Terry Francona, the college Player of the Year in 1980, can now be seen on ESPN. Photo by Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona All-American outfielder Terry Francona, fired as the Boston Red Sox manager, will be joining ESPN for next season, joining an impressive cast of ex-Cats in the media world.

Francona’s multiple duties will include joining the crew of Baseball Tonight and working as an analyst for Sunday Night Baseball, essentially switching jobs with Bobby Valentine, who replaced Francona as the Red Sox manager.

Francona, with his mix of humor, storytelling ability and honesty, should be brilliant in his new role.

He joins a few other ex-Cats at ESPN — NFL analysts Tedy Bruschi and Antonio Pierce, and college basketball analyst Miles Simon.

The most visible Wildcat on TV could be Steve Kerr, who made a big name as a five-time NBA champion and the general manager of the Phoenix Suns. He returned last season to the lead NBA analyst role for TNT.

Kerr is also appearing on TNT’s show “Open Court” — a roundtable open-forum discussion with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Steve Smith, Reggie Miller and host Ernie Johnson.

Kerr, in a Q&A with SLAMonline.com, said he remembered a story from his playing days that he wished he had told on the show:

“We did a segment on trash talking. And I had forgotten until after the show that when Michael (Jordan) was playing with the (Washington) Wizards and I was with the (San Antonio) Spurs. It was the last year of my career and his. We ended up matched up with each other in transition in a cross-match. I got the ball isolated with him. I yelled out to my teammates, ‘I got a little one, clear out!’ And Michael started laughing because it was so preposterous. I started laughing and there was a picture in the paper the next day of him guarding me and both of us just cracking up laughing. (Laughs) And that was a really fun moment that the average fan doesn’t hear much about. I actually kicked myself the next day for not recounting the story on the show.”

Other prominent former Wildcats in the media business are Glenn Parker (college football analyst for Versus, which is soon to be rebranded as the NBC Sports Network), Joe Magrane (MLB Network), Sean Elliott (San Antonio Spurs telecasts), Tom Tolbert (sports talk show host with KNBR in the Bay Area) … and UA grad Dan Hicks is one of NBC’s announcing stars.

Steve Kerr celebrates the last of his five NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003. Photo by Matt Rourke/AFP/Getty Images)

Had an interesting discussion last night. Which former Arizona Wildcat has had the best NBA career?

The debate started on KCUB 1290-AM during the drive-time In the House show. Guest hosts Brad Allis and John Schuster posed the question for their listeners, with Schuster, in particular, making the case for newly-crowned NBA champion Jason Terry.

A couple of months ago, Terry wouldn’t have been in the forefront of the discussion. But he’s earned his championship ring — and he was especially good in the final two games as the Dallas Mavericks closed out the NBA Finals in six games against the Miami Heat.

But has Terry really had the best NBA career of all the ex-Wildcats?

That conversation continued later last night as Allis and Schuster joined me and TucsonCitizen.com bloggers (and former Arizona basketball beat reporters) Steve Rivera and Javier Morales at a northwest side establishment. Allis also blogs at TucsonCitizen.com.

Rivera said the choice was a no-brainer: Steve Kerr.

By virtue of Kerr’s five championship rings — three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs — all the former Wildcats probably would trade their careers for Kerr’s. But that’s not quite the same thing as having the best career.

Kerr played 15 seasons, with a well-defined role as a shooter off the bench. He made an NBA career-record 45.4 percent of his 3-point shots (726 of 1,599). On the other hand, his career scoring average was only 6.0 points per game.

Terry has played 12 seasons, with little indication of slowing down. Since his rookie season, he has averaged less than 15.5 points only once — and that was in the 2004-05 season, his first in Dallas, when he still managed to score 12.4 points per game.

He has scored 15,537 points, which is 10,100 more than Kerr (5,437). Terry averages 16.2 points per game for his career.

But for pure scoring, no ex-Cat touches Gilbert Arenas, who has a career average of 21.2 points. For a while, he was one of the top five players in the game, averaging 29.3 points in the 2005-06 season and 28.4 in the following season.

Since then, injuries and off-court problems have diminished his production and his star power … and his postseason career has been nothing special, limited to a mere 25 games.

