Houston's Brase surrounded by Wildcats
From his seat next to fellow Houston Rockets staffers, Matt Brase isn’t just watching the Western Conference finals this week.
He’s watching virtually his entire Arizona Wildcats life revolve around him.
On the Rockets’ bench with Brase are veteran guard Jason Terry, a guy he watched play for the Wildcats as a teenager, and affable rookie Nick Johnson, whom Brase works with regularly as the Rockets’ director of player development.
(And, in a really weird coincidence, Brase has become something of the personal workout coach for Rockets star James Harden – who spent his college days playing for ASU.)
Brase’s UA ties are even stronger over on the other bench, where Steve Kerr’s Golden State Warriors have taken a 2-0 series lead entering tonight’s Game 3.
There’s forward Andre Iguodala, whom Brase played with during the 2003-04 season.
There’s assistant coach Luke Walton, whose locker Brase took over in 2003 when he transferred in from Central Arizona College and Walton had graduated.
Plus assistant coach Bruce Fraser, whom Brase watched as a kid in the late 1980s.
And, of course, Kerr, who just so happened to become one of best players ever recruited at Arizona by Brase’s grandfather, Lute Olson.
“When Steve was there, I was probably five or six years old, running around with my basketball hat on,” Brase said earlier this week. “I’ve known Steve basically my whole life. And this series with Jason, Nick and Andre … it’s special going against people you know.”