LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Even after Parker Jackson-Cartwright was done hula dancing on the Hyatt lawn stage Sunday (video on right), Book Richardson still looked worried.
Standing in the back of a large outdoor banquet for fans at the Maui Invitational, Richardson shuffled his feet.
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt," he said.
I reminded him that Jackson-Cartwright was doing a slow-moving hula. It wasn't like he could get hurt.
"It can happen," Richardson said.
Jackson-Cartwright was fine. He didn't win but was one of three finalists as chosen by the loudness of fans in attendance.
Not bad for a guy who was introduced as "Dusan Ristic."
After the dance event, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla interviewed the coaches on the stage and, when he turned toward Sean Miller, the UA coach was bracing for the usual Johnny Carson-dribbling-appearance questions.
Instead, Fraschilla, who had also asked Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon on his SAG card and about Purdue coach Matt Painter's appearance in the Blue Chips documentary, asked Miller about his cameo in the Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
"You're on fire," Miller told Fraschilla.
On a more serious note, Miller talked about the influence his parents have had on him, saying he'd probably be a high school coach like his dad if he wasn't able to coach in college.
"I'd probably be a teacher and some sort of coach," Miller said. "And I'd probably be a high school coach in the Pittsburgh area, giving all my players to Jamie."
When SDSU coach Steve Fisher was asked what he'd do if he couldn't coach or teach, he said: "My mother wanted me to be president of the United States or the Pope. Thank God I was neither."
Painter described his cameo in Blue Chips as working out fairly well.
"We'd play pick up, get a couple meals and they'd pay me $150 a day," Painter said. "That was pretty cool when you're 22 years old."
Our full coverage today: A feature advance story, and a scouting report with notes, all on the same page.
The Columbia Daily Tribune had a story on Miller's restoration work with the UA program.
The Maui News has a tournament breakdown.
Here's the school-produced notes from Arizona and Missouri.
Miles Simon will be working the ESPN2 telecast of today's 3 p.m. Arizona-Missouri game, alongside play-by-play voice Jon Sciambi.
Other Maui games today (Arizona time listed):
Purdue vs. Kansas State (one of which will play Arizona on Tuesday), 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
Pittsburgh vs. Chaminade, 7 p.m., ESPNU
BYU vs. SDSU, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2
The full Maui Invitational bracket is here.
