Back to the Hardwood: The Arizona Wildcats begin the 1999-2000 campaign on
Saturday, Oct. 16, with the first day of practice. They will open with two
practices on Saturday, and that will be followed by one-a-day workouts for
15 days until the Pepsi Red-Blue Scrimmage, which is set for Tuesday, Nov.
2, at 7 p.m. in McKale Center. This season, Arizona returns eight
letterwinners and three starters from last season's Wildcat team which
finished 22-7 (13-5/2nd in the Pac-10) and reached the NCAA Tournament for
the program's 15th consecutive year. Arizona will have a couple of
exhibitions before opening up the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 16, in
the first round of the preseason NIT against Kansas State in McKale Center.
That game will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally by
ESPN2. Should the Cats win that contest, they would host the winner of the
Hofstra/New Mexico State game on Friday, Nov. 19 at 9:30 p.m. for the right
to advance to New York City and play in the tourney's semi-finals and finals.
Season Media Credentials: Be sure to pick up a media credential request for
the upcoming season and return it to a member of the UA Sports Information
staff ASAP. Credentials should be ready for pick-up prior to the Nov. 2
Pepsi Red/Blue Scrimmage.
Pac-10 Media Day: The year's Pac-10 Conference men's basketball media day
is set for Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Los Angeles Airport Sheraton Gateway
(6101 W. Century Blvd.) from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. All of the conference's
head coaches will be in attendance, as will Arizona sophomore forward
Michael Wright and a handful of other players from around the league. The
1999-2000 preseason Pac-10 men's basketball media poll will be announced on
that day.
Arizona Basketball On TV This Year: Each of Arizona's 29 regular season
games will be televised on either Fox Sports Net, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, CBS or
KWBA. The Wildcats appear on Fox Sports Net 20 times, ESPN twice, ESPN2
twice, CBS once, ABC once and on Tucson's KWBA three times. Should Arizona
advance to the Preseason NIT's second round, semi-finals and final, it
would make one more showing on ESPN2 and have two more ESPN games. The
Pepsi Red-Blue Scrimmage will not be televised.
Preseason Rankings: Arizona is drawing a lot of attention in the preseason
rankings and magazines that have come out so far. The Cats have been
anywhere from No. 5 (The Sporting News) to No. 18 (Lindy's). A complete
listing of all the preseason polls and individual accolades are listed
later on this release. Last season, the Cats entered media day ranked
anywhere from No. 10 to No. 18.
WILDCAT CALENDAR
Sat., Oct. 16 - First Day of Practice for 1999-2000.
Mon., Oct. 18 - Media Day, 11:45 p.m., McKale Room.
Tues., Nov. 2 - Red/Blue Scrimmage, 7:30 p.m., General Admission tickets
available for $3 in the McKale Center Ticket Office (621-CATS), No TV.
Thurs., Nov. 4 - Pac-10 Media Day, Los Angeles Airport Sheraton Gateway,
10:30 - 2 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 7 - Exhibition vs. Lithuanian Club Team, 3 p.m., McKale Center,
Fox Sports Net Arizona
Thurs., Nov. 11 - UA Men's Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon Noon, La Paloma
Resort. Tickets are $26 per person and can be purchased by calling 621-6133.
Sun., Nov. 14 - Exhibition vs. California All Stars, 3 p.m., McKale Center,
Fox Sports Net Arizona.
