Arizona Wildcats men's basketball

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Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats athletic logo
University University of Arizona
Conference Pac-10
Location Tucson, AZ
Head Coach Lute Olson (24th year)
Arena McKale Center
(Capacity: 14,545)
Nickname Wildcats
Colors Navy blue and Cardinal

             
Uniforms
 
Home jersey
Home jersey
  
Home shorts
Home
 
Away jersey
Away jersey
  
Away shorts
Away
 
Alternate jersey
Alternate jersey
  
Alternate shorts
Alternate
NCAA Tournament Champions
1997
NCAA Tournament Runner Up
2001
NCAA Tournament Final Four
1988, 1994, 1997, 2001
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1951, 1976, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999*, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
*vacated by NCAA
Conference Tournament Champions
1988, 1989, 1990, 2002 (Pac-10)
Conference Regular Season Champions
1932, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953 (BIAA)
1976 (WAC)
1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005 (Pac-10)

The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific Ten Conference (Pac-10) of NCAA Division I.

While Arizona has a long and rich basketball history, the program came to national prominence under the tutelage of current head coach Lute Olson, who since 1983 has established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. Known as "Point Guard U" [1]by fans and foes alike, the school has produced spectacular guards and future NBA stars like Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Khalid Reeves, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Richard Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas and Jerryd Bayless.

As of 2008, the Arizona basketball team has reached the NCAA Tournament for 24 consecutive years, which is the longest active streak,[2] and second only to the North Carolina Tarheel's 27 year streak from 1975-2001. The Wildcats have reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on four occasions (1988, 1994, 1997, and 2001). In 1997, Arizona defeated the University of Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA National Championship. In Pac-10 play, Lute Olson holds the record for most wins as a Pac-10 coach at 327. [3] In addition, the team has won 11 Pac-10 regular season titles and 4 Pac-10 tournament titles.[3] Arizona also holds the distinction of recording 5 out of the 7 17-1 Pac-10 seasons (one-loss seasons).[3] No team has gone undefeated since the formation of the Pac-10.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

University of Arizona fielded its first men's basketball team in 1904-05. Orin Albert Cates coached the team and drew opponents from local YMCAs. The first game Arizona played ended in a 40-32 victory over the Morenci YMCA.[4]

In 1914, Arizona's first famous coach, James Fred "Pop" McKale was lured away from a teaching and coaching job at Tucson High School to take over as Athletic Director and coach basketball, football, baseball and track.[4] McKale took things to a new level, posting a 9-0 record his first season as a basketball coach.[4] Moreover, McKale elevated the program to intercollegiate play.[4] While basketball was his least favorite of the many sports he coached while at UA, He chalked up three undefeated seasons and a career-winning average of .803, which has never been bested by a UA coach who has held the post for at least three years.[4] The McKale Memorial Center, the main arena for Arizona basketball, is named in his honor.[4]

From 1925 to 1961, the program was under the stewardship of Fred Enke, UA's longest tenured coach.[5] UA competed in the now defunct Border Conference. In 1951, Fred Enke took Arizona to new heights by making the field of 16 teams in the 1951 NCAA Tournament. In 1962, Arizona joined the Western Athletic Conference as a founding member after the Border Conference disbanded.

In 1972 Fred Snowden was hired as the head basketball coach, making Arizona the second Division I school and the first major program to hire an African American head coach.[6][7] Snowden led Arizona to the NCAA tournament twice, in 1976 and 1977, getting as far as the Elite Eight in 1976 before losing to UCLA 82-66 This game happen after the defeat of UNLV in which Gilbert Myles #00 did not play very much, apprx. 30 second, there was not explanation given why. This game was national televised so one can verify the time Myles played. During the 1976 tournament he also logged Arizona's first and only tournament wins until Lute Olson's hiring, beating John Thompson's Georgetown team 83-76 it was the play of Gilbert Myles coming off the bench in second half to substain the win and to advance to the Far West Classic, to face the number 2 team in the country and the leading scoring team in the nation Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV squad 114-109 Myles #00 came off the bench with a minute and 30 seconds left in the final game, the game was tied up and a five minute over-time was played, in which Myles displayed exceptional point guard skills and lead Arizona to a victory. Snowden's 1976 team also won the only school championship WAC title that year,with a last buzzer beater by Gilbert Myles #00 verses New Mexico with the help of spectacular play of Bob Elliott, Jim Rappis and Al Fleming. In 1978, Coach Snowden helped transition the basketball program over to the newly formed Pac-10. Snowden could not sustain success in the Pac-10, however, finishing no higher than 4th place in the conference. His 9-18 final season led UA to look for a replacement.[4]

