Arizona’s Miles Simon shoots over a Kentucky defender in the championship game.

 David Sanders,

The Arizona Daily Star

Editor’s note: The following story first appeared in the April 1, 1997 edition of the Arizona Daily Star.

INDIANAPOLIS — When Miles Simon hit a 65-footer to beat Cincinnati last year, the shot was pretty much considered a miracle.

Now the truth has surfaced. It was standard practice.

With another furious press in his face, with leading scorer Michael Dickerson sitting on the bench last night with another case of the bricks, Simon pulled off the unthinkable again.

This time, it was 30 points, most attained through 14-of-17 free-throw shooting and his canny ability to split defenders, dance through the lane and somehow get the ball in the basket.

On Saturday, it was an assist and eight points to break the UA out of a 15-4 deficit against North Carolina.

For the two final games, it was 54 points and the Final Four MVP award. For the six-game tournament, it was 132 points and 24 rebounds.

What’s more, all of that doesn’t even count that fitful, sleepless night Simon survived before passing his family studies course in an effort just to make it on the floor this year.

“It’s unbelievable,” Simon said. “To come out and … I don’t know — I just gave it my all. Kentucky, I think they wore me down in the first half. I was very tired. I called for a sub like three times. But in the second half, I just had to suck it up, and I was getting the ball in the right spots, able to create easy shots and get to the foul line.”

He wasn’t just getting the ball in the right spots. He was getting the ball and creating the right spots.

Simon drove through the Kentucky press all night, often splitting defenders and lunging forward for baskets. When he didn’t get the shot off, he drew fouls, and that was fine, too.

The gig became so easy, Simon started asking for more.

“He kept saying: ‘They can’t stop me. They can’t stop me,’” Dickerson said. “He was in the zone. And when a player’s in a zone like that, you’ve got to give him the ball.”

Especially with the type of defense Kentucky was presenting, Simon was a logical guy to hand the ball to. Both he and point guard Mike Bibby were effective at breaking the Kentucky press, and Simon made a habit of busting through defenses at the top of the key to find a good look at the basket.

Ironically, Arizona coach Lute Olson indicated, that could be Simon’s best asset. Not popping 65-footers.

“Miles can not only penetrate, but he can get you up in the air,” Olson said. “Probably as well as he shoots threes, his best basketball is when he’s slashing and cutting through the defense. He has a feel when to shoot it, when to show it, and when to get the guy up in the air.”

He has a feel when to get the ball. Period.

“All season long, he’s been our vocal leader out there, and he just comes to play every night,” guard Jason Terry said. “He actually said: ‘Give me the ball. They can’t guard me. Just put it in my hands.’ That’s just the way he is. Miles is so determined that in a big game, (he knew) someone had to step up, and he felt he would.”

Not that it is anything new. By now, Arizona has been watching Simon pull these kinds of things off over and over.

“He’s been doing it all year,” forward Bennett Davison said.

Press? No problem. Kentucky Press? No problem. Just give him the ball.

Then the scissors.

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