remark at about the 13:45 mark of this video: J.T. Curtis at the New Orleans Quarterback Club

Curtis said that Rodriguez talked to him during the process of when Tulane courted the coach.

”My understanding is, in talking to coach Rich Rodriguez, and I was involved in that just a little bit, is that it was a much closer decision than people realize between Tulane and Arizona,” Curtis said. “I know that might not sound right to you, but I think Tulane did all they could do to give him an opportunity to come there and a chance to coach.

“I think his expression to me was that he felt like he had a better chance to win the national championship at Arizona if he recruited properly.”

Curtis then offered the line about Arizona promising Rodriguez a matchup with Michigan, which fired him following the 2010 season after Rodriguez went 15-22 there in three years.

For Arizona to play Michigan, the Wolverines would have to oblige. My hunch is Michigan’s athletic administration would rather not allow a chance for its former embattled coach to beat the Wolverines. Of course, the lure of TV money can ultimately be the deciding factor.

A question to ask: Would Arizona be willing to play only at Ann Arbor, Mich., without the Wolverines having to make a return trip to Tucson to make this arrangement happen? If that’s the case, Rodriguez and Arizona would have to beat Michigan in front of a hostile crowd at The Big House. That could set Rodriguez up for embarrassment if the Wildcats do not win or keep the game close.

The possibility exists that Arizona and Michigan can meet at a “neutral” site in a kickoff classic arrangement similar to when Boise State played Georgia at the Georgia Dome instead of in Athens, Ga., to start this season. And, of course, Michigan and Arizona can meet in the Rose Bowl, right? Is that part of Rodriguez’s three-year plan to face the Wolverines?

The Wildcats have played Michigan twice before with the Wolverines balking at the idea of making a return trip to Tucson. Michigan won both games against the Wildcats while ranked in the Top 10, but the Wildcats kept both games close. In 1970, No. 8 Michigan beat Arizona 20-9 in front of 80,386. In 1978, third-ranked Michigan beat the Cats 21-17 in front of the largest crowd (104,913) to watch an Arizona football game.

The 1978 encounter was set up two years previously when Jim Young, a former assistant under Bo Schembechler at Michigan, was coaching the Wildcats. Young left in 1977, however, to be the head coach at Purdue. Tony Mason coached Arizona against the Wolverines.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

Wide receivers these days are perceived to be prima donnas who have more use of their mouths yapping than their guts making a catch in traffic in the middle of the field.

Former Arizona receiver Jay Dobyns is a talker — he has his own motivational speaking business — but that did not apply during his Wildcat career from 1982-84. His toughness spoke volumes, made opponents speechless and caused fans to hold their collective breath as they waited for him to get back on his feet after taking a lick.

“I just wanted to play like a crazy man,” Dobyns, our No. 1 offensive Arizona Wildcats Offensive Badass, told me this week. “I always felt that unless I scored a touchdown, no play should end on my feet. If I caught a pass, then someone was going to have to knock me down.

“If we ran the ball, then I was going to try to take someone out by any means necessary for a block. You can’t do that without giving up the goods.”

Dobyns, an agent for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), takes offense to the word “soft”. His look is a far cry from that — shaved head, goatee, tattoes and that sneer.

“The worst thing that anyone could ever say to me was that I was soft,” Dobyns told me. “You can tell me I was small, slow, etc., etc., etc. But don’t ever call me soft. That was my mentality.”

Here’s the rest of my Q&A with Dobyns (with an honorable mention of all those who did not make our Top 10 lists):

Q: I use the word badass as a positive term in this series. In your point of view what does it take for a player to be like that and be effective like you were?
Dobyns: All the players you selected have one common denominator: They were reckless with their spirit, enthusiasm and their bodies. They are guys who were willing to lose it all to win it all.

Jay Dobyns

Q: If you could spend a week with this year’s team what would you tell these kids?
Dobyns: Always get up. Sports, like life, are filled with getting knocked down. We set goals, fall short and guess what? The sun comes up the next morning. Always find a way to crawl to your feet and get in or stay in the fight for what you want and believe in.

Q: Who was the player or role model who drove you to be the kind of hard-nosed player that you were?
Dobyns: When I was a kid, I idolized Gayle Sayers. Man, I wanted to be able to run like him. Fred Biletnikoff and Bob Chandler — both slick route runners and pure hands guys. My favorite UA player was Scott Piper. He was the control receiver opposite “T” Bell that no one ever heard of but caught everything thrown to him.

Q: What did you do or say to get your teammates motivated?
Dobyns: I wanted them to see me at all times willing to do whatever I could to help us win. If it was going over the middle and getting destroyed to get a first down; if it was blocking down field for a teammate; if it was working before or after practice to make myself the best player I could be, I wanted my teammates to see a guy who wanted to win and help his team win more than anything. As the saying goes, I hated losing more than I loved winning. I hated to lose.

Q: How much did you wonder who would be the next Arizona football coach before athletic director Greg Byrne hired Rich Rodriguez?
Dobyns: A lot. I wanted Mr. Byrne to take Arizona football to a place where opponents fear us. We will not win every game. No team can or does. But, I wanted a coach to build a team that others are afraid of. I want Arizona football opponents to be looking for their teeth on the ground after they play us like ASU last weekend.

Honorable mention and notes:

David Adams

Whenever a top 10 list is done like this, it’s difficult to have all the greats included. Furthermore, many of these players are interchangeable. If I had to do it all over again, I would have rated David Adams higher than No. 4 on the offensive list.

Think of it this way — Out of the other 19 players listed, Adams had the odds stacked against him more to play major college football with his size, or lack thereof, at 5-6, 165 pounds. Not only did Adams play for the Wildcats, he excelled to the point of being the Pac-10′s top running back his senior season of 1986. His success is similar to that of Chuck Cecil, our No. 1 choice on the defensive side.

Cecil was viewed as undersized also but he played with the type of reckless nature that Dobyns described in this interview. That toughness helped Cecil become an All-Pro player in 1992.

I included only offensive and defensive players in this list. If I included special-teams players, the name Paul Kasprzyk would certainly be chief among them. The gunner made a name for sacrificing his body to get to the returner. Anthony Gimino once wrote for Tucson Citizen that Kasprzyk had two moves on special teams coverage. There was “Superman,” where he would try to leap defenders in a single bound, and the “mere mortal” – a hard-headed bull-rush into the blocking wedge.

Gimino wrote that Kasprzyk (who played at Arizona from 1985-88) was so reckless that in his junior year against Stanford, an official turned to him late in the game and said, “No. 21, please don’t do anything to get hurt now.”

Here’s the honorable mention of the others who did not make the top 10 lists (remember, these players are from when the Pac-10 formed in 1978 to now):

OFFENSE: Keith Smith, QB; Warner Smith, OL; Mark Walczak, TE; Cullen Plousha, WR; Jeff Kiewel, OL; Brad Anderson, WR; Tom Tunnicliffe, QB; Mike Thomas, WR; Charlie Dickey, OL; Mike Freeman, OL; John Fina, OL; Terry Vaughn, WR; and Trung Canidate, RB.

DEFENSE: Chuck Osborne, DT; Jimmy Sprotte, LB; John Kaiser, LB; Antonio Pierce, LB; Lance Briggs, LB; Ivan Lesnik, DT; Adrian Koch, LB; Ricky Elmore, DE; Mike Scurlock, CB; Randy Robbins, DB; Chris McAlister, DB; Brooks Reed, DE; Cleveland Crosby, DT; Dana Wells, NG; Darryll Lewis, DB; Dave Liggins, DB; Lamonte Hunley, LB; Chris Singleton, LB; Jeff Hammerschmidt, DB; Joe Salave’a, DT; Spencer Larsen, LB; Glenn Perkins, LB; Stan Mataele, DT; DaShon Polk, LB; and Gordon Bunch, DB.

THE BADASS LIST

DEFENSE

1. Chuck Cecil, safety (1984-87)
2. Ricky Hunley, linebacker (1980-83)
3. Rob Waldrop, defensive tackle (1990-93)
4. Tedy Bruschi, defensive end (1992-95)
5. Marcus Bell, linebacker (1996-99)
6. Byron Evans, linebacker (1983-86)
7. Brant Boyer, linebacker (1992-93)
8. Ty Parten, defensive tackle (1989-92)
9. Jimmie Hopkins, defensive end (1990-93)
10. Al “Bubba” Gross, safety (1979-82)

OFFENSE

1. Jay Dobyns, wide receiver (1982-84)
2. Richard Dice, wide receiver (1993-96)
3. Kelvin Eafon, tailback/fullback (1996-98)
4. David Adams, tailback (1984-86)
5. Joe Tofflemire, center (1985-88)
6. Glenn Parker, offensive guard (1988-89)
7. Rob Gronkowski, tight end (2007-08)
8. Hicham El-Mashtoub, center (1991-94)
9. Dennis Northcutt, wide receiver (1996-99)
10. Nick Foles, quarterback (2009-11)

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

DEFENSE

No. 1: CHUCK CECIL, safety (1984-87)

The Minnesota Vikings better hope that Paul Wiggin, a personnel consultant with the team, has a better grip on player evaluations than what he showed with Chuck Cecil in 1983. The Arizona football program is thankful that Wiggin, the Stanford head coach at the time, allowed arguably the baddest of the badasses in Wildcat history to come to Tucson.

Wiggin did not offer a scholarship to Cecil — 6-feet and a scant 150 pounds out of San Diego Helix High School — and that helped fuel the fire for the “Heat-Seeking Missile” to succeed with the Wildcats. Wiggin reportedly told Cecil he was too small for major college football.