Athletic Director Dave Strack brought in Ben Lindsey to replace Fred Snowden in 1983, and on the surface, it seemed like a reasonable move.[4] Lindsey had junior college expertise, having had a successful career at Grand Canyon University, where he won two national titles.[4] What resulted, however, was nothing short of disaster. The 1983 team went 4-24, with only one Pac-10 win.[4]

[edit] Lute Olson era

Coming off a previous season record of 4-24 with only a single Pac-10 win, UA Athletic director Cedric Dempsey hired Lute Olson from Iowa to take over the program.[4] UA needed a coach with a history of quickly turning around programs, which Olson had done previously at Iowa.[4] “I knew we had a tremendous amount of work to do,” Olson recalled in a recent interview with Tucson Lifestyle.[4] “The program was in shambles at that point, after the terrible year before..."[4]

Under Olson, Arizona quickly rose to national prominence. Arizona won its first Pac-10 title in 1986, only three years after his arrival.[4] That season set up an amazing 1987-88 season, which included taking the Great Alaska Shootout championship, the Valley Bank Fiesta Bowl Classic championship and the Pac-10 championship.[4] Under players Steve Kerr and Sean Elliott, Arizona spent much of the season ranked #1 and made their first (and Olson's second) Final Four.[4] While Arizona lost in the Final Four round, their play put the program on the map and launched Arizona's reign as a perennial Pac-10 and NCAA tournament contender.[4]

In 1997, Arizona defeated the University of Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA National Championship. Prior to winning the championship in 1997, Arizona stormed back from 10-point deficits in the Southeast Regional First Round and Second Round against #13 South Alabama and #12 College of Charleston, respectively winning 65-57 and 73-69. The Southeast Regional Semifinal pitted against overall #1 Kansas (34-1) which had defeated Arizona the year before in the 1996 West Regional Semifinal. However, Arizona came out fast and stunned the Jayhawks 85-82, then prevailed in overtime against Providence 96-92 in the Elite Eight to clinch a berth in the Final Four. Arizona then beat #1 seed North Carolina 66-58 in the Final Four, which turned out to be Dean Smith's last game as a coach. Arizona also accomplished the unprecedented and unequaled feat of beating three number one seeds in the same tournament.

The year 2001 was one of the most challenging and rewarding years for the program. Lute Olson’s wife Bobbi, well known to players and fans alike as a steadfast presence on the sidelines, lost her battle with cancer. She was beloved by players and fans for bringing a family feeling to the program. The team, which had been a preseason pick by many to go all the way, had to play without Olson for three weeks while Olson was on bereavement leave. The Cats vowed to dedicate their season to Bobbi. How well they lived up to their vow is extraordinary. With guard Jason Gardner, center Loren Woods and forward Michael Wright — each an All-American — leading the way, the Cats trounced their opponents, beating Oregon 104-65, devastating USC 105-61, and charging through the Final Four. They took down Eastern Illinois, Butler, Mississippi, Illinois, and Michigan State ... only to be stopped by Duke in the last game.

In recent years, Olson has fielded competitive teams with extremely talented point guards. Continuing the reputation and nickname "Point Guard U", recent standouts include Jason Gardner, Salim Stoudamire, Andre Iguodala, Mustafa Shakur, Marcus Williams and Jerryd Bayless. Arizona won their most recent Pac-10 title during the 2004-2005 season under the spectacular play of seniors Salim Stoudamire and center Channing Frye, That team also made it to the Elite 8 and the verge of the final four before blowing a 15 point lead with four minutes to play and losing in overtime, 90-89, to Number 1 Seed and eventual National Runner-up University of Illinois.[8]

Olson took an unexplained leave of absence at the beginning of the 2007-2008 season, and assistant coach Kevin O'Neill took over interim head coaching duties for the Arizona Wildcats. Olson recently announced that he intends to be back for the 2008-09 season and finish out his contract, which ends in 2011.[9] His departure was criticized by some members of the media, who also questioned how he and the UA athletic department handled his return and the verbal succession agreement with coach O'Neill. [10]

[edit] Coaching records

[edit] Arizona yearly records

Source:[5]

