Bear Down Wildcats

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 11:24 am But, curious if anybody else had any other college teams with a particular player or coach or from some era that was somewhat admired from afar.

I grew up in NY but outside of the playgrounds the college basketball scene was very weak. In the early nineties St John’s and Seton Hall were big names but all the best players were going to UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Michigan, UCLA, etc.

I was a Michigan/UNC fan for the most part. I was pretty heartbroken when Chris Webber called that timeout the Fab5 didn’t have. But I wasn’t a true college basketball fan until I came to UA in ‘95 and began to understand what it meant to follow a truly great team.

Chicat wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 12:13 pm I grew up in NY but outside of the playgrounds the college basketball scene was very weak. In the early nineties St John’s and Seton Hall were big names but all the best players were going to UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Michigan, UCLA, etc.

I was a Michigan/UNC fan for the most part. I was pretty heartbroken when Chris Webber called that timeout the Fab5 didn’t have. But I wasn’t a true college basketball fan until I came to UA in ‘95 and began to understand what it meant to follow a truly great team.

Like the overwhelming majority of college basketball fans, I grew up following my local school (University of Toledo). My first "great teams" I was aware of were Ohio State (Lucas, Havlicheck, Knight, Siegfried, et al) and Cincinnati (the BIG O!), and I cheered them from afar.

My first team that I "chose on my own" was 1963 Loyola Chicago, and I picked them as "the best" when few believed - my dad thought I was nuts - they beat Cinci in the National Championship, and I had a style of basketball that I've favored ever since.

In college at "TU", a mid-major conference (MAC), I attended every game, knew a couple of the players. In 1966-67 we went 24-1 in the regular season, my first "dream season" ever for my own school (BTW, we lost in the NCAA first round to a team we beat on their home court by 25 points a couple of weeks earlier. It was "the agony of defeat.

I moved to Tucson in '71, and soon became a fan of Arizona and Fred-the-Fox! I loved their style of play, enjoyed the WAC in those days, and attended many games. I got my grad degree in December '78. I was now an "Arizona Fan for life, but as always my team was not considered to be "great" or a "blue blood" by ANYBODY.

That's the reality for the overwhelming majority of sports fans. Period. I LOVED college basketball, and watched as much as I could. I admired UCLA, UNC, Louisville, but could never have considered being a "fan" of any of them!

When Lute was hired, my best friend and I high-fived and shouted we're going to the Final Four!!!" And, of course the rest is history.

I grew up in Michigan, and was a huge MSU fan watching Magic Johnson, but man oh man did I hate Larry Bird then when he played for ISU, and still do. Just an arrogant prick like Pete Rose.

But for some reason I really liked Bobby Knight. His motion offense was fun to watch. Back then asshole coaches were more accepted.

Grew up in Tucson, but didn't really have UA basketball or bball in general on my radar until I was 9 years old and my dad and his buddy took me and his kid to a UAgame up in the nosebleeds. Turned out that game was the McMiracle game. Hooked ever since.

UAdevil wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 3:38 pm Grew up in Tucson, but didn't really have UA basketball or bball in general on my radar until I was 9 years old and my dad and his buddy took me and his kid to a UAgame up in the nosebleeds. Turned out that game was the McMiracle game. Hooked ever since.

My roommate grabbed me and said "Let's go!", and we ran on the floor after Craig's shot.

Good times!

Not sure how well the links will work, but one is the video, and the other is a Hansen write-up about it. I had great sideline seats, and I don't know if I've ever felt a buzz like that after a game in McKale, and there have been just a ton of great moments.

https://x.com/i/status/1884460525201023344

https://tucson.com/1-craig-mcmillan-198 ... 7369b.html

It's odd that this video is available but Hansen says "McMillan dribbles twice."
I don't know why I noticed that.

I never saw no dribble, let alone two.

But then I STILL can't figure out how he got the ball in the first place.

Anthony Cook looks tiny out there between the 2 giants. But that makes him closer to the floor, and like every announcer says, the team that ends up on the floor usually ends up winning.

No players were choked nor chairs damaged in making this quote.

That is just so awesome to revisit and re-appreciate just how incredible that run was….EPIC!

Not old enough to really remember his impact, but I know how vital he was to our school RIP.

Posted that in the RIP notable thread. Greatest AD in our history. Brought in Lute and had Earl Bruce from Ohio State football accepting our job until his assistants talked him out of that move

Ced was the man. Got Arizona on the map nationally.

Sad day. That man did so much for UofA.

azcat49 wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 4:51 pm Posted that in the RIP notable thread. Greatest AD in our history. Brought in Lute and had Earl Bruce from Ohio State football accepting our job until his assistants talked him out of that move

He hired Tomey, the best FB coach in Arizona history...