TEMPE — Superstitions being what they are, Chad Miller and Rob Lauver might just have to take one for the team.
The two former “Pride of Arizona” pep band drummers were in Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday afternoon for Arizona’s 73-60 win over Arizona State, reminiscing about one wild ride two decades ago.
In 1997, the Wildcats went on their most memorable run, a six-game tour de force through the NCAA Tournament that resulted in them cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
For the first round, as part of a goof — and for Miller, a stand-up comedian (check out ChadComedy.com), there are a lot of goofs — the good friends watched the Wildcats’ first-round game against South Alabama at a local Tucson gentlemen’s establishment.
Arizona beat the Jaguars, 66-57 and the pair of pep percussionists realized they were part of the mojo. Who were they to tempt fate? Fine, twist their arms — they went back two days later to watch Arizona’s second-round matchup against College of Charleston, and, uh, other things.
Look, it takes every last soldier to win a war, even the karma war, and these loyal Wildcats were not about to have to apologize to Lute.
“So they won, and we’re superstitious like that, and I’m not lying my friend, we watched every round at that … establishment,” Miller said. “We were there the night they won. The place was empty.”
“I think there were six people there,” Lauver interjects.
“The … women … were coming up asking for dances, and we all just said no,” Miller said. “They’d just end up sitting and watching with us.” Twenty years later, they’ll be cheering Arizona on once more, even if the plans are a little different.
“Both of us are married now,” Lauver said with a laugh. “It might be hard to get that going again.”
And, it’s not as if the Wildcats are a shoo-in to make a deep run, certainly not after a surprising first-round loss last season to Wichita State. No, despite being hard-core fans of Sean Miller and Arizona, Miller — no relation — and Lauver are at least realistic.
“We’ve struggled all year against the zone,” Miller said. “We have showed no signs of fixing that. Every 2-3 zone we’ve struggled against, because we don’t have that Gabe York outside threat. People aren’t scared of us.”
“Yeah,” Lauver said, “but if Lauri Markkanen is on, we’re unstoppable.”
Miller shakes his head in agreement, and then ‘fesses up.
“I’m booked in Phoenix the weekend of the Final Four,” he said. “It’s going to be a hell of a dilemma for me if UA makes it. I might not be at the House of Comedy on a Saturday night. I might get the stomach flu all of a sudden. That will be hell for me. I’ve moved mountains to get to a gig. Somehow we’re cockroaches and can always find a way to that gig. That weekend, I don’t know. I feel like I’m supposed to be in Phoenix telling jokes, but I’ll be in Glendale instead.”