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Orin A. Kates (1904 — 1906)
1904-1905 Orin A. Kates 1-0
1905-1906 Orin A. Kates Intra Squad
Orin A. Kates: 1-0
no coach (1906 — 1911)
1906-1907 3-1
1907-1908 1-2
1908-1909 1-1
1909-1910 2-2
1910-1911 3-0
no coach: 10-6
Frank L. Kleeberger (1911 — 1912)
1911-1912 Frank L. Kleeberger 2-2
Frank L. Kleeberger: 2-2
Raymond Quigley (1912 — 1914)
1912-1913 Raymond Quigley 3-2
1913-1914 Raymond Quigley 7-2
Raymond Quigley: 10-4
J. F. "Pop" McKale (1914 — 1921)
1914–1915 Pop McKale 9-0
1915–1916 Pop McKale 5-0
1916–1917 Pop McKale 10-2
1917–1918 Pop McKale 3-2
1918–1919 Pop McKale 6-3
1919–1920 Pop McKale 9-5
1920–1921 Pop McKale 7-0
J.F. "Pop" McKale: 49-12
James Pierce (1921 — 1923)
1921–1922 James Pierce 10-2
1922–1923 James Pierce 17-3
James Pierce: 27-5
Basil Stanley (1923 — 1924)
1923–1924 Basil Stanley 14-3
Basil Stanley: 14-3
Walter Davis (1924 — 1925)
1924–1925 Walter Davis 7-4
Walter Davis: 7-4
Fred Enke (1925 — 1961)
1925–1926 Fred Enke 6-7
1926–1927 Fred Enke 13-4
1927–1928 Fred Enke 13-3
1928–1929 Fred Enke 19-4
1929–1930 Fred Enke 15-6
1930–1931 Fred Enke 9-6
1931–1932 Fred Enke 18-2
1932–1933 Fred Enke 19-5
1933–1934 Fred Enke 18-9
1934–1935 Fred Enke 11-8
1935–1936 Fred Enke 16-7
1936–1937 Fred Enke 14-11
1937–1938 Fred Enke 13-8
1938–1939 Fred Enke 12-11
1939–1940 Fred Enke 15-10
1940–1941 Fred Enke 11-7
1941–1942 Fred Enke 9-13
1942–1943 Fred Enke 22-2
1943–1944 Fred Enke 12-2
1944–1945 Fred Enke 7-11
1945–1946 Fred Enke 25-5 NIT 1st Round (0-1)
1946–1947 Fred Enke 18-3
1947–1948 Fred Enke 17-10
1948–1949 Fred Enke 17-11
1949–1950 Fred Enke 24-5 NIT 1st Round (0-1)
1950–1951 Fred Enke 22-6 NCAA Sweet Sixteen (0-1)

NIT 1st Round (0-1)
1951–1952 Fred Enke 8-16
1952–1953 Fred Enke 13-11
1953–1954 Fred Enke 14-10
1954–1955 Fred Enke 8-17
1955–1956 Fred Enke 11-15
1956–1957 Fred Enke 13-3
1957–1958 Fred Enke 10-15
1958–1959 Fred Enke 4-22
1959–1960 Fred Enke 10-14
1960-1961 Fred Enke 11-15
Fred Enke: 503-326
Bruce Larson (1961 — 1972)
1961–1962 Bruce Larson 12-14
1962–1963 Bruce Larson 13-13
1963–1964 Bruce Larson 15-11
1964–1965 Bruce Larson 17-9
1965–1966 Bruce Larson 15-11
1966–1967 Bruce Larson 8-17
1967–1968 Bruce Larson 11-13
1968–1969 Bruce Larson 17-10
1969–1970 Bruce Larson 12-14
1970–1971 Bruce Larson 10-16
1971–1972 Bruce Larson 6-20
Bruce Larson: 136-148
Fred Snowden (1972 — 1982)
1972–1973 Fred Snowden 16-10
1973–1974 Fred Snowden 19-7
1974–1975 Fred Snowden 22-7
1975–1976 Fred Snowden 24-9 NCAA Elite Eight (2-1)
1976–1977 Fred Snowden 21-6 NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1977–1978 Fred Snowden 15-11
1978–1979 Fred Snowden 16-11 10-8 T-4th
1979–1980 Fred Snowden 12-15 6-12 6th
1980–1981 Fred Snowden 13-14 8-10 T-5th
1981–1982 Fred Snowden 9-18 4-14 T-8th
Fred Snowden: 167-108 28-44
Ben Lindsey (1982 — 1983)
1982–1983 Ben Lindsey 4-24 1-17 10th
Ben Lindsey: 4-24 1-17
Lute Olson (1983 — 2007)
1983–1984 Lute Olson 11-17 8-10 8th
1984–1985 Lute Olson 21-10 12-6 T-3rd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1985–1986 Lute Olson 23-9 14-4 1st NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1986–1987 Lute Olson 18-12 13-5 2nd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1987–1988 Lute Olson 35-3 17-1 1st NCAA Final Four (4-1)
1988–1989 Lute Olson 29-4 17-1 1st NCAA Sweet 16 (2-1)
1989–1990 Lute Olson 25-7 15-3 T-1st NCAA 2nd Round (1-1)
1990–1991 Lute Olson 28-7 14-4 1st NCAA Sweet 16 (2-1)
1991–1992 Lute Olson 24-7 13-5 3rd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1992–1993 Lute Olson 24-4 17-1 1st NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1993–1994 Lute Olson 29-6 14-4 1st NCAA Final Four (4-1)
1994–1995 Lute Olson 24-7 14-4 2nd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
1995–1996 Lute Olson 27-6 14-4 2nd NCAA Sweet 16 (2-1)
1996–1997 Lute Olson 25-9 11-7 5th NCAA Champions (6-0)
1997–1998 Lute Olson 30-5 17-1 1st NCAA Elite Eight (3-1)
1998–1999 Lute Olson 22-7 13-5 2nd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)*
1999–2000 Lute Olson 27-7 15-3 T-1st NCAA 2nd Round (1-1)
2000–2001 Lute Olson/Jim Rosborough 28-8 15-3 2nd NCAA Runner-Up (5-1)
2001–2002 Lute Olson 24-10 12-6 T-2nd NCAA Sweet 16 (2-1)
2002–2003 Lute Olson 28-4 17-1 1st NCAA Elite Eight (3-1)
2003–2004 Lute Olson 20-10 11-7 3rd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
2004–2005 Lute Olson 30-7 15-3 1st NCAA Elite Eight (3-1)
2005–2006 Lute Olson 20-13 11-7 T-4th NCAA 2nd Round (1-1)
2006–2007 Lute Olson 20-11 11-7 T-3rd NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
Kevin O'Neill (2007 — 2008)
2007–2008 Kevin O'Neill 19-15 8-10 7th NCAA 1st Round (0-1)
Kevin O'Neill: 19-15 8-10
Lute Olson (2008 — Present)
2008–2009 Lute Olson
Lute Olson: 589-188 327-101
Total: 1547-845

      National Champion         Conference Champion         Conference Tournament Champion

Note: Conference Records are only shown since Arizona joined the Pac-10 in the 1978-79 season.

2000-2001 Note: during Olson's leave of absence, the team went 3-2, 3-1 in Pac-10 Play. These totals are not reflected in Olson's final numbers, only in the yearly record. (Olson's numbers are 25-6, 12-2 Pac-10 play)


*vacated by NCAA

[edit] Career coaching records

Source:[5]

Head Coach Years Win-Loss Pct.
Orin A. Kates 1904-1906 1-1 .500
no coach 1906-1911 10-6 .625
Frank L. Kleeberge 1911-1912 2-2 .500
Raymond Quigley 1912-1914 10-4 .714
Pop McKale 1914-1921 49-12 .803
James Pierce 1921-1923 27-5 .844
Basil Stanley 1923-1924 14-3 .824
Walter Davis 1924-1925 7-4 .636
Fred Enke 1925-1961 508-326 .616
Bruce Larson 1961-1972 136-148 .479
Fred Snowden 1972-1982 167-108 .607
Ben Lindsey 1982-1983 4-24 .143
Jim Rosborough 2000-2001 3-2 .600
Lute Olson 1983-Present 589-188 .758
Kevin O'Neill 2007-2008 19-15 .542
Totals 1547-845 .647

[edit] Coaching awards

John .R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award

Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award

Pac-10 Coach of the Year

[edit] Players

Retired Basketball Jerseys
Number Player Year
32 Sean Elliott 1996
25 Steve Kerr 1999
10 Mike Bibby 2004

[edit] Awards

John R Wooden Award National Player of the Year[12]

National Players of the Year[12]

The following players were named player of the year by at least one major publication:

Consensus All-Americans

Pac-10 Player of the Year[12]

Pac-10 Freshman of the Year[12]

Frank Hessler Award Pac-10 All-Newcomer of the Year[12]

Men's NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player[13]

[edit] Former Wildcats and NBA stars

[14]

[edit] Post season

[edit] Pac-10 Tournament

UA has won the Pac-10 Tournament a record four times, including three straight times from 1988-90.[15] The Wildcats have played in the tournament five times.[15] UA also has a record 5 tournament MVPs.[15] Salim Stoudamire is 1 of only 2 players to win the MVP from a losing squad.[15]