Then there’s Sean Elliott — 12 seasons, a 14.2-point scoring average, the 1999 championship with the San Antonio Spurs … and a forever-highlight: The Memorial Day Miracle, as he nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to beat Portland in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

Damon Stoudamire had a 13-year career, averaging 13.4 points and earning about $100 million in salary.

Richard Jefferson has played 10 seasons, averaging 16.4 points, although his two seasons with the Spurs haven’t been as productive offensively. There is still time for him, like there was for Terry, to get that NBA title on the back end of his career.

Mike Bibby spent some years as one of the NBA’s best point guards. He still has career averages of 15.2 points and 5.7 assists, although he seems to be fading at 33, while Terry at the same age, seems to have a few years left in the tank.

Jason Terry kisses the Larry O'Brien trophy as the Dallas Mavericks celebrate their NBA championship. Photo by Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images

So, which ex-Cat has had the best NBA career?

Kerr has the postseason success and a shooting stroke for the ages.

Arenas has the prolific scoring.

Others have enjoyed long and productive careers.

Terry can’t match Kerr’s rings or Arenas’ scoring, but he is in a sweet spot of consistency, outpacing Kerr’s scoring, matching Elliott’s championship and now holding an NBA title that has eluded Arenas.

Based on all that, I’m going with Terry as the answer to this debate.

Arizona forward Kevin Parrom (left) congratulates Derrick Williams after Williams' last-second block.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona’s Derrick Williams has won games with his offense. With his right hand, left hand, inside, outside, from the foul line, on the glass.

Add, now, with one shining moment of defense.

On ESPN, in the biggest game of coach Sean Miller’s two seasons with the Wildcats, with Arizona protecting the Pac-10 lead and aiming for a top 10 national ranking, Derrick Williams used his wrapped right hand to swat a potential game-winning shot out of bounds in the final second.

A walk-off block.

That block of Darnell Gant’s short jumper from the right side preserved 12th-ranked Arizona’s 87-86 victory over Washington at McKale Center. The white-clad crowd of 14,619 went wild as the final 0.2 seconds ticked off after a final in-bounds pass, and the Wildcats buried Williams under a celebration pile, with trainer Justin Kokoskie rushing over to hold Williams’ hand — still wrapped to protect what has been called a finger injury — away from the mass of humanity.

“I knew he was going up, so I just tried to block it, and I did,” said Williams, who came across the lane to block the shot as Gant was guarded by Jamelle Horne.

“Good thing it wasn’t goaltending. I believe if we were at Washington, they have called it goaltending. Good thing we were at home.”

Good thing Arizona has Williams. He had 26 points, 11 rebounds and the play of the game. That it came in a nationally televised thriller is just going to add to his still-climbing reputation.

“Derrick Williams was obviously a monster,” said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar.

Somewhere right around the end of the game, Seth Davis of CBS and Sports Illustrated tweeted: “If you want to argue Derrick Williams is the best pro prospect in college hoops, I won’t put up a fight. Still tons of room to get better.”

No argument here, on either point. In fact the only argument now might be how to finish this sentence: “Derrick Williams is the best Arizona forward since …”

Sean Elliott?

It’s time to make to put those two in the same sentence — at least for one season. Elliott had the superb four-year career. Williams is just a sophomore. Elliott was the classic wing forward, lean and athletic. Williams is 6-8, 241 pounds and mostly plays in the post.

But the trait Williams shares with Elliott is this: If he gets the ball, no matter where, he is basically unstoppable.

“The thing about Arizona is that we have such a spectacular tradition of winning teams and championships,” Miller said.

“But I will tell you, if you look at the individual history of playing having great seasons — maybe I’m speaking out of turn — you would probably have to put Derrick’s season to this point up there with some of the great ones.

“He’s been a spectacular player for us.”

And it wasn’t like this was Williams’ best game or anything.

As Miller noted, Williams had some uncharacteristic turnovers (credited with seven). He missed some shots near the basket that he usually makes.

Derrick Williams salutes the Zona Zoo following the 87-86 win over Washington. Photo by Chris Morrison, US-PRESSWIRE

But he made both of his 3-point attempts, including a key shot with 2:24 to play. That gave Arizona an 85-84 lead. Williams is shooting a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me 67.5 percent from 3-point range (27 of 40). That would make Steve Kerr envious, let alone Elliott.

