Arizona Wins Ninth Pac-10 Conference Championship, Appears in 16th
Consecutive NCAA Tournament, Achieves 13th Straight 20-Win Season &
Produces Three All-Pac-10 First Team Performers
The UA & 1999-00: Arizona concluded the 1999-2000 basketball season with an
overall record of 27-7 and was crowned co-champions of the Pacific-10
Conference after recording a 15-3 league mark. It was the program's ninth
Pac-10 title and 13th consecutive season with 20 or more wins. The Wildcats
made their 16th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament (second
longest streak in NCAA history) where they were the No. 1 seed in the West
Region before losing to eventual Final Four participant, Wisconsin, in the
second round. Individually, three players were named to the All-Pac-10
Conference first team Michael Wright, Loren Woods and Jason Gardner,
while Gardner was named the National Freshman of the Year by two outlets.
Gilbert Arenas joined Gardner on the All-Pac-10 Freshman Team and Woods was
named the Pac-10's Newcomer of the Year.
Sweet 16th in a Row: As mentioned, this year marked the 16th consecutive
year that Arizona played in the NCAA Tournament... The streak is the second
longest in NCAA history, trailing only North Carolina... It started in
1985, which was Lute Olson's second year as the Arizona head man... The Tar
Heels have been to the last 26 NCAA Tournaments... Olson has now been to
the NCAA Tournament 21 times, which puts him fourth on the NCAA's all-time
tournament appearance list for head coaches, trailing only Dean Smith (27),
Bobby Knight (26) and Denny Crum (23)... Olson's 32 NCAA Tournament wins
puts him seventh on the NCAA's all-time tournament win list for head coaches.
Another Streak to Chart: When North Carolina dropped out of the Associated
Press top-25 poll in late January, Arizona became the owners of the
nation's longest active streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the AP
top-25... The Wildcats streak stands at 90 weeks in row, dating back to the
first regular season poll of the 1995-96 season... Arizona was not ranked
in that year's preseason poll, but after winning its first two games of the
preseason NIT, the Cats moved up to No.19, and would then rise to No. 4 on
Nov. 27, after winning the tournament... That preseason poll was the only
time since the 1987-88 preseason poll that Arizona was not ranked in the AP
poll... Stanford and Duke are second with 73 straight weeks in the AP
top-25... North Carolina had been ranked in the AP poll for 172 consecutive
weeks before falling out a month ago... That was the second-longest streak
in history, trailing only UCLA's 221 weeks from 1966-80... Earlier this
season, Kentucky saw its run of 164 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP
top-25 come to an end... Overall, Arizona has been ranked in the regular
season Top-25 for 217 straight weeks.
The 600-Club: Lute Olson became one of 33 head coaches in NCAA history to
reach the 600 career wins plateau this season... With the victory over
top-ranked Stanford on Jan. 8, he recorded career win No. 600... He will
enter the 2000-01 season with a 27-year career mark of 614-219 (.737)...
The 614 wins puts him 33rd on the NCAA's all-time victory list for head
coaches... He also achieved his 400th win at Arizona this season... His
17-year UA record is now 422-127 (.769).
A Look Back at the Year: The 1999-00 Wildcat basketball team entered the
season after losing three starters from last year's club - one of who was
the national player of the year. With an extremely young team, it still
managed to play among the nation's elite. Arizona was ranked in the
top-five for 12 weeks this season even though, for the majority of the
season, it started two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman, a sophomore and
a transfer who was in his first year at Arizona. There were two major
injuries to starters - a fractured foot for sophomore Richard Jefferson
that forced him to miss 13 games during the Pac-10 season and a back injury
to junior center Loren Woods that sidelined him for the final eight games
of the year.
Lute Olson's Wildcats began the season ranked ninth in both of the
preseason polls, but quickly moved up after winning their third Preseason
NIT title of the 1990s when they beat No. 11 Kentucky in New York City.
Arizona would go onto win 16 of its first 18 games, beating the likes of
top-ranked Stanford (a win that gave Lute Olson his 600th career victory),
fifth-ranked and eventual national champion Michigan State, ninth-ranked
Texas, and No. 25 UCLA. In all, Arizona ended the season with a 7-1 record
against ranked opponents.
The squad was a group that was extremely young -- the youngest of all 64
NCAA Tournament teams -- but played like it was dominated with
upperclassmen. It was a team that could have been nicknamed the "Fab Few",
as Olson had to use a lineup, that, depending on who was injured on which
day, consisted of just six, or seven, or eight available scholarship players.
Leading the way for the Wildcats was All-Pac-10 sophomore power forward
Michael Wright. The only player to start in all 34 games for the UA, he led
the team in rebounding, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game (No. 2 in the
Pac-10) and his 297 rebounds were the second-highest season total for
player at the UA during the Olson era. He also led the Pac-10 in
double-doubles with 13 and his field goal percentage of .569 was second in
the conference. Woods, another of the Cats' three All-Pac-10 first team
performers, was probably the dominant player in the league before going
down with a back injury that sidelined him for the UA's final eight games
of the season. He set a school record for blocks in a season (102),
averaged 15.6 ppg and 7.5 rpg and looked to be one the way to winning
Pac-10 Player of the Year honors before the injury.
Jefferson joined Wright as the only two starters back from 1998-99 and his
solid season was interrupted on Jan. 8, when he broke his right foot three
minutes into the Cats upset of No.1 Stanford at Maples Pavilion. Up until
the injury, he was fourth on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), first in
three-point percentage (.452) and third in both rebounding (4.9) and field
goal percentage (.532). He returned to action for the Oregon road trip the
first week of March, but finally made his presence known when he went for
19 points in the UA's win over the second-ranked Cardinal back in Tucson on
March 9.
Arizona's all-freshman backcourt made headlines throughout the year.
All-Pac-10 first team honoree and starting point guard Jason Gardner was
steady as a rock in his first season, while shooting guard Gilbert Arenas
was every bit his equal at the two-guard. Gardner, who averaged 12.6 ppg
and 4.7 apg, was named the USBWA's, Basketball Times and Basketball News
National Freshman of the Year, while both guys were named the Pac-10's
All-Freshman team. As for Arenas, he averaged 15.4 ppg and scored the
second most point for a freshman at the UA with 523. He led the squad with
71 steals and finished the season with a team-high streak of 19 consecutive
double-figure scoring games. The injury to Jefferson helped redshirt
freshman Luke Walton step into the spotlight and in just 19 games as a
starter, he too proved to be one the top freshmen in the country. The
team's top assist man in conference games only (5.6 apg), he was an
honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman team performer. He finished the
season averaging 5.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 3.8 apg.
Junior Justin Wessel (3.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg) may have been one of the top
role players in the country. He had to step in for Woods in the big man's
absence (eight starts) and did an excellent job in his new role. Sophomore
Rick Anderson rounded out the eight-man rotation (4.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg).
