Eddie Smith, one of the players responsible for building a winning program at Arizona, is now an educator and motivational speaker in Georgia

The shot that put a charge into Lute Olson making Arizona basketball relevant belongs to a man today’s Wildcats need to read a book to learn about.

The Cornerstone of Arizona Basketball is that book. Eddie Smith, the author, is that man. His last-second prayer at ASU in Olson’s first season of 1983-84 is that shot.

“I never want to make myself seem like I’m living in the past,” Smith commented to me this week. “I think it is good that the story comes out.”

The Wildcats were 5-15 overall, only one win more than the previous year’s victory total in Ben Lindsey’s 4-24 season, before Smith made the winning shot against the Sun Devils that bounced on the rim before finally falling. Arizona’s 65-64 win over ASU, completing its first season sweep over the Sun Devils since 1969-70, put the Wildcats in motion toward where the program stands today.

Smith, Pete Williams, Steve Kerr and the Wildcats won six of their last eight games, including the victory at ASU, to finish the 1983-84 season with an 11-17 record. The Wildcats won nine of their first 12 games in the next season before traveling to ASU again to start the Pac-10 season. That’s when Smith contributed to one of the most legendary comebacks in UA history.

“This was the start of something that would set a tradition,” Smith writes in his e-book. “The clock clicked down to less than a minute. They were up 9 points. And remember, at that time in the game, there was no 3-point line.”

Smith converted on two traditional three-point plays instead as part of Arizona’s winning rally after ASU led 60-53 with 37 seconds remaining.

He scored and was fouled with 26 seconds remaining. His free throw cut the lead to 60-56. The late Bobby Thompson, an ASU guard who is the son of the former UA all-star tailback with the same name, missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw situation and Williams grabbed the rebound. Arizona’s Morgan Taylor made a 20-foot jump shot with nine seconds left to cut the lead to 60-58.

Williams deflected the inbound pass and Smith emerged with the ball after a scramble. His scoop shot banked in while he was fouled by Thompson with two seconds remaining. The game was tied. A free throw would give the Wildcats the improbable lead.

“I went out to the free throw line,” Smith writes. “Got my rhythm and shot the ball with a relaxed follow-through motion. It went in. … Man, that was a comeback!

“We shocked the players, their coach, their fans and the majority of the betting world.”

The victory propelled Arizona to a 12-6 Pac-10 season, its best record since the Wildcats joined the conference in 1978-79. Only two years previously, before Olson arrived, the Wildcats finished 1-17 in conference play. The UA also advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years.

One recurring theme with the Arizona basketball program is a very strong rebirth after uncertainty.

Fred Snowden was hired in 1972 after the Wildcats finished 6-20 in 1971-72, their fifth losing season in a seven-year stretch. After his hire, Snowden recruited Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Al Fleming, John Irving and Jim Rappis, the best five players Arizona’s featured in a recruiting class. The Wildcats did not suffer another losing record for eight seasons.

Olson was hired in 1983 after the debacle under Lindsey. Olson recruited Smith and Williams from the junior college ranks and Kerr, an unknown guard from Pacific Palisades, Calif., in his first class. Those three players have as much to do with Arizona’s emergence as a national power as anybody else, including Sean Elliott.

Sean Miller was hired in 2009 after the Wildcats endured two interim staffs following Olson’s leave of absence and subsequent retirement. Miller recruited Derrick Williams, Lamont “MoMo” Jones, Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom in his first class. Williams and Jones were essential in Arizona reachiing the Elite Eight in 2010-11 and Hill and Parrom started for the UA’s Sweet 16 team this year.

The players from each of these initial recruiting classes share a common significance for the development of the program. The man responsible for enlightening Smith about the potential at Arizona was the late Ricky Byrdsong, who started recruiting Smith out of Dodge City Community College before Olson arrived in Tucson.

Lute Olson’s first recruiting class that included Eddie Smith, Pete Williams and Steve Kerr was essential in building the program to what it is today

Byrdsong, kept as an assistant by Olson, laid the foundation to bring Smith to Tucson — despite Smith committing at first to Cal State-Fullerton and having interest in Tulsa — but it was the presence of Olson (called “The Big Guy”) in his living room that swayed him.

Smith, an educator and motivational speaker who resides in Stockbride, Ga., cites scripture throughout his e-book, which is available on Amazon.com for only $3.99. The tone of the book is uplifting with Smith recounting how he matured from when he was a gang member as a teen in Wichita, Kan.

“If I had to pick one word about Eddie, it would be character,” Olson writes in the foreword to the e-book. “He exhibited the character in what was needed to succeed.”

Smith came of age as a basketball player and person after hearing he was washed up as a basketball player during his junior season in high school. He hit the game winning shot as a senior in the state championship game and opting to attend Dodge City Community College rather than try a small four-year college, much to the chagrin of his father.

His estranged relationship with his father became worse when his father tossed Smith’s letter-of-intent paperwork with Dodge City on the ground and bolted out of the family home. His father did this with the Dodge City coach in the room.

“Your protests as a parent can either move your child closer to you or push them away from you,” Smith writes. “That one move me further away. My dad never deposited in me when I was growing up.”

I have followed Arizona basketball closely since Snowden’s early years. I did not know some of the information in the e-book about Smith’s odyssey to Tucson, such as his recruiting visit to the city with fellow prospect Reggie Miller and the rift between the holdovers from the 4-24 team and Olson’s first class that included Smith, Williams, Kerr, Michael Tait and Van Beard.

The state of the program — “I thought we would get our tails kicked,” Smith writes — almost forced him to leave Tucson within a month of his arrival.

The late Ricky Byrdsong was instrumental in bringing Eddie Smith to Arizona

Smith writes that he overcame his doubts after talking to his mother, junior college coach and sister. All of them assured him of his standing as a talented basketball player and that Arizona offered him the best chance to flourish because of Olson and the availability of playing time.

“When I think back, I was a skinny thing back then,” Smith told me in a 2010 interview with TucsonCitizen.com. “I wonder what did Coach Olson think about what he was getting based on my build.

“I knew that I had heart and determination and that I would not give up on the assignment. I believe coach saw that after a few games.”

Smith reflects positively on his relationship with Olson in the e-book. Parts of the book include moments when Olson was firm with Smith, including the time the former coach called the player into his office after a fight broke out in a pickup game at McKale Center shortly after Smith arrived on campus.

Olson told him to get it together and learn to play within the team concept or leave, Smith writes. That was a significant event that contributed to Smith’s maturity and what he has become today.

“The book was written to show people how important effective leadership impacts a person’s life for the good,” Smith told me last week. “Being in education, I see so many children lacking leadership in their lives. The key to effective leadership rests on the leader making a connection with the person.

“The book is directed to any adult who is leading others. Athletics provided the path for some great men to pour into my life structure, standards, unselfishness, and commitment. Those are the qualities that need to be transferred to willing participants.”

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports, TucsonCitizen.com and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site ZonaZealots.com.

TRANSFERS IN LUTE OLSON’S FIRST FOUR YEARS

TRANSFERS IN SEAN MILLER’S FIRST FOUR YEARS

*Turner played professionally in Hungary and Canada instead of transferring to SMU

Angelo Chol announced Wednesday he will transfer from Arizona

Major college basketball is a big business and Arizona is one of the most valued programs in the country.

Sean Miller is scheduled to earn $2.6 million in total compensation by the 2016-17 season, including a base salary of $1.5 million.

Victories, championships, berths into the NCAA tournament are a result of making the right decisions to get the best return on an investment. Arizona has invested its trust in Miller to continue administering the significant money-making operation Lute Olson created.

Miller and his staff must invest their valuable time into coaching the right players they believe give them the best chance to win and continue to fill seats in McKale.

