11 days and counting to Miller Time (Nov. 15 vs. NAU)
Only two other players wore Lofton’s number since 1989
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By Javier Morales
Kenny Lofton was a six-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Award winner and five-time stolen base leader (Photo from Lofton’s Facebook site)
If the climate of college basketball was the same in the late 1980s as it is now, we would have been deprived of arguably the best senior class in the Lute Olson era in 1988-89: Sean Elliott, Anthony Cook and Kenny Lofton.
Elliott would not have stuck around through his senior season, jumping to the NBA instead after a couple of years, if we went into a time capsule two decades ago with the same conditions of today. College basketball would have been robbed of one of its most noteworthy ambassadors. The afternoon he surpassed Lew Alcindor‘s Pac-10 scoring record — poof, snatched away from us.
The landscape of college basketball these days sadly is if you don’t leave school after one or two years for the NBA then something is wrong with your game. Tyler Hansbrough, who stuck it out all four years at North Carolina, is considered aberration to the accepted trend of players bolting prematurely to the NBA.
Similarly, thank goodness an aggressive baseball scout, common these days across the globe, did not pounce on Lofton and make him give up basketball when he started to workout with the UA baseball team in 1988 — a year before the end of his basketball eligibility. Under the same circumstances today, Lofton would have left and he would have taken our memories with him.
For my money, no other senior class in UA hoops history — forget about only the Olson years — beats the trio of Elliott, Cook and Lofton. They not only played in the UA’s first Final Four but they were pioneers of a program that opened recruiting doors for Olson regionally and nationally.
Lofton turned out to be more of a baseball player, but he never questioned playing basketball at Arizona instead of immediately trying baseball out of high school. His respect for Olson and endearment to the UA basketball program was evident when he attended Olson’s retirement ceremony in August. He received as loud of an applause as any former Wildcat, except for perhaps his close friend, Elliott.
Lofton, Elliott and Cook each wore the Nos. 11, 32, and 00, respectively.
Elliott’s number has since been retired. Gilbert Arenas and Jerryd Bayless wore “0″ but not “00″ at Arizona. And No. 11 has been used by Dylan Rigdon in 1993-94 and David Bagga recently. Lofton was inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, a year after he led major-league baseball in hits. He will get serious consideration for induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible.
Do you think another senior class stacks up more favorably? How about the Class of 1996, which included Ben Davis, Corey Williams, Joseph Blair, Joe McLean and Reggie Geary? Or the Class of 1998 with Michael Dickerson, Miles Simon and Bennett Davison? One last one: the Class of 2003 with Luke Walton, Jason Gardner and Rick Anderson?
For its sentimental value, the Class of 1989 with Elliott, Lofton and Cook beats them all. Forever will.
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Tags: Anthony Cook, Kenny Lofton, Lute Olson, Sean Elliott, UA basketball countdown 2009
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November 4th, 2009 at 4:28 AM
I coul dbe wrong but didnt David Bagga wear number 11?
November 4th, 2009 at 6:49 AM
“If the climate of college basketball was the same in the late 1980s as it is now, we would have been deprived of arguably the best senior class…”
THIS climate HAS deprived us of 3 senior classes that could’ve led zona to the minimum of the final 4.
-eric money and coniel’s class would’ve busted thru that 1976 elite 8 game easily. easy to imagine snowden’s career would’ve flourished and probably been hired away by some big10 school.
-jefferson and wright.
-hill and budinger.
the woulda, coulda and shouldas are endless with these 3 classes.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:53 AM
devin
bagga’s number was 11.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:31 AM
Corrected guys. Thanks.
Happy Hour: The climate has changed over the last five years for sure-fire NBA prospects. If Elliott was a freshman or sophomore now, he would not be around much longer — look at Kevin Love at UCLA, DeMar DeRozan at USC and even Jerryd Bayless at Arizona (the first to leave after his freshman season). You bring up Eric Money and Coniel Norman — those are two guys who should have stayed in school but their families were financially strapped. I was writing in reference to the top prospects of today. The mindset of top-flight kids coming out of high school these days after playing in all these AAU tournaments, where they become glorified unlike years past, is NBA first and school second. Personally, I believe that has affected the quality of college basketball in recent years.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:33 AM
javier
i do understand the gist of your article and wasn’t treading against your points. today’s game IS all about the SHOW and the ncaa is nothing more than a seasonal launching pad for these guys. money and fame is the driving force behind these early defections and the ncaa will suffer evermore if a mandate of 2-3 years pre-draft eligility isn’t installed very shortly.
when you mentioned what might’ve happened had sean left early we’d have been left with sheer speculation that zona would’ve gone to another final 4, but he didn’t and zona didn’t. that is the only reason i mention these other classes … just to stir speculation on the endless possibilties. i would’ve loved to have seen money and norman complete their 4 years here and helped with the development of big bird. that has final 4 written all over it.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:44 AM
HappyHour: Your point about Arizona going to the Final Four if Norman and Money stayed until they were seniors has a lot of validity. As it was, the UA hung tough with UCLA in the regional final at Pauley Pavilion until the last 10 minutes or so of that game (with an injured Rappis). I have never read or thought about the fact that Snowden would have been in high demand after that. Excellent point. Interesting how things shake out. If Norman and Money stayed, Snowden could have been lured back to the Big Ten after his national success in the Final Four (if they made it that far) and somebody else other than Lindsey would have been hired at that time. That would have likely meant no Lute Olson in Tucson because that other coach (maybe Hartman from K-State) would have been somewhat established. I guess it is true that things happen for a reason.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Is tonights game webcast and where, Thanks in advance.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Hey J, just saw this at the daily star
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/316191.php
November 4th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
oops, my bad, this article actually has the link.
http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/pascoe/17333/augustana-game-notes