Arizona Basketball: What Coach Lute Olson meant to me

Former Arizona Basketball head coach Lute Olson has such a profound impact on the state of Arizona and will forever have an impact on my life.

This article is very difficult to write and the perfect words are beyond impossible to find. Lute Olson was a legend, role model, hero and icon in my books. Those types of people are never suppose to pass away. Unfortunately God’s plan called to a better place.

As a kid growing up, surrounded by two loving Sun Devil parents it was easy to come to the conclusion that I would be throwing up the “Fork” and saying “Fear The Fork” on game days. As a young athlete and aspiring pro-basketball player at a very young age, it was not the Sun Devils that caught my eye. It was a coach with a silver hair comb over and a group of colligate basketball players that sported the red lettering of Arizona across their dark blue jersey’s.

Arizona Wildcats

At such a young age, I couldn’t help but notice a coach with so much swagger and poise on the sideline and, his teams carried that same confidence and energy on to the court each game day as well.

From the coaches suit to the high socks of a Salim Stoudamire, it had me recreating Arizona games on the basketball hoop in my front yard. I wanted to be just like them!

As time passed and I realized that becoming a professional basketball was not in the cards for me. I couldn’t help but have thoughts of becoming the next Lute Olson.

Those thoughts ran through my mind day and night. All I could think about was creating a basketball program like Lute did and one day raise that National Championship Trophy high above my head.

He had such a profound impact on many Wildcats over the years, showing us that anything is possible, inspiring the best in us. After all, this is the same man that came to Tucson of all places, and built a blue chip program.

Just like Lute, everyone had to start somewhere and being the basketball manager at my high school after suffering a heart condition that wouldn’t allow to me play any more, was the start I needed. So there I was just trying to be like Lute in everywhere! Dressed to the nine’s and taking stats that I thought even Lute would be proud of.

I continued to chase this dream and that took me to Yavapai College where I was a student manager there for one year, before heading to the house that Lute built down in Tucson.

Every year while I was down there, I helped coach at his camps and tried to soak in the culture that Lute has instilled into the University of Arizona basketball program. In hopes of maybe one day, I could use that same way of thinking to run my own program.

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Shortly after graduation, I started coaching YMCA basketball and had a team named the “Wildcats”, it was the only name that seemed fitting. On the sidelines I would think, “What would Lute do?” Unfortunately, osmosis did not work and my coaching career ended shortly after as a real career was calling my name.

While I never was blessed with the opportunity to meet Lute Olson in person, it has become a tradition to go visit his statue every time I find myself down in Tucson. Just a friendly reminder of the coach who sparked my love and never dying relationship between basketball and myself.

As many die hard Wildcat basketball fans like myself, it feels as if a part of myself is missing today. That part will never be replaced because no coach will unite me and a sport quite like Lute Olson did with basketball.

Lute, I know you’re up there listening and looking down upon us Wildcat fans. Just know that you will never be forgotten and will always be missed. In memory of you, it is only right to end this article with one thing. It is how we greeted you when you entered McKale Center and now it is only right as he departs for the heavens above. Feel free to say it along with me now… “Luuuuttttteeeee”.