That means difficult personnel decisions must be made. Players will be advised to find better playing opportunities elsewhere because they may not have a spot in the rotation. That’s nothing new. Olson had five transfers in his first four seasons at Arizona, which equals Miller’s total (see graphic with this blog) with the announcement Wednesday that Angelo Chol has played his last game as a Wildcat.

Addition-by-subtraction moves like this will be made as long as a basketball bounces.

One-year wonders like incoming freshman forward Aaron Gordon of San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty are college basketball’s equivalent of professional rent-a-players — the signing of a free agent late in the season to win in the playoffs.

Miller is not at fault for losing Chol to another program and Grant Jerrett to the NBA draft (or Jerrett’s dream of being drafted). This is a business. “Just win baby” has been replaced by “Just win now baby”. John Calipari has Kentucky believing in this philosophy.

Stockpiling too many players through the first 10 spots in the rotation is not the way Calipari operates at Kentucky. He generates a solid top five or six players and the remaining guys fall in line.

Enabling players like Gordon and fellow McDonald’s All-American forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to play quality minutes without resistance is essential for Miller. The two players affected the most by the addition of Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson were Jerrett and Chol.

Miller did not beg for them to stay, nor should he. He has a multi-million dollar operation to run.

Nick Johnson is the last remaining player of the four-player Class of 2011 recruiting group to sign with Arizona

He played mostly eight players this season and he will likely use nine in 2013-14. The eight-man rotation of Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom, Nick Johnson, Mark Lyons, Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley, Jerrett and Jordin Mayes will be replaced by the nine-man rotation of Gordon, Hollis-Jefferson, Johnson, Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell, Tarczewski, Ashley, Mayes, Gabe York and JC transfer Matt Korcheck.

Olson and Miller each lost five players to other programs in their first four seasons. Miller has also lost Kyryl Natyazhko and Jerrett because of their pro aspirations. Some left because of playing time, while others left because they were no longer welcome in the program (Rolf Jacobs with Olson and Sidiki Johnson and Josiah Turner with Miller).

Sidiki Johnson, Turner and Chol were all part of a heralded Class of 2011 group for Miller. Nick Johnson, who has the most potential beyond college basketball, is the lone member of this class that remains with the Wildcats.

In Olson’s fifth season (1987-88), the Wildcats earned their first trip to the Final Four. In Miller’s fifth year next season, with the addition of Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson, he is expected to make his first trip to the Final Four as a head coach.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports, TucsonCitizen.com and Sports Illustrated-sponsored site ZonaZealots.com.

Austin Hill becomes the fourth significant Arizona player to be potentially lost for the season because of injury following Rob Gronkowski, Jake Fischer and Adam Hall

Season-ending injuries to significant players debilitated the Arizona football program since its fortunes appeared to be golden after the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU.

The Wildcats have been forced to endure season-ending injuries to starting tight end Rob Gronkowski (back), linebacker Jake Fischer (knee) and safety Adam Hall (knee and ankle) in the last four years. The UA’s top returning receiver, Austin Hill, a bonafide pro prospect, suffered a torn ACL last week in practice, requiring surgery and endangering his chance to play in the 2013 season.

Knee injuries have riddled the UA football program to the point that former defensive lineman Willie Mobley (who has transferred to New Mexico State) tore his ACL playing a pickup basketball game in 2011.

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez was quoted as saying by Anthony Gimino of TucsonCitizen.com that he is “sick” about Hill’s injury.

“It just makes me sick, because he was such a great player. But he still will be,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know when his time frame is to return, but he’ll be back bigger and stronger with the way technology is today and all that.

“I really felt bad for him. I know Austin is a tough, strong guy, and he’ll bounce back.”

Arizona’s basketball program has been more fortunate in terms of season-ending injuries over the years. Only one of the more significant hoop stars — Steve Kerr — had to sit out a season in 1986-87 after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and shredding a medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Kerr suffered the serious knee injury as part of the U.S. team playing in the World Championships in Madrid. He was lost for the 1986-87 season, a year in which the Wildcats went 18-12, one of only two seasons Lute Olson won less than 20 games in his 24-year coaching career at Arizona.

The loss of Steve Kerr in 1986-87 resulted in Arizona winning less than 20 games, which happened only twice in the 24-year Lute Olson era at Arizona

The only other season-ending knee injury for a basketball player since the start of the Olson era happened to reserve forward Kevin Flanagan, who missed the 1991-92 season because of a torn ACL.

Yahoo! Sports recently asked Kerr about Derrick Rose’s knee injury that kept him sidelined this season for the Chicago Bulls.

“These guys all know that everybody comes back from the ACL nowadays and the surgery and rehab are so much better than they were 30 years ago,” Kerr told Yahoo. “So it’s not a career-ender, it’s just a pause.

“The biggest thing is just to be patient, and that’s what Derrick Rose is doing right now. He’s taking his time as he should. You’ve got to feel comfortable in every which way, not just with your cutting and running. But with your mind, and your ability to make a basketball play without thinking about it. Those are all things that come with time and with patience, and that’s why I like what Derrick and the Bulls are doing right now.”

The Bulls have managed a 43-37 record without Rose but would have 10 more wins with him on the active roster.

Arizona’s basketball team finished 18-12 without Kerr in 1986-87 despite Olson having All-American forward Sean Elliott and one of his best centers, Anthony Cook, on the roster. Kerr’s return in 1987-88 sparked the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance.

The Wildcats failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2010 and 2012, coincidentally in seasons that inspirational leader Kevin Parrom missed 26 games because of foot injuries and a bullet to this right leg in a home-invasion shooting incident.

Kerr and Parrom each earned national courage honors for their return to action.

Gronkowski missed the 2009 season because of a strained back. He did not return to the Wildcats the following season and has become the best at his position in the NFL after his second-round selection in the 2010 NFL draft. The Wildcats, who looked like they were on an upward slope after beating BYU in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl, declined starting in 2009 without Gronkowski.

The football team went 19-19 from 2009-2011 in the three years Gronkowski, Fischer and Hall were on the sidelines in street clothes. Stoops lost his job.

Have we seen the last of Hill, a junior, in an Arizona uniform? Will his fate be similar to that of Gronkowski, spending his last year in Tucson rehabilitating for an NFL career? It’s a question worth asking because Hill redshirted his freshman season and would lose a year of eligibility if he returns in 2014.

The Arizona football program could use a receiver like Hill to help ease the transition of a new quarterback leading the Wildcats in 2013. The UA has other capable receivers such as David Richards, Tyler Slavin and Terrence Miller. Time will tell if they can become home run threats like Hill.

“He had a lot going for him, and I know he had big plans of going to the NFL after this year,” Slavin told Gimino. “He had big things to do. Man, it just hurts.”

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

Have you bought your tickets yet??? putt-ingkidsfirst.org

— Blair Charity Group (@BCharityGroup) March 25, 2013

When I covered the Arizona basketball team in the 1990′s for the Arizona Daily Star, Joseph Blair was the most imposing figure I came across.

Former Arizona basketball player Joseph Blair is active in Tucson community development

At 6-feet-10 and 265 inches, he towered over most. He claimed his territory in the lane and banged his sizable body to keep it. He was such a competitive and fierce basketball player that one time he got thrown out of a pro game in Russia for fighting in a brawl that included many ejections and relegated the game to a three-on-three affair at the end.

Now 38, Blair physically looks like he can still muscle his way for a rebound or post up his defender on the blocks. Four years removed from his career overseas, Blair’s diligent work has changed from the hardwood to helping those suffering through hard knocks.

Based on all the charity work Blair has performed in Tucson over the last three years, his name should be on the ballot for city mayor.

