The Arizona Wildcats Basketball program has established itself as an elite basketball program among NCAA Division 1 schools and provided many memorable moments.
Since the very beginning of Arizona Basketball history, winning has been the common dominator. James Fred “Pop” Mckale set the bar high in the beginning and still holds the highest winning percentage among all Wildcat coaches at .803. Then you have Fred Enke who was the second highest performing Wildcat coach, and then there was Fred Snowden, who coached the Cats to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1976 – making it all the way to the Elite 8.
Then there was Lute Olson, who really put Arizona Wildcat basketball on the map! He was the coach for 25 years and finished with a 589–187 record! Finally, you have the current coach of the Wildcats, Sean Miller. In his eighth season with the Cats, he has a record of 220–66 and has given fans many reasons to be proud.
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All of these wins wouldn’t be possible without some highly talented athletes: Lewis Alcindor Jr., Bob Elliott, Al Fleming, Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Khalid Reeves, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Derrick Williams and T.J. McConnell just to name a few. Many of these have gone on to have remarkable careers in the NBA. Thirty-eight players since 1989 to be exact! Some have even gone to coach at the next level.
All of this success over the years has brought exciting moments fans cherish: From the 1997 National Championship team, to Elliott breaking the Wildcat scoring record, and to Williams last second block – there were so many to enjoy!
So sit back and relax because it’s time to enjoy some Wildcat basketball memorable moments that were gathered from our Zona Zealots fans and contributors.