Arizona Basketball: What’s in a (Jersey) Number?

The 2016-17 Arizona Basketball team has just released the list of jersey numbers chosen by this year’s newcomers, with a few changes for the veterans.

It’s well over 100 degrees in the desert southwest, so those stuck here for the summer can pass the time indoors by dreaming of future Arizona Wildcat teams and their athletes who will be matriculating at Arizona in August.

Fall can’t get here soon enough.  Last year’s basketball season ended with a thud, so let’s look ahead to next season’s Wildcats.  For starters, we’ll take a look at some of the jersey numbers we’ll be seeing at McKale and if we can read anything into the choices.

Here is a list of the new Arizona Basketball jersey numbers:

1–Rawle Alkins

2–Kobi Simmons

3–Dylan Smith

4–Terrance Ferguson (we are aware there are rumors until we hear otherwise he will be a Wildcat)

10–Lauri Markkanen

20–Denny Talbott

24–Ray Smith (His jersey was No. 2, but his old number was No. 24)

25–Keanu Pinder

35–Allonzo Trier (He jumped from No. 11 his freshman year.)

55–Jake Des Jardins

It’s easiest to start at the beginning, so let’s look at small forward Rawle Alkins‘s choice of No. 1.  It seems like a statement of confidence, especially since he turned down offers from some of the college basketball big guns closer to his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Arizona fans saw plenty of No. 1 recently during Gabe York‘s 4-year tenure at Arizona.  One thing that stands out from last season was the post-game interview Gabe did after the win at Gonzaga on December 5, 2015.

He was the utmost professional and extremely polite, traits that will carry him far in life.  We hope to see plenty of post-game winning interviews with our new No. 1 jersey.

Kobi Simmons, Arizona’s newest point guard, chose the Wildcats knowing the program’s nickname is Point Guard U, referring to the parade of point guards who have made it big in the NBA.  In 2001, the Wildcats made it to the championship of the NCAA tournament, ultimately falling to Duke.  Who started that game and wore No. 2?  Michael Wright, Arizona’s power forward.  Sadly, the Arizona family lost Wright in November, but we hope we see another No. 2 jersey in a March Madness final soon. 

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Both No. 10 and No. 25 were chosen as the jerseys are retired, numbers cannot be retired as there are too few numbers you can use in basketball.

Mike Bibby, point guard for Arizona’s only basketball national championship, wore No. 10 in 1997.  And No. 25, whose new owner is a transfer Keanu Pinder, was retired by Steve Kerr, the leader of the 1988 Final Four team and current coach of the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

Lauri Markkanen, who chose to wear No. 10, was born 52 days after Bibby won the national championship with Arizona in 1997.   It’s likely Bibby wasn’t a household name in Markkanen’s native Finland, but we hope he’ll make himself a household name in Scandinavia wearing No. 10 this year.

Kobi Simmons was able to choose No. 2 because it was freed up this year by Ray Smith, who redshirted last year with a knee injury.   Smith has moved to No. 24, his old number in high school.

On the opposite side of the NBA finals from Steve Kerr, this week is Richard Jefferson, who wore No. 44 as a small forward at Arizona from 1998-2001 (as did Harvey Mason and does his son Trey Mason).   Thanks to Jefferson’s success at Arizona and beyond in the NBA, his name is prominently displayed on the basketball practice facility he helped finance adjacent to McKale Center.

Another name from the past is Jud Buechler, center on the 1988 Final Four team.  He attended Arizona from 1986-1990, wearing No. 35.  This coming season, sophomore Allonzo Trier will be wearing No. 35, changing from No.11 last year.

Since he’s from Oklahoma and Washington, he has followed Kevin Durant’s career with the Oklahoma City Thunder (formally the Seattle Sonics), who also wears No. 35.

Terrance Ferguson picked No. 4 T.J. McConnell’s jersey number! Ferguson picked the Floor General’s number and if everything works out for him to come to Tucson. We understand he and his family want him to come to Arizona, but it may not be possible due to NCAA review of his high school classes.

The Augsburg College basketball team had a player back in the 50’s who sported No. 20.   That 1956 graduate was former University of Arizona men’s basketball coach Lute Olson.  Is it possible Denny Talbott, recent Lipscomb graduate, was aware of this when he decided to transfer to Arizona for his fifth year?

And did Dylan Smith know his new head coach, Sean Miller, wore No.3 at Pittsburgh as his team’s point guard?

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After all, they are both point guards.  Regardless, it’s clear A Players Program will continue to reflect its motto:  Past. Present. Future. BearDown!