Tues., Nov. 16 - Preseason NIT vs. Kansas State, 8:30 p.m., McKale
Center/ESPN2
Who's Back: Heading the group of three returning starters and eight
letterwinners is last year's Freshman All-American and Pac-10 Freshman of
the Year, Michael Wright. A 6-foot-7, 238-pound sophomore from Chicago,
Ill. (Farragut Academy), he has received preseason acclaim as being one the
top power forwards in the country for 1999-2000. He is the team's leading
returning scorer (13. 9 ppg) and rebounder (8.8 rpg) after posting the best
rebounding average by a freshman in Pac-10 history last season. The other
two returning starters from last year are also sophomores this year, and
they are Richard Jefferson (F, 6-7, 222, Phoenix, Ariz.) and Ruben Douglas
(G, 6-4, 192, Altadena, Calif.). Jefferson was an All-Pac-10 Freshman team
performer last season after averaging 11.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 2.9 apg, while
Douglas was named to the All-Pac-10 Freshman honorable mention team in
1998-99. Among the other returning letterwinners are Justin Wessel (F, 6-8
, 225, Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Rick Anderson (F, 6-8 , 221, So., Long
Beach, Calif.), John Ash (G, 5-10, 177, Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) and probably
the most valuable player in the country who has averaged 2.8 minutes per
game during his three-year career, Josh Pastner (G, 5-11, 182, Kingwood,
Texas).
A Redshirt Year: Another face that is returning this season, but will not
be playing is Eugene Edgerson... He will redshirt this season so he can
complete his degree requirement in his education major... In order to
accomplish his goal of getting his degree and teaching certificate from the
UA in four years, he will student teach during the 2000 spring semester,
while fulfilling other requirements this fall... Depending on his student
teaching schedule, he will still be able to practice with the team.
The (Kind Of) New Faces: There are eight players on this season's roster
who have never played in a game for the Wildcats before, although two of
them were with the program last year and sat out either as a transfer or
with a redshirt season. The transfer is junior center Loren Woods (7-1,
251, St. Louis, Mo.), who came to Arizona from Wake Forest. The former
McDonald's All-American had to sit out last year, but is eligible to play
in 1999-00 and will establish his presence right away. He did practice with
the Cats in 1998-99, so he has a good knowledge of the system. The redshirt
is Luke Walton (F, 6-8, 228, Fr., San Diego, Calif.). He missed last season
with a medical redshirt after suffering a stress fracture in his right
foot. He was healthy towards the end of last year and was able to practice
with the team towards the end of February and coaches were impressed with
his progress.
The New Guys: The six fresh faces on the team are comprised of a talented
group... There are two transfers and four true freshmen... Junior college
guard Lamont Frazier (6-3, 182, Jr.) comes to Tucson from Lon Morris Junior
College in Jacksonville, Texas and is originally from Los Angeles... The
second high-profile transfer in two years to come to Arizona is Indiana
transfer Luke Recker (G/F, 6-6, 190, Jr., Auburn, Ind.)... Just as the case
was with Loren Woods last season, he must sit out this season as a result
of NCAA transfer rules, but will be allowed to practice with the team... He
will not practice until probably early December, as a result of the broken
left wrist he suffered in a car wreck back in early July... His rehab
process is going extremely well and he is gradually gaining back his full
range of motion... The four true freshmen on the squad include McDonald's
All-American Jason Gardner (G, 5-10, 178, Indianapolis, Ind.), Gilbert
Arenas (G, 6-3, 191, North Hollywood, Calif.), Robertas Javtokas it's
pronounced YAV-toe-kus (C, 6-10, 229, Siauliai, Lithuania) and walk-on
Michael Schwertley (F, 6-5, 214, Phoenix, Ariz.).
The UA's record of 320-74 over the course of the past 12 years gives it the
nation's best winning percentage during that span (.812).
Coach O: Lute Olson (Augsburg '56) begins his 17th season as the head coach
at Arizona and his 27th overall as a head coach... This season will see him
reach of number of milestones in what has become a Hall of Fame type
coaching career... He has a career record of 587-212 (.735), while his mark
in Tucson stands at 395-120 (.767) and he has made Arizona one the dominant
programs in the country... The first game of the season will be his 800th
career game as a head coach and he needs just 13 more wins for career win
No. 600, which would make him one of just 33 coaches in NCAA history to win
600 or more games... With five more wins, he will reach 400 for his Arizona
career... During his tenure at Arizona, the Wildcats have won one national
championship (1997), gone to three Final Fours (1987, 1994, 1997), won
eight Pac-10 Conference titles and been to the NCAA Tournament for the past
15 years in a row, which is the second longest streak in NCAA history
(North Carolina, 25)... He has been named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year six
times and directed the program to the nation's best winning percentage over
the past 12 years... His Pac-10 record stands at 223-65 (.774) and he is
one of just six coaches in league history to win 200 or more conference
games... Prior to coming to Arizona, he was at Iowa for nine years where he
owned a 167-91 mark and before that, he was at Long Beach State for one
season (1973-74), where he went 24-2... In his collegiate career, he has
produced University of Arizona
35 NBA Draft picks, including 20 at Arizona 15 alone on the 1990s... He
has led Arizona to 12 consecutive 20-win seasons and has 21 overall in his
career... A part of the reason for Arizona's home court dominance, the Cats
have gone 243-25 during his career in McKale Center and have won 172 out of
their last 182 home games.