What Returns for 2000-01: The Wildcats roster will be loaded next
season... The only player the team loses from 1999-00 is Josh Pastner... In
all, Arizona will return 99.3% of its scoring from this past season --
players who accounted for 2,582 of the team's 2,599 points -- and 99.7% of
the rebounding from this past year 891 of the 894 boards... The 2000-01
roster will include players who have combined to play in 582 games in their
collegiate careers and start 265 times... The Cats will add two incoming
freshmen, Travis Hanour (6-6, 200-pounds, Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Andrew
Zahn (6-8, 245-pound, Redondo Beach, Calif.).
Pac-10 Honors: Three Wildcats were named to the 2000 All-Pac-10 Conference
first team... The three UA selections were the most for any conference
school... Michael Wright, Loren Woods and Jason Gardner were all named to
the 10-man first team, while Gilbert Arenas was an honorable mention
selection... This was just the eighth time since the league went to a
one-team, 10-man all-conference squad that three players were selected from
one school... Arizona has now had 34 first team picks since it joined the
league... Gardner is the first Arizona freshman to be named to the
All-Pac-10 first team... Loren Woods was also named the Pac-10's Newcomer
of the Year... It marked the first time an Arizona player has received the
honor since the award began to be given out in 1993... Gardner and Arenas
were named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman First Team, while Luke Walton was on
the honorable mention All-Freshman squad.
Other Postseason Honors for the Cats: Michael Wright was named as one of 22
finalists for the John R. Wooden Award... Jason Gardner was named the
United States Basketball Writer's Association, Basketball Times &
Basketball News National Freshman of the Year... He was also named to
Basketball Times All-America Third team and its All-Freshman first team...
Gilbert Arenas was named to Basketball Times Freshman All-America second
team... The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced its
All-District 15 team and Wright was named to the first team, while junior
center Loren Woods and freshman point guard Jason Gardner were second team
selections... Wright and Woods were both named to the USBWA's All-District
9 team... Head coach Lute Olson was selected as the USBWA District 9 Coach
of the Year... This marks the third time that Olson has been named the
USBWA's District Coach of the Year award, after also being honored with it
in 1992-93 and 1987-88... Olson was one of 15 finalists for the Naismith
College Basketball Coach of the Year, which is sponsored by the Atlanta
Tipoff Club has announced... He finished fourth in the balloting for the
Associated Press National Coach of the Year... He was named College Hoops
Insider's Pac-10 Coach of the Year.
The Record Watch
The following Arizona basketball records were broken or tied during the
1999-00 season:
SINGLE GAME RECORDS
Blocked Shots (individual)
14 - Loren Woods vs Oregon, 2-3-00
Fewest Fouls
6 (tied) - at Washington State, 2-12-00
tied old mark which was set against Bradley in 1963-64
Opponent Free Throw Percentage (min 20 att)
96.0% - Oregon, 3-4-00 (24-of-25)
Assists By a Frontcourt Player
12 - Luke Walton vs. Stanford (3-9-00)
SEASON RECORDS
Blocked Shots (individual)
102 - Loren Woods, 1999-00
Blocked Shots (team)
192 - Arizona, 1999-00
Fewest Fouls Per Game
14.5 - Arizona, 1999-00 (496 fouls in 34 games)
Lowest Three Point Field Goal Percentage
.322 - Arizona, 1999-00 (155-of-482)
PAC-10 CONFERENCE GAME RECORDS
Free Throw Percentage
1.000 (tied) - Justin Wessel vs. UCLA (10-10)
1.000 (tied) - Michael Wright at Oregon (10-10)
Blocked Shots
14 - Loren Woods vs. Oregon, 2-3-00
Blocked Shots in a Pac-10 Season
56, Loren Woods, 1999-00
Arizona's NCAA Tournament History: This year marked the 19th time Arizona
made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 16th invite under head
coach Lute Olson... Arizona's all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is now
27-18... UA's current string of 16 consecutive appearances in the NCAAs is
the second longest streak in NCAA history, trailing only North Carolina's
26 straight invites (current streak as well)... This year was the 21st time
in the last 22 years that Lute Olson has taken a team to the NCAA
Tournament... He has directed Arizona to 16 appearances and a 25-15
record... When he was the coach at Iowa from 1974-83, he coached five
Hawkeye squads to the NCAAs... Olson has a career record of 32-21 in the
NCAA Tournament and has coached four different teams to a Final Four
appearance (Iowa, 1980; Arizona, 1988, 1994, 1997)... With 21 career
appearances in the NCAA Tournament, he is fourth on the NCAA's all-time
tournament appearance list for head coaches... Over the course of their
last 22 NCAA games, the Wildcats have a record of 16-6... In the last seven
years, Arizona has played in 23 tournament games... The Wildcats have been
to three Final Fours -- 1988, 1994 & 1997... When Arizona won its first
NCAA championship in 1997, it became the first and only team in history to
beat three No. 1 seeds along the way (Kansas, North Carolina & Kentucky)...
Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16 seven times in the last 13 years...
This year's NCAA tournament marked the fourth time in history that Arizona
has been a No. 1 seed and the second time in the past three years. The
last time was in 1998, preceded by 1989 and 1988... Arizona's 19 tournament
wins since 1990 ties it with UCLA for the seventh-highest total during that
span.
Most Consecutive NCAA Tourney Appearances
23 Dean Smith, North Carolina 1975-97
16 Lute Olson, Arizona 1985-00
15 Bob Knight, Indiana 1986-00
14 John Thompson, Georgetown 1979-92
11 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 1993-94
11 Eddie Sutton, Arkansas/Kentucky 1977-87
COACHES WITH THE MOST 20-WIN SEASONS IN NCAA HISTORY
30 Dean Smith, North Carolina, 1962-97
27 Jerry Tarkanian, LBSU, UNLV, Fresno St., 1969-00
23 Adolph Rupp, Kentucky, 1931-72
23 Bob Knight, Army, Indiana, 1966-00
22 Lute Olson, LBSU, Iowa, Arizona, 1974-00
22 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse, 1977-00
22 John Chaney, Cheyney, Temple, 1973-00
20-Win Campaigns: With its record of 27-7 this season, it marked the 13th
consecutive season that Arizona has won 20 or games... Further, it is the
15th time in Lute Olson's 17 years as UA head coach that the Cats have
reached the 20-win plateau... It also marks the 22nd time in Olson's career
that he has directed a team to 20 or more victories, making him just the
seventh head coach in NCAA history to reach 20 wins in 22 or more seasons
(Dean Smith-30; Jerry Tarkanian-26; Adolph Rupp-23; Bobby Knight-23; Jim
Boeheim-22; John Chaney - 22).
Lute Olson Court at McKale Center: The University of Arizona athletic
department honored head coach Lute Olson on Feb. 26, with a postgame
ceremony to name the McKale Center floor, "Lute Olson Court". Olson, 65 and
one of 10 finalists for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame, has taken three UA teams to the Final Four, won the 1997 NCAA
Championship, has nine Pacific-10 Conference titles, been named the Pac-10
Coach of the Year eight times and has taken 16 consecutive teams to the
NCAA Tournament. Olson's teams always have played tough at home, with a
career record of 259-26 in McKale Center. His 71-game winning streak from
1987 to 1992 is the nation's 10th-best home court winning streak. He has
coached seven teams to undefeated home records and the Wildcats have won
187 of the past 198 games held in the facility. McKale Memorial Center was
built in 1973 and named in honor of J.F. "Pop" McKale, long-time coach and
educator at the University. McKale has been sold out for men's basketball
for the past 13 seasons. Arizona has led the Pac-10 in attendance since
1984-85, Olson's second season.