Year Champion Score Runner-Up Arena City Tournament MVP
1988 Arizona 93-67 Oregon State McKale Center Tucson, Arizona Sean Elliott, Arizona
1989 Arizona 73-51 Stanford Great Western Forum Inglewood, California Sean Elliott, Arizona
1990 Arizona 94-78 UCLA University Activity Center Tempe, Arizona Jud Buechler, Arizona
2002 Arizona 81-71 USC Staples Center Los Angeles, California Luke Walton, Arizona
2005 Washington 81-72 Arizona Staples Center Los Angeles, California Salim Stoudamire, Arizona

Source: 2007-08 Pac-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide pages 50-60 (PDF copy available at 2007-08 Pac-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide)[15]

[edit] NCAA Tournament

The University of Arizona has made 27 NCAA tournament appearances, including a current streak of 24 consecutive years, which is the longest active streak and second only to the North Carolina Tarheel's 27 year streak from 1975-2001.[2] Their combined record is 41-25 (1 loss vacated by the NCAA), including a 1997 National Championship and 4 final fours.[16] Arizona is also one of only four #2 seeds to ever lose a first round game, losing 64-61 to #15 seed Santa Clara, led by future NBA star Steve Nash in 1993. [17]

Men's Basketball Final Four history[18]

1997 Championship Results

1997 NCAA Tournament Results[19]
Round Opponent Score
Round #1 #13 South Alabama 65-57
Round #2 # 12 College of Charleston 85-70
Sweet 16 # 1 Kansas 85-82
Elite 8 # 10 Providence 78-61 (OT)
Final 4 # 1 North Carolina 66-58
Championship # 1 Kentucky 84-79 (OT)

The 1997 Arizona team is the only team to date to beat three #1 seeds to win the national title.


NCAA Tournament Seeding History

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

Years → '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08
Seeds → 10 9 10 1 1 2 2 3 2 2 5 3 4 1 4 1 2 3 1 9 3 8 8 10

UA has been a #1 seed five times.

[edit] Current team

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Colemen, Van. "Nation's No. 3 Junior Commits to Point Guard U", cstv.com, 2007-05-22. Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  2. ^ a b "NCAA Tournament school statistics", tourneytravel.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-30. 
  3. ^ a b c "Arizona Team Page", pac-10.org, 2007-10-26. Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Barker, Scott. "From Pop to Lute: 100 years of Wildcat Hoops", Arizona Athletics.com, 2003-11-01. Retrieved on 2008-03-15. 
  5. ^ a b c "University of Arizona Directory", detnews.com, 2007-03-21. Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  6. ^ Thomas Jr., Robert. "Fred Snowden, Basketball Coach and Black Pioneer, Is Dead at 57", nytimes.com, 1994-01-19. Retrieved on 2008-03-30. 
  7. ^ Kelley, James. "UA legend Snowden paved way for black coaches", wc.arizona.edu, 2003-11-21. Retrieved on 2008-03-30. 
  8. ^ Arizona 89, Illinois 90. espn.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  9. ^ Katz, Andy. "Olson to coach Arizona next season", ESPN.com, 2008-03-10. Retrieved on 2008-03-13. 
  10. ^ "In first meeting with media, Olson says O'Neill won't remain on Arizona staff", ESPN.com, 2008-04-02. Retrieved on 2008-04-06. 
  11. ^ a b c Arizona Team Page. pac-10.org (2007-10-26). Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Honors Section 2", pac-10.org, 2007-10-26. Retrieved on 2008-03-15. 
  13. ^ Final Four Most Outstanding Players. cbs.sportsline.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  14. ^ University of Arizona: Former Players. usabasket.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
  15. ^ a b c d e 2007-08 Pac-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide. pac-10.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  16. ^ All-time NCAA tourney win-loss records. cbs.sportsline.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  17. ^ "Santa Clara, Seeded 15th, Beats Arizona", nytimes.com, 1993-03-19. Retrieved on 2008-03-19. 
  18. ^ Tourney History - Seeds in the Final Four. cbs.sportsline.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  19. ^ Arizona 1997 Championship Bracket. cbs.sportsline.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
  20. ^ http://www.arizonaathletics.com/m-basketball/page.aspx?id=378 [Arizona Wildcats]
v • d • e
Arizona Wildcats Basketball 1996-1997 NCAA Champions
10 Mike Bibby | 12 Josh Pastner | 13 Donnell Harris | 21 Bennett Davison | 23 Michael Dickerson | 31 Jason Terry | 33 Eugene Edgerson | 34 Miles Simon | 42 A. J. Bramlett
Coach Lute Olson
v • d • e
Arizona Wildcats Head Basketball Coaches

Cates • McKale • Pierce • Stanley • Davis • Enke • Larson • Snowden • Lindsey • Olson • O'Neill • Olson