NCAA MEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 30, 1997

Mike Bibby

A.J. Bramlett

Bennett Davison

Michael Dickerson

Lute Olson

Miles Simon

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, we're just happy we've survived another one. It was maybe not pretty, but certainly a great effort on part of both teams. I think the shooting percentages reflected the tenacity of the defense. We're happy to have the opportunity to play Kentucky. For fans who like fast-paced, up-and-down-type games, I don't see either one of us holding the ball. So I think it's going to be an interesting game. Obviously, in playing them it begins and ends, probably, with dealing with their full court pressure. But I think one of our strengths is the fact that we have three guards who can handle and plus Jason Terry coming off the bench, and I feel comfortable with the ability of our big people to catch and find open people, as well. So our biggest challenge is going to be getting ready for that pressure. And secondly, how to deal with Mercer. And thirdly, how to deal with their three-point shooting ability.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, it's just a great thrill. You dream of the opportunity to -- want to get to the NCAA tournament and then to be able to progress to the Final Four is a great thrill, and is the only thrill up until this time that I've had, with losses in the semifinals in three previous appearances. So it's new, but it's a nice feeling. It's, I think, especially nice this year in that I don't think a whole lot of people thought we'd be here, and that includes our great fans who really felt that this might happen a year from now, but was not much of a possibility for this to happen this year. But I'm just pleased that we've got the kind of guys that are as tough as they are and as competitive as they are, that have given me an opportunity to find out what it's like to play on Monday.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, I'd have to say that I am, based on starting the year with -- I mean, Miles is the only return starter, and he decided to take a vacation the first semester, so we had to go with an awful lot of people that didn't have a whole lot of experience. Michael Dickerson had, but A.J. and Donnell Harris had really limited time off the bench a year ago. And I don't know if, A.J., how many times we had you in there at crunch time late in the game. Not a whole lot, I don't think. And, of course, Bennett's big game a year ago was against Ventura Junior College. There were a lot of question marks. Mike Bibby, he was a decent high school player, but we didn't know how he would respond when he got to the big time. So it definitely was something that seemed like a stretch for this to happen.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, the first one I actually went in and looked over the University of Kentucky and spent a lot of time talking with people. The president and A.D. and that kind of thing. I was in the mix. But in the end, I felt that the best thing for us would be to remain at Arizona. The second time -- I've known C.M. Newton for a long, long time, and have a great respect for him and for his integrity. And we were scheduled to fly in and take a look, and I guess the turning point in that one was my wife had picked up two of the grandkids from school that day, and on the way home they said something to her about that's okay if you and Papa Lute decide to go, while they're saying it they've got tears streaming down their eyes. To go and take a look, I'm talking about, now, not go and take the job. And for those of you who are grandparents, you'll understand how that tugs at you. And it really became a case -- we're fortunate to have four of our five kids -- we have five -- four of them live in Tucson. We have 8 of our 11 grandkids live in Tucson, and family's always been very important to us. So I called C.M. at sort of the 11th hour to indicate we really appreciated his interest in us, at least coming in and taking a look with however many other coaches they had in that situation. But family has always been very critical to us, and that was -- that was why we decided that Arizona would be a good place for us to finish things up.

COACH LUTE OLSON: You look at the schedule they had to go through this year, and I think the growing up process started with Carolina in the first one and continued right on through. We had a murderous schedule, as I'm sure you're aware. We played Carolina, we played Michigan at Auburn Hills, we played New Mexico in the Pit. We played Texas at our place, which was the only one of all of those teams that we played at home. We played Utah in the Wooden Classic, we played Tulane in the 7UP shootout. Plus, our conference was really, really tough. I'm still not sure that we've played better than what we've played in our last two games in the league and lost those two on the last second situations at Cal and Stanford. But I think this is a team that has had to grow and mature during the entire stretch.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Jason Terry -- we were going to put him in late in the game -- he had played a lot before that, of course, but when we're protecting a league, we like getting four perimeter guys in there and that gives us another handler, gives us another free throw shooter. And I called for him to come and Ed Orr, our trainer, said, coach, he can't go, he was feeling very faint and just very, very ill at that point. After the game he was checked, he was dehydrated, he was taken to the hospital. He was put on IVs to take care of the dehydration. He's back, he had breakfast with the guys this morning, I understand. Did he eat, Miles?