Blair first organized the Arizona Basketball Alumni Foundation that performed various charity functions before ceasing operations last April. He is now the executive director of the Blair Charity Group. Its mission as stated at its Web site — BlairCharityGroup.org: Create and support programs that address the priorities of the Southern Arizona community, while still helping to strengthen the non-profit sector through collaboration and consultation.

Blair’s work with the development of the Arizona Basketball Academy earned him the honor of Joseph Blair Day every June 23 presented by former Tucson mayor Bob Walkup in 2010. The Arizona Basketball Academy is a pro bono week-long camp established in 2000 to give boys and girls in the Tucson community a chance to work with professional and college basketball players.

Blair’s relationship with the Arizona basketball program and his friendships with former Wildcats enable him to draw big names to these camps that are free of charge and have served more than 1,000 children in Tucson. These youngsters are annually provided the opportunity to grow and flourish in their personal lives under this setting whereas otherwise no doors would be open for them.

This venture by Blair and other community activists is made possible through corporate and individual sponsorship.

The Blair Charity Group is involved in a fund-raising event for the Arizona Basketball Academy this Saturday at Golf-N-Stuff (6503 E. Tanque Verde Road). The First Annual “Putt-ing Kids First” Mini Golf Tournament & Family Fun Night is scheduled from 6-10 p.m. (Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. for golfers).

Each foursome of players will play 36 holes of miniature golf with different food and drink opportunities on the course. The top finishers will receive awards and prizes. All of the attractions of the venue will also be open to the attendees at no additional charge, including the use of the go-carts, bumper boats, laser tag, batting cages, and all of the video games.

More than 40 local sponsors are assisting Blair and his charity group with this event. At least 17 food vendors will be placed at various spots throughout the putting course.

This showing of support for Blair is another example of how he has stoked the flame of Tucsonans for helping those less fortunate in the community. The Blair Charity Group also successfully organized the 25th Annual Lute Olson Celebrity Auction and Golf Tournament last May. That golf tournament benefits the University of Arizona Arthritis Center.

Growing up with my father, Hector A. Morales Jr., a long-time community activist in Tucson, it is exhilarating to see how much Blair’s work is impacting the community. Blair’s work is never-ending. Trying to bring a better life to those less fortunate is an ongoing process.

An interesting aspect of Blair’s community involvement is that he is not from Tucson. He is a Houston native. His ties to Tucson and Arizona started when he played with the Wildcats from 1992-96.

The Arizona Basketball Academy has provided Tucson youths free basketball camps taught by former UA basketball players and others, who volunteer their time (Blair Charity Group photo)

His experience with the UA, its faculty, students and fans, sparked his involvement in the community. He has returned to Tucson after a 13-year pro career overseas — including two stints with the Harlem Globetrotters — mostly volunteering his time to make the community a better place to live.

Blair learned about giving with a sacrifice from his mother Judith Blair, who donated a kidney in 2001 to save the life of Dr. Michael Burgoon, a UA professor. Judith had only a casual acquaintance with Burgoon, a communications professor who served as an academic counselor to UA recruits.

Judith Blair learned of Burgoon’s deteriorating health while talking to his 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 former Tucson Citizen columnist Corky Simpson in 2002.

She was in the midst of competing in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter runs in the Senior Olympics. She continued to compete after the transplant. She left a lasting impression on her son.

The Southern Arizona community is fortunate Joseph Blair’s presence — bold and determined — is as strong today as it was during his basketball career.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

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Head coach: Fred Snowden

1972: Ron Allen, Dave Burns, Al Fleming, John Irving, Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Jim Rappis and James Wakefield. Three years later (1974-75): The UA finishes 22-7 and is selected to the National Commissioner’s Invitational Tournament. Money, Norman, Fleming and Rappis are the best foursome recruiting class the Wildcats have ever amassed based on pure talent. Rating (scale 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest): 9.

Fred Snowden’s first two recruiting classes at Arizona included seven NBA draft picks

1973: Bob Aleksa, Bob Elliott, Jerome Gladney, Len Gordy, Herman Harris, Gary Harrison and Steve Kanner. Three years later (1975-76): The UA finishes 24-9, wins the WAC title and loses in the 1976 Elite Eight to UCLA. Elliott is the UA’s career scoring leader before Sean Elliott (no relation) breaks his record. Herman Harris’ scoring average might have increased by four points if a three-point line exists back then. Rating: 8.

1974: Tom Ehlmann, Mitch Jones, Tim Marshall, Gilbert Myles, Phil Taylor. Three years later (1976-77): The UA finishes 21-6 and loses in the first round of the 1977 NCAA tournament (the last time the UA made the NCAA tournament under Snowden). Rating: 4.

1975: Larry Demic, Ron Fuller, Brian Jung and Sylvester Maxey. Three years later 1977-78): The UA finishes 15-11. Demic is a first-round draft pick in 1979. Rating: 6.

1976: Kenny Davis, Joe Nehls and Tommy Williams. Three years later (1978-79): The UA finishes 16-11, the last time the Wildcats have a winning record for six years. Nehls becomes one of the best pure perimeter shooters in Arizona history. Rating: 3.

1977: Russell Brown, Robbie Dosty, Steve Lake and John Smith. Three years later (1979-80): The UA finishes 12-15. Brown remains the school’s career leader in assists with 810 (no other player has more than 700). Dosty becomes a fourth-round draft pick. Rating: 5.

1978: John Belobraydic, Ray Donnelly, Greg Hawthorne, John Hutcherson, Donald Mellon, Charles Miller and Michael Zeno. Three years later (1980-81): The UA finishes 13-14. Hawthorne, Mellon and Zeno are highly-regarded recruits but nothing materializes from this group.Rating: 3.

1979: Ron Davis, David Mosebar, Frank Smith Jr. and Leon Wood. Three years later (1981-82): The UA finishes 9-18 in Snowden’s last season. Wood transfers to Cal State-Fullerton after his freshman year and is later drafted in the first round. After extremely impressive recruiting classes his first couple of seasons, Snowden never really sustains that level of success and the UA gradually declines. This class is good, however, with Davis, Smith and Wood. Rating: 7.

1980: Jeff Collins, Greg Cook and Ricky Walker. Three years later (1982-83): The UA finishes 4-24 in Ben Lindsey’s only season at Arizona. None of these recruits are around for that debacle. Rating: 1.

1981: Brock Brunkhorst, Mark Jung, Jack Magno and John Vlahogeorge. Three years later (1983-84): The UA finishes 11-17 in Olson’s first season. The only player from this class on Olson’s first team is Brunkhorst. Rating: 1.

Head coach: Ben Lindsey

1982: Troy Cooke, Ken Ensor, David Haskin, Todd Porter, Greg Scott, Greg Taylor, Morgan Taylor and Puntus Wilson. Three years later (1984-85): The UA finishes 21-10 and returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1977. Only Haskin and Morgan Taylor are there to experience it. Scott, Wilson and Porter are not retained by Olson. Rating: 1.

Head coach: Lute Olson

1983: Van Beard, Steve Kerr, Eddie Smith, Michael Tait and Pete Williams. Three years later (1985-86): The UA finishes 23-9 and wins its first Pac-10 title with Kerr as a captain. Olson credits Williams as being one of the best rebounders he’s ever coached. Rating: 8.

1984: Jon Edgar, Bruce Fraser, Rolf Jacobs, Craig McMillan and Joe Turner. Three years later (1986-87):The UA finishes 18-12 partly because Kerr is forced to redshirt with a knee injury. McMillan is first McDonald’s All-American recruited by Olson to Arizona. Rating: 5.

1985: Anthony Cook, Eric Cooper, Sean Elliott, Ken Lofton and Bruce Wheatley. Three years later (1987-88): The UA finishes 35-3 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It reaches its first Final Four in school history. Elliott is the Pac-10 Player of the Year. He eventually breaks Lew Alcindor’s conference scoring record. Elliott and Cook are drafted in the first round in 1989. Note: Cooper’s son, Eric Cooper Jr., is a Class of 2014 prospect who has verbally committed to Arizona. Rating: 9.