The Coach's Show: Once again this season, KNST will air the Lute Olson
Coach's Show and it is hosted by Brian Jeffries... Due to Arizona travel
conflicts during the non-conference season, the show will air just once
prior to Pac-10 play... The first show is on Monday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m.
It is broadcast live from Bob's at 6350 East Tanque Verde Road... The show
will then be aired for the television portion of the Lute Olson Show,
showing on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 10:30 p.m. on UPN channel 18... The next
Lute Olson Show after this will be on Monday, Jan. 3, at 6:30 p.m. and the
TV show will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 10:30 p.m.
Injury Update: Outside of Luke Recker's rehab for his wrist, the rest of
the Arizona basketball program is heathy with one exception... Assistant
coach Jay John suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his
right knee, an injury that was sustained on Oct. 13 in a pick-up game in
Bear Down Gym.
Where Are You From?: California is the state that can claim the most
members of this year's Wildcats, as five players are from "The Golden State
" (Rick Anderson, Gilbert Arenas, Ruben Douglas, Lamont Frazier and Luke
Walton)... There are three from Arizona (John Ash, Richard Jefferson &
Michael Schwertley) and two from Indiana (Jason Gardner, Luke Recker)...
The rest of the roster contains six players from different states and
countries, as the case is with Robertas Javtokas, who is from Siauliai,
Lithuania... His city is pronounced SHAW-lay.
The Golden Arches: This season's roster has four former McDonald's
All-Americans Jason Gardner, Richard Jefferson, Luke Recker and Loren Woods.
1999-2000 Preseason Rankings
Team Rankings
The Sporting News - 5th
Basketball News - 7th
Blue Ribbon College Yearbook - 7th
Street & Smith's - 9th
Sport Magazine - 9th
Basketball Times - 13th
Lindy's College Sports - 18th
Picked to finish first in the Pac-10 - The Sporting News
Picked to finish first in the Pac-10 - Basketball News
Picked to finish first in the Pac-10 - Athlon Sports
Picked to finish first in the Pac-10 - Street & Smith's
Picked to finish first in the Pac-10 - Sport Magazine
The Sporting News No. 3 Frontcourt in the Country
Lindy's College Basketball No. 5 Frontcourt in the Country
Street & Smith's No. 2 Frontcourt in the Country
Individual Rankings
Michael Wright
* The Sporting News No. 2 Power Forward in the Country
* The Sporting News Pac-10 All-Conference First Team
* Pac-10's Best NBA Prospect - The Sporting News
* Street & Smith's No. 3 Power Forward in the Country
* Street & Smith's All-Pac-10 Team
* Basketball News All-Pac-10 First Team
* Basketball News No. 6 "Banger" in the Country
* Athlon Sports All-Pac-10 First Team
* Lindy's No. 8 Power Forward in the Country
* "All Class of 2002" (Sophomores Who May Be Raw But Have Serious Skills),
Sport Magazine
Loren Woods
* The Sporting News No. 6 Center in the Country
* The Sporting News Pac-10 All-Conference Team
* The Sporting News Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year
* Athlon Sports All-Pac-10 Second Team
* Athlon Sports Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year
* Lindy's No. 8 Center in the Country
* "All-Witness Protection" (Impact Transfers Whose Time is Now), Sport
Magazine
Richard Jefferson
* Athlon Sports All-Pac-10 Third Team
* Lindy's No. 14 Small Forward in the Country
Jason Gardner
* Basketball News Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year
* Street & Smith's Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year
Arizona 1999-2000 Opponents Preseason Rankings
Michigan St. No. 1/The Sporting News, No. 1/Blue Ribbon, No. 2/Basketball News
No. 2/Street & Smith's, No. 3/Basketball Times, No. 3/Lindy's
Connecticut No. 3/The Sporting News, No. 3/Street & Smith's, No.