MILES SIMON: I was already done by the time he got there.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Okay. But our trainer said he looked good. Obviously we were -- the staff was tied up with tapes. So we weren't able to join them for breakfast. But when I called Ed Orr, our trainer, said he was feeling fine, looked good. Did leave a deposit in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. So he was a sick puppy last night. But I think he's fine today.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, looking at the Kentucky job, I mean, it's -- from a coaching standpoint, that's -- that would be considered the epitome, I think, of job. And I felt honored that they would have an interest in talking with me. But it's obvious they've got the right guy at the helm there, now. Rick has done a better job, certainly than I could have, and probably a large number of coaches could have. So their choice was the right one. The second part of your question was --

COACH LUTE OLSON: Playing a fast-paced game against Kentucky. Our guys like the fast-paced games. And I think you'll have an opportunity to ask them. But if they have the choice of what kind of game they'd like to play, it will be full-court pressure and get up and down the court. It's going to be like watching a tennis match, probably, so people better do some neck exercises before they come in, I think, tomorrow. Our guys love that kind of game. And from a coaching standpoint, I've always enjoyed the fast-paced game. Sometimes we haven't had the personnel to do it, but this team is a team that can handle that, I think. Dealing with Kentucky's press is another thing. I'm not saying that it's going to be a case of -- it's going to be easy, because it's not. Their pressure is relentless.

MILES SIMON: We came here just to have fun. It's a business trip. But we're going to enjoy it, also. This might be the only time we get here. We'll just have a lot of fun. The underdog role, no one gives us a chance to win or come, close in these games. And we're just coming out and believing in ourselves and playing good Arizona basketball.

MIKE BIBBY: I did.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Did you open it, Mike?

MIKE BIBBY: After I while I didn't open anymore, after I committed.

MILES SIMON: No.

A.J. BRAMLETT: I wasn't worried about it. I'm happy with my decision.

MILES SIMON: I think when I came out they were just really starting to get real nationally known, because they were down for a few years.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think it's progressed every year in terms of how you use it. If you watch us carefully, you'll see that we do a lot of off-side screening. We try to make teams defend us from sideline to sideline. Prior to the three-point line, and one of the primary reasons that it came in, is that things were getting so physical and so jammed up in the middle that something had to be done to open it up. So I think as coaches we steal ideas every year that we see in terms of how to utilize the three-point shot better. But also that three-point shot has done a whole lot for the game in terms of opening up driving lanes as well as spreading the floor for the shot. If you're wondering, well, why are we seeing so much penetration now? You're seeing penetration because you've got to be out on those three-point shooters. And before it used to be a case somebody would drive on your side of the court and you'd help and cover back out to the outside. Well, I don't think you can do that anymore. You've got to stay at home on the ball side and everything has to be done off the help side. But it's changed the game. And I think it's changed the game for the better. And I know there are purists who feel that while passing and working your offense and getting the ball in for the close shot is what basketball really should be about, but they probably also think that it would be better if it would go back to the jump ball, too, after every basket. Or Dick Vitale's idea about going back to the jump ball. Hey, baby, whatever. (Laughter). But the problem somebody might mention to Dick Vitale the reason it went out is the inability of the officials to get the ball thrown up perfectly, and also to eliminate quick jumps on the ball and all the other stuff. So very few things I would disagree with, but that is one.

COACH LUTE OLSON: The years -- the first time was after my second year at Arizona. I don't know if you're familiar with what the situation was at Arizona. They were 4 and 24 the year before we arrived and 1 and 17 in the PAC-10, and that was because of a disputed basket by the end by Stanford was disallowed. Otherwise they could have been a perfect 0 and 18. So the first year we got it going pretty well the second round of the league, and then got to the NCAA playoffs the next year. And it was right after that that I had an opportunity to visit with them. And then I don't remember the year of the last one, it was when Rick took the job at Kentucky. Involvement of Michael -- see, Bennett's smarter than most people. He wanted to make sure he had really good fresh legs for tomorrow night, so he just opted, even after we put him back in at the half, I don't think he played, what -- what did you bail out on us, about a minute into the second half, probably? So he felt he had warmed up enough with the halftime stuff so that he was going to be ready to go tomorrow night. So that was -- he just thinks way ahead of the rest of us. Involvement of Michael D, Dickerson, I think was that the question? See, Michael Dickerson's game is taking the ball to the hole and quickness with his driving ability and that kind of thing. So I'm sure he's relishing this opportunity. And one thing about shooters is I tell them, hey, you miss five in a row, you should be happy about it, because now percentages take over, and you're really going to have a great shooting night the next time around. So Mike will light it up, I'm sure, tomorrow night.