Sean Elliott headlined a group in 1985 that included Anthony Cook and Kenny Lofton

1986: Jud Buechler, Brian David, Harvey Mason and Tom Tolbert. Three years later (1988-89): The UA finishes 29-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10 the second straight year. Buechler goes on to the NBA and wins three titles with the Bulls. Rating: 7.

1987: Matt Muehlebach, Sean Rooks and Mark Georgeson. Three years later (1989-90): The Wildcats become co-champs of the Pac-10 regular season and the conference tournament titlist. Muehlebach, one of Olson’s most steady captains, never loses a home game in his career. Georgeson transfers to Pepperdine after freshman season. Rooks evolves into an All-Pac-10 center his senior year followed by 12 seasons in the NBA with Dallas, Minnesota, Atlanta, the Lakers, the Clippers, New Orleans and Orlando. Rating: 7.

1988: Ron Curry, Matt Othick and Wayne Womack. Three years later (1990-91): The UA finishes 28-7 and wins its fourth straight Pac-10 title. Othick and Womack play through their senior seasons. Curry transfers to Marquette after freshman season.Rating: 6.

1989: Casey Schmidt and Ed Stokes. Three years later (1991-92): The UA finishes 24-7 overall, average by its standards. The Wildcats are upset by East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Stokes is decent but not spectacular as a 7-footer. Rating: 2.

1990: Tony Clark, Kevin Flanagan, Deron Johnson and Khalid Reeves. Three years later (1992-93): The UA finishes 24-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. Kentucky transfer Chris Mills is a captain of the team. Reeves is first N.Y. product recruited by Olson and he is drafted in the first round 1994. Rating: 6.

1991: Sean Allen, Ray Owes and Damon Stoudamire. Three years later (1993-94): The UA finishes 29-6 overall and advances to its second Final Four. Stoudamire becomes Olson’s sixth first-round draft pick in 1995. Rating: 8.

1992: Joseph Blair, Edtrick Bohannon, Reggie Geary, Joe McLean and Corey Williams. Three years later (1994-95): The UA finishes 24-7 and loses in the first round to Miami (Ohio) with Sean Miller as an assistant to Herb Sendek. Bohannon transfers. Blair, Geary, McLean and Williams form another strong nucleus. Rating: 6.

1993: Jarvis Kelley. Three years later (1995-96): The UA finishes 27-6 and loses in the Sweet 16 to Kansas. Kelley transfers after his sophomore season. Rating: 1.

1994: Marty Bartmentloo, Ben Davis, Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon. Three years later (1996-97): The UA finishes 25-9 and wins its first NCAA title. Simon is named the Final Four MVP. Dickerson is a first-round draft choice in 1998. Davis becomes one of Arizona’s best rebounders under Olson. Bartmentloo moves back to his native Australia before completing his career. Rating: 8.

1995: Donnell Harris, A.J. Bramlett and Jason Terry. Three years later (1997-98): The UA finishes 30-5 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It loses in the Elite Eight against Utah. Terry is picked in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft, 10th overall. Bramlett becomes one of the more reliable UA centers in Olson era. Harris’ career never flourishes although he played his basketball in 1997 Final Four. Rating: 6.

1996: Mike Bibby, Quynn Tebbs, Justin Wessel, Bennett Davison and Eugene Edgerson. Three years later (1998-99): The UA finishes 22-7 and loses in the first round to Oklahoma. Bibby is already gone, selected in the first round of the 1998 draft (the highest pick in UA history at No. 2 overall). Tebbs transfers after one season and Wessel is a career reserve. Davison, a JC recruit, and Edgerson are ideal role players. Rating: 7.

1997: Dion Broom. Three years later (1999-2000): The UA’s one-man recruiting class never qualifies academically. The Wildcats start to build steam in 2000 behind next recruiting class and finish 27-7 overall and tied for first in the Pac-10 with 15-3 record.Rating: 1.

1998: Luke Walton, Rick Anderson, Ruben Douglas, Richard Jefferson, Traves Wilson and Michael Wright. Three years later (2000-01): The UA finishes 28-8 and advances to its fourth Final Four. The Wildcats lose to Duke in the title game. Douglas and Wilson already transfer after their freshman year, but Jefferson, Walton (who redshirts in 998) and Wright establish themselves. Jefferson is selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 2001. Walton wins NBA title with Lakers in 2009. Douglas becomes leading scorer in NCAA with New Mexico his senior year. Rating: 8.

Lute Olson's top recruiting class arguably is the 1998 group with Luke Walton, Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright (USA Today Sports/Chris Morrison)

1999: Gilbert Arenas, Lamont Frazier, Jason Gardner and Robertas Javtokas. Three years later (2001-02): The UA finishes 24-10, its first season with double-digit losses since 1987. Arenas is an unknown recruit, not sought by other programs. He becomes an NBA all-star. Gardner holds the UA record for career minutes played. Frazier and Javtokas leave the program prematurely. Rating: 7.

2000: Travis Hanour. Three years later (2002-03): The UA finishes 28-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It loses in the Elite Eight to Kansas. Hanour only lasts a year before transferring. Rating: 1.

2001: Will Bynum, Isaiah Fox, Channing Frye, Dennis Latimore, Salim Stoudamire and Andrew Zahn. Three years later (2003-04): The UA finishes 20-10 overall and struggles in the Pac-10 with an 11-7 record. Bynum, Latimore and Zahn all transfer before this season. Frye establishes himself as a first-round pick in the NBA draft in 2005. Stoudamire becomes a deadly perimeter shooter. Rating: 6.

2002: Hassan Adams, Andre Iguodala and Chris Rodgers. Three years later (2004-05): The UA finishes 30-7 and 15-3 in the Pac-10, winning its last conference title. The Wildcats lose in the Elite Eight to Illinois, blowing a 15-point lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Iguodala becomes a first-round draft pick in 2004. Rodgers gets in Olson’s doghouse and Adams is a solid contributor. Rating: 6.

2003: Mustafa Shakur, Ivan Radenovich and Kirk Walters. Three years later (2005-06): The UA finishes 20-13 overall and loses in the second round to Villanova. Shakur struggles through most of his UA career while Walters is injury-plagued. Radenovich, who enters mid-season from Serbia in 2003, gradually improves as a contributor.Rating: 4.

2004: Daniel Dillon, Jawann McClellan, Mohamed Tangara and Jesus Verdugo. Three years later (2006-07): The UA finishes 20-11 and loses in the first round to Purdue. This group never pans out. Verdugo transfers after his freshman year and Tangara transfers before his senior season. Dillon becomes a career reserve while McClellan is beset by personal problems and injuries. Rating: 2.

2005: Fendi Onobun, J.P. Prince and Marcus Williams. Three years later (2007-08): The UA finishes 19-15 under interim coach Kevin O’Neill. Onobun becomes a career reserve. Prince transfers in 2007 and Williams leaves for the NBA the same year but toils in the developmental league before playing overseas. Rating: 2.

2006: Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise. Three years later (2008-09): The UA finishes 21-14 and is one of the last teams to make the NCAA tournament, extending its streak to 25 years. Hill is selected in the first round of the NBA draft while Budinger slips to the second round after leaving school early. Wise is an All-Pac-10 selection as a senior but his NBA aspirations are immediately unattainable. Rating: 6.

2007: Jerryd Bayless, Jamelle Horne, Zane Johnson, Laval Lucas-Perry and Alex Jacobson. Three years later (2009-10): The UA finishes 16-15 and out of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 26 years. Bayless is selected in the first round of the NBA draft after his freshman season in 2008. Johnson and Lucas-Perry transfer (Lucas-Perry is later dismissed from Michigan). Horne’s improvement is stagnant but he becomes a more reliable player as a senior in 2010-11. Jacobson, beset by back problems, plays sparingly throughout his career after redshirting as a freshman. Rating: 3.