Cecil, who put all his suitors on hold while awaiting Wiggin’s decision, opted to follow the advice of former Arizona assistant Moe Ankney and walk on to the Arizona program. Cecil’s wait for Stanford cost him a chance for a scholarship with Arizona as a freshman because the Wildcats used their allotment of grants.

“He and his parents took a gamble,” Ankney told the Toledo Blade in 1987 when he prepared to coach against Arizona as the Bowling Green head coach. “They paid for his first year of college and I made a commitment to them that I’d get him grant-in-aid as soon as possible.”

Cecil, a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection as a safety, dedicated himself to earn that scholarship but his goals went far beyond that. A bookworm does not get the nickname “Heat-Seeking Missile”, given to the vicious-tackling Cecil by a North Carolina assistant coach after the Cats beat the Tar Heels 30-21 in the 1986 Aloha Bowl, their first bowl win in 65 years.

Former Arizona assistant Duane Akina scouted that game for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. Akina told Anthony Gimino of TucsonCitizen.com in 2009 that he was in awe of Cecil’s hits on North Carolina’s receivers and running backs. Cecil was responsible for causing two fumbles in the game.

“Chuck had some great hits. I remember sitting in the stands going, ‘God, I wonder who that kid is?’ ” Akina said. “When I got to Arizona (in 1987 as an assistant under newly-hired coach Dick Tomey), everyone was talking him up. And then when I saw him, I was like, ‘That’s him? This scrawny 180-pound kid?’ I thought I was going to see Ronnie Lott.”

Lott, a legendary NFL player nicknamed “The Intimidator”, may have been bigger than Cecil, but he had nothing on Cecil when it came to being a badass. In his sophomore season, Cecil played with a left thumb so badly broken that a doctor reportedly later said it looked as though it had been smashed with a hammer. His trademark was his bone-crunching tackles.

“He’s just like Chi Chi Rodriguez hitting a golf ball,” Tomey told Sports Illustrated in 1987 interview. “Everything he has is there at the right time.”

Cecil, who maxed out at 6-1, 185 pounds, had the best season for a UA safety when he was a senior in 1987, recording 136 tackles, breaking up 12 passes and intercepting nine. He finished his Arizona career with a record 21 picks, which still stands as the school record.

His hard-hitting style drew plenty of fines from the NFL, which considered his style a detriment to the league. Sports Illustrated ran an article in 1993 of Cecil, who was on the cover with the title: “Is Chuck Cecil too vicious for the NFL?”

“They’re saying what I do is dirty and cheap, but I’ve played this way forever,” Cecil told SI. “I signed a million-dollar contract because of it. People cheer when I make a big hit. I mean, that’s what I do.”

Cecil’s legendary status at Arizona was solidified in the Cats’ 34-17 victory over Rose Bowl-bound ASU in 1986. That’s when he returned an interception for 100 yards in what is arguably the greatest play in the history of the program.

An Arizona fan held up a sign that read, “You can’t smell roses with a broken nose.” That interception figuratively broke ASU’s nose because the Sun Devils were driving for a touchdown, making it a 14-point swing. The following year, in Tempe, Cecil recovered a fumbled snap by a ASU punter Mike Schuh when the Sun Devils appeared on the verge of winning. Gary Coston made a last-second field goal and the game ended in a tie.

“I would say Chuck had the most dynamic personality of anybody I’ve coached,” Akina told Gimino. “He probably affected his teammates more than any player I’ve had. That is true leadership. I have never coached another like him who could carry the classroom to the field and who was so damn tough.”

Cecil, 47, served as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans from 2001-2010. He was out of coaching this season. Arizona fans have suggested that Cecil’s name be included as a candidate for the Arizona head coaching position.

THE BADASS LIST

DEFENSE

1. Chuck Cecil, safety (1984-87)
2. Ricky Hunley, linebacker (1980-83)
3. Rob Waldrop, defensive tackle (1990-93)
4. Tedy Bruschi, defensive end (1992-95)
5. Marcus Bell, linebacker (1996-99)
6. Byron Evans, linebacker (1983-86)
7. Brant Boyer, linebacker (1992-93)
8. Ty Parten, defensive tackle (1989-92)
9. Jimmie Hopkins, defensive end (1990-93)
10. Al “Bubba” Gross, safety (1979-82)

OFFENSE

1. Jay Dobyns, wide receiver (1982-84)
2. Richard Dice, wide receiver (1993-96)
3. Kelvin Eafon, tailback/fullback (1996-98)
4. David Adams, tailback (1984-86)
5. Joe Tofflemire, center (1985-88)
6. Glenn Parker, offensive guard (1988-89)
7. Rob Gronkowski, tight end (2007-08)
8. Hicham El-Mashtoub, center (1991-94)
9. Dennis Northcutt, wide receiver (1996-99)
10. Nick Foles, quarterback (2009-11)