MIKE BIBBY: Mike is a real leader out there.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Be serious, now, please, Mike. He's a good friend, so serious, please.

MIKE BIBBY: He helps everybody out there. He's been there before. And everybody just listens to him. He knows what he's doing out there. Everybody listens to everybody out there, which is trying to get everybody better. And other people see things different from what you could see out there on the court. He's just a real good help out there. He helped us a lot last night. He literally kept us in the game.

COACH LUTE OLSON: That's enough, Mike. (Laughter.) Why don't we ask Bennett about what he thinks about Miles as a leader?

BENNETT DAVISON: He's just another voice, another coaching voice out on the floor, since Coach Olson and the rest of the guys can't be out there. He knows what to do when, he knows when to slow it down, when to take care of the ball, don't be rushing shots. So he kind of keeps everyone focused and everyone together as a team.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Good job, Bennett.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Absolutely not. Take a look at how many people have won an NCAA title. Take a look at how many of those who have won it have won it in states other than talent-rich areas. From Tucson to the nearest area, good recruiting area is probably the LA area, and that's about 500 miles or so away. It's not an easy drive over with parents and kids to see the team play. And as a result, thank goodness we've had Mike Bibby from Phoenix and we have -- had Sean Elliot from Tucson. And both of them committed early. And we would love having it where we never had to leave the borders of our state, but that has not been the case. And Iowa, at that time, was similar. So it's not -- just to get here is a wonderful experience. And I feel blessed that we've been -- that we've had teams here four times. But as far as winning the championship, I'd love to win the championship. Would it make any difference to me in terms of how I look at my coaching career and how I look at the young people that we've worked with, absolutely not.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, for sure I'm not going to let Mike Bibby respond to that after the other night -- last week he gave our game plan against Providence out very nicely. But we're going to bring A.J. down and Bennett and probably surprise them and have those two guys bring the ball down against the pressure. We'll try to let you know that tomorrow night when we get on the court.

MILES SIMON: I feel good. I'm not scared of them. If we beat the pressure, it's just going to be easier shots for us down at the other end of the court. And you watch the two games they lost in the SEC were to South Carolina, and with BJ McKie and Larry Davis and Melvin Watson breaking down their pressure all night long, Kentucky couldn't contain. And I think our guards have the same capability as those guards, and I think we can cause them a lot of problems.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Images are -- that's all in somebody else's mind. If you ask the people that know me, it's not the stoic thing. I guess I should come out and look like Bill Frieder with my hair messed up and tie loosened, and then probably I'd be a good old boy. But I'm who I am, and people who know me. And probably starting with these guys up here, it's not -- we're very serious about what we do, but it's not a case of -- they know that they need to do what I want them to do. But they also know I'm not going to curse at them, and I'm not going to grab them by the jersey. But I think they respect what we do as a coaching staff, just as we respect what they do as players. Somebody had commented after they'd seen Miles over at Fan Jam and that kind of thing, that we needed to keep our guys off by themselves and keep them focused, hey, that's not the real life. That's not what they've gone through all the time, so why make it something different than what it is when you get here? I want them to go to the Fan Jam. I want them to do the things that are part of this experience that you don't get a chance very often. We've controlled their time to a large extent, but we've also let them enjoy the experience. And besides that, these guys are so wacky that they can find a lot of fun just being in their rooms around their teammates. I don't want to know what goes on in there, but I know they have a lot of fun doing what they do with their teammates.

COACH LUTE OLSON: What's it like being around Mike Bibby? Mike is really a nice young man. Thank goodness he's a heck of a basketball player. But Mike's like most, fairly normal young guys, I think. What would you say, Miles?

MILES SIMON: It's quite an experience. This guy, he acts up here, you know, he's putting on a big show for everyone. He's the most cocky, walks around wearing his McDonald's All-American shorts -- no, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. He's cool to be around. He's funny, he's laid back. Doesn't have a care in the world attitude. And he just goes out there and just loves to play basketball and just hang out with his friends and just be loose. It's fun to be around him.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Mike Dickerson, what do you think?

MIKE DICKERSON: Yeah, same thing Miles said. (Laughter.) He's a great guy. He's laid back. Like Miles said, he doesn't have a care in the world. He's just a great kid.

COACH LUTE OLSON: And you want to make sure he keeps throwing the basketball to you, right?

MIKE DICKERSON: Yes, yes.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Yes, I did have an opportunity to get to know Coach Rupp and have dinner with he and his staff. I had a player in high school, Mark Soderberg who was recruited by Kentucky and went to Kentucky, I think, for a year and a half. He was part of the No. 1 freshman class at that time and was not allowed to participate on the varsity level. And then after a year and a half he transferred to the University of Utah. But I got to know Coach Rupp reasonably well at that point. As far as the tradition of Kentucky, there's not much you can say. I mean it's Kentucky. It's like a religion in the state, and you can go back forever. And Kentucky has been there. It's a fantastic tradition. I think it's the kind of tradition that every school works -- the Kentuckys, the Kansas, the Carolinas that have gone for long, long times, and they're special situations, certainly.

BENNETT DAVISON: We don't find out who we guard until about five minutes before the game.

COACH LUTE OLSON: We will practice, Bennett.

BENNETT DAVISON: Individual matchups. Playing against the All-Americans, those are the games you look forward to. You go out there and really get your mindset on who you have to guard. And the lower seeds in the PAC-10, the guys you aren't really concentrating on, trying to help out other people is where you start -- your mind starts slipping, and that's -- you're not really concentrating on your man, but the All-Americans are just easier to guard, I guess.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think what Bennett is trying to say is that Bennett has really drawn the tough assignments. In our league we don't have the Raef LaFrentz', some of the people that he's had to go against. And prior to that I think we relied more on team defense. Is that right, A.J.?

A.J. BRAMLETT: That's what he just said.

MILES SIMON: I think he just knew that he had to just pick up his game tremendously. And him being the one that was looked on as the scorer, he just came out and put up big time numbers from the start. He was averaging 25, 26 points a game earlier in the year. And he took it upon himself to carry the team and lead the way at the start. And that's a great credit to him that he knew that he could carry the team, and he did.

(Players excused.)

COACH LUTE OLSON: It was great last night. When I had an opportunity to be with my family and watch part of that first half, that Mike Montgomery had come by and Jim Harrick. And Bobby said that all the PAC-10 coaches had come by and were really excited for us. A number of other coaches were sitting just behind, Mike Jarvis and some of the others. I saw them. As far as my former staff members is where you get it the most. So I've had Scott Thompson came by who is now Cornell, Ricky Byrdsong, Ken Burmeister at Loyola of Chicago. Tom Billater (ph) who is, I believe, going to be -- I don't know if that's been announced yet, but I think he's going to be going to St. John's as an assistant. I hope I'm not saying that out of school. He's been the head coach at North Dakota State. They had great success up there. So I've heard from -- most of them have come by the room and we've had a chance to visit a little bit. We have heard from some of our former players, and I'm thrilled that -- I know that Bushland (ph) and Kerr needed that 20 bucks really badly from Michael Jordan, and hopefully he can makeup that difference in his next contract for negotiations. But I thought what was really nice was seeing him wear that black band on his Bull's uniform. Kerr and Buechler will be in tomorrow night, Stoudamire, he was hoping he was going to be able to work it in. We have Muehlebach, who played on four executive championship games, he and his wife are in. He's an attorney now in Tucson. Bruce Frazier, who was on the Final Four team, he's in, also with a friend. So that's part of the fun. The only thing is you don't have a whole lot of time to spend with them. But it's great to have them be here.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Usually Arizona is not among their leading schools if they're that highly visible. The exception, of course, would be with Mike Bibby being from in-state. A lot of people asked me that last year about, well, how do you feel about it that you might only have a couple of years? I said, hey, I'd rather have Mike a couple of years than not to have him at all. That would be my stance on it. The biggest problem was just like North Carolina, we're not going to be able to recruit a point guard behind Mike Bibby, saying Mike may come out after his second or third year. The kid's question at that point is what happens if he doesn't? You're not going to get the high profile kid coming in behind the high profile kid. We have never been that fortunate to have to deal with that problem. I hope that we, at some time, will have to deal with it. But it's not something that's there now with us. I can understand his problem, though, just because of trying to recruit behind him, you leave some huge voids.

COACH LUTE OLSON: That's good. I hadn't thought about that.