The UA's record of 348-81 over the course of the past 13 years (since
1987-88) gives it the nation's best winning percentage during that span
(.811).
Cat Scratches: Arizona's 27 wins tied for the sixth-most wins in the
history of Arizona basketball... Arizona went 7-1 versus ranked opponents,
beating No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 Michigan State, No. 9 Texas,
No. 11 Kentucky, No. 23 Oregon, No. 25 UCLA and losing to No. 6
Connecticut... Arizona set a school record for blocked shots with 192 this
season... That broke the old mark of 185, set by the 1990-91 squad... The
Cats have won 30 consecutive Pac-10 home games... They have not lost since
UCLA won in McKale Center on Feb. 13, 1997... Gilbert Arenas became just
the second freshman in Arizona history to score 500 or more points... He
had 523 on the year and finished 10th in the Pac-10 scoring race with a
15.4 ppg average... Prior to Arenas, Coniel Norman was the only freshman to
score 500 or more points in a season as he scored a UA freshman record 576
points in 1972-73... Additionally, Michael Wright became just the seventh
sophomore to score 500 or more points in a season, scoring a team-high
526... He needs just 70 more points to become the 29th player in Arizona
history to score more than 1,000 points in his career... He now has 551
career rebounds for a career average of 8.75 rebounds per game... It has
been 14 years since Arizona had a double-digit loss total (the 1986-87 team
went 18-12)... Luke Walton was Arizona's top assist man in Pac-10 games,
averaging 5.6 apg (Jason Gardner was at 4.4 apg)... Walton's 12 assists
against Stanford are the most in UA history for a UA frontcourt player --
and the most by an Wildcat since Mike Bibby had 13 against Morgan State on
Nov. 27, 1997... In the past 13 seasons (including this year), Arizona is
averaging just under 27 wins a year... Michael Wright had 13 double-doubles
this season, running his career total to 25... Arizona is 18-7 when he gets
a double-double... Arizona held 17 of its 34 opponents to a shooting
percentage of less than 40% from the field this season... In five of the
Wildcats' seven losses, they scored less than 70 points -- and they were
21-2 when they scored 70 or more points in a game and 13-1 when they got to
80 and above (the only loss was at Oregon, when they were beaten 86-81)...
The Cats were 24-1 when they had a better shooting % than the opponent
(once again, the only exception was Oregon - UA shot 50.9%, UO was at
44.3%)... This season marked the ninth time in Lute Olson's 17 years at
Arizona that the team went undefeated in Pac-10 play at home... Arizona
started the season ranked ninth in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls...
When junior John Ash started at point guard in the Washington game on Jan.
15, he became the first walk-on to start for the Wildcats since Jan. 30,
1982, and the first-ever in the Lute Olson era... John Vlahogeorge was the
last to do it, doing so against California... After winning the Preseason
NIT on Nov. 26, Arizona joined Kansas as the only three-time winners of the
event, winning it in 1999, 1995 and 1990... Dating back to the start of the
1997-98 season, Arizona has been ranked in the AP top-10 in 49 of the last
56 polling periods... Arizona went 41-0 when Josh Pastner played during his
four-year career... Pastner and Loren Woods were selected captains for this
year's team in voting that was done by teammates... The UA has not given up
100 points in regulation since Jan. 27, 1990, at Pittsburgh, a span of 335
games... UA lost, 100-92.
Four for 400: Arizona had four players who scored 400 or more points this
past season... It's the first time this has happened at the UA since
1987-88, which was the Wildcats' first-ever Final Four team. Here is a
comparison of this year's team with that 1987-88 squad, which played 38
games that year:
1999-00 1987-88
Michael Wright - 526 Sean Elliott - 743
Gilbert Arenas - 523 Tom Tolbert - 536
Jason Gardner - 427 Anthony Cook - 528
Loren Woods - 405 Steve Kerr - 477
Arizona's Statistical Leaders in 1999-00:
Scoring Avg. Loren Woods 15.6 ppg (405)
Total Points Michael Wright 526 pts
Rebounds Michael Wright 8.7 rpg (297)
Assists Jason Gardner 4.7 apg (162)
Steals Gilbert Arenas 2.1 spg (71)
Blocks Loren Woods 3.9 bpg (102)
FG% Michael Wright 56.9% (190-334)
3PT FG% Jason Gardner 36.3% (70-193)
FT% Loren Woods 75.8% (97-128)
Minutes Jason Gardner 36.6 mpg (1,244)
Dbl. Figs (pts) Gilbert Arenas 31 games
Dbl. Figs (rbd) Michael Wright 14 games
Pac-10 Players of the Week: Two Arizona players were named the Pac-10
Player of the Week this season -- Loren Woods, who was honored twice, and
Michael Wright... After his performances against Oregon and Oregon State,
Woods was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Feb. 7, for the second
time this year... In Arizona's two wins, he averaged 15.5 points, 9.5
rebounds, 7.5 blocks and 2.5 assists per game... He was 10-of-18 from the
floor (.555) and 11-of-14 from the free throw line (.785) and with his 14
blocks against Oregon, he tied the NCAA record for blocks in a game... In
the addition to above mentioned heroics against Oregon, he scored 15 points
to go with nine rebounds, one block and three assists against Oregon
State... He got a chance to rest due to the big win and played only 27
minutes... He was 5-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw
line... His first Pac-10 POW honor this season was on Jan. 17 -- after the
Washington State and Washington outings, ending a three-week run by Arizona
State's Eddie House... Woods averaged 23.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 7.5 bpg game...
He was 16-of-36 from the floor and 15-of-19 from the free throw line, while
averaging 38.5 minutes per game... In the win over WSU, he scored a
then-career-high 25 points to go with a then-school record 10 blocks... He
had six rebounds, one steal and was 9-of-9 from the free throw line... He
was 8-19 from the floor... In the win over UW, he scored a game-high 22
points to go with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots... He played 39
minutes... He was 8-19 from the floor and 6-10 from the FT line... As for
Wright, he received the award on Dec. 6, for his performances against
Brigham Young and Texas after averaging 17.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg in the two
wins... He was 13-of-19 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the FT line.
Streakin' on Campus: Dating back to the start of the 1997 NCAA Tournament,
Arizona owns a record of 85-19 (.817 winning%)... In the past three Pac-10
Conference seasons, the Wildcats are 45-9.
