Arizona Head Coach Lute Olson Quotes
"I can't thank the players enough for coming back and doing this. We could all tell how much the fans enjoyed seeing the players, and I look forward to doing this a little more often."
"It is so great for so many of our guys to come back. They love Tucson, and they have a good love affair with the fans. We have loved seeing all of them."
"It was a great weekend, and I am thrilled by the turnout we had with both the players and the fans. It was interesting to see guys like Eddie Smith and Pete Williams, who played on our first team, play with guys who just finished playing a few months ago. They all just meshed, and it was really something to see, and it really does make me feel proud."
"I definitely feel very old watching these guys, but it was fun. Tom (Tolbert) is a showman, and he made it really fun for everyone else. It was great when Steve (Kerr) missed that shot and went to sit in the stands. The purpose of the weekend was to have a lot of fun and to give the fans a chance to see the players they have enjoyed watching over the years."
Player Quotes
Rick Anderson
UA Forward, 1998-2003
"This was a great experience. You can talk to everyone, and they will say the same thing. It was fun, and I had a great time."
On joking around with Coach Olson:
"He's a lot more loose now that I'm not on the team. I hack at him just like he hacks at me."
Gilbert Arenas
UA Guard, 1999-2001
"Everyone out there was having fun and getting back in shape. It was fun being able to run up and down the court with the older players."
"It was a wonderful time. It was great to play with some of my old teammates."
On leaving UA early for the NBA:
"I had to stay positive. I didn't want to look back and think, 'What if I had stayed?' I enjoyed every aspect, from the fans to the school to my teammates."
On what is next for him in the NBA:
"Right now, it's the same old, same old. I'm anxious to get into form and see what I can do."
Jud Buechler
UA Forward, 1986-90
"When you go into a game like this you expect everyone to go in and mess around and have fun, but the competitive spirit definitely came out in us and it was a lot of fun to mix it up with the guys."
"It was a great game. It has been fantastic to be here and see everyone. Coach Olson put this together and it means so much to all of us to be here for him."
Eugene Edgerson
UA Forward, 1996-2001
"It was good to see all of the old guys and those who played before my time. It's great to see all of the talent that has come through this program."
"Some of those older guys were pretty good. A guy like Pete Williams can still play. He can really jump."
"It was for fun, but the young guys really wanted to win. You play to win, but you have fun at the same time."
On the collision with Sean Elliot:
"Yeah, I told him that I was sorry. I was just trying to save the ball, and he was right there."
Sean Elliot
UA Forward, 1985-89
"It was great to be able to be a part of something like this. It was a lot of fun to be out there on the court. There was no way I was going to miss this."
"We all owe Coach Olson a lot. Without Coach Olson many of the players who have come through the Arizona basketball program would not be where they are today without him."
"There wasn't a chance that the players who showed up today would ever pass up the opportunity to be here for Coach Olson."
Steve Kerr
UA Guard, 1983-88
"It was great to play with those guys, Gilbert Arenas and Luke Walton, it was a great generation gap."
"It was great, coach for the first time asked us to not play hard defense to let them come back, but we put them down in the end."
"It was fun having everyone yell my name again."
Joe McLean
UA Guard, 1992-96
"He (Lute Olson) already made a comment about our lack of defense."
"It was great (playing in the Lute Olson All-Star Classic), we've been looking forward to this for months, starting Friday and ending today. I was glad it was a running clock."
"I haven't played in three and a half years, it was great to play and get the blood pumping again. Nothing has changed here at McKale."
Khalid Reeves
UA Guard, 1990-94
"It was a lot of fun to play with these guys. It was great to be back in Mckale in front of all the fans."
"I love the fourth quarter, I try to step it up."
"I miss it (his playing time at Arizona) looking back, but I have had good times afterwards as well."
Sean Rooks
UA Center, 1988-92
"It was great to come back and see all of the guys you played with and the new guys who are coming up in the program now. It hits you a bit when you come back."
"Coach Olson has done a lot for all of us. This is a great thing to be apart of because we are here to support Coach Olson and all of the new players coming up in the program."
Eddie Smith
UA Forward, 1983-85
"To come back and play with the energy and play with the guys that you looked up to, and to have the young guys here too, it was fun."
"When you see players from Gilbert (Arenas) to Pete (Williams); who is still in incredible shape, Pete is 40 and is playing almost like he did in college and to have a TV analysis (Tom Tolbert) stepping back and hitting shots, it was fun."
Jason Terry
UA Guard, 1995-99
"I loved every minute of this experience. It was cool because you didn't get to play with some of these guys. It was fun getting to play with some of the older guys who were here before me."
"They've got me for life. I am a Wildcat for life. Tucson will always be my first home."
"I was definitely gunning for some big plays out there. It was for bragging rights. I had to play my game with Gilbert (Arenas) out there."
Tom Tolbert
UA Forward, 1986-88
"Why I have a lot of stuff in my bag, you have to save some. Who knows when you will have to come back and play again?"
"It was fun to play with everyone. We were taking it easy to make sure we kept everyone healthy, not spraining any ankles or twisting any knees."