COACH LUTE OLSON: It would be special just to win a National Championship. But now that you mention that, it would be -- that would be something really super special, I guess. I don't know in NCAA tournament history how many times anyone has had to go through three No. 1 seeds. Probably never -- or once? We're it. Good. I hope we can finish the job, then.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think that's what makes the tournament so special, is the fact that it's one and out and a lot of things can happen in one and out. But I think it's important that there are underdogs that come into -- that get to the Final Four. There would be a lot of people, I'm sure, that would be thrilled to see Kansas here, and to have all four No. 1 seeds, probably starting with the Basketball Committee. But I think the fans really like to see somebody come in in an underdog role. I do think it's good for -- it's good for the tournament because now it reiterates that, hey, anybody's got a shot, even a fifth place team in their league.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, Dale Brown. Dale and I played against one another in the state tournament in North Dakota. And the reason I mentioned that is we whipped them. We had a fairly famous guy with an orchestra, I think, Lawrence Welk I think was from there. There are a number of people in the entertainment field that are from there. Really, it was a tough place to grow up in terms of the weather and everything else. But it was a wonderful place to grow up, as well. I was in a very small town. I think we had 43 people in our class. You had to do everything. I played football, basketball, baseball, track. Track, I just went out on meet day and throw the discus and shot, played in the band, sang in the chorus. I hate to admit this, but I wrote for the school newspaper. So I'm not sure I would want to go through those winters again, but I think it does a lot for developing your character in a small town situation.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, I guess the kind of atmosphere that we have with this team reminds me a lot of the group at Augsburg, very closely knit, small school, a real good feeling within the student body and the faculty, because there just weren't very many of us, I think probably a thousand students maybe about that time. Coaching in Minnesota, I don't know if you're aware, but I had 13 years on the high school level and then four years on the junior college level. I started in a town about the same size as the town that I grew up in, Mahnomen, Minnesota. They hadn't won a league championship for 32 years in the league. I came in at the right time, we won it. I got out of there as quickly as I could. We actually still have some of the people that I know from there that we still have contact with. It seems they prefer to be in Arizona during the winter. Then I moved on to a little bit larger school, Two Harbors up in the north shore of Lake Superior. From there, one year in Colorado, and then out to California and served one year as an assistant in a high school, while the new high school was opening. So that was my only year as an assistant. So I think if you add those up, this is 41 years. One year I was a dean of students at a school, just to take a break away, as we were moving from Minnesota. One year in Colorado. And I did that in Boulder and then out to high schools in Orange County.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I was asked that last week. And many people told me I have to see that movie, even though Fargo was not filmed in Fargo. I guess they didn't have enough snow at that point. They could have waited a little while and had plenty. But it was filmed, I guess, in Minnesota. But I've heard that it's really great. The problem is that during the season, frankly, other than doing the things that we do with our family, I don't really have time to do much. Generally, when we finally do get a time for a vacation, Bobby and I enjoy the movies, and Fargo is first on that list. Whether I'd fit any of the characteristics in it, I don't know, I'll have to wait until I see it.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I've been privileged twice to take U.S. teams abroad. One was in the Jones Cup in Taiwan. And I didn't have many players there, guy by the name of Malone, I think, Karl Malone, I think or somebody that went on to be pretty good. Del Curry, some pretty good players. The world championship was an unbelievable experience, because that was sort of like us being here right now. No one gave us a chance at winning that. We did not have a senior on that squad, a senior to be on that squad. It was primarily freshmen and sophomores. And I'll never forget after we had worked out down in Tucson and flew into Paris, we played a game against the French National Team, which was not even going to be in the tournament, they were that far down the list. And we got beat by 25. And the next morning we had Rony Seikaly was on that team, and Rony could read French, so he read a couple of things from the newspapers. And one of them was there is no way the United States will make the finals in Madrid. I mean, categorically, no way. But we had a little guy by the name of Tyrone Bogues, who you talk about a winner, he was something. He made guys -- Seikaly didn't like running the court, he even made Seikaly run the court. That was a great experience, an experience I'll never forget. We have that gold medal in a very prominent place in our home. And it's a wonderful reminder whenever I look at it.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think because of the caliber of the competition, they have an opportunity to play against. You go to the Nike thing and you've got 120 of the top kids in the country now. Every time they go out on the court they've got to play their tail off, and they recognize all of a sudden that, hey, I'm really good in my state, but there are a lot of other guys that are better than I am in most cases. So I think that's part of it. I think TV, with all the games that are on TV and the analyzing of the games, they're so much better prepared to step in at this level now than they've ever about been. Sometimes the biggest problem we have, it's not a case of recruiting them, it's a case by the time they're done being recruited, the only question is whether they want to go straight to the NBA or spend a year with you in college. That's the biggest part of the problem. That's the reason I appreciate a guy like Mike Bibby, there is none of that there. He's coachable. He's a sponge, he just wants to learn every possible thing he can about the game.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I feel that way. Our thing we always try to indicate in recruiting, we don't promise anybody anything. We didn't promise Mike Bibby anything, other than a opportunity to get that job. So, we try to tell them the facts, these are the guys we have, this is who you'd have to compete against. But playing time is determined on the practice court, not in somebody's living room.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, they've forced, how many, 20 in a game? I'm really not sure. But the way I would look at it is the number of turnovers that you have, you have to make up for by easy baskets at the backside of the press. And that's the reason I've always felt that somebody presses, we're going right at them, because otherwise you let them take all kinds of gambles and you don't burn them. We have not been a team that a lot of teams have chosen to press through the years. And I think part of it is the fact that they know we're not just going to get through the press and stop, we're going to go to the hole. So in answer to your question, I can't tell you a number, but all I would say is that hopefully we can make them play enough behind that press to make up for whatever turnovers that we may have. Mike Bibby is critical to us. Miles Simon is critical to us. In their pressure it's not one guy that's going to break that thing down, it's got to be a host of people. And that's why A.J. Bramlett sort of looks long and lean. Maybe you don't think kids like that can handle or pass or what. He's an excellent passer. He's probably one of the best big man passers that we've had. And Bennett Davison is quick to the hole. So I think we've got guys who can catch and finish. And that's critical to success against anybody's pressure.

COACH LUTE OLSON: From Iowa?

COACH LUTE OLSON: Our family, our five kids, had been raised in the west, and we felt that in the end they would be back in the west. And as close as our family has always been, we did not want to be one place and them somewhere else. So that was a big, big part of it. The second thing, frankly, I spent enough of my years in cold weather, and the opportunity -- Arizona was great that way. The other thing is I had been down there a couple of times to watch the BCI Spring Tournament, and really liked the feel of the town. And I felt it was a place where if somebody came in and really worked hard at it, that you could be successful in that environment. Because whenever they had had good teams, they had great support with that. Different say from Phoenix. Even when they had great teams, they still didn't draw well. In Tucson, if they had great teams, they drew big time.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, Ron Mercer, I heard was going to the NBA today. So we don't have to -- had you heard that rumor? Just like somebody had heard the rumor the other night that we had suspected or were going to discipline two of our players. No, Mercer, I'll tell you, they give him great screens and he really knows how to utilize screens. Plus when he comes off the pick, I mean he just flatout jumps over everybody with that shot. He gets squared so quickly, he elevates so well and he's got a great stroke. How we're going to try to deal with him, you can check with Mike Bibby on that, because I'm not going to indicate what we'll do. But we obviously -- you obviously can't play him like you play somebody else. How would we feel or how will we feel if we're preseason No. 1? You see, next year was a year that we were expected to be good, because we'll have three of the guys you saw up here, Miles, Bennett and Michael Dickerson will be seniors. So this group is an interesting group. They relish the big game. They relish the tough challenge. And certainly that will be a tough challenge for them. But going through what they've gone through this year I think will help them considerably. And our schedule next year is brutal, too. But we will be -- it won't be a new thing to them.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, if I talk about respect, then I become a whiner. All that I've tried to do is indicate look at the facts. And now I'm not lecturing you, I'm not whining, please, I'm just trying to give you the facts. Look at the facts and make that determination. Over the last ten years Arizona has the best winning percentage of any team in America. We have been to the Final Four three times now in the last ten years. We've been in the Sweet 16 six out of ten. So you don't buy respect, you don't -- that's something -- you earn respect, and then if people recognize that, that's fine. But the thing about whining, all I'm trying to do is to say look at the facts, make your own decision, but please look at the facts. And don't put it on these guys, because that's my bag to carry, that's not their bag to carry.

