LAS VEGAS — Mark Tollefsen stole the ball in the final second of regulation, was fouled, and converted a game-tying free throw. Salim Stoudamire watched from 12 rows behind the MGM Grand Garden Arena’s scoring table, a witness to one the most improbable sequences in recent UA history.
Stoudamire sported a white, long-sleeved shirt that was buttoned up all the way to the neck. He stood out in a sea of red Arizona fans.
That’s never been his way. The former UA guard has never been known to seek attention or relive his glory days.
“I think that I’m an extremely interesting and different individual, and I’m glad the people of Tucson embraced me the way they did,” Stoudamire said Friday.
“They didn’t judge me. They accepted me for who I am. And I appreciate that.”
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On Saturday, Stoudamire will be forced to step outside his comfort zone. The Pac-12 will induct Stoudamire into its hall of honor, the reward for a career in which he hit 50.4 percent of his shots, a matching 50.4 percent of his 3-pointers and 91 percent of his free throws. The numbers were unprecedented for a guard who shot the ball as much — 1,306 times between 2001-05 — as he did. Stoudamire’s finest moment came in the 2005 NCAA tournament, when — playing Oklahoma State — he nailed a game-winning fadeaway jumper to lift the UA to the Elite Eight.
Stoudamire seems to be enjoying the attention, in his own way. He spent Thursday and Friday with Lute Olson, his college coach. The two have spent hours this week eating breakfast, hanging out and catching up. Stoudamire has posed for pictures and signed autographs with the UA faithful who invaded the MGM Grand this week.
“When we walked through the lobby,” Olson said, “everybody stopped him.”
Stoudamire came to Arizona not too long after his cousin did. Damon Stoudamire was a UA legend, fan favorite and eventual NBA standout. Then he was a Wildcats assistant coach.
It was a tough act to follow.
He played alongside names like Channing Frye and Andre Iguodala throughout his career, both players who have crafted successful NBA careers.
Stoudamire has never had any problem deferring to any of them, but that didn’t stop him from becoming more popular, in Tucson, than any of them.
“He did a fabulous job for us,” Olson said. “He’s one of the best shooters of all-time, I think. He could really drain it. … And he was really very shy. It wasn’t a case where he ever wanted attention, or anything like that.”
Stoudamire’s post-Arizona career didn’t match his college stats.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2005, but lasted just three years in the league before bouncing around in the NBA’s D-League and overseas. Stoudamire now works in youth development and mentorship, though he’s still training and trying to get another shot at pro basketball.
On Saturday, Stoudamire will receive more attention than maybe he’s normally comfortable with. But Arizona fans have never had a problem making him comfortable.
“I don’t show my face a lot,” Stoudamire said. “But when I do, the fans are extremely loyal. And they definitely come up to you and praise you, they treat you like you’re a god. And that’s a humbling thing. That’s something I’ll never take for granted.”
