AZCATS182

So every year, and more and more so lately (tough last couple of seasons), I start to ask myself, why do I care so much about Arizona Basketball? Anyone who knows me, knows that I rarely miss a game, will call in sick to work for the first games of the PAC-10 tourney (since the first day the games are played in the middle of the day), heck, I even delayed my honeymoon so we wouldn't be traveling on the day that we played Villanova in the national tourney back in 2005. Why am I so fanatical about this program. I have no ties to the program, and really no ties to the school. I've only attended one game in my life (Adams St. earlier this year).

Little background about myself. I was born and raised in Tucson Arizona, right around the time that Lute and Bobbi's program really began to make headlines. I have vivid memories of shooting hoops in my back yard pretending to be Steve Kerr. I remember Lute being revered as royalty in those times, and UofA basketball being all the buzz in Tucson (think 1988-1989). Side note, I had Steve Kerr sign a flyer while he was signing autographs at the Tucson mall right after he was drafted.

Shortly after this (summer of 1989) I moved to Yuma (I wanted to stary in Tucson, but I was only 8 so I had to go where my parents were going). After graduating High School I moved to Dallas, and watched the Blue Devils deny us our second national title. The following fall I enrolled at the U. While attending Arizona, I had absolutely no affiliation with the program. Outside of seeing Lute around campus or town on occasion, and my girlfriend at the time having Luke Walton in a class, nothing.

I transferred to a community college after that first year, so only attended the UofA for a short while. So, I'm not an alumni, hardly went to school there, I don't know anyone within the program, and I've never played organized ball in any form (I wrestled in junior high and high school, and I think I signed a lot of year books with "I'd rather wrestle and get pinned, then to ever play basketball") but man, do I love to watch it.

So what is it? The prestige of the program? Maybe. Fear of being called a fair weather fan, given the recent (relatively) down years? No. I think it may have something to do with the underdog factor. Even in years past, even when holding the #1 ranking, I think UofA has been looked down upon by voters and the rest of the nation. Maybe its because of the way the program works, and the program that Lute put together. You (almost) never hear about a UofA player getting into altercations (Adams' DUI is the only one I can think of off the top of my head), or being on academic suspension (UofA is rated as a Public Ivy for those who didn't know, so Academic Suspension can be a real possibility). I'll sum it up as character. This is a program that Lute built on character, work ethic, and taking care of business. I love to see these kids night in and night out, and if they win, great, if they are having an off night, or an off year, or an off decade, you know that you'll still have at least one fan here.