Sean Miller's first five classes includes seven five-star recruits (USA Today Sports/Chris Morrison)

2008: Kyle Fogg, Jeff Withey, Brandon Lavender and Garland Judkins. Three years later (2010-11): The Wildcats finish 30-8 and advance to the Elite Eight with Fogg and Lavender serving as complimentary parts to Derrick Williams’ charge. Under-recruited Fogg starts as a freshman and establishes more minutes as his career moves forward. An All-Pac-12 selection, Fogg becomes Arizona’s most reliable defensive player as a senior. Withey transfers to Kansas before he plays a minute for UA, reacting to Olson’s abrupt retirement. Lavender becomes a career backup. Judkins transfers to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Rating: 2.

Head coach: Sean Miller

2009: Solomon Hill, Lamont “MoMo” Jones, Derrick Williams, Kyryl Natyazhko and Kevin Parrom. Three years later (2011-12): The Wildcats finish 23-12 overall and out of the NCAA tournament picture. Miller’s first class is ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com. The Wildcats miss Williams, who was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2009-10 and Player of the Year in 2010-11. He is selected No. 2 in the NBA draft after foregoing his last two years of college. Parrom is beset by injuries and personal trauma for half of his career. Natyazhko has trouble adjusting to college game and moves back to his native Ukraine. Parrom steadily improves to become one of the best reserves and starts during the latter part of his senior season. Hill finishes among Arizona’s top 20 scorers and top 10 rebounders in the program’s history. Jones, the team’s vociferous leader who was instrumental in the Wildcats’ Sweet 16 upset of No. 1-seed Duke, transfers to Iona to be closer to his family in New York. Rating: 7.

2010: Daniel Bejarano, Jesse Perry and Jordin Mayes. Three years later (2012-13): The Wildcats, ranked as high as No. 3 at one point, finish 27-8 and advance to the Sweet 16. Only Mayes is around, and he plays a minimal role backing up senior transfer Mark Lyons. Miller’s second class includes a JC wing player in Perry, a deft shooter in Bejarano and playmaker and leader in Mayes. Perry takes over the starting role from Horne, a senior, early in the 2010-11 season and becomes a productive rebounder as a senior in 2011-12. Mayes, slowed by foot injuries, struggles with his confidence after showing flashes of promise as a freshman in 2010-11. Bejarano, lacking in defense and unable to land minutes in Miller’s rotation, transfers to Colorado State after his freshman season. Rating: 3. Mayes can change the grade depending on how he fares next season as a senior.

2011: Angelo Chol, Nick Johnson, Josiah Turner and Sidiki Johnson. Three years later (2013-14): To be determined. Miller’s third class includes one of the best backcourts recruited in the same class at Arizona, rivaling the Gardner and Arenas combination in 1999 and Money and Norman in 1972. Turner is gone, leaving Arizona’s program after suffering disciplinary issues with Miller. Sidiki Johnson did not last half of the season in Tucson after becoming a disciplinary casualty. Nick Johnson emerges as a defensive standout who can provide a spark to Arizona’s transition on offense. Chol, a shot-blocker extraordinaire in high school, has struggled to crack Miller’s primary rotation. Rating (could change by end of next season): 3. Nick Johnson is so far only player of this once-heralded four-player class to make an impact on the program.

2012: Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Grant Jerrett and Gabe York. Three years later (2014-15): To be determined. Miller’s fourth class is rated his best, third in the nation by Rivals.com. The Wildcats have never amassed such talented frontcourt players in one recruiting class. Ashley, Tarczewski and Jerrett each play important roles as freshmen and were significant in the Wildcats advancing to the Sweet 16. York, struggling defensively, plays minimal minutes as a freshman. Rating (could change by end of 2015): 8. That can improve based on the development of Ashley, Tarczewski and Jerrett and whether York becomes a factor.

2013: Aaron Gordon, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Elliott Pitts. Three years later (2015-16): To be determined. Miller lands two more Five-Star recruits and McDonald’s All-Americans in Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson. Recruiting experts compare Gordon’s style at 6-foot-8 to that of Blake Griffin. Hollis-Jefferson is a wing player who can play point if necessary. Pitts is lauded by experts for his tenacious style and high basketball IQ. Miller has one more scholarship to fill if Parrom is not granted a fifth-year of eligibility based on his medical hardship waiver request. Rating (could change by end of 2015): 8.

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher and writer Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club winner

Lute Olson tallied a mark of 589-187 (.759) in his 24 years at Arizona

Thirty years ago on Friday, Lute Olson stood in front of a small group of reporters at McKale Center and mentioned the word “potential” when describing his new challenge at Arizona.

Practically all of the people in the room did not know anything about Olson and why or how he could bring out the potential in the downtrodden program.

The date was March 29, 1983, when former athletic director Cedric Dempsey officially hired Olson from Iowa and introduced him to Tucsonans. Seventeen days earlier, the Wildcats finished a 4-24 season under Ben Lindsey, who was fired after his lone season in Tucson. The UA’s 1-17 record in the Pac-10 that season stands as the worst in the program’s history.

During his nine-year tenure at Iowa he coached the Hawkeyes to a Final Four appearance in 1980, but he was not a household name, especially in Tucson.

“I feel the potential is here at Arizona,” said Olson, who knew that Fred Snowden took the Wildcats a game away from the Final Four in 1976.

“It won’t be a case of waving a wand and it suddenly happens. It will take time and it will be exciting. You build a program with good people. Good people in the long run will build a successful program. We will work as hard as we can to build a first-class program.”

With this being the 30-year anniversary of Olson’s hire at Arizona, I offer you …

The Top 30 Lute Olson Accomplishments at Arizona

1. National championship in 1997

2. Olson was selected for enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on June 5, 2002.

3. Coached first team to beat three No. 1 seeds en route to the NCAA title.

4. Coached Arizona to four Final Fours.

5. Coached Arizona to its first Final Four in the 1987-88 season behind All-American Sean Elliott and fan favorite Steve Kerr.

6. Coached Arizona to 11 Sweet 16s.

7. Coached Arizona to seven Elite Eights.

8. In only his second season, 1984-85, Olson coached Arizona to its First NCAA tournament appearance in eight years.

9. His teams made 25 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament (two interim staffs with his recruited players carried the Wildcats that far in the last two seasons)

10. Olson tied North Carolina’s Dean Smith for the most consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament (23).

11. His teams captured 11 Pac-10 titles. Arizona earned only one conference title in the previous 29 seasons and earned three NCAA tournament berths.

12. Olson is the last coach to win a major international men’s basketball championship with a roster made completely of amateur athletes. 1986 World Championship in Madrid, Spain.

13. He guided Arizona to the top of the polls for the first time in school history on Dec. 21, 1987.

14. His teams were No. 1 team for 30 different polling periods, with the last coming on five consecutive occasions in 2002-03.

15. He coached Arizona to the best cumulative winning percentage from 1998 to 2006.

16. His teams won 71 straight games at McKale Center, the 10th longest homecourt streak in NCAA history

17. He earned his 500th coaching victory when Miles Simon made three-quarters shot at the buzzer against Cincy in 1996.

18. Olson set the standard for scheduling tough opponents. Arizona played 49 non-conference, regular-season games against team that played in the Final Four later that season. UA played teams that went on to the title game in 11 of his last 13 seasons. Faced 74 ranked non-conference opponents.

