Before Andre Iguodala was an NBA Finals MVP, he was a multifaceted young player who took his talents to Tucson.
When Andre Iguodala stepped on campus for the 2002-03 season, Arizona was loaded. The Cats were the pre-season No. 1 team in the nation. A spot they held for 13 weeks during the season.
Similar to his role now with the Golden State Warriors, Iguodala mostly came off the bench to give the Cats the spark they needed.
During his sophomore year, his role drastically expanded, and he never came off the pine again. The 2003-04 campaign was a majestic one for Iguodala in Arizona boxscores.
He averaged 12.9 ppg, 8.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG during a season, in which he recorded a school record three triple-doubles.
Let’s take a look back at Iguodala’s memorable career by checking out his top 5 games in an Arizona uniform.
5. Jan. 22, 2004
No. 14 Arizona 109
Oregon State 75
Iguodala came close to adding to his triple-double list many times during his sophomore year, and Oregon State came close to being another one of his victims.
At one point the Cats went on a 36-8 run against the Beavers in this Pac-10 blowout.
Iguodala finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
Fun fact: Arizona went 24-0 at home against Oregon State during Lute Olson’s career.
4. Dec. 30, 2003
No. 4 Arizona 72
Louisiana-Lafayette 69
Late in the contest, Mustafa Shukur found an open Iguodala in the left corner, right in front of the Arizona bench.
When the 27 percent career three-point shooter let it fly, the McKale Center crowd held it’s breath.
Swish!
The Cats would hold on for the victory. The win gave Arizona it’s 18th Fiesta Bowl Classic title in 19 tries.
Iguodala won Most Valuable Player of the two-game tournament.
He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists against the Rajun’ Cajuns.
3. Dec. 28, 2003
No. 5 Arizona 107
Liberty 91
In the first game of the Fiesta Bowl Classic, Iguodala tied Loren Woods school record of two triple-doubles.
The most impressive thing about Iguodala’s performance against Liberty is he only played 29 minutes to accomplish one of the rarest feats in college basketball.
He finished with 13 points, eleven rebounds, and eleven assists.
2. Feb. 14, 2004
No. 16 Arizona 107
UCLA 83
Iguodala’s last career triple-double at Arizona came against rival UCLA, but it was a close call.
With time winding down in a blowout win over the Bruins, Olson left Iguodala in the game to try and get another triple-double on his resume.
All Iguodala needed was one more assist.
With 1:05 left, Iguodala found Ivan Radenovic for a bucket and his third career triple-double was in the history books.
Iguodala finished the game with 14 points, eleven rebounds, and ten assists.
With his performance against the Bruins, Iguodala became the school leader in triple-doubles.
No Wildcat has had a triple-double since that day.
1. Dec. 9, 2003
No. 9 Arizona 91
No. 6 Texas 83
In an early season non-conference showdown, Iguodala gave the nation a taste of what was to come in the NBA.
The Cats were matched up against a top 10 Longhorns squad at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden when Iguodala put on his best all-around performance at the college level.
Hassan Adams dropped 30 points on the Longhorns but the most impressive output of the evening came from Iguodala.
The future NBA Finals MVP became the sixth player in Arizona history to record a triple-double with his 13 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists. Bear Down Andre!