EUGENE, Ore. - While lounging courtside at Oregon's McArthur Court last weekend, the only thing Lute Olson had to reach for was his bucket of popcorn.
He wasn't nearly as relaxed during his 24 coaching stops there with the Arizona Wildcats, nor would he probably be if he were coaching the UA this season in the nerve-racking Pac-10.
During a small group interview in Eugene, Olson discussed the old venue, his retirement, and the Wildcats. Olson has attended all nine home games this season and was flown in for the two Oregon games courtesy of the Ducks, who named Olson an honorary captain.
Among other things, Olson said:
McArthur Court was the toughest place a visitor could play…
"I thought Purdue was tough when I was at Iowa for nine years. And (Duke's) Cameron Indoor has that reputation. But I still think it's tougher at Mac Court than it is anywhere else because the fans are so close. The fans understand basketball. and they really come to cheer on the Ducks. They may get on us, but that's not their primary thing. The primary thing is cheering for the Ducks. I think that's great for college athletics when you have that."
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And if Oregon or other fans did get on the Wildcats…
"Starting from the beginning of the year, we'd always say, 'The crowd is going to tell you when to be patient and try to break the momentum.' When the crowd would really get going, we'd get the ball and work the ball until the fans would get tired. Then you end up with what you want, a good shot. When the crowd gets going, you can't be in a rush offensively or you're a dead … duck (laughs)."
But for one four-year span we made it worse…
"I was protective of making sure the guys don't say something to the media that's going to end up on the locker room bulletin board. But Damon Stoudamire (an Oregonian who played at UA from 1991 to 1995), when we came up here made the statement that, 'We're not going to lose at Oregon in the four years that I'm here.' Thank goodness it was true, but after he made that statement I said, 'Damon, you don't have to add fuel to the fire.' But he backed it up with some outstanding games."
Then there was that first time at McArthur Court…
"Prior to halftime, the officials were not calling anything. It was ridiculous. So I really got fired up and started out on the floor after (the officials), and my assistant held me around the waist and tried to hold me back, and of course I got a T, and the fans booed like crazy. I came back on the court after halftime with the T and it was 'booooo' and all that. So I did a bow in four directions."
After over a year in retirement, I miss the relationships the most…
"Basketball is so great because you have 12 or 13 kids, and you develop such a personal relationship. I miss that part of it. I don't miss the recruiting. I don't miss all the camps, the speaking things. But I do miss practice sessions. If there was one thing I'd like, it's to be on the practice court on a daily basis, because that feeling never leaves. Once they graduate, I hear from the guys who played for me on a regular basis. I really feel like we developed a family kind of atmosphere at Arizona, Iowa, Long Beach State and all the other places I coached, and that's what really made it fun."
The Pac-10 is probably at its lowest point since I came to Arizona…
"But I think you can blame that on early defections to the NBA. That's a plus when you have that quality of a player, but when you have that many exiting in a year it makes it difficult. This is a rebuilding year in the Pac-10, and I think it's going to be an interesting season. Certainly, people are going to buy tickets to the Pac-10 tournament because I think it's wide open."
The Wildcats could wind up with as good a chance as anybody in the Pac-10 tournament…
"They're getting better all the time, but it's so hard when you've got so many freshmen and sophomores. Nic (Wise) is a good leader, but he's not a vocal leader. I'm sure Sean (Miller) would like him to be more vocal in his leadership … and usually when freshmen come in, they've got juniors and seniors to learn from. With the guys leaving early, all of a sudden there's no leadership. It's tough for Nic to be the only senior."
I've seen improvement from the stands…
"I felt the win against Washington was the best game. I thought we played well enough at Oregon State; it was just too bad that we made mistakes early and got off to a terrible start, with a lot of turnovers against Oregon State's zone. But Derrick Williams is going to be a great player. I'm really pleased with Kyle Fogg and the way he's played. Jamelle (Horne) has been up and down, but when he's been good, he's been really good. I told Sean he's doing a great job with them."
On StarNet: Follow the Cats on Bruce Pascoe's blog at azstarnet.com/sports/blogs
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