McKale Magic: Arizona has won 59 of its last 61 home games... It is 188-11
in McKale Center since the 1987-88 season and has lost just three
non-conference games during this span (New Mexico - Dec. 21, 1999; Syracuse
- Dec. 23, 1995; Arkansas - Dec. 6, 1992)... When New Mexico beat Arizona
on Dec. 21 in McKale Center, it snapped what was at the time the nation's
fourth-longest active home winning streak... The Wildcats had won 37
consecutive home games... And up until then, only four players on this
year's team had experienced a loss in McKale Center -- Justin Wessel, Josh
Pastner, John Ash & Eugene Edgerson... Those four were on teams that were
47-1 at home -- they are now 58-2 at home... Prior to the New Mexico game,
the last loss in McKale Center was a 66-64 defeat to UCLA on Feb. 13,
1997...The New Mexico loss also snapped a 23 game home winning streak
against consecutive non-conference opponents... Last year was the ninth
season in history that Arizona went undefeated at home... Arizona owns an
all-time record of 350-65 (.843) in McKale Center... This was the 12th
season UA basketball has been sold out in McKale Center on a season-ticket
basis and the 16 consecutive season that Arizona has led the Pac-10
Conference in home attendance, averaging 14,484 fans per game... Only 10
pairs of mid-level tickets and 20 pairs of upper level tickets weren't
renewed for this season.
Coaches W/Most NCAA Tournament Wins
65-27 Dean Smith, North Carolina 1967-97
50-14 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 1984-00
47-10 John Wooden, UCLA 1950-75
42-21 Bob Knight, Indiana 1973-00
42-23 Denny Crum, Louisville 1972-00
34-19 John Thompson, Georgetown 1975-96
32-21 Lute Olson, Iowa & Arizona 1978-00
31-14 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 1977-00
31-20 Jerry Tarkanian, Long Beach St/UNLV 1970-00
30-18 Adolph Rupp, Kentucky 1942-72
30-20 Eddie Sutton, Creighton,
Arkansas/Kentucky/Okla. State 1974-00
Lute Olson has reached a pair of coaching milestones this season... He
recorded career win No. 600 with the victory at top-ranked Stanford on Jan.
8, and has also achieved win No. 400 at Arizona... Here is a look at his
milestone career victories:
Win Date Team Opponent Score
1 12-1-73 LBSU Puget Sound 84-55
100 2-3-79 Iowa Minnesota 97-71
200 2-25-84 Arizona Oregon St. 69-58
300 3-27-88 Arizona North Carolina 70-52
400 2-13-93 Arizona Washington St. 94-72
500 2-11-96 Arizona Cincinnati 79-76
600 1-8-00 Arizona Stanford 68-65
Coach Olson: Lute Olson (Augsburg '56) closed 17th season at Arizona and
his 27th overall as a head coach... This season saw him reach two major
milestones in what should certainly become a Hall of Fame coaching career
-- he recorded his 600th career win and his 400th victory at Arizona...
With his win at Stanford on Jan. 8, he became the 33rd coach in NCAA
history to win 600 or more games... He now has a career record of 614-219
(.737), while his mark at the University of Arizona stands at 422-127
(.769)... His Pac-10 record is 238-68 (.777) and he has the fourth most
Pac-10 wins in history, trailing UCLA's John Wooden (304, 1949-75), Oregon
State's Slats Gill (276, 1929-64) and Washington's Hec Edmundson (266,
1921-47)... He has the second-best conference winning percentage in Pac-10
history (minimum three years), trailing only Wooden (.810/304-74)... With
the win over BYU this season, Olson reached 400 victories for his Arizona
career (these numbers may differ from what the NCAA coaching totals list,
because as opposed to the Pac-10 Conference, the NCAA does not count
forfeits as wins on head coaching records, as the case is with two UA
losses to Cal in 1995 and 1996, which were later changed to wins... the
same holds true with a game when Olson was at Iowa, when there was a
forfeit by Wisconsin in 1983 that changed a loss into a win)... The
season's opener against Kansas State was the 800th game of his collegiate
Division IA career... For his entire coaching career, including 11 years in
high school (157-86 from 1956-69) and three in the junior college ranks
(Long Beach City College, 104-20), he has coached in 1,200 games... During
his 17-year tenure at Arizona, the Wildcats have won one national
championship (1997), gone to three Final Fours (1988, 1994, 1997), won nine
Pac-10 Conference titles and been to the NCAA Tournament for the past 16
years in a row, which is the second longest streak in NCAA history (North
Carolina, 26)... He also led Iowa to the 1980 Final Four... He has been
named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year six times (1986, 88, 89, 93, 94,
98), the Big-10 Coach of the Year twice (1979 & 81) and directed the UA
program to the nation's best winning percentage over the past 13 years...
Prior to coming to the UA, he was at Iowa for nine years and went 168-90...
Before that, he was at Long Beach State for one season (1973-74), where he
was 24-2... In his collegiate career, he has produced 35 NBA Draft picks,
including 20 at Arizona 15 alone on the 1990s... He has led Arizona to 13
consecutive 20-win seasons and has 22 overall in his career, making him one
of only six head coaches in NCAA history to record 22 or more 20-win
seasons... Under Olson, the Cats are 259-26 (.909) in McKale Center and
have won 187 of their last 198 home games.
The Cats in the Pac-10 Stats: In scoring, Loren Woods was eighth in the
Pac-10 (15.6 ppg), Michael Wright was ninth (15.5 ppg) and Gilbert Arenas
was 10th (15.4 ppg)... Wright was second in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and Woods
was sixth (7.5 rpg)... Wright was also second for field goal percentage
(.569) and Woods was fourth (.538)... In steals, Arenas was third (2.09)
and Jason Gardner was eighth (1.62)... Woods led the Pac-10 in blocks (3.92
bpg) and his 102 on the year were 47 more than the No. 2 guy (Jerome Moiso,
UCLA - 55)... In assists, Gardner finished fourth (4.76) and Luke Walton
was No. 8 (3.85 apg)... As a team, Arizona finished fourth in scoring
offense (76.4 ppg), second in scoring defense (67.2 ppg), second in scoring
margin (+9.3 ppg), second in free throw percentage (.730), fifth in field
goal percentage (.457), second in field goal percentage defense (.400),
ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.322), third in three-point
field goal percentage defense (.340), third in rebounding (38.5 rpg),
eighth in rebounding defense (35.7 rpg), fourth in rebounding margin (+2.7
rpg), first in blocked shots (5.65 bpg), sixth in assists (15.79 apg),
fifth in steals (7.50 spg), third in turnover margin (+1.85), fourth in
assist/turnover ratio (+1.05), sixth in offensive rebounds (12.15 pg),
second in defensive rebounds (26.32 pg) and 10th in three point field goals
made (4.56 pg).
The Free Throw & Fouling Storyline: On the season, the Cats committed a
school record low 14.5 fouls per contest and scored 300 more points than
the opposition from foul line... Nine teams attempted fewer than 10 free
throws in a game... The Cats went to the free throw line 387 more times
than the opposition... Arizona sent the opponents to the free throw line an
average of 14.2 times a game (the UA averaged 25.6 free throws attempts per
game)... Arizona tied a school record that had been around since the
1963-64 season at Washington State when they were whistled for just six
fouls at Washington State (the other game was at Bradley on Dec. 30,
1963)... Each of Arizona's eight regulars shot 71% or better from the free
throw line... Overall, the team shot 73.0% from the line... Justin Wessel
made 30-of-37 free throw attempts (81.1%) on the season... He was 10-of-10
from the line against UCLA, as was Michael Wright at Oregon... The Arizona
game FT shooting record is 12-of-12... Wessel may have had the chance to
break that record, but left the game with 2:24 left in the game after
getting an elbow to the nose and needing three stitches to close the cut.
