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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BASKETBALL
 
Friday, Dec. 21 marks the 127^th birthday of the game of basketball, and Coach Barnes and the Wildcats are celebrating this special day with a home game versus Northern Arizona at 6:30 p.m. Festivities for the game include an official proclamation from Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and an appearance by the great-granddaughter of Dr. James Naismith, Margaret Naismith Jonker.
 
The first 500 fans in McKale Center will receive a special Birthday of Basketball poster with the original rules of basketball from 1891. Friday is also Daddy-Daughter Night with a pregame painting party for fathers and daughters starting at 5:30 p.m.
 
Our women's basketball program is off to a terrific start to the season and this is one of the most exciting teams in the nation to watch. Join us on Friday evening for a tremendous night of basketball in McKale Center.
 
#ERAZONA 2019

Coach Sumlin and our football program welcomed future Wildcats today with their 2019 recruiting class. It's an exciting time for Arizona Football as it continues to strengthen its foundation for success and build a solid program.
 
You can follow all of the news and information for signing day at ArizonaWildcats.com.
 
Arizona Athletics is currently accepting deposits for 2019 season tickets, which are $75 per seat and provide fans access to seating inventory when new sales officially go on sale. Season ticket renewals and new sales are expected to go on sale in late January. For more information or to make a deposit on season tickets, visit www.arizonawildcats.com or contact the McKale Ticket Office at 520-621-CATS.


 
ARIZONA BOWL

Arizona Athletics is happy to welcome the Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Nevada Wolfpack to the University of Arizona campus as part of the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl. Kickoff is set for 11:15 a.m. (MST) on Saturday, Dec. 29 inside Arizona Stadium. This is a terrific event for Tucson and all of Southern Arizona, and I hope you'll make plans to attend this outstanding community event.
 
Tickets for the bowl game are available online or the Ticket Booth at the northwest corner of Arizona Stadium. More details can be found at NovaArizonaBowl.com.


 
TEAM ISRAEL SOFTBALL

Congratulations to Arizona Softball's pack of Wildcats selected to represent Team Israel in qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Arizona Director of Operations-Recruiting Stacy Iveson has been selected as head coach by the Israeli Softball Association with former Wildcats Debby Day and Lisa Bernstein joining her on the coaching staff.
 
Current Wildcats Vanessa Foreman and Tamara Statman were selected to play for Team Israel, which begins Olympic qualifying with the European Championships in the summer of 2019.
 
To be able to represent a nation on the international stage is a tremendous honor. Having a handful of proud University of Arizona representatives competing on that stage is truly special. We will be behind our Wildcats competing in Europe next summer on the softball field!


 
FACILITIES UPDATE

Work continues on our facility projects with the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center, Hillenbrand Stadium and Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. This trio of important construction projects are generating a buzz for a number of our programs and enhancing the mission of Arizona Athletics to provide a championship-caliber experience for our student-athletes, fans and our Southern Arizona community.
 
The progress at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center hit several key marks this week as new bulkheads were installed and the pool was filled with water.
 
You can watch construction cameras for the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center, Hillenbrand Stadium and Hillenbrand Aquatic Center live 24 hours a day to see the progress yourself.


 
COMPLIANCE CORNER

With the holidays coming up, we understand that you may want to do something nice for one of our student-athletes or teams. Please remember that student-athletes may not accept holidays gifts from our fans or donors, as it would be considered an extra benefit. It is, however, permissible to provide an occasional meal under certain circumstances. For questions about providing an occasional meal or anything else, please contact the Compliance Office at (520) 621-4796 or ica-compliance@email.arizona.edu.
 
HAPPY HOLIDAYS

This week's Wildcat Wednesday is the final edition of 2018, and we want to thank you for reading. The support of Wildcats around the globe helps make Arizona Athletics special. We will resume Wildcat Wednesday on Jan. 9.
 
Happy holidays and season's greetings to all of our supporters, friends and families. We are excited to see you in 2019. Bear Down!
 
 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
 
To view the list of upcoming events, broadcast information, start times and stat links, click HERE. (Note: All times are listed as Mountain Standard Time, i.e. Tucson time.)
 
To access live stats from your desktop or mobile device, visit ArizonaLiveStats.com.
 
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
 
Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! If your photo submission did not make this week's edition of the Wildcat Wednesday, please check our "Wear the Colors" album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics on Fridays.
 
NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email to uofaad@arizona.edu using the subject line 'Wildcat Wednesday photo.' Also, please ensure all submissions are clear and properly lit. We also ask that you identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly.
 
 
 
 
 
Continue to do what you can to help Arizona Athletics and: 

1. Bear Down with us today! Join the Wildcat Club to make an impact on our student-athletes' experience.
2. Buy Season Tickets
3. Wear the Colors (Especially on Friday)
4. Encourage Others to Do the Same

 
Bear Down with Pride,

Dave Heeke
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu