Mike Candrea stood mere feet from his son, but neither said a word to each other.
On March 16, the UA softball team played against Pacific, where Mikel Candrea serves as an assistant coach. The 27-year-old coached first base, in front of the UA dugout at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. The Candreas didn't make eye contact.
"He kept his butt to us the whole time," Mike Candrea said.
After the game — Candrea's 1,100th career win, the fastest ever to that mark — the UA coach walked through a line, shaking hands with the opponent.
"I put my hand down and he shakes my hand," Mike Candrea said. "Then I grabbed him and gave him a big hug."
Pacific will begin NCAA tournament regional play against Mississippi State today at 4 p.m. at Hillenbrand Stadium; the top-seeded Wildcats play the night game, at 6:30 against Howard. At some point this weekend, depending on how the bracket breaks, the Candreas could face each other.
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"For a dad, it's exciting," Mike Candrea said. "But on the other hand, I want to beat their butts pretty badly."
Mikel's not surprised. He gave up golf for a while, he said, because family outings turned into the U.S. Open.
Mikel didn't watch Sunday's selection show. The Tigers had been swept to finish the season, and it was Mother's Day, which hasn't been the same since his mom, Sue, died in 2004. He went for a run and came home, but didn't turn on the television.
"That's gonna be a hard day for a long time," he said.
Pacific head coach Brian Kolze called Mikel to tell him the news.
"I'm like, 'You've got to be kidding me,' " he said with a smile.
Mikel grew up around the UA program. The 2004 UA grad worked with the UA baseball and softball teams from 1998 to 2004 and helped out at his dad's camps.
Mikel knew he liked coaching — but needed to find out why.
"I wasn't quite sure if I was doing it because I was really enjoying it or whether it was because it brought me and my dad closer," he said.
Then there was the matter of having the famous name. There was an inherent credibility to it — and still is — but the self-imposed pressure overwhelmed Mikel at times.
"At one point I really felt that I couldn't live up to those expectations," he said.
Last year, Mikel walked away. Calling it "my year to figure out what I wanted to do," Mikel took a job selling loans in California.
The first day on the job, he knew he made the wrong decision.
"I realized the day of, 'This is not me,' " he said. "It was the best decision I ever made, to do something else and then decide.
I'm doing it more for me than trying to please my dad."
Mikel landed at Pacific this season, improving the hitters' batting average by .030.
His father's shadow is farther away at the Stockton, Calif., school.
"Being here at Arizona, he was always my son," Mike said. "I think it was kinda nice for him to go somewhere where he could get his own identity."
Mikel is thrilled with what he found.
"I never realized until I left that there's a lot more to it than just being Mike Candrea's son," he said. "It was more affecting young people's lives. That's the big thing for me. My dad, that's one of the things that he does so well.
"The development I've had as a person and as a coach is leaps above how I would have grown had I stayed in the program there."
The teams
Arizona Wildcats (39-12-1)
Tucson • Pac-10 Conference
The No. 1 overall seed and defending champs lost two of their last three regular-season games, but are hosting for the 13th time in 15 years.
Howard Bison (35-19)
Washington • Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Four seniors missed the start of the MEAC tournament opener because of graduation; one, Semplecia Scott, arrived in the fourth inning and hit a two-run pinch homer.
Pacific Tigers (34-22)
Stockton, Calif. • Big West
The Tigers lost their last five games; assistant coach Mikel Candrea might get a shot at knocking off his dad's Wildcats.
Mississippi State (34-25)
Starkville, Miss. • Southeastern Conference
Coach Jay Miller, who has worked with Candrea on the national team, lets his players run free. Chelsea Bramlett has 46 steals, as many as the UA's Caitlin Lowe.