5/Connecticut, No. 6/Basketball News, No. 6/Blue Ribbon, No. 8/Lindy's
UCLA No. 4/Basketball Times, No. 6/Lindy's
No. 10/Basketball News, No. 11/Blue Ribbon
No. 14/Street & Smith's, No. 15/The Sporting News
Stanford No. 9/The Sporting News, No. 10/Street & Smith's, No.10/Blue
Ribbon, No. 23/Basketball News
Texas No. 22/The Sporting News, No. 23/Street & Smith's, No. 24/Blue
Ribbon
New Mexico No. 23/Lindy's
Notes on the 1998-99 Season: Arizona will take the nation's fourth-longest
home winning streak into the season... The UA has 32 consecutive home
games, trailing only Murray State (42), Duke (35) and Utah (35)... The Cats
have won 172 of their past 182 home games... Dating back to the start of
the 1997-98 season, Arizona has been ranked in the top-10 in 30 of 36
polling periods... Since the start of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, the
Wildcats own a record of 58-12... UA has the most wins of any Pac-10 team
in the 1990s (256)... Arizona's winning percentage of .793 in the 1990s is
the third-best in the country, trailing only Kansas (.827) and Kentucky
(.817)... The Cats have not recorded a double-digit loss total since
1986-87... The Wildcats' seven All-Americans during the 1990s trails only
Duke's 10... UA and North Carolina are tied for second-most in the 1990s...
Overall, Arizona has been ranked in the regular season Top-25 rankings for
199 straight weeks.
Then There Were Four: Just four players on this year's roster remain from
Arizona's 1997 NCAA Championship team Eugene Edgerson, Justin Wessel,
John Ash and Josh Pastner.
Who's Gone From 1998-99: Leading the losses from last season are 1998-99
seniors Jason Terry and A.J. Bramlett... Terry was named the National
Player of the Year in three circles last season and was the Pac-10 Player
of the Year after becoming the first player to lead the league in scoring
(21.9 ppg), assists (5.5) and steals (2.8) in the same season since Gary
Payton of Oregon State did it in 1989-90... He was No. 10 in the NBA Draft
and went to the Atlanta Hawks... Bramlett was an All-Pac-10 selection last
season after averaging 14.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg... Both Terry and Bramlett were
members of four Arizona teams that went 103-28 (55-4 at home), while
winning a national title, a Pac-10 Championship and they went 11-3 in the
NCAA Tournament... Jason Stewart was the third senior last season, while
Traves Wilson transferred in the off-season.
Final 1998-99 Pac-10 Standings
Pac-10 Overall
1. Stanford 15-3 26-7
2. Arizona 13-5 22-7
3. UCLA 12-6 22-9
4. Washington 10-8 17-12
T5. California 8-10 22-11
T5. Oregon 8-10 19-13
T7. USC 7-11 15-13
T7. Oregon State 7-11 13-14
9. Arizona State 6-12 14-16
10. Washington St. 4-14 10-19
Arizona's NCAA History: Last year marked the 18th time Arizona has made an
appearance in the NCAA Tournament and it was the 15th invite under head
coach Lute Olson... UA's current string of 15 consecutive appearances in
the NCAAs is the second longest streak in NCAA history, trailing only North
Carolina's 25 straight invites (UNC's is a current streak as well)... it
was the 20th time in the last 21 years that Olson has taken a team to the
NCAAs... He has directed Arizona to 15 tourneys and a 24-14 record -- and
when he was the coach at Iowa, he coached five Hawkeye squads to the
NCAAs... With 20 career appearances in the NCAA Tournament, he is tied for
fourth on the NCAA's all-time tournament appearance list for head coaches
with Adolph Rupp and John Thompson... Over the course of their last 20 NCAA
games, the Wildcats own a record of 15-5... In the last five years, Arizona
has played in 21 tournament games... Arizona's all-time record in the NCAA
Tournament is now 26-17... The Wildcats have been to three Final Fours --
1988, 1994 & 1997... Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16 seven times in
the last 12 years.