Fine at the Line in Crunch Time: One of the Pac-10's top free throw
shooting teams, Arizona showed a tendency to come up big from the charity
stripe when it mattered most... In the Wildcats' 18 Pac-10 games, they shot
74.3% from the line in the final five minutes (107-of-144)... Even better
was freshman Jason Gardner, who, also in the final five minutes, made
44-of-53 free throw attempts (83.0%)... A game-by-game breakdown shows the
following free throw marks during the final five minutes of each game: at
California (3-4), at Stanford (8-12), Washington State (12-12), Washington
(7-9), at UCLA (8-10), at USC (6-8), at Arizona State (2-2), Oregon (6-8),
Oregon State (4-5), Washington (5-7), Washington State (2-2), USC (5-6),
UCLA (6-8, two misses were by walk-on Peter Hansen), 14-20 against Arizona
State, 5-8 at Oregon State, 2-4 at Oregon, 5-9 vs. Stanford and 7-10
against California.
And Make It A Double: All-Pac-10 first team selection and John Wooden Award
finalist Michael Wright led the Pac-10 Conference with 13 double-doubles
this season, upping his career double-double total to 25... The sophomore
power forward has 25 double-doubles in 63 career games... On the season, he
averaged 15.5 ppg (No. 9 in the Pac-10) and 8.7 rpg (No. 2 in the Pac-10),
while shooting 56.9% from the floor (No. 2 in the Pac-10)... He was the
only UA player to start in all 34 games and has now started 57 consecutive
games for the Cats dating back to last year... He has a career rebounding
average of 8.7 rpg (550 boards)... He scored 20 or more points in a game 12
times with a career-high 28 points coming at Oregon.... He had a
double-digit rebounding total in 14 games... At Oregon State, he had a
season-high 15 rebounds to go with 20 points... In Arizona's two wins
against USC and UCLA in Tucson, he averaged 21.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, shot
17-of-26 from the floor (65.4%) and was 8-of-8 from the free throw line...
Wright was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 6 after averaging
17.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg in wins over Brigham Young and Texas... His 35
rebounds through the first three games of the Preseason NIT were three shy
of the three-game tournament record of 38, set by Gary Trent (Miami of
Ohio)... His 8.8 rpg mark last season was the best ever for a Pac-10 freshman.
Michael Wright's Career Double-Doubles
(25 in 63 career games)
Arizona's record in these games is 18-7
Date Opponent Points Rebounds
12/14/98 UC-Irvine 15 13
1-2-99 at UCLA 14 10
1/4/99 at USC 11 12
1/14/99 at Arizona State 18 12
1/16/99 at New Mexico 15 17
1/23/99 at Oregon State 13 12
1/30/99 California 15 12
2/4/99 at Washington 19 10
2/13/99 Louisiana State 15 11
2/20/99 Oregon 19 13
3/4/99 USC 22 10
3/12/99 Oklahoma 16 12
11/16/99 Kansas State 11 10
11/19/99 New Mexico State 24 13
11/24/99 Notre Dame 22 11
12/1/99 BYU 19 10
12/4/99 Texas 16 13
12/7/99 Connecticut 14 10
12/30/99 Delaware 19 14
1/15/00 Washington 16 12
2/3/00 Oregon 20 10
2/17/00 USC 20 14
2/26/00 Arizona State 16 14
3/2/00 at Oregon State 20 15
3/16/00 Jackson State 19 13
Out to the Woods' Shed: Many, many, highlights and notes came out of Loren
Woods' swat-fest against Oregon on Feb. 3, in Tucson... Most notably was
the NCAA record tying 14 blocked shots... It was the most blocks in an NCAA
game since 1996... He is now tied in the NCAA record books with David
Robinson of Navy (vs. UNC Wilmington, 1-4-86), Shawn Bradley of BYU (vs.
Eastern Kentucky, 12-7-90) and Roy Rogers of Alabama (vs. Georgia,
2-10-96)... It also broke the Pac-10 record of 11 blocks in a game, which
was set by UCLA's Jelani McCoy (vs. Maryland, 12-9-95)... Woods had a
triple-double in the game (16 points, 10 rebounds, 14 blocks), which was
the first for an Arizona player since Damon Stoudamire did it on Feb. 25,
1995 also against Oregon in Tucson (32 points, 12 rebounds, 14
assists)... Since the Pac-10 Conference began charting triple-doubles in
1985, it was the 12th triple-double in league history and just the second
that involves blocked shots, as opposed to assists... McCoy's game against
Maryland was the other (15-10-11 blocks)... Woods' triple-double was the
first in the Pac-10 since UCLA's Toby Bailey had one against Stephen F.
Austin on Dec. 18, 1995... Obviously, the 14 blocks is an Arizona record,
breaking the old mark of 10, which Woods set earlier this season against
Washington State and it was also a McKale Center record, eclipsing the 11
blocks that Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll had in an NCAA Tournament game in
1977.
A Public Service Announcement for Event Security: It must have been fun to
beat the Wildcats... In all four of the UA's road losses this season, the
opposing team's fans rushed the court (Oregon, Oregon State, USC, LSU)...
Dating back to last season, Arizona's last five road losses have seen the
home fans storm their homecourt (Stanford's did it in 1998-99).
Pac-10 Team of the Decade???: Arizona closed the 1990s with the most wins
of any team in the Pac-10 Conference (266)... The UA won five Pac-10
Conference crowns and tied for one other... UCLA was second with four
Pac-10 conference titles that decade... For conference games only,
Arizona's record of 140-40 was the best in the league, with UCLA at No. 2
with a 134-46 mark... The Cats went to the NCAA Tournament each year in the
1990s and won it all in 1997... There were 18 All-Pac-10 first team
selections from Arizona, four Pac-10 Players of the Year and two Pac-10
Freshmen of the Year... Arizona has not recorded a double-digit loss total
since 1986-87... The Wildcats' seven All-Americans during the 1990s trailed
only Duke's 10... UA and North Carolina were tied for second-most
All-Americans in the 1990s.
Block Party: Junior center Loren Woods provided UA basketball with a luxury
it has been without for a while a legitimate shot blocker... Although he
missed the final eight games of the year, he still had 102 blocks (3.9
bpg), which set the Arizona record for blocks in a season... Anthony Cook
had the school record with 84 blocks, set in 1988-89... The Pac-10 single
season record is 124 blocks, set by ASU's Mario Bennett in 1994-95... In
addition to Woods' NCAA record tying 14 blocks against Oregon on Feb. 3, he
also had 10 blocks in a game once this season (Washington State) and seven
blocks in a game three times (Notre Dame, Nebraska and New Mexico)... Last
year, the Cats accounted for 93 blocks on the season and this year -- Woods
alone had just nine more than that total... This season, the team had a
school record 192 blocks.
