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Two of the most impressive individual performances in one season belong to a couple of Arizona Wildcats who wore No. 3 — prolific scoring guard Khalid Reeves and shot-blocker extraordinaire Loren Woods.
Reeves scored a school record 848 points in 1993-94, averaging 24.2 points a game, also a school record. Woods had a record 102 blocked shots in 1999-2000, including a record 14-block performance against Oregon that season.
Included in the honoring of No. 3 is forward Kevin Parrom, who exhausted his eligibility last season after a career riddled by injury and personal strife. Some may question why Parrom is included in this display of Arizona greats. I put him there because of his fortitude and team-first qualities that coach Sean Miller lauded every year.
Parrom received the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award last season after overcoming personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. He lost his mother and grandmother in a span of a year and also worked his way back from a bullet wound in his leg from a home invasion when visiting his mother in the Bronx.
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Reeves was also a New York City recruit who came east to play for Lute Olson by contacting Arizona before Olson’s staff contacted him. His high school coach at Christ the King High School in Queens, N.Y., contacted Olson that his guard wanted to play in the west to get away from the snow.
Olson writes in his book “Lute! The Seasons of My Life” that he sealed the deal with Reeves in a very peculiar place.
“I walked into a bathroom at an all-star tournament (and) Khalid was in one of the stalls,” Olson writes. “‘Hey coach,’ he greeted me. ‘How you doing Khalid?’ I said. Then I asked him. I was mostly kidding because I certainly didn’t expect an answer in the bathroom.”
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“‘So are you going to sign with us?’ He didn’t hesitate. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I’m coming to Arizona.’ ‘Great,’ I told him. What else can you say in that situation? I think it is accurate to say this was the only time I recruited a player in the bathroom.” Reeves played seven years professionally overseas after a six-year career in the NBA. He has worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater Christ the King. Woods, 35, played four years in the NBA before playing overseas. He is in his third season in Lebanon. He averaged 14.4 points and 11.1 rebounds last year for Al Riyadi. He also averaged 2.5 blocked shots a game. Parrom recently tried out for a team in Ukraine but did not make a cut. He was selected by the Rio Grande Valley (Texas) Vipers in last week’s D-League draft. He is now in camp with the Vipers in McAllen, Texas. |
Countdown to Tip-off Blogs:
— T.J. McConnell hoping to play big wearing No. 4 for Arizona Wildcats
— Leon Blevins, Jawann McClellan team captains who impacted Arizona Wildcats different ways
— Steve Rivera produces another book about Arizona Wildcats basketball
— Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller featured on Seth Davis Show
— Arizona Wildcats basketball: Top-5 memorable Elite Eight games
— Twitter feed reads on Day No. 9 of countdown to tip off
— Arizona Wildcats’ career assist record an unassailable mark
— Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller on freshman Aaron Gordon: Defense “deal-breaker” for wing spot
— No. 12 symbolizes success after hoops career for two Arizona Wildcats guards
— No. 13 not unlucky for couple of Arizona Wildcats standout guards
— No. 14 for Arizona Wildcats includes two pivotal players who revived program
— No. 15 embodies grit, determination and intelligence for Arizona Wildcats
— Ranking Arizona Wildcats’ top Sweet 16 victories
— Arizona Wildcats guard T.J. McConnell on Bob Cousy Award Watch List
— ASU’s Jahii Carson Arizona Wildcats’ top opposing player this season
— Mike Bibby, Tedy Bruschi spend day with Arizona Wildcats
— Arizona Wildcats guard Jordin Mayes sets sight on successful senior season with 20-20 vision
— Unsung players wore No. 21 proudly for Arizona Wildcats
— Jason Gardner’s No. 22 is retired but Coniel Norman and Ray Owes also wore number admirably for Arizona Wildcats
— Arizona Wildcats No. 23 players historic in different ways
— No. 24 in Arizona Wildcats history one for the statistical record books
— Steeeeeeeeve Kerrrrrrrr!!!!
— 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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