We believe in Coach Sean Miller and his Arizona Basketball team. But we wonder how he is preparing his team for the upcoming NCAA Tournament?
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Earlier in the week, ZonaZealots writers gave our opinions on the brackets and the chances for the Wildcats to win and make it deep into the tournament. We also explained five keys to winning the tournament. On top of that, Brad Malone explored the past, and when Arizona Basketball teams have gone far into the tournament even though they didn’t have a ton of future NBA talent.
That said, we aren’t the great coach Sean Miller, and there are strategies and methods of coaching we hadn’t considered. He gave us a glance into his thought process earlier this week when he was a guest on the Rich Eisen show on Monday.
Eisen did his homework on Miller and brought up his famous past and memories of playing in college. He also asked him about his guest appearance as a kid on the Johnny Carson Show (The Tonight Show) when he showed off his dribbling skills. Man, he had some mad dribbling skills.
We caught a couple of nuggets which give you some insight into how Miller is coaching his team to prepare for the tournament. They play on Thursday about 6:20 p.m., PST/MST in Rhode Island (and on the TNT channel) against the Wichita State University Shockers.
Nugget one: Miller isn’t talking to his team about the finals, the Final Four or the Elite Eight. Instead, he is only concentrating on goal number one, the Sweet 16.
Miller, "We try to simplify it, it's a four-team tournament each weekend, getting to the sweet 16 is your prize" on approach w/Players
— ZonaZealotsFS (@ZonaZealots) March 16, 2016
That’s a pretty good strategy, just concentrate on the next two games and treat it as a small tournament.
Nugget two: Have fun!
Miller "I really try to rekindle the joy..we understand that this is a great thing, this is a fun thing..it's good pressure" on preparation
— ZonaZealotsFS (@ZonaZealots) March 16, 2016
There is a lot of joy in playing the NCAA tournament. It’s what every little boy dreams of when they dribble the ball in their back yard; it’s why Allonzo Trier decided to come to Arizona, for the chance to play for a national championship. He reminded Eisen of this, and it’s a good reminder for everyone, players come to Arizona for a fast path to the NBA and to have a chance to win the championship, or at the very least, make it to the final four.
Aaron Gordon announced during his commitment press conference that he expected to win a National Championship. The Wildcats team he played on for one year of college was not a total disappointment, they Cats came within a few points of beating Wisconsin and going to the Final Four.
Fans are concerned the players would be listening to the naysayers, or experts saying they would lose in the first round. We have only seen a couple of Cats online in recent days, and they have made some profound statements, positive and confidence building sentiment.
Never fear, Miller has it under control.
Zo:
This Tweet is pinned to his profile:
Lord lead me step by step day by day as I follow your path you have set for me and make you my primary focus. #ItsAllHim 🙏❤️🏀
— Allonzo Trier (@ISO_ZO) December 10, 2015
Zo was interviewed by Adam Zagoria of SNY, and he had this to say about the upcoming tournament and rumors of him declaring for the NBA Postseason:
“That’s something that’s put on the back burner right now,” Trier said. “That’s not something that’s a big focus of mine right now. My focus is playing the best that I can and playing at a high level so I can be there to continue to help my teammates and help this program win.”
Ryan Anderson:
Man everything comes full circle...back to the east coast for my 1st tourney game. Let's get it! #beardown #MarchMadness
— Ryan Anderson (@CoachRyAnderson) March 13, 2016
Church service today was just what I needed... "Be with me Lord when I worry and remind me where my treasure is stored" 🙏🏼
— Ryan Anderson (@CoachRyAnderson) March 13, 2016
Feeling positive!
Chance Comanche is feeling his mojo, bless his heart. Retweeted this:
.@PGUPark3 to @comanche2414 pic.twitter.com/2nfaMfNEsA
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 13, 2016
Deep thoughts:
Doing it individually makes us different, Doing it together makes us the same.
— No2ndChancess (@No2ndChancess) March 13, 2016
Kadeem Allen retweeted memes and video of his seniors, paying homage to them. Humility is a wonderful trait.
Gabe York is chill, as usual, getting love from famous NBA Wildcats:
@ZonaZooOfficial still goes crazy when you hit 3s @GabeYork01 sr night on fiiiiiiiire proud of you
— Jason "The Jet" Terry (@jasonterry31) March 5, 2016
Wichita state is going to come to play, and they enjoy shooting on the perimeter, a place the Cats struggle. The team has had a ton of opportunities in conference play to figure out how to defend the three, now is the time to prove they have learned from their experiences this season.
So it seems the team is confident and ready to go, and their coach has a great attitude. It may just come down to who wants it more? Thinking Sean Miller wants it more than anyone, he lives for this kind of competition. The big question is, how much do his players want it, and will they step it up and be the team we all know they have the potential to be?
Let’s hope so!
More wildcats: 2016 NCAA tournament: 5 Keys to success for Arizona Basketball
Beardown Arizona! Beat the Shockers!!!!!!