“The 3-pointer he hit in front of our bench was so clutch,” Miller said.

“I know people probably don’t believe me, but in practice, if you ask the players, Derrick is probably about the seventh-best 3-point shooter. And then, all of a sudden, the game comes, and the thing goes in. He’s such a game. He’s so clutch. He just has a way about him.”

As Williams conducted an on-court ESPN interview, the Zona Zoo section serenaded Williams with chants of “MVP, MVP” and then “One more year, one more year.”

“You know,” Williams said later, “with games like that, that makes me want to stay. I came in with four other guys and that’s all I can say. I love every single one of them. We’ll see after the season.”

Enjoy him while you can, Arizona fans.

He’s not going to stick around for four years like Elliott.

But Williams is certainly waking up those echoes of Arizona great individual seasons — Elliott, Khalid Reeves in 1994, Jason Terry in 1999 …

“He’s a special guy,” Miller said. “I’m sure glad we have him.”

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS of Williams’ blocked shot

Former UA linebacker Antonio Pierce, here celebrating the New York Giants' victory in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, will have new duties in front of the camera this season.
Photo by John David Mercer, US Presswire

NOTE: This is part of the weekly “Nothing But The Notes” column at WildcatSportsReport.com, one of the partners in the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network. For notes on basketball recruiting, incoming freshman guard Daniel Bejarano, sophomore big man Kyryl Natyazhko and more, check out the link at WildcatSportsReport.com.

Now-retired New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce announced last week he is joining ESPN as an analyst, yet another ex-Wildcat in a prominent TV role.

Tedy Bruschi joined ESPN after retiring last summer, former Suns general manager Steve Kerr will become a lead NBA game analyst for TNT next season, Glenn Parker is a college football analyst for Versus, and Joe Magrane works for the MLB Network.

Moreover, UA grad Dan Hicks is one of NBC’s announcing stars. Sean Elliott was at ESPN for a while; now he works on local San Antonio Spurs telecasts. Tom Tolbert was an NBA analyst with NBC, ABC and ESPN (he was part of the broadcasting team of the 2003 NBA Finals with Brad Nessler and Bill Walton) before becoming solely a radio personality in San Francisco.

Miles Simon, after his contract as an assistant Arizona basketball coach was not renewed in the summer of 2008, worked last season as a college basketball analyst for Fox Sports Net.

All in all, an impressive roster of ex-Cats in the TV biz.

Who’s your TV favorite? Anybody we missed? …

Quick story about Pierce: Many UA fans noticed over the years that he often did not say he was from Arizona during the TV introductions players do at the start of games. He often identified himself as being from Mount San Antonio (Calif.) College.

“To be honest, I won a national championship there when I was in junior college, so I like to give respect to those guys,” he said at the 2008 Super Bowl Media Day. “I keep in touch with a lot more guys from my junior college than I do from the University of Arizona, oddly enough. That’s the only reason.”

Pierce always had a chip on his shoulder that he didn’t get the starting middle linebacker job as a senior in 2000. The position went to sophomore Lance Briggs, and Pierce felt the supposed slight contributed to him going undrafted in 2001.

But the bigger problem came when Dick Tomey was fired after the season, and — according to Pierce — new coach John Mackovic failed to offer support to the outgoing seniors and talk them up to the NFL scouts.

“It was kind of hectic when, what’s his name, Mackovic, came,” Pierce said in 2008.

“He was pretty much a you-know-what toward the former players. I couldn’t play for that guy. I understand — we’re leaving the school and we’re not going to do nothing for you. But, at the same time, we’ve been there two, three years and we can’t use the weight room at a certain time? We can’t use the grass? They couldn’t unlock the gates (to the practice field) so we could work out?”

Just another wonderful Mackovic story. …

What the Arizona softball team needs most of all for next season is a strong No. 2 pitcher to take the physical and mental pressure off sophomore-to-be Kenzie Fowler. That help should come in the form of incoming freshman Shelby Babcock, who told us recently that she will be attending the second session of summer school to get acclimated to college and begin her Arizona career.

