Seen and heard at McKale: On Mix Master Mike's mentorship, Galaxy gear and some boos

Mix Master Mike might be a three-time DJ world champion who is also famous for his work with the Beastie Boys, but his visit to Tucson over the weekend revealed something else.

He’s the guy who created Tomm-E.

Well, he didn’t create the DJ stage name for Tommy Lloyd but he did coach the UA coach at the turntables, a result of a friendship that grew quickly after a connection from the Dusk promoters who put on pregame Bear Down Bash shows.

“Tommy (asked Dusk promoters to) 'Tell Mike I’m a big fan and if he wants to hang out with me, or see a game or whatever,'" Mix Master Mike said shortly before taking the Bear Down Bash stage ahead of Saturday’s UA-Texas Tech game. “He contacted me and from there I gave him my address and I sent him some stuff, some records, whatever.

“Then he came to my house and I taught him how to scratch.”

Lloyd briefly showed off his stuff Saturday during ESPN’s "GameDay" show, joining Mix Master Mike on a set of turntables to the side of the ESPN set, and Mike later returned to work the Bear Down Bash.

Mix Master Mike called his bond with Lloyd a friendship that has grown organically, with each enjoying the other’s work immensely. If scratching and listening to other DJs allows Lloyd to blow off steam from basketball coaching, the reverse is true with Mix Master Mike and his DJ work.

“I’ve always been a basketball fan,” Mix Master Mike said. “I’m a super sports addict when it comes to college ball and the NBA. I’ve always been following the hottest teams and I’ve always had love for the Wildcats.”

The fact that Mix Master Mike grew up in San Francisco and remains a fan of the Golden State Warriors also helped cement their bond: Warriors coach Steve Kerr is not only a UA legend but another good friend of Lloyd.

Now, Mix Master Mike lives in Las Vegas, so that’s where Lloyd took his family when he was summoned about a year ago.

“He was like, 'I’m gonna come over and do a video and I said 'Come over, bring the video crew,’” Mike said. “So he came over and I did a little DJ session with him.”

On Saturday, Mix Master Mike repaid that visit, and took in some basketball while he was at it. He sat on the south baseline, along with former Wildcat forward Trey Townsend.

“Coach happens to be No. 1,” Mike said, “and I like rolling with winners.”

Team USA bond

Before Saturday’s game, both Lloyd and UA athletic trainer Justin Kokoskie exchanged hugs and extended conversation with Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland.

All three were a part of the staff that led USA to the FIBA U19 World Cup gold medal last summer, spending nearly a month together between training camp in Colorado Springs and the FIBA tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Lloyd and McCasland have also long been friends, though they've had to temper their relationship during the season.

"Obviously, we're busy," Lloyd said. "There's a lot going on."

All geared up

You might say UA graduate and Phoenix-area resident Sheila Chavez showed up appropriately dressed for Saturday’s game.

On a day when former UA standout Caleb Love was inducted into the UA Ring of Honor, Chavez wore a customized No. 2 “Rip City” jersey with Caleb Love on the back and carried new UA “Galaxy Slam" gear in four bags.

Included in her bounty was a black T-shirt featuring Wilbur blended in with a planet, and blue Galaxy Slam hats.

The Galaxy Slam gear was on sale at the UA bookstore, with many items also available inside McKale stalls. Jerseys and shorts in the midnight blue Galaxy Slam uniforms were going for $80 each, while T-shirts and hats were priced at $40.

Mixed reaction

During a first-half timeout Saturday, UA introduced Alkeme management at halfcourt because the company had agreed to a 15-year, $27.7 million naming rights agreement for Arizona’s historic venue.

They were greeted with noticeable boos and some light applause.

The school announced Friday it is now calling the building “McKale Center at Alkeme Arena.”

Outliers

In a sea of red and blue during the pregame Bear Down Bash on the mall north of McKale, Neera Lanwar and Aradhya Sarkar showed up in red and black.

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Yep, Texas Tech gear.

But even though the couple met at Texas Tech, they’re both now adopted Tucsonans who also follow the Wildcats. Lanwar works in cardiology rehab for Banner while Sarkar is an engineer at Caterpillar.

“Whoever wins, we’re happy,” Sarkar said.