19. He achieved 589 of his 780 coaching victories at Arizona. He is the school’s winningest coach.

20. His 327 victories in Pac-10 play is the most conference wins in league history, more than John Wooden.

21. His teams were rankaed 312 consecutive weeks in the AP poll, a national record.

22. He earned seven Pac-10 coach of the year honors.

23. Nineteen of his players earned a total of 61 All-America accolades. Arizona players earned all-Pac-10 honors 47 times since 1984.

24. Produced 32 NBA draft picks at Arizona, 53 overall. No school in the Pac-12 has produced as many first round picks in the last 25 years than Arizona’s 13.

25. Since the NBA Draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, Arizona leads the nation with 29 total selections. Thirteen of those selections were first rounders, including nine lottery picks.

26. Olson had 16 former players appear in the NBA Finals in the last 16 years. In that span, 10 former UA players earned world championship rings.

27. He coached Arizona to a 41-7 record against ASU.

28. He had a winning record at Arizona against UCLA 28-24.

29. Olson guided Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons, and is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons.

30. He came to Tucson with his wife of 47 years, Bobbi Olson, who touched many in Tucson before passing away because of ovarian cancer in 2001

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

Ben Howland is the fourth consecutive UCLA coach to be fired (Jim Cowsert/USA Today Sports)

With their pending hires, UCLA and USC will join traditional lower-division Pac-12 program Washington State with the most permanent basketball coaches since the conference became the Pac-10 in 1978.

They will each have hired eight different permanent coaches, double the amount of Arizona, which was bolstered by Lute Olson’s 24 years as head coach.

Former UCLA great Bill Walton said Monday night during ESPN’s broadcast of the Mercer-BYU NIT game that the Trojans and Bruins are the flagship programs of the conference. The Pac-12 is actually better off not following their practice of hiring and firing coaches.

The Bruins have fired their last four coaches, including Ben Howland on Sunday after his 10-year run. USC has fired three of its last four coaches, including former UA assistant and interim head coach Kevin O’Neill on Jan. 14. The one USC coach who was not fired in that span — Tim Floyd — resigned under pressure in 2009 amid alleged NCAA violations.

While the USC and UCLA coaching carousel continues to spin, Stanford is holding on — for now — to Johnny Dawkins, who has not taken the Cardinal to the NCAA tournament in his five years at Palo Alto. Stanford remains the only program since the Pac-10 formed in 1978 to not fire a basketball coach, although the Cardinal forced Dick DiBiaso to resign in 1981.

All of the other original Pac-10 teams — Colorado and Utah excluded — have fired at least one coach in the last 35 years.

PAC-10/12 PERMANENT COACHES Arizona (4) Fred Snowden, 1972-82, Resigned-x Ben Lindsey, 1982-83, Fired Lute Olson, 1983-07, Retired Sean Miller, 2009-, Coaching ASU (6) Ned Wulk, 1977-82, Fired Bob Weinhauer, 1982-85, Fired Steve Patterson, 1985-88, Resigned-x Bill Frieder, 1988-97, Resigned-x Rob Evans, 1998-06, Fired Herb Sendek, 2006-, Coaching California (5) Dick Kuchen, 1978-85, Resigned-x Lou Campanelli, 1985-92, Fired Todd Bozeman, 1992-96, Fired Ben Braun, 1996-08, Fired Mike Montgomery, 2008-, Coaching Colorado (1) Tad Boyle, 2010-, Coaching Oregon (5) Jim Haney, 1978-83, Resigned-x Don Monson, 1983-92, Fired Jerry Green, 1992-97, Resigned-y Ernie Kent, 1997-10, Fired Dana Altman, 2010-, Coaching Oregon State (6) Ralph Miller, 1971-89, Retired Jim Anderson, 1989-95, Fired Eddie Payne, 1995-00, Fired Richie McKay, 2000-02, Resigned-y Jay John, 2002-08, Fired Craig Robinson, 2008-, Coaching Stanford (5) Dick DiBiaso, 1974-81, Resigned-x Tom Davis, 1981-86, Resigned-y Mike Montgomery, 1986-04, Resigned-y Trent Johnson, 2004-08, Resigned-y Johnny Dawkins, 2008-, Coaching UCLA (7) Gary Cunningham, 1977-79, Resigned Larry Brown, 1979-81, Resigned-y Larry Farmer, 1981-84, Resigned-x Walt Hazzard, 1984-88, Fired Jim Harrick, 1988-96, Fired Steve Lavin, 1996-03, Fired Ben Howland, 2003-13, Fired USC (7) Bob Boyd, 1966-79, Resigned Stan Morrison, 1979-86, Fired George Raveling, 1986-94, Retired Charlie Parker, 1994-96, Fired Henry Bibby, 1996-05, Fired Tim Floyd, 2005-09, Resigned-x Kevin O’Neill, 2009-13, Fired Utah (1) Larry Krystowiak, 2011-, Coaching Washington (5) Marv Harshman, 1972-85, Retired Andy Russo, 1985-89, Fired Lynn Nance, 1989-93, Fired Bob Bender, 1993-02, Fired Lorenzo Romar, 2002-, Coaching Washington State (8) George Raveling, 1973-83, Resigned-y Len Stevens, 1983-87, Resigned-y Kelvin Sampson, 1987-94, Resigned-y Kevin Eastman, 1994-99, Resigned-x Paul Graham, 1999-03, Fired Dick Bennett, 2003-06, Retired Tony Bennett, 2007-09, Resigned-y Ken Bone, 2009-, Coaching x-Resigned under pressure y-Resigned for other job opportunity

Sean Miller’s overall success could mean he will be in Tucson for the long haul A total of 60 coaches have coached permanently in the Pac-10/12. Arizona has the least amount with four (6.7 percent). It appears that Sean Miller, who will lead the Wildcats against Ohio State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, will be in Tucson for as long as he desires. With each passing year, it seems Miller is becoming more acclimated to coaching and recruiting in the West after coaching primarily east of the Mississippi before he and his family moved to Tucson in 2009. Moreover, Arizona is now one of the most attractive jobs in college basketball, thanks to the four Final Fours and national championship achieved under Olson. Other less-established Pac-12 programs have lost coaches to other programs. The total is 10 since 1978 and includes Tony Bennett, who left Washington State in 2009 to coach at Virginia. The Cougars have lost four coaches who made Pullman a temporary stop. The list includes George Raveling to Iowa in 1983 and Kelvin Sampson to Oklahoma in 1994. Len Stevens, who was 48-67 at Washington State from 1983-87, bolted for Nevada in 1987 before he could be fired. Lute Olson is one of five coaches who have retired since the Pac-10 formed in 1978 Stanford has lost three coaches who were looking for greener pastures. Tom Davis left the Cardinal for Iowa in 1986 to replace Raveling, who moved back to the Pac-10 as head coach at USC. Mike Montgomery left to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in 2004. Trent Johnson packed his bags for LSU in 2008. Montgomery and Larry Brown left the conference for the NBA. After only two years in Westwood, one in which he coached the Bruins to the NCAA title game, Brown departed for the New Jersey Nets in 1981. Howland’s 10 years at UCLA was out of the ordinary for the program since 1978. Including Howland, UCLA averages a coach every five years. Before his hire in 2003, the Bruins averaged a coach every 4.2 years. During Olson’s tenure at Arizona, five different coaches led the Bruins — Larry Farmer, Walt Hazzard, Jim Harrick, Steve Lavin and Howland. John Wooden’s shadow is cast over UCLA to this day That is not encouraging for a program that was built by John Wooden, who in his 27 years at Westwood coached UCLA to 10 national titles before retiring in 1975. The Bruins won a national championship under Harrick in 1995 and went to three Final Fours with Howland, but the program will never be as dominant as during the Wooden years. Howland is the latest coach to become victimized by Wooden’s shadow. A coach that wins a regular-season conference title and leads a team to 25 victories — such as Howland did this season — is usually not on the firing block.

