THE ARIZONA EXPERIENCE


“What’s really been good to see is the success that many of our former players have experienced in the NBA, even guys who some thought would not have a future in the league. I think the former Arizona players in the NBA now have opened the door for more of our players because they have given the program a good reputation.”

- Arizona head coach
Lute Olson


“Obviously, I wouldn’t have had a chance at a pro career without the experience I gained at Arizona under Lute Olson. I was about the last guy recruited in America in 1983, but he saw something he liked, I guess. I improved each year and we progressed from nowhere, to the Final Four. I look back and I know that being at Arizona was the best time of my life.”

- Steve Kerr, Class of ‘88 and member of the 1996, ‘97 & ‘98 World Champion Chicago Bulls and 1999 & 2003 World Champion San Antonio Spurs


“The way quarterbacks at Notre Dame and tailbacks at Southern California once were burdened with Heisman Trophies, the Arizona point guard can’t now avoid becoming a top10 selection in the NBA draft.”

- Mike DeCourcy
The Sporting News


“According to the numbers, there is no place in America for catching the eyes of the pros…In the NBA today, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a former ‘Cat.”

- Pat Forde
ESPN.com


“The program produces very fundamentally sound players. That’s why I played in the NBA and that’s why Jud and Steve are still in the league.

- Tom Tolbert,
Class of ‘88 and member of four NBA teams from 1989-95


“They’re contenders from here on out. They’ve made their name and now they’ve got their choice of the top 10 to 20 players in the nation every year.”

- Larry Harris,
Milwaukee Bucks’ scouting director


“They’re very sound players who don’t make many mistakes. They hit open shots, move without the ball, don’t turn the ball over much, pass the ball, block out and rebound, set picks. They’re ideal players to have in your system.”

- Chet Kammerer,
Miami Heat head scout

"The only thing more impressive than Lute Olson the coach is Lute Olson the person.  He is everything that is good about college basketball."

- Joe Dwyer

CollegeInsider.com editor-in-chief


“Most of the kids that have come out of there (Arizona) have good work ethics and are players that you don’t hesitate to draft.”

- Dick Van Arsdale,
Phoenix Suns vice president for player personnel


“History says that Arizona guards do succeed. You have the feeling that those guys are well-schooled or well-trained. The Arizona guards don’t get drafted and fall flat.”

- Larry Riley,
Vancouver Grizzlies director of scouting


“One thing that you know with Lute is that if you draft an Arizona player, you are going to get a player who is competitive, a team guy and a very nice kid. Lute does a wonderful job and is held in very high esteem by NBA coaches.”

- Jerry West,
Los Angeles Lakers executive vice president


“Coach Olson tailors his team each year to the style of the players. Other coaches do that, but I think he does it a little better. He is respected, but every year, the focus is always on the players.”

- Reggie Geary,
Class of ‘96 and member of the San Antonio Spurs