Whereas last season’s No. 2 pitcher, Sarah Akamine, relied on movement and a drop ball, Babcock gives the Wildcats another power pitcher. “I’m consistently at 68 (mph),” she said. “I hit 71 once.” And that is definitely elite speed. Babcock, from Broomfield, Colo., said, “Arizona had been my dream school since Day 1 of playing softball. When I went down there I fell in love with it.” …

Beyond Fowler and Babcock, Arizona’s next-in-line star pitcher is Nancy Bowling, who was recently selected the Sophomore Player of the Year in California by Cal-Hi Sports. Bowling was 18-5 at Royal High in Simi Valley, with a 0.58 ERA. She struck out 268 in 156 2/3 innings.

Read the rest of the “Nothing but the Notes” column at WildcatSportsReport.com.

Jennie Finch is currently competing for Team USA at the ISF World Championship in Venezuela.

The website WildAboutAZCats.com — one of our partners in the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network — has been running a bracket contest called “Bear Down Leader.”

It has pitted 32 of the greatest Arizona Wildcats athletes of all-time against each other, with readers voting for the winner.

It’s not strictly a “who’s best” argument, or who had the most lucrative pro career, or who is the most famous.

The way I’ve interpreted the competition is like this: Which former UA athlete do you think best represents Arizona?

The answer to that, for me, is Jennie Finch.

There were some upsets along the way, but the brackets eventually went to form with all the No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four (very close voting is about to wrap up … so get over there and vote!)

Finch is taking on Tedy Bruschi on one side of the bracket.

Old pals Steve Kerr and Sean Elliott are on the other side.

Can’t go wrong with any of them, and it would have been perfectly fine to have former world No. 1 golfer Annika Sorenstam and Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona in the Final Four, too. That’s a lot of class right there.

So … why Finch?

She is the face of her sport; in fact, she transcends her sport. The others can’t say that. She’s certainly been Googled more than the other three players combined. Yeah, some of that is because of her looks. But she has always backed it up with world-class performances and out-of-this-world kindness.

Girls all across the globe want to grow up to be like Jennie Finch … whether they play fastpitch softball or not.

The other three athletes remaining in the Bear Down Leader are all inspirations and all won championships at the highest level of their sport.

Bruschi is the poster boy for all-out effort, and his never-give-up style helped him come back from heart surgery and return to the NFL as a stroke survivor. He was added Tuesday to the 16-person President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

Elliott was the first professional athlete to return after a kidney transplant. Kerr endured the tragic assassination of his father, Malcolm Kerr.

Really, you can’t go wrong with any pick in this Bear Down competition. I’d match these four human beings against any quartet of athletes that another school has produced.

But I’m sticking with Finch.

She’s so nice she couldn’t muster the ruthlessness necessary to survive very long when she appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice. That is one competition she couldn’t win.

But she can be the Bear Down Leader.

Legendary UA men's basketball coach Lute Olson awaits new UA athletic director Greg Byrne, left, at Byrne's introductory press conference/Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

New Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne shares something with almost all Wildcats fans. Even though he attended Arizona State, he appreciates Lute Olson and the basketball program.

One of the first things Byrne did Wednesday at his introductory press conference at McKale Center was acknowledge the presence of Olson, standing in the back of the room.

“I looked up to him for a lot of years as a young fan,” said the 38-year-old Byrnes. “I was a basketball player that he certainly didn’t know who I was because of my ability. It’s great to be around him today.”

Byrne said he remembers attending the Pac-10 tournament, when it was held in McKale during the 1987-88 season. His father, Bill Byrne, was the athletic director at Oregon at the time.

“Steve Kerr would throw in a 3-pointer and the whole crowd would yell out, ‘Steeeeve Kerrrrr,’” Byrne said. “I remember getting to meet Sean Elliott when I was a high school basketball player and how thrilled I was at that opportunity.”

Olson, who retired because of health reasons just before the 2008-09 season, said it’s not unusual to hear how the basketball program has impacted people, even those from rival schools.

“I hear that from Washington, Washington State, pretty much up and down (the Pac-10) and nationally, people who have followed the program,” Olson said.

“I think the basketball program through the years has been a good selling point for the university. I still run into students who come and say, ‘The reason I came here was because of you and the basketball program.’