Miller is trying to carve his own niche with the Arizona program after becoming Olson’s permanent replacement in 2009. Two interim staffs before Miller’s hire helped decrease the expectations, but Miller and his staff realized the pressure to succeed in Tucson this season after drawing criticism from some fans despite a 20-2 start.

Read the rest of this blog at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net. Site publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

TV replays shows UCLA guard Jordan Adams touching the ball and making contact with Mark Lyons’ forearm (YouTube video, at 20:50 mark, click on picture to access video)

The Pac-12 announced Sunday it has reprimanded and fined Arizona coach Sean Miller $25,000 for incidents after the Wildcats’ 66-64 loss to UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament.

Miller allegedly confronted a game official on the floor at the MGM Grand Garden Arena immediately after the game. He also allegedly confronted a conference staff member in the hallway of the arena.

Miller was angered by a call made by referee Michael Reed, who whistled UA guard Mark Lyons for a double-dribble violation with 4:37 remaining in the game. A ref away from the play, Michael Irving, whistled Miller for a technical foul after Miller claimed that UCLA guard Jordan Adams touched the ball, forcing Lyons to drop it.

“The conference has a formal system of evaluation and feedback in place for coaches to express concern about officiating,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott stated in a press release. ”Coaches play a significant role in the overall officiating program and are expected to address concerns through the structure provided.

“Threatening, intimidating and unprofessional conduct will not be tolerated.”

Pac-12 officials are graded on game performance. Future assignments are based on this grading structure as well as coach feedback, the conference explained in its release. The Pac-12 stated in its release that it has warned Miller about inappropriate postgame conduct toward officials.

“Even in tense and trying moments following a game, we expect Pac-12 coaches to conduct themselves in a professional manner,” Scott stated in the release. “Our coaches represent their teams, their universities and our conference. We expect them to set an example for our student athletes and to meet the highest standard of sportsmanship and behavior on and off the court.”

This is the first time Miller, 44, has been reprimanded by a conference. He is in his fourth season at Arizona after coaching Xavier for five seasons.

Pac-12 referee Michael Irving gives Sean Miller a technical foul in Arizona’s loss to UCLA Friday in a conference tournament semifinal game (Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports)

Reprimands do not always carry a fine. They could lead to suspensions if issues persist.

Lute Olson was reprimanded by the Pac-10 when he coached at Arizona, but he was never suspended. He feared he would when he criticized the conference for selecting only nine players instead of 10 to its all-conference team in 2007. The conference, citing that voting was too close to name a 10th player, did not take action against Olson.

A former coach at Iowa, Olson was also reprimanded by the Big Ten at least three times.

In a 1982 game, lost by Iowa at Purdue 66-65, Olson told reporters about the officiating: “It is an absolute disgrace for people to steal basketball games.”

Iowa’s Kevin Boyle was whistled for a foul when players attempted to grab a rebound on a last-second miss. Purdue’s Dan Palombizio made a free throw with no time showing to give the Boilermakers the victory. Referee James Bain, a 14-year official at the time, called the foul, drawing Olson’s ire.

“This game can be chalked up to Jim Bain and his crew,” Olson said.

Olson was also reprimanded by the Big Ten for trying to listen in on a heated conversation between former Indiana coach Bobby Knight and referee Earl Fouty at halftime. Fouty threatened Olson with a technical if he did not leave. Olson eventually left but was later reprimanded by the Big Ten.

He was first reprimanded in 1978 for criticizing the referees in a one-point loss at Michigan State.

It did not take long for Olson to be reprimanded by the Pac-10. That reportedly happened in his first season in the conference in 1983-84 when he publicly criticized the officiating in a loss at Oregon State.

After reviewing film of the game, Olson said, “I’m more upset now than I was then. It was one of the worst officiating jobs I’ve seen. Just disgusting.”

Olson added, “I think we have some officials in this league as good as any in the country. But I think we have some real weak ones, too, that need to be weeded out.”

Nobody will discuss what was said by Miller when he approached Irving on the floor after the game Friday, and when his path crossed that of a Pac-12 staffer in the MGM Grand Garden Arena hallway.

But saying repeatedly, “He touched the ball. … He touched the ball … He touched the ball”, in reference to Adams’ defensive play on Lyons’ drive to the basket, is tame compared to what Olson and other coaches have said about officials in post-game press conferences.

Read more about the Wildcats at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net. Site publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

The Class of 2011 recruiting year was unlike most in the Arizona-Arizona State basketball rivalry, dating all the way back to 1978 when Pueblo High School star Lafayette “Fat” Lever decided to attend ASU instead of going to Colorado or San Diego State.

Lafayette Lever signed with ASU out of Pueblo without much recruiting resistance from Arizona’s Fred Snowden

Nick Johnson and Jahii Carson, each top-flight recruits from the Phoenix area, were both recruited by Arizona. Carson, from Mesa High School, made that recruiting year unique by committing to ASU on Aug. 20, 2010. Since Lute Olson came to Tucson in 1983, the Wildcats generally have signed the top recruits from the Valley of the Sun.

Johnson, who attended Gilbert Highland for two years before transferring to Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep as a junior, verbally committed to Arizona two days before Carson announced his decision. The Wildcats recruited Carson during the 2010 AAU summer tournaments, but coach Sean Miller had his sights on Josiah Turner at point guard in that recruiting class.

Carson did not want to wait for Turner to decide (Turner eventually committed to Arizona on Sept. 18, 2010). Carson became Herb Sendek’s most substantial recruit from Arizona. Corey Hawkins, the state’s career leading scorer from Goodyear Estrella Foothills, is nowhere close in talent. He is now with UC-Davis after one season with the Sun Devils.

Carson is the Sun Devils’ most touted in-state recruit since Lever graduated from Pueblo in 1978 and played for Ned Wulk‘s talent-laden teams at ASU.

Former ASU forward Chad Prewitt, a Phoenix Greenway product, excelled with the Sun Devils, earning All-Pac-10 honors as a senior in 2001-02. When Prewitt graduated from Greenway in 1998, however, Olson picked up the top recruit in the state — Richard Jefferson from Phoenix Moon Valley.

When Lever signed with ASU in 1978, the Sun Devils’ program was more appealing than Arizona’s because Fred Snowden started to decline after coaching the Wildcats to the 1976 Elite Eight. Wulk’s teams featured the likes of Lever, Lionel Hollins, Byron Scott, Mark Landsberger, Alton Lister, Kurt Nimphius and Sam Williams in the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.

Jahii Carson can become the first freshman to average more than 17 points and five assists in a season since 1997 (USA Today Sports Images/Jennifer Stewart)

Lever’s retired No. 12 jersey number hangs from the Wells Fargo Arena rafter, similar to the No. 10 at McKale Center worn by Arizona’s Mike Bibby, who grew up in Phoenix and attended Shadow Mountain High School.

The long list of top-notch Phoenix and Tucson talent that chose Arizona over ASU and others includes Sean Elliott, Deron Johnson, Bibby, Jefferson, Channing Frye, Jerryd Bayless and Daniel Bejarano.

In recent years, top Tucson-area players such as former Santa Rita guard Terrell Stoglin (Maryland) and Palo Verde guard Bryce Cotton (Providence) have excelled elsewhere.

During Lever’s freshman season, ASU and Arizona played their first regular-season game as the opener for both teams. The teams played three times (one non-conference opener and two conference games) from the 1976-77 to 1978-79 seasons. In the last game of the arrangement in 1978, Lever started his collegiate career playing in his hometown at McKale Center against the Wildcats.

He forced a jump ball with 53 seconds remaining and made the game-winning basket that was ruled as goal-tending by Arizona’s Larry Demic with 23 seconds left in ASU’s 84-82 comeback victory. The Wildcats blew a 82-76 lead with 3:40 remaining. Lever finished with 13 points.