Arizona Single Season Block Chart
1. Loren Woods, 102 1999-00
2. Anthony Cook, 84 1988-89
3. Anthony Cook, 75 1987-88
4. Anthony Cook, 69 1986-87
5. Anthony Cook, 50 1985-86
The Kids are Alright: The starting freshman guard tandem of Jason Gardner
and Gilbert Arenas were major reasons for the UA's 27-7 Pac-10 championship
season... On the year, they combined for 28 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 6.9 apg and 3.7
spg... They were No. 1 & 2 on the team for steals and minutes... Gardner,
who was the USBWA's, Basketball Times and Basketball News' National
Freshman of the Year, led the team in minutes (36.6), assists (4.8) and
three-point shooting (.363/70-193)... He played all 40 minutes seven times
& played 45 at Oregon State... In the home swing against USC and UCLA, he
averaged 17.5 ppg, 8.5 apg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 spg... He was 12-of-23 from the
floor (.521) and 7-of-15 from the 3PT line (.466)... The frosh played 79 of
a possible 80 minutes and had just two turnovers (17 assists)... At Arizona
State, he played well beyond his years, scoring 16 points to go with seven
assists, four rebounds and four steals, while playing a part in the
defensive effort on ASU's Eddie House... Against Stanford in Tucson, the
duo combined for 28 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and six steals... As
for Arenas, he was 10th in the conference in scoring, averaging 15.4 ppg...
He scored in double figures in 31 of the UA's 34 games and closed the year
by hitting double figures 19 times in a row... He had a career-high 29
points against Arizona State on Feb. 26, and hounded Pac-10 Player of the
Year Eddie House for the second time as well, holding him to a 3-of-15
shooting performance and just seven points in Tucson... Arenas was the
Cats' top scorer in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 18.5 ppg... Prior to his
29 points in the ASU win, he had 24 at Washington State, 21 against USC and
23 against UCLA... At WSU, he was 11-of-14 from the floor and had five
rebounds, four assists and three steals... In the first game against
Arizona State, he scored a then-career and game-high 24 points (10-of-13
shooting from the floor) to go with a career-best eight rebounds and he
too was a part of the "box-and-one" defense on House that wreaked havoc...
Gardner had an excellent weekend the first time he played the L.A. schools
as well... In the games at UCLA and USC, he scored 45 points... He was
11-of-22 from the floor, 17-of-20 from the free throw line and 6-of-14 from
three-point land (he had a career-high 25 points against USC)... The tandem
was exceptional at UCLA, as they combined for 38 points, eight assists,
seven rebounds and five steals... Gardner had 20 points, six assists and
four rebounds, while Arenas netted 18 and was 7-of-11 from the floor...
They backed that up with a 41-point, 8-rebound night at USC... Gardner had
a big performance in the win at Stanford, scoring 22 points to go with a
career-best six rebounds and four assists... He was 4-of-5 from the
three-point line... They enjoyed their time in the Madison Square Garden
limelight for the Preseason NIT, appearing in their own version of an
off-Broadway "CATS" performance... They were both named to the Preseason
NIT All-Tournament team, while Arenas was the tourney's MVP... Arenas
averaged 17.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 3.5 spg, helping Arizona beat Notre
Dame and Kentucky... He went for a game and career-high 20 points in the
title game versus UK... As for Gardner, he averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 2.0
spg and only turned the ball over once while playing in 72 of a possible 80
minutes.
The New Gil-enium: Gilbert Arenas' 29 points against Arizona State on Feb.
26, were the most for a UA frosh since 1974... That season, Bob Elliott
scored 38 against ASU... His total bettered the high point games of other
UA freshman standouts like Sean Elliott (28), Michael Dickerson (25),
Richard Jefferson (25), Khalid Reeves (23), Mike Bibby (22) and Damon
Stoudamire (19)... Arenas averaged 16.9 ppg in Pac-10 Conference games.
Roster Additions: A member of Arizona's football team, Peter Hansen, was
added to the Arizona basketball roster to help the team out because of the
roster depletions... His first day or practice was Jan. 12, and at
6-foot-8, 235 pounds, he gave the team an extra big body to go against in
practice... He played in four games (at ASU, at WSU, UCLA, Jackson
State)... The football team's designated "extra point and field goal
blocker", he is a walk-on to the football team who started his career as a
quarterback... One other addition was walk-on Russell Harris, a 5-foot-11,
165-pound freshman guard from Mundelein, Ill (Mundelein High School)... His
only action of the season was at Washington State when he played two
minutes, against UCLA in Tucson (one min./one asst.) and vs. Jackson St. in
the NCAAs.
Arizona Single Season Record Updates
Three-Point Field Goals Made
114 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
112 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
93 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
85 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
77 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
76 Jason Terry, 1998-99
71 Matt Othick, 1991-92
70 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
68 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
67 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
Three-Point Field Goals Attempts
265 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
241 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
224 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
199 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
199 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
193 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
191 Jason Terry, 1998-99
176 Jason Terry, 1997-98
170 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
166 Michael Dickerson, 1996-97
Free Throws
211 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
195 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
177 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
176 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
152 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
151 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
145 Michael Wright, 1999-00
145 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
144 Miles Simon, 1997-98
144 Al Fleming, 1974-75
Free Throws Attempted
264 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
257 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
232 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
225 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
222 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
215 Sean Rooks, 1991-92
208 Bob Elliott, 1974-75
207 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
203 Michael Wright, 1999-00
187 Bill Warner, 1970-71
Rebounds
373 Leo Johnson, 1950-51
343 Al Fleming, 1974-75
343 Bill Reeves, 1955-56
341 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
329 Al Fleming, 1975-76
314 Joe Skaisgir, 1961-62
313 Ben Davis, 1995-96
297 Michael Wright, 1999-00
292 Phil Taylor, 1976-77
290 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
Blocks
102 Loren Woods, 1999-00
84 Anthony Cook, 1988-89
75 Anthony Cook, 1987-88
69 Anthony Cook, 1986-87
50 Anthony Cook, 1985-86
Steals
85 Jason Terry, 1996-97
84 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
80 Jason Terry, 1998-99
76 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
71 Gilbert Arenas, 1999-00
67 Reggie Geary, 1995-96
67 Kenny Lofton, 1988-89
Three-Point Field Goals Made
114 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
112 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
93 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
85 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
77 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
76 Jason Terry, 1998-99
71 Matt Othick, 1991-92
68 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
67 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
66 Matt Muehlebach, 1989-90
66 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
64 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
Three-Point Field Goals Attempts
265 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
241 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
224 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
199 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
199 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
191 Jason Terry, 1998-99
182 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
176 Jason Terry, 1997-98
170 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
166 Michael Dickerson, 1996-97
160 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
Free Throws
211 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
195 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
177 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
176 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
152 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
151 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
145 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
144 Miles Simon, 1997-98
144 Al Fleming, 1974-75
141 Jason Terry, 1998-99
140 Michael Wright, 1999-00
Free Throws Attempted
264 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
257 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
232 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
225 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
222 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
215 Sean Rooks, 1991-92