“You don’t realize those things are out there. That’s the far-reaching success of good athletic programs. Just like with the swimming program and the softball program. We, without a doubt, have the best ‘Olympic sports’ coaching staff in the country. There is no one who even comes close, in my opinion.”

And now Byrne, whose dad knew Olson from Pac-10 meetings, is in charge of it all.

Olson approves, which still means something.

The Hall of Fame coach cited Byrne’s experience within the Oregon and Oregon State athletic departments.

“I think that it is important that we get somebody who is familiar with this conference,” Olson said. “And with his experience as a fund-raiser, I think that is critical. I think there is a lot of work to be done in that area.”

Would you vote for Jerryd Bayless (Phoenix St. Mary's) as the best high basketball player in Arizona history?/Tucson Citizen photo

That is the question asked Saturday by the Arizona Republic’s Richard Obert, who makes the case that Corey Hawkins, a senior guard from Goodyear Estrella Foothills High school, deserves to be in the discussion.

Hawkins will play at Arizona State next season.

The poll at azcentral.com lists Hawkins, along with Mike Bibby, Sean Elliott, Fat Lever, Jerryd Bayless, Richard Jefferson and Mark Alarie (as well as a “someone else” option).

As of Saturday mid-afternoon, Hawkins was leading the voting. He recently passed Bibby’s career state scoring record.

I’m sticking with Bibby as my selection, although my sentimental pick is Alarie, if only because he was a senior at Phoenix Brophy in the early 1980s when I was a freshman. He had some epic prep battles against 7-footer Brad Lohaus from Phoenix Greenway (usually winning those head-to-head matchups), and then went on to help launch Mike Krzyzewski‘s program at Duke.

Anyway, with four ex-Arizona Wildcats on the list, as well as two local candidates in Elliott (Cholla High) and Lever (Pueblo), I thought the TucsonCitizen.com readership might want to have their say in the voting.

So … check it out at azcentral.com.

More on Hawkins from TucsonCitizen.com from January:
Unrated ASU recruit out to prove he is the best player in the state

Jordan Hill takes a shot (with Chase Budinger on far right) against Stanford last season/Tucson Citizen photo

Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, who both left Arizona last year after their junior seasons, have been reunited with the Houston Rockets.

Hill, the eighth pick in the NBA Draft, never found his footing with the New York Knicks — was that his fault or the fault of a poorly-run franchise? — and was part of a three-team, eight-player trade at the trade deadline on Thursday.

Hill will go to the Rockets, who nabbed Budinger in the middle of the second round with the 44th overall pick.

Hill and Budinger were in Tucson last weekend during the break for the NBA All-Star weekend, hanging out with their former teammates.

“I think it’s great,” UA junior forward Jamelle Horne said of the trade. “I think they’re going to have a great time. They are truly blessed to be together in the NBA at the next level. I think they will be good together. … Or they could be really bad together.”

That last part was a little joke — perhaps a reference to too much partying? — but the early change of scenery should be good for Hill. He played in only 24 games with New York, averaging 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.

He already has garnered the “bust” label from Knicks fans, who would have liked point guard Brandon Jennings (or a few other players) at the No. 8 spot in the draft.

With his relative lack of basketball experience, Hill still has lots of upside, and playing time should be more available with the Rockets. It took him a while to adjust to Arizona; his learning curve could be similar in the NBA.

Budinger, who slid further in the draft than everyone expected, has been more than solid as a rookie, considering where he ended up in the second round. As a bench player, he is averaging 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and is hitting 34.4 percent of his 3-pointers.

He has scored in double figures in five of the past seven games.

Now, he has his ol’ UA buddy with him.

The Arizona Wildcats have sent so many players to the pros in the past 20 years or so that it’s not usual when there is more than one Wildcat on an NBA roster.

The question is, how many players have been teammates at UA and in the NBA?

Our sports partner, WildAboutAZCats.com, lists three four cases:

–Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler (Chicago Bulls, 1994-98).
–Steve Kerr and Sean Elliott (San Antonio Spurs, 1998-2001).
–Brian Williams and Jud Buechler (Chicago Bulls, 1996-97). Yes, Kerr was on the team, too, but Kerr and Williams were not teammates at UA, like Williams and Buechler were for the 1989-90 season.
–Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson (Vancouver Grizzlies, 1999-2001)