COACH LUTE OLSON: The way they want us to play is the way we want to play. We want it wide open. We want the court spread, so -- from Minnesota's standpoint, I thought they had far too many turnovers. But on the other hand, if you look at ball possession, you've got to balance this out. How many rebounds did Minnesota give compared to Kentucky? Okay, the difference in turnovers was ten. The difference in rebounds that was a plus ten for Kentucky. The difference in rebounds was six on the offensive boards. So the difference of the ten really wasn't as big as you think. Plus they got some dunks on the backside and that kind of thing. I thought Minnesota did what they had to do. You can't face that kind of pressure and then back it out. Minnesota took the ball at them and made some mistakes that I'm sure Clem wasn't expecting them to make. But I think you have to play your game. Our game is to go at people. The toughest games that we have to deal with are the ones where people are going to slow the thing down.

COACH LUTE OLSON: We have not shut off the TVs in their room. So they know it's something special. The thing I love about this team is that, that's fine, the ball goes up, we'll be ready. They're not an uptight group of guys. They're fun loving, they enjoy one another. They have a lot of confidence in themselves and their teammates. So they know it's the biggest game of their career. But once they get up and down the courts a little bit, it's amazing how you forget about the people in the stands and the TV cameras and the rest of it. Once you start, it's five here against five there. The biggest part of the pressure is in the early part of the game, the build up to it. Once the game gets going, I don't think that enters in, other than maybe the free throw line or whatever.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, I think they felt that from everything that they're hearing or reading or seeing. So I think they feel that pressure. But there isn't anything I can do about that. What I try to talk to them about, is some of these guys were in grade school at the time that our first round loss occurred. But it's amazing, there are 32 first round losers, first game. There are a lot of -- that's what makes the tournament special. So they probably have felt pressure from that. But hopefully that won't be something -- I mean, it's not that they're not going to hear again, because -- I was going to say until they put me in my grave, but it will happen beyond that, too.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think with a lot of coaches that's the situation, where it's not a case of wanting to be an assistant for very long before they're ready for the job. But it's so different for me, because I never, ever thought or dreampt about being a Division I coach. All I cared about was trying to do the best job I could do, and hopefully have a better chance at a bigger high school. I wasn't looking for Division I job when I took the Long Beach State job. I did not apply. I had been across at Long Beach City College, and we had great success and I loved my job. I used to come to the Final Four each year and go back and kiss the front steps at Long Beach City College after I saw all the guys in the lobby trying to get a job. It's a brutal profession, because when the head coach gets canned, it's not just the head coach that's out of work, it's the people that can afford less than the head coach that are out looking for jobs. But I think everything has escalated that way. I think coaches expect to get there sooner. I think players expect to get to the NBA sooner. I think that's just society at this point.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think the game has been a game of quickness for a long time. But even more so now with the three-point line, because of what I talked about earlier in terms of penetration to the basket and that kind of thing. We got a call the other day from Coach Wooden wishing us the best here. We've known Coach a long time. And I think back to the thing that he always said when I was -- told coaches forever, that give me the quickest player that you can give me, because quickness will outdo size any day of the week. Of course not 5-5 guys that are quick, I'm just talking about the quickest post guy that you can get. And I think the game has really changed. I think the days of the 7 foot, 7-1, 7-2, 6-11 slow guys, I think those days are numbered. Right now I think the toughest people to contend with are the 6-9, 6-8, 6-9, 6-7 athletes, because they don't restrict what you do defensively. They don't restrict what you do offensively. Kentucky creates tremendous problems for us and for other teams because you've got to defend all five of their guys out at the three-point line. You can't sit somebody in the middle of the lane and make them come to you. So I think that's a wave of the future, because of the three-point line.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think it's a problem for all of us who have a lot of players to go on to play after college. What is not mentioned very often is the National the average, I haven't seen the statistic based on last year, but the most recent statistic I've seen is that it takes a college student 5.7 years, that's the national average. Not for an athlete, I'm talking the national average for students, 5.7 years to complete their degree. Last year, for example, we have -- we had five seniors, three of them were drafted in the NBA. Two of them are playing elsewhere. And I'm happy to say that they're done with their degree. But then they put a restriction on us that the graduation rate is based on five years. And some of these kids, there's no way in the world they can get back to finish while they're playing in the NBA. And I think the NBA has made an effort to try and do something now to help these guys along and complete their degrees while they're playing in the NBA. But I think if you take a look at it, if you were to look at where our students are after three-and-a-half years, you'd be amazed at how many of them are in position to graduate by May of that senior year or the summer school. I'll use an example, Stoudamire. Damon needed his last semester, and he was going to complete his degree in the summer. All of a sudden, he's flying to LA one day, he's in Miami the next. There is no concern on the part of the NBA when it comes to the spring. I've said why can't you have them in for individual workouts on Saturday and Sunday? But then you take this and the representatives are telling them, hey, if you don't do this, you're probably not going to get drafted in this slot. And every slot that you move down is going to cost you a lot of money. And that's what's disappointing. We've gone to a situation where we require them now, instead of the 24 units a year that the NCAA requires, we require 33 units a year. They have to stay for summer school. We know that last year, Ed Stokes had one class his last semester, we knew if we didn't get him to that position, if he had a full schedule his last semester, there's no way that it's going to get done. The graduation rates, probably if you look at private schools or if you look at schools that do not send many players on to play after college, you'll find their graduation rates will be much higher.