20-Win Campaigns: With its record of 22-7 last season, it marked the 12th
consecutive season that Arizona won 20 or games... Further, it was the 14th
time in Lute Olson's 16 years as UA head coach that the Cats have reached
the 20-win plateau... It marked the 21st time in Olson's career that he has
directed a team to 20 or more victories, making him just the eighth head
coach in NCAA history to reach 20 wins in 21 or more seasons (Dean
Smith-30; Jerry Tarkanian-26; Adolph Rupp-23; Bobby Knight-22; Denny
Crum-21; Jim Boeheim-21; John Chaney-21).
Home Sweet Home: As previously mentioned, Arizona closed the year with a
32-game home winning streak in tact... The streak includes all 14 home
games last season, all 15 in 1997-98 and the final three of the 1996-97
campaign... The last loss was a 66-64 defeat to UCLA on Feb. 13, 1997...
Further, Arizona has won 43 of its last 44 home games and is 172-10 in
McKale Center since the 1987-88 season... During that time, the Cats have
lost just two non-conference games (Arkansas, 1992-93 & Syracuse,
1995-96)... Overall, Arizona has won 18 consecutive non-conference home
games... Last year was the ninth season in history that Arizona went
undefeated at home.
Some Notes on Last Season: The Wildcats led the Pac-10 in rebounding (41.6
rpg), scoring (82.2 ppg), free throw shooting (.710) and rebounding margin
(+8.1 rpg)... The Cats completed its home schedule with a 14-0 mark... It
was the ninth time in history the UA has completed its home schedule
undefeated... Last year was the first time since 1989-90 that Arizona
didn't score 100 points or more in at least one game... Arizona started
three freshmen in 22 of its 29 games and used 10 different starting
lineups... Only three teams shot 50% or better against the Wildcats --
UCLA (50%), at Cal (51.6%) and at Stanford (54.0%)... Arizona suffered its
worst shooting performance of the season against Oklahoma in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament (19-of-57/33%)... One offshoot of the UA's
rebounding dominance was the amount of times it went to the free throw
line... The Wildcats attempted 252 more free throws than the opposition...
The three-point field goal percentage of .350 was the lowest in team
history... Arizona's 30 turnovers against Washington State on Jan. 7, were
the most for the program since Dec. 4, 1982, when the Ben Lindsey-coached
Cats had 36 at New Mexico... The University of Arizona retired Steve Kerr's
jersey in a ceremony following the Washington game... He joined Sean
Elliott as the only former Wildcats to have their jersey hung from the
McKale Center rafters... Arizona has the most wins of any Pac-10 team in
the 1990s (257)... That averages out to just under 26 wins a year this
decade... Only A.J. Bramlett and Jason Terry started every game for the
Wildcats this season... In all, nine players earned a start this season...
Dating back to the start of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Arizona owns a record
of 58-12.
Shooting Sets the Tone:Since the 1996-97 season, Arizona is 60-4 in games
when it has a better shooting percentage than its opponent... The Wildcats
were 19-1 last season, 23-2 the year before and 18-1 in 1996-97 campaign.
80s Preservation Society:In the past three years, the UA is 75-8 when it
scores 80 or more points in a game... Further, since the 1992-93 season,
Arizona is 137-15 when it scores 80 or more... The Cats were 15-2 in
1998-99, 26-3 in 1997-98 and 19-2 in 1996-97.
The Century Club: The UA has not given up 100 points in regulation since
Jan. 27, 1990, at Pittsburgh, a span of 302 games. UA lost that game 100-92.
