Sean Elliott celebrated Senior Day in 1989 with his parents Odiemae and Robert (YouTube still - click on the picture to view video)

Some of the more memorable mothers of Arizona athletes that come to mind as we celebrate Mother’s Day 2012 …

Odiemae Elliott — You can tell where her son Sean Elliott — the best player to wear an Arizona uniform — got his classy ways. When interviewed on TV during Sean’s career at Arizona, Odiemae always appeared firm in her ways, yet also loving and caring — the ideal mother. In a 1999 column, after Sean’s brother Noel donated a kidney to essentially save the UA basketball legend’s life, former Tucson Citizen sports columnist Corky Simpson hit it on the head: “Sean has been a champion all along. He came by his fortitude and integrity honestly; Odiemae Elliott, his devoted mother, brought this guy up right.”

Judith Blair — The mother of former UA hoops player Joseph Blair also made an incredible sacrifice — donating a kidney to save the life of Dr. Michael Burgoon, a UA professor, in 2001. Moreover, Judith had just a casual acquaintance with Burgoon, a communications professor who served as an academic counselor to UA recruits. She found out about his deteriorating health after battling the kidney and lupus disease for 21 years while talking to Burgoon’s wife at halftime of a UA basketball game. Judith offered a kidney on the spot. “God had once restored something to me, and I thought it was only right to restore something to Michael,” Judith told Simpson in a 2002 column. She was in the midst of stellar performances in the Senior Olympics in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter runs. She continued to compete after the transplant. Her giving ways has made an impact on Joseph’s life. He is very active with charity events in the Tucson community as the executive director of the Blair Charity Group.

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Javier Morales took first place in the 2010 Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category

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).

VOTE ON THIS MATCHUP AT WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET!!!

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.

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PREVIOUS ARIZONA-UCONN MATCHUP ANALYSIS:
>> THE STARTING PERIMETER PLAYERS
>> STARTING FRONTCOURT PLAYERS
>> THE BENCH

A look at what to expect from the coaches and a predicted outcome of Saturday’s game (at approximately 4 p.m., Tucson time) at Anaheim between No. 5-seed Arizona (30-7) and No. 3 seed UConn (29-9) in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament:

COACHING

Arizona’s Sean Miller vs. UConn’s Jim Calhoun

UConn coach Jim Calhoun's record is very similar to Sean Miller of Arizona in the last seven years (US Presswire photo/Brad Mills)

When his UConn team faces Arizona Saturday, Jim Calhoun will have flashbacks to when Sean Miller played against the Huskies two decades ago with Pitt. The memories of Miller, the player, won’t be kind. His recall of Miller, the person, the opposite. Miller’s final game against UConn was Feb. 25, 1992. He posted 12 points and 11 assists in the Panthers’ 86-77 victory. Miller went 5-4 in his playing career against UConn and averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 assists in those games. Solid.

“I remember Sean when he was at the old Fitzgerald Field House on Pitt’s campus, and we were winning and the crowd was getting unruly, which is a real surprise at Pitt,” Calhoun told the media Saturday. “It’s a very blue-collar town, and they weren’t happy, they were throwing things; and Sean did something with the crowd, kind of like ‘Cool it. Cool it.’

“We were up by 12 with maybe a minute to go, and he was talking to me and he said, ‘Coach, I’ll take care of it.’”

These examples of Miller as a player and person describes him as a coach and recruiter: Solid. Intelligent. Unrelenting. Professional. Thorough.

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