Lever, who was not recruited substantially by Snowden, finished his ASU career with 1,137 points, 444 assists and 236 steals. He was 8-1 in his career against the Wildcats.

“People here were telling me it’s the wrong decision,” Lever was quoted as saying by The Arizona Daily Star in 1999. “That I should have stayed home or have gone someplace else. But they have enough guards there. I didn’t think I’d fit in.”

Nick Johnson has a history of playing with and against ASU’s Jahii Carson in AAU tournaments when they were younger (USA Today Sports Images/Casey Sapio)

Wulk compared Lever to Hollins when Lever signed with ASU in April 1978. The Wildcats had one of their best backcourts in the pre-Olson years with Russell Brown manning the point and deft shooter Joe Nehls at the off-guard position. Nehls was a junior and Brown a sophomore when Lever started his ASU career in 1978-79.

Similarly, the recruitment of Carson cooled for Arizona when Turner — deemed a Five-Star recruit by Rivals.com — looked as though he would play for Arizona. Turner became Miller’s most-publicized recruit, but he is no longer with the program after a tumultuous freshman season.

Carson was forced to sit out last season because of academic reasons. He is thriving in Sendek’s new transition-style offense and man-to-man defense.

He is averaging 17.1 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. No freshman has averaged at least 17 points and five assists since Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway in 1996-97 with 17.3 points and 6.3 assists.

“He makes everybody better,” Miller said of Carson during Tuesday’s Pac-12 coaches teleconference call. “An electric player. A fun guy to watch. He gets the ball out in transition. He gets his teammates easy shots, and then you look at how easy it is for him to get to the foul line and score.”

Carson and Johnson meet for the first time at the collegiate level Saturday when Arizona plays ASU at Wells Fargo Arena. The teams are each 3-1 in the Pac-12 and their overall records are impressive — Arizona at 15-1 and ASU at 14-3.

Bibby, serving as a volunteer coach with Shadow Mountain (where his son is a freshman guard), and Frye (not with the Suns this season because of an enlarged heart that requires rest) will possibly attend the game.

With Carson and Johnson on display, following their much-publicized AAU and high school careers, the talent-deprived state of Arizona has never had a day like that at least since the era when Snowden and Wulk coached the programs.

More Arizona-ASU coverage at WILDABOUTAZCATS.net:

• No. 7 Arizona (15-1, 3-1) at ASU (14-3, 3-1): Breaking down the showdown at Wells Fargo Arena
• Nothing But The Notes: One segment shows how ASU is much more reliant on its starters than Arizona
• Arizona-ASU outcome very significant for Herb Sendek and Sean Miller for different reasons
• The site’s unique Pac-12 Productivity Report

WILDABOUTAZCATS.net writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner

Former Arizona basketball player Joe McLean, left, talks with Houston Rockets director strength and conditioning Darryl Eto at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Eto was the head assistant strength and conditioning coach at Arizona when McLean was a Wildcat from 1992-96 (TucsonCitizen.com photo/Javier Morales)

LAS VEGAS — Former Arizona basketball player Joe McLean is the senior advisor for an investment firm called True Capital Management, but he thinks of himself more as a much needed life coach to young athletes and veterans alike who require help with their finances.

His hair is a premature gray, similar to his coach at Arizona, Lute Olson. McLean believes he is as vital to a player’s development off the court like Olson was to him when he played for the Wildcats from 1992-96.

“I’ve been doing this (serving as an investment advisor) for 13 years, but I just started concentrating on sports three years ago.” McLean told me at the NBA Summer League at Thomas & Mack Arena on Tuesday night.

“There’s a huge need for what I do. You read about the bad statistics about professional athletes being broke. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Sports Illustrated estimated in a 2009 article that 78 percent of NFL players are bankrupt or facing serious financial stress within two years of ending their playing careers and that 60 percent of NBA players are broke within five years of retiring from the game.

Some of the more famous athletes who have suffered financial distress include Terrell Owens, Lawrence Taylor, Michael Vick, Deuce McAllister and Bernie Kosar in football, and Allen Iverson, Scottie Pippen, Latrell Sprewell and Antoine Walker in basketball. These athletes and others have been tempted to spend their money after receiving a sudden windfall. They also believe they are invincible because they made it to the top of their profession.

McLean and True Capital play an important role in establishing a focus for athletes to get a grip on their finances. The firm has approximately 150 clients from various sports including basketball, NASCAR and golf. McLean is at the NBA Summer League communicating with young prospects about the necessary “steps”, as he calls them, toward protecting their assets.

He sat briefly with Houston rookie Terrence Jones’ mother, Linda Mashia-Jones, at Thomas & Mack while watching former Arizona standout Derrick Williams play a game with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Joe McLean during his playing career at Arizona was aggressive and he carries that same attribute to his profession as a financial adviser for athletes who need to protect their assets (YouTube video still, click on photo for the video)

“The first step is that these athletes have kept score all of their life on the court,” McLean said. “The next step is to keep score off the court with their money. There was no class that these guys have taken in college on that subject.

“It’s something they should think about. What I do becomes a virtual classroom for them.”

McLean’s operation is such a success — and also so important — that his firm is opening an office in New York City in less than a month. He currently lives in Danville, Calif., with his wife and two kids and works out of True Capital’s offices in San Francisco.

The moving trucks will arrive soon at the McLean household and the family will depart for New York on Aug. 1.

“I am very excited about the move,” McLean said. “My brother lives out there. My wife has never moved outside of 15 miles from (Danville). That will be the big adjustment with the two kids, but it will be a good move.

“It will give my company more of a presence because everybody comes through New York. I will actually get to travel less. I am on the road 200 days out of the year, so just being there with people going through New York will reduce my amount of travel.”

McLean said he has spent a lot of time on the road educating clients every month on their finances.

“I try to educate them on every dollar they spend — where it’s going, what that means to the monthly budget and how are they going to regenerate income when their career is over,” he said.

McLean’s line of work and True Capital’s purpose should not be confused with that of a sports agent.

An agent acts as a negotiator between the athlete and the professional organization and also offers legal representation. McLean’s role is making sure the financial holdings are secure and prosperous from the contract the agent negotiated for the athlete.

“The first step for a rookie is that night when the draft tells them where they are going to move,” McLean said. “They have no familiarity with that city, where they are going to be living, how they are going to get paid, or when they are going to get paid.

“That’s where I come in. It’s an education period where I help them to get settled and situated before the season. Once the season starts, they play 82 games. That’s the most they’ve ever played in a season. They are going to think mostly about playing basketball.”

McLean’s workload and travel has kept him from returning to Tucson as often as he would like. However, he and Harvey Mason, another former Arizona basketball player, visit every three months as members of the University of Arizona Foundation.

They partake in meetings and planning sessions to raise money for facilities such as Arizona Stadium, McKale Center and other venues.

McLean earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and a bachelor of science degree in business during his four-year career at Arizona. He remained at the school within the Eller College of Management for two more years and earned a Master of Business Administration.

“Unfortunately, I don’t get to Tucson as much as I would like,” said McLean, who remains an ardent follower of the basketball program. “I am looking forward to next season. I think (UA coach) Sean (Miller) has the program going in the right direction.

“They should win the national title next season … that’s what I am calling.”

McLean smiled but he was not joking. He is an intelligent man who knows all about reasoning. I asked him if he said Arizona will win it all because he is a former Wildcat and now a fan.

“I think it is a realistic goal,” he said. “They will at least put themselves in a position to have a chance, and once you get into the (NCAA) tournament, anything can happen.”

Javier Morales took first place in the 2010 Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category. For a different look at University of Arizona sports, check out Javier’s unique Web site: WILDABOUTAZCATS.net