Photo credit: Upper Deck basketball card
The headline of this story says it all but it’s better to listen to the late Roger Sedlmayr announce it when Steve Kerr drilled a shot from “three-point laaand”, as Kerr sang in the famous “Wild About the Cats” video.
Kerr’s No. 25 is retired at Arizona as it should be. Nobody can wear that number — better yet, that role — that Kerr provided as an inspirational leader.
This guy overcame being a low-level recruit, the assassination of his father in Lebanon, a career-threatening knee injury and the tag that he was too slow to make it big in basketball. The great equalizers: His moxie and his shot. Oh, his shot. Look at his career three-point percentage at Arizona: 57.3 percent. It was shocking when he missed.
Kerr’s character made him similar to a comic book hero in Tucson. John Feinstein wrote it best in his book “A Season Inside: One Year in College Basketball”:
“Steve Kerr munched on the chocolate chip cookie, kicked his feet up and let his body relax. At least for a minute. He had a couple of hours to rest before he had to venture from his apartment once again, duck into a nearby phone booth and emerge as that great superhero, Steeeeeve Kerrrrrrr, defender of truth, justice, and the basketball whenever Arizona had it.”
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Steve Kerr
Kerr had the look of a choir boy but he was an intense competitor. Why else would the fierce Michael Jordan take a liking to him? Jordan even punched Kerr in practice once when they were Bulls teammates because Kerr did not back down from something Jordan told him.
Feinstein took me to the memory bank with the recollection of Kerr’s run-in with former Oregon coach Don Monson during a game at McKale Center in Kerr’s senior season of 1987-88, when the Cats advanced to the Final Four.
Monson was whistled for a technical in the second half of Arizona’s 89-57 rout. Kerr went to the line for the two shots. He uncharacteristically bricked the first one and the ball bounced right to Monson.
Not wanting to throw the ball to the official because he was still angry from the technical, Monson zipped the ball to Kerr. In the heat of the moment, angry over missing the free throw, Kerr threw the ball back at Monson, who had turned and walked away.
Startled, Monson stared devilishly at Kerr, who stared right back.
Kerr, never short of witty commentary (he is an established NBA and college basketball announcer), told Feinstein: “(Monson) didn’t do a very good job of coming to meet my pass.”
Knowing Kerr’s grit, it’s understandable why he responded to news of his father’s murder by terrorists in Lebanon in 1984 with a 15-point performance as an 18-year-old freshman against ASU two days later in what was Lute Olson’s first Pac-10 victory. Kerr also scorched the Sun Devils with 20 first-half points in Tempe as a senior when drunken ASU fans chanted “PLO, PLO, PLO” during pregame warmups, mocking the death of his father, who was the president of American University in Beirut.
Kerr maintains a vision of his father, which continues to help him succeed.
“To play my whole career without my dad ever seeing me play is something I think about pretty often,” Kerr told the USA Today in a 2011 article. “But I also think in a strange way, he was helping the process along.”
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Countdown to Tip-off Blogs:
— A look at the greatest takeaways from Arizona Wildcats’ Red-Blue Scrimmage
— A look at past, future today with Arizona Wildcats’ Red-Blue Scrimmage
— Arizona Wildcats’ Aaron Gordon vying to become third freshman to win Pac-12 player of year
— Ernie McCray did more than score for Arizona Wildcats
— Arizona Wildcats’ No. 31 not retired with Jason Terry’s name but should be
— No. 32 most storied jersey number in Arizona Wildcats history
— No. 33 in Arizona Wildcats history symbolic of hard work ethic, ideal role players
— Simon says: No. 34 special with two of Arizona Wildcats’ greatest wearing jersey number
— If Arizona Wildcats center Kaleb Tarczewski has field-goal percentage like Jud Buechler, UA will be fine
— Arizona Wildcats legend Sean Elliott scored career-high 36 points opposing Sean Miller
— Nick Johnson looks to improve perimeter shooting, limit turnovers
— Jordin Mayes hoping to return to shooting form earlier in Arizona Wildcats career
— 39 days and counting toward Arizona Wildcats’ season
— Joe Skaisgir best Arizona Wildcats basketball player you’ve never heard of
— Nick Johnson looks to improve FG percentage while Arizona Wildcats limit opponents
— Chris Mills, A.J. Bramlett reached Arizona Wildcats stardom via different paths, roles
— Jordan Hill climbed hill for notoriety while Ed Nymeyer lived up to hype with Arizona Wildcats
— Fantastic Four who wore No. 44: Jersey special for Arizona Wildcats program
— Two of Arizona Wildcats’ best centers — Sean Rooks and Channing Frye — donned No. 45
— Arizona Wildcats great Ernie McCray reminisces about his record-setting 46-point performance
— Arizona Wildcats star recruit should not be compared to Blake Griffin
— Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller on fast track to Pac-12 success
— Things you may not know about Arizona Wildcats point guard T.J. McConnell
— Arizona Wildcats will benefit from presence of Joseph Blair in practice
— Arizona Wildcats preparing for what could be memorable 2013-14 season
WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report, Lindy’s College Sports and TucsonCitizen.com.
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