208 Bob Elliott, 1974-75
297 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
195 Michael Wright, 1999-00
187 Bill Warner, 1970-71
186 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
Three-Point Field Goals Made
114 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
112 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
93 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
85 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
77 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
76 Jason Terry, 1998-99
71 Matt Othick, 1991-92
68 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
67 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
66 Matt Muehlebach, 1989-90
66 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
64 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
Three-Point Field Goals Attempts
265 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
241 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
224 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
199 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
199 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
191 Jason Terry, 1998-99
182 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
176 Jason Terry, 1997-98
170 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
166 Michael Dickerson, 1996-97
160 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
Free Throws
211 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
195 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
177 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
176 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
152 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
151 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
145 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
144 Miles Simon, 1997-98
144 Al Fleming, 1974-75
141 Jason Terry, 1998-99
140 Michael Wright, 1999-00
Free Throws Attempted
264 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
257 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
232 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
225 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
222 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
215 Sean Rooks, 1991-92
208 Bob Elliott, 1974-75
297 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
195 Michael Wright, 1999-00
187 Bill Warner, 1970-71
186 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
Roster Moves: With Loren Woods' injury, there were only seven scholarship
players available for action (Rick Anderson, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner,
Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton, Justin Wessel and Michael Wright)... There
were five non-scholarship/walk-on players (John Ash, Josh Pastner, Peter
Hansen, Russell Harris and Mike Schwertley, who was redshirting)... Two
additional scholarship players, Eugene Edgerson and Lamont Frazier, sat out
this season... Edgerson was out with a redshirt season so he can work on
the student-teaching portion of his education degree... Frazier missed the
final 27 games to take care of academic responsibilities and a medical
condition -- and as a result of all the missed time, the UA coaching staff
will look to get a redshirt season for him... The deletions from the
original roster include freshman center Robertas Javtokas, who decided to
return his native Lithuania and play professionally... Junior transfer Luke
Recker transferred to Iowa he had come to the UA from Indiana prior to
this season, but returned to the Midwest to be closer to his family and
girlfriend (Kelly Craig), who was injured in a July car crash... Of the
transfer, he said, "After what happened this summer, I feel I need to be
closer to my family, Kelly and Jason (Craig) and their family, and many
other important people in my life. I have been nothing but extremely
impressed with coach Lute Olson and the Arizona program and I will miss
them greatly"... The third was sophomore guard Ruben Douglas, who was
granted his request for a release from his scholarship on Nov. 14... He has
transferred to New Mexico.
Road Warriors: This season saw the Wildcats play in 12 different locales
and four separate time zones while logging 18,635 travel miles... Further,
the team was through 15 different airports and on 35 different plane flights.
Jefferson's Starship: Richard Jefferson broke his right foot three minutes
into the Cats road win over top-ranked Stanford on Jan. 8, and then missed
the team's next 13 games... Prior to the injury, he was fourth on the team
in scoring (12.2 ppg) and first in three-point shooting (.452/14-31)... He
was third in field goal percentage (.532) and rebounding (4.9 rpg)... He
was second in assists (3.3 apg)... Earlier this season, he was a subject of
ESPN.com's question of the day on the college basketball site it asked
"who is the best small forward in the country?"... He garnered 12% of the
vote to finish fourth behind Michigan State's Morris Peterson, Maryland's
Terrance Morris and Cincinnati's Pete Mickeal... Upon recovering from the
injury, he made his return to the lineup on March 2 against Oregon State...
He went scoreless on the trip to Oregon, but more than made up for that
with his season-high tying 19-point outing in the win over second-ranked
Stanford in Tucson... He came off the bench and was 8-of-16 from the floor
in 21 minutes... One of the most athletic players in the country, he was a
regular on the various "Plays of the Week" shows before the injury,
providing more than a fair share of highlight reel dunks and blocks... He
is finally coming into his own as a wing player after spending his high
school career as a back-tothe-basket post player... His season was
highlighted by a 19-point, five rebound, four assist outing at Texas, that
helped lift Arizona to an 88-81 win over the ninth-ranked Longhorns... All
19 points came in the second half when he was 8-of-10 from the floor... He
was named to the Fiesta Bowl All-Tournament team and the Preseason NIT
All-Tournament team.
1999-00 Arizona Wildcat Honor Roll
Michael Wright
John R. Wooden Award Finalist
All-Pac-10 Conference First Team
USBWA All-District 9 Team
NABC All District 15 First Team
Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America
Pac-10 Player of the Week (Dec. 6)
Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic All Tournament Team
Loren Woods
Pac-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year
All-Pac-10 Conference First Team
CBS/Sportsline.com All-America Second Team
USBWA All-District 9 Team
NABC All-District 15 Second Team
Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America
Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic MVP
Pac-10 Player of the Week (Jan. 17)
Pac-10 Player of the Week (Feb. 7)
Jason Gardner
USBWA National Freshman of the Year
Basketball Times National Freshman of the Year
Basketball News National Freshman of the Year
Basketball Times Third Team All-America
Basketball Times Freshman All-America First Team
All-Pac-10 Conference First Team
CBS/Sportsline.com Freshman All-America Team
NABC All-District 15 Second Team
ESPN.com National Freshman of the Year
College Hoops Insider Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
Dick Vitale's National Freshman of the Year
Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team
Preseason NIT All-Tournament Team
Gilbert Arenas
Basketball Times Freshman All-America Second Team
All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention Team
Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team
Preseason NIT Most Valuable Player
Richard Jefferson
Preseason NIT All-Tournament Team
Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic All Tournament Team
Lute Olson
USBWA District 9 Coach of the Year
Naismith College Basketball Coach of the Year Finalist
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Clair Bee National Coach of the
Year Finalist
College Hoops Insider Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame
Luke Walton
Pac-10 All-Freshman Honorable Mention Team
Lower Output, Same Results: Arizona scored less than 70 points in a game 11
times this season... In the past three seasons combined, the Wildcats only
had eight games of less than 70 points...The Cats averaged 76.4 ppg on the
year... That is lowest average since the 1986-87 club scored 75.6 ppg...
Conversely, this year's Cats played some pretty stingy defense, allowing
only 67.2 ppg, which is the lowest opponent point per game average since
the 1989-90 team allowed 66.9 ppg... Nine teams scored less than 60 points
against Arizona this season.
Groovin' & Truckin': Redshirt freshman Luke Walton turned in an outstanding
first year of collegiate basketball (5.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.9 apg)... The
team's leading assist man in nine of the final 13 outings, he was the
starting three-man for the final 18 games of the year after Richard
Jefferson went down with his injury... In the regular season's final
three games, he had 27 assists, handing out a career-high 12 against
Stanford, six versus California and nine at Oregon... In the win over
second ranked Stanford in Tucson, he also added 15 points and five rebounds
and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line... His best game of his career came
against Arizona State in Tucson, when he scored a career-high 23 points to
go with a game-high seven assists, a game and career-high three blocks and
three steals... He was 7-of-9 from the floor and made his first five shots
of the game... The team's leading assist man in conference play, his 101
assists were 22 more than point guard Jason Gardner's total... In league
games, Walton averaged 7.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 5.6 apg.
