Jim Rosborough

Title

Assistant Coach

In his 18 years at Arizona, Jim Rosborough (pronounced ROZZ-burr-oh) proved himself to be one of the top game strategists around - a role he developed in 27 seasons working alongside Lute Olson.

His expertise and familiarity of the Olson system were one of the driving forces that sustained the Arizona program as one of the finest in the country, both on and off the court.

During his time at Arizona, Rosborough helped the Wildcats win 10 Pac-10 championships – eight regular season crowns and two tournament titles – in addition to appearing in the NCAA Tournament all 18 years. In the NCAA Tournament, Rosborough and the Wildcats advanced to three Final Fours (1994, 1997, 2001) and won the National Championship in 1997. When you add in his time with Olson at the University of Iowa, Rosborough made 23 NCAA Tournament appearances and four Final Four trips.

Arizona’s record in Rosborough’s 18 seasons in Tucson was an astounding 484-138, good for a .778 winning percentage. That time period also accounted for 25 of the 52 members of the 1,000 career point club at the University of Arizona.

When it comes to helping student-athletes advance to the next level, Rosborough and Olson were a formidable team, recruiting 29 players that were selected in the NBA Draft, with 12 of those being first round picks. Arizona also had 29 All-American selections in that time period.

Rosborough’s often behind-the-scenes efforts were evident in 2004-05, as his steady hand molded the Wildcat perimeter into one of the nation’s most productive.  After struggling out of the gate, the Wildcats caught fire, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor over the last 28 games, all while increasing assists and decreasing turnovers as the club won 30 games, claimed the school’s 11^thPac-10 championship and advanced to the NCAA regional final for the third time in the last five years.

His efforts could also be seen in the maturation of Salim Stoudamire, as Rosborough helped the senior become the most accurate and one of the most productive guards in the country.

The 2003-04 season saw the Wildcats use a perimeter-dominant lineup that finished the season as the nation’s top-scoring team (87.1 ppg) for the second year in a row and ranked third nationally in assists per game (18.7 apg).  Along the way, Arizona won 20 games for the 17^th consecutive year and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 20^th straight season.

The 2002-03 campaign was some of Rosborough’s best work in Tucson. He turned a senior, a sophomore and three freshmen into arguably the finest perimeter group, a group that was the driving force behind a club that won 28 games, spent 13 weeks atop the Associated Press’ top-25 poll and won the school’s 10^th Pac-10 championship.

Rosborough’s cool demeanor was essential in 2001-02, as the Wildcat staff molded a squad made up of three juniors and seven underclassmen into the eventual Pac-10 Tournament Champions and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 participants.  With Rosborough’s assistance as a motivator and strategist, Arizona met the challenge of the nation’s most difficult schedule and won more than 20 games for the 15^th consecutive season.

One needs to look no further than his performance during Olson's leave of absence in the middle of the 2000-01 season to realize just how crucial Rosborough was to Wildcat basketball. Despite high emotions on and off the court, he led the team to a 3-1 Pac-10 record in Olson's absence, including a road sweep of the Washington schools that many surrounding the team considered the turning point of the season, as the Cats eventually finished as the NCAA runner-up. His strong ability to lead allowed the team to continue with as little interruption as possible.

Rosborough was promoted to associate head coach following Arizona's 1996-97 NCAA championship season, a move that gave him expanded duties within the program and demonstrated his invaluable position in the Arizona basketball program.

Game preparation and defense are Rosborough's main focuses for the Cats and it is no coincidence that those were crucial elements of Arizona's two most recent Final Four appearances. He worked with Arizona's perimeter players and helped the Cats produce 11 backcourt All-Americans over 18 seasons, including 1998-99 National Player of the Year Jason Terry, as well as 1997-98 Player-of-the-Year finalists Mike Bibby and Miles Simon, and 2003 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Player of the Year Jason Gardner. Those four, along with 1994-95 All-American and former NBA Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire, cite Roz's coaching as a reason for their success.  It’s no secret that Rosborough has helped turn Arizona basketball into “Point Guard U.”  All told, Rosborough has produced 40 NBA Draft picks when including those from his time at Iowa.

Rosborough also directed the Lute Olson Basketball Camps, overseeing most daily office operations and was greatly involved with the academic progress of the players. In addition, he was closely involved in recruiting efforts that consistently attracted top-flight classes, including the 2005-06 class, which was ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

Rosborough was a top aide to Olson at Iowa from 1974 to 1983.  While there, he built a solid reputation during the rebirth of Hawkeye basketball in the 1970s that included six 20-win seasons, five NCAA berths, a Big Ten title in 1979 and a Final Four appearance in 1980. As a recruiter on those early Hawkeye teams, he had repeated success in Chicago, drawing four starters from the Windy City for Iowa's Final Four club that included All-Americans Ronnie Lester and Kevin Boyle along with Steve Krafcisin and Kenny Arnold. He was also responsible for recruiting 16 future NBA draft picks to Iowa City and he helped design a defense which twice led the Big Ten in scoring defense.

When Olson departed for Arizona, Rosborough remained an assistant to Iowa athletic director Bump Elliott and did color commentary for Hawkeye basketball. He was then an aide to J.D. Barnett at Tulsa for a year, where he helped guide the Golden Hurricanes to an NCAA tournament appearance.

Rosborough took his first head coaching position at Northern Illinois University in April 1986. He posted a record of 28-56 in three seasons at NIU (1987-89), but his first recruiting class went on to a 26-5 record and NCAA Tournament bid in its senior season.

A 1962 graduate of Moline (Ill.) High School, Rosborough was an all-state forward and inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 27, 2002, a nod to his outstanding prep playing career.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1966 from Iowa and earned his teaching certificate from Loyola (Ill.) in 1970. He and his wife, Kim, were married in Iowa City, Iowa and have two sons, Greg, a former UA basketball video manager, and Jon. Rosborough was born on Dec. 2, 1944, in Davenport, Iowa.