LAHAINA, Hawaii β After working in one of his βconference of championsβ references when talking about the Arizona Wildcats and coach Sean Miller during a Maui Invitational dinner event Sunday, Bill Walton jokingly played dumb about Xavier and coach Travis Steele.
βThatβs in Cincinnati?β Walton asked Steele, and then went on with more playful questions.
βBill,β Miller said at one point, interrupting Walton. βYou know they were a No. 1 seed last year, right? I just wanted to make sure you know that.β
As the emcee of the $178 dinner, Walton did brief interviews with each of the coaches on a Kaanapali resort lawn fronting the ocean. When Walton asked Miller about his team being the hunter instead of hunted this season, Miller said it was βdifferent for sureβ but talked positively about his players.
Walton also asked Miller what keeps him excited about this seasonβs team.
βWell, you know in college basketball, thatβs what happens,β Miller said. βItβs a very young game. Weβre not the only program in the the country whoβs playing young players. Thereβs quite a few others up here who have quite a few young faces.β
His full responses to those questions is in the video below:
Bill Walton asks Sean Miller about the #ArizonaWildcats pic.twitter.com/dpTLzM3lUn
β Bruce Pascoe (@BrucePascoe) November 19, 2018
Later, Miller said he was fortunate to be at UA, and βthereβs no place in the world that loves college basketball more than Tucson and McKale Center."
He added: "And Bill, people think youβre a Bruin but youβre part-Wildcat,β referencing how Luke Walton played for the Wildcats.
Walton responded in typical form.
βWe are most proud and honored and fortunate for him to have done that,β Walton said, βand for you to be in the conference of champions.β
Emmanuel Akot represented the Wildcats in a hula dancing competition featuring one player from each team, but didnβt make the βfinalsβ as judged by crowd applause. The ultimate winner was Iowa Stateβs Terrence Lewis.
Akot is shown dancing on the left in this video:
Feelinβ some kind of way... πππ#MauiHoops @AuburnMBB @APlayersProgram @DukeMBB @IlliniMBB @CycloneMBB @XavierMBB @ZagMBB @Aztec_MBB pic.twitter.com/qf5rgOZ7ga
β Maui Invitational (@MauiInv) November 19, 2018
Walton asked Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski if he has a βa great team or the greatest team ever?β
Krzyzewski said βitβs the greatest team ... Iβm coaching right now.β
Itβs not really a surprise to Miller that heβs coming across another former protΓ©gΓ© in Travis Steele in Maui, according to what he told the Cincinnati Enquirer.