Pac-10 Prognostications: The Wildcats were picked to win the 1999-2000
Pac-10 Conference title, according to a poll of media members who regularly
cover the league... The poll showed Arizona getting 32 of the possible 36
first-place votes, edging No. 2 UCLA, which received three first place
votes and No. 3 Stanford, which garnered one first place vote... Following
the top-three were Oregon, Oregon State, California, USC, Arizona State,
Washington and Washington State. This poll has correctly picked the Pac-10
Champion for five years in a row and Arizona has now been the preseason No.
1 pick six times since the poll was started back in 1989.
Cats Sign Two for 2000-01: The Arizona basketball program signed two
Southern California products on the opening day of 2000 spring signing
period -- Travis Hanour (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Andrew Zahn (Redondo
Beach, Calif.)... Hanour is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound combination guard who
will be able to play of the three Wildcat guard positions... Last season as
a senior at Laguna Beach High School, he averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds
and 5.4 assists per game and shot 40% from the three-point line. He was a
first-team all-California Interscholastic Federation player and the Pacific
Coast League's most valuable player... As for Zahn, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound
forward from Redondo Union High School, he will play either the four or the
five positions for the Cats... Last year, he averaged 20 points, 12
rebounds and three blocks per game. He led his team to a record of 25-5 in
1999-00 and an appearance in the California high school Division II-AA
semi-final game.
Ties Count as a Win: With each win by the Arizona basketball team this
year, head coach Lute Olson donated the tie he wore in the game to the
Tucson YMCA , and in turn they auctioned off that tie to the public, with
all the proceeds going towards their youth programs...At the conclusion of
the season his closet was minus 26 ties including the one he wore at
Stanford, which was career win No. 600. That piece of his wardrobe was
shipped to the Basketball Hall of Fame, where it will be displayed in a
temporary display honoring his 600th victory.
Pretty Good Success: Dating back to the first round loss of the 1986 Big
Apple NIT, Arizona has won 68 of its last 74 games that have been played as
part of an in-season tournament or one-game special event (i.e. Bank One
Fiesta Bowl Classic, Preseason NIT, Maui Invitational, Great Eight Classic,
Las Vegas Showdown, Great Alaska Shootout, Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic,
etc., etc.)... This season, Arizona is 7-1 in such events, going 4-0 in the
Preseason NIT, losing to Connecticut at the Great Eight, beating Nebraska
in the Las Vegas Showdown and beating UNC-Wilmington and Delaware in the
opening round of the Fiesta Bowl Classic.
Happy Action Graduation Time: If getting your undergraduate degree in just
two-and-a-half years was not enough, Arizona senior Josh Pastner pushed the
envelope even further with his most recent scholastic accomplishment... On
Dec. 18, he received his master's degree in teaching & teacher education,
taking just three-and-a-half years to do so... He walked in the University
of Arizona's graduation ceremonies on that Saturday morning, and then
boarded a plane to Las Vegas to meet up with the team for that night's game
against Nebraska... In 1998-99, the road trip and graduation day was
exactly the same as well, when he received his undergraduate degree in
family studies... He walked the morning of Dec. 19, 1998 and then flew to
Las Vegas later that day for the Cats' game in the Las Vegas Shootout
versus Iowa State.
A Redshirt Year: Arizona was without the services of senior forward Eugene
Edgerson this season, as he redshirted so he could 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
student taught during the 2000 spring semester, while fulfilling other
requirements last fall... He taught kindergarten at Borton Magnet
Elementary School in Tucson.
Then There Were Four: Just four players remained from Arizona's 1997 NCAA
Championship team Eugene Edgerson, Justin Wessel, John Ash and Josh Pastner.
Former Cats in the NBA: This season, there are nine former Arizona players
on NBA rosters -- the list was reduced by three in when A.J. Bramlett, Ben
Davis and Khalid Reeves were released when the final cut-down date hit...
The current nine-man list includes, Mike Bibby (Vancouver), Jud Buechler
(Detroit), Michael Dickerson (Vancouver), Sean Elliott (San Antonio), Steve
Kerr (San Antonio), Chris Mills (Golden State), Sean Rooks (Dallas), Damon
Stoudamire (Portland) and Jason Terry (Atlanta)... In the 1990s, there have
been 15 players drafted by NBA teams.
Shooting Sets the Tone: Since the 1996-97 season, Arizona is 85-5 in games
when it has a better shooting percentage than its opponent... The Wildcats
were 24-1 this year, 19-1 last season, 23-2 the year before and 18-1 in
1996-97 campaign.
80s Preservation Society: In the past four years, the UA is 88-9 when it
scores 80 or more points in a game... Further, since the 1992-93 season,
Arizona is 149-16 when it scores 80 or more... The Cats were 13-1 this
year, were 15-2 in 1998-99, 26-3 in 1997-98 and 19-2 in 1996-97.
Final Associated Press Top-25
through games of March 12
Team Record Pts Prev
1. Duke (58) 27-4 1,729 3
2. Michigan St (6) 26-7 1,628 5
3.Stanford (3) 26-3 1,522 2
4. Arizona (2) 26-6 1,510 9
5. Temple 26-5 1,482 6
6. Iowa St 29-4 1,441 7
7.Cincinnati (1) 28-3 1,414 1
8.Ohio St 22-6 1,192 4
9. St Johns 24-7 1,050 19
10.LSU 26-5 1,035 10
11.Tennessee 24-6 986 8
12.Oklahoma 26-6 919 15
13. Florida 24-7 853 11
14. Oklahoma St 24-6 748 17
15. Texas 23-8 729 13
16. Syracuse 24-5 701 12
17. Maryland 24-9 670 20
18. Tulsa 29-4 550 14
19. Kentucky 22-9 496 16
20. Connecticut 24-9 452 21
21. Illinois 21-9 444 25
22. Indiana 20-8 394 18
23. Miami Fla 21-10 181 23
24. Auburn 23-9 166 NR
25. Purdue 21-9 100 22
Final USA Today/ESPN Top-25
through games of April 3
Team Record Pts Prev
1. Michigan St. (31) 32-7 775 1
2. Florida 29-8 735 11
3. Iowa State 32-5 657 7
4. Duke 29-5 656 1
5. Stanford 27-4 594 3
6. Oklahoma St. 27-7 529 15
7. Cincinnati 29-4 520 6
8. Arizona 27-7 497 4
9. Tulsa 32-5 446 19
10.Temple 27-6 431 5
11. North Carolina 22-14 400 NR
12. Syracuse 26-6 387 14
13. LSU 28-6 378 9
14. Tennessee 26-7 362 10
15. Purdue 24-10 347 24
16. Wisconsin 22-14 339 NR
17.Ohio State 23-7 301 8
18. St. John's 25-8 235 12
19. Oklahoma 27-7 227 13
20. Miami (Fla.) 23-11 201 25
21. Texas 24-9 178 18
22. Kentucky 23-10 160 20
23. UCLA 21-12 117 NR
24. Gonzaga 26-9 110 NR
25. Maryland 25-10 101 16