Make-up call

A week after Arizona celebrated its 2001 Final Four team, its nemesis showed up at McKale to work on ESPN’s "College GameDay."

Jay Williams was told his name had come up during that 2001 celebration.

“I don’t know why,” he said dryly.

Williams, of course, is infamous in Arizona basketball history for being the guy who draped over UA guard Jason Gardner in the first half of the 2001 national title game when he already had two fouls. Another foul would have been his third, likely sending him to the bench and possibly changing the course for a game Duke won by 10 points.

The moment still might sting fans — Williams tried confessing that he should have picked up a third foul during the end of the "GameDay" show but Williams said he’s actually developed a good relationship with some players from that UA team.

Williams said he played in a high school all-star game once with Gardner, and played briefly with Richard Jefferson on the New Jersey Nets. He said he also has good relationships with two other famed UA basketball alums, Kerr and Miles Simon.

“So I think there's so much greatness that has come through here that it's always cool to come back here and see it,” Williams said. “ I used to go down and visit RJ and Luke Walton, literally in Manhattan Beach, California, and spend time with them.”

They celebrated, too

When Williams was asked if Duke also had a 25th anniversary celebration for its 2001 team during an interview before the "GameDay" show, fellow ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg busted out laughing.

“It’s a brotherhood,” said Greenberg, once the coach at Duke's ACC rival, Virginia Tech. “It’s 24/7, seven days a week, 12 months a year. I mean, c’mon.”

Actually, Williams said, Duke did have 25th reunion for that team recently. And the Wildcats were a big part of the subject.

“We all got together, had wine with Coach K, and watched a highlight reel of that season,” Williams said. “After we left, we all went to go out to dinner together, and we had the 2001 national championship game on … and it was really cool because we had the old school scouting report on a piece of paper of the matchups.

“You start going through the names that played in that game, and, I mean, look, if (Mike) Dunleavy doesn't get hot, we don't win that game. I don't know Gilbert (Arenas) how he plays with his (injured) shoulder. They were absolutely loaded. I used to hate guarding Jason Gardner. I should have gotten my third foul in the first half. There's no doubt about that.

"I just remember every detail of that game because we lived it.”

Distinguished

Greenberg said returning to McKale, for him, brought back memories of former UA coach Lute Olson. In 1990, Greenberg became head coach at Long Beach State, where Olson had coached in 1973-74 after moving over from Long Beach City College.

“I still remember we were at a little gym at Dominguez Hills High School. It’s about 100 degrees, and coach (Olson) is there with a blue blazer, a starched white shirt and khaki pants,” Greenberg said. “He just looked different than everyone else, with their polo shirts and logos on them.

“I just had so much respect for how his teams played, how hard they played, and he was always so kind and gracious to me as a former Long Beach State coach. He was a person that I could pick up the phone and call, especially when we first moved out to California, to say ‘Coach, give me three or four people for sure I need to connect with.’

Greenberg said their connection even survived after he took his first Long Beach State team into McKale early in the 1990-91 season … and was blown out 95-68.

“I remember getting a call from him after that game saying, 'Hey, just stay what you're doing. You're going to be fine,'" Greenberg said.

Greenberg’s Long Beach State team went 11-17 that season but made the NCAA Tournament in his third and fifth seaons and never had another losing record.

Too much?

While hosting "GameDay," having former Wildcat Caleb Love back for his Ring of Honor induction, putting on the Bear Down Bash and announcing UA's arena renaming made for a busy weekend around McKale, Lloyd said he didn't think the peripheral stuff distracted his players during their loss to Texas Tech.

"I don't think so," he said Saturday evening, "I didn't think our energy was bad today. It took us a few days to kind of build back from that Kansas trip, but I don't think so."

The big number 

4: Times the Wildcats have lost two straight games under fifth-year UA coach Lloyd, all since last season.

Quotable 

"I am happy, and here's why I'm happy: I'm gonna go to the hospital right now and I'm gonna go see my granddaughter that was just born at halftime. Londyn Mae Lloyd was born at halftime on February 14. So I'm going to go see her, hang out with her and reset like a normal person. I love you guys. We're fine, and I can't wait to get this team back on the court and kick some ass." — Lloyd