COACH LUTE OLSON: That's what Miles said. And Mike Bibby was sitting next to him. And I said, Mike, did it affect your shot? He said, yeah. But I do a lot of shooting in the outdoor basket, so I was able to figure the wind angle. I don't know, a lot of guys said that. But there's some other guys that put the ball in the hole, too. So I don't know. I'm impressed by the way they've got this place set up, because for a dome, it still gives you a great feeling, other than there's an awful lot of space behind the baskets. If the wind didn't get them, then maybe the background might have affected them some.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I just think it depends on the individual. And Mike is just a kid. He's just having a lot of fun doing what he's doing. His mother has done a fabulous job with him in terms of the self-confidence that the kid has, the inner confidence that he has. There are very few freshmen that can step in and do it. The No. 1 thing they have to have is an abundance of confidence. I think that's the key thing. Stoudamire was that way. He knew he could play and he wasn't afraid of anybody, and that attitude came across right away. Sean Elliot the same way. I think the great ones have that attitude, hey, it doesn't make any difference, it's the game, you play it on the same size court, basically, and let's play. And that's the way Mike looks at it.

COACH LUTE OLSON: Well, the purity of coaching in high school is that you bring kids in as 9th graders or 10th graders and their basketball background is limited at that point. By the time they leave, if they're sound it's probably going to be because of the job that the coaches on that level have done. Also, you don't have, in most schools, you don't have a choice of who's there. You take what's there and you go with it. So if you've got a 5-11 center, as we had one year, then you try to adjust to that. If you've got a 6-8 center as we had one year, you adjust to that. But there's a lot of truth to that. And that's exactly what I tell coaches when I speak at clinics is that here are the role coaches because you guys have to take what you get and do the best job you can with them. I coached at Loara High School in Anaheim. I was an assistant my first year out there at Western High School and then the next year I was at Loara High School. And I stayed at Loara only one year, which was very difficult to leave in that, but I moved to Marina High School, when it opened with three gymnasiums and we lived a mile and a half from the school and it was a tough, very tough thing to do, but it worked out for me and it worked out actually for the players that we left, too, because we won the title that year and those sophomores went on and won titles the next two years, as well. So it obviously wasn't the coaching.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I think he's hit it right on the head. It is a youthful team, but it is also a fearless team. And they think that they can win and that's the first ingredient to success is believing that you can do it. So I think that's very much the description of the group that I would give. The second part?

COACH LUTE OLSON: Does that make us dangerous? I guess to the No. 1 seeds we've played they would probably indicate that makes us dangerous, yes.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I didn't coach in Boulder, I was at Baseline Junior High as an administrator. I was what was termed as the Dean of boys. My master's degree is in guidance and counseling. And being we were moving from Minnesota I thought that I would try to get into the big money ranks was administrators and I counseled and handled administrative duties. And saw more basketball games that year than I did when I coached. So it was obvious as soon as practice started that year, that that was not my future.

COACH LUTE OLSON: 1961, '62, I think.

COACH LUTE OLSON: I don't think that I would like to recruit somebody that says they're going to stay just one year. I think if a kid comes into your program I think you deserve at least two years from him. But I'd rather have him, as I said earlier, I'd rather have Mike Bibby for two than for one. And I don't know when Mike will opt to come out. I think he's loving what he's doing. He's doing an outstanding job in the classroom. Frankly, he needs, it's not the playing that's a problem with the guys that go into the NBA, it's how to deal with all the other elements they have to face. You don't get your college opportunities back. Every guy that we have in the NBA will say, you know, it's great having money and everything else, but it's not like college. It's not the feel of college. But if a kid is going to only be in one year, then that would -- knowing that I, I would not be somebody that would want to recruit them, I don't think. We don't get that opportunity, anyway. But that would be my feeling right now.