Mamba forever

Some of our guys are wearing these Kobe 5 ProTro Chaos tonight. #RIPKobe pic.twitter.com/4l2CUPoygG

— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) January 31, 2020

Just like he does every season, UA equipment manager Brian Brigger goes through Nike’s catalog and speculatively orders shoes he thinks the Wildcats will like.

Little did he know how big a role his order of the Kobe 5 Protro Chaos shoes would become.

“The guys liked the 4s, so I figured we should get them,” Brigger said before Arizona's 75-72 win over the Huskies on Thursday night. 

The shoes arrived a month ago and Brigger said he had plans to distribute them next week, but then their legendary namesake was killed in a helicopter accident on Sunday.

The next day, Brigger gave them out. Most of the Wildcats broke them in during practices all week, then wore them for Thursday’s game. Even though they are accented in light green, Brigger didn’t have a problem with them.

“The way I look at it, that’s the color of a saguaro,” Brigger said.

Several of Arizona’s big men did not wear the low-cut shoes because they prefer the additional support of higher-cut shoes, though forward Ira Lee modified his.

On the heel of his red-and-blue shoes, Lee wrote the words “Mamba Forever.”

Before the game, Washington also held a moment of silence for Bryant and the other eight people who died in the helicopter crash.

Carlesimo reunion

ESPN Radio picked up Thursday’s game, with a familiar face to UA coach Sean Miller on the color commentary: P.J. Carlesimo, who coached Miller on USA Basketball’s 1991 World Championship Games team. Miller, then playing for Pittsburgh, was joined on that gold-medal-winning team by ASU coach Bobby Hurley, then playing for Duke.

That other familiar face

That would be television commentator Bill Walton, who not only did Thursday’s game with Dave Pasch but is also scheduled to work UA’s next two home games: Against USC on Feb. 6 and against UCLA on Feb. 8.

According to Tubac-based ESPN researcher Joe Sullivan, among the research Walton was digging into before the game supported the theme of “cats and dogs” — including the fact that nine of the past 20 teams to play in the NCAA championship game have been nicknamed either for a cat or a dog (UConn Huskies, Butler Bulldogs, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, etc.)

Along for the ride

Although UA’s big annual booster trip on Dec. 21 to San Francisco was dampened by the Wildcats’ loss to St. John’s, some 16 donors made the trip with the Wildcats this weekend.

“Hopefully two wins this time,” said Judi Kessler, who accompanied the group as UA’s associate AD for major gifts.

Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke also flew from meetings in Chicago to Seattle to join the team and boosters on Thursday.

“Went out to dinner and had a great time,” Heeke said.

While the boosters were scheduled to accompany the Wildcats all weekend — flying with them to Spokane on Thursday night and then home from Pullman after Saturday’s UA-WSU game — Heeke headed home: For Friday’s UCLA-UA women’s basketball game and the UA-Texas swim meet on Saturday, which will be senior day for the men’s and women’s swim/dive teams.

U-Dub students take aim at 'Sweaty Sean' and crew

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The “Dawg Pack Dirt” tip sheet distributed throughout Washington’s student section took the usual shots at UA coach Sean Miller, showing him infamously wearing his sweaty white shirt during the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

But it also ran down the entire UA roster, especially Nico Mannion.

“With his red hair and fair skin, living in Arizona is a bold mov but have no fear as we’re sure Zona compensates this redhead with at least SPF 50 in return for staying in the desert,” it said. “A freshman from from 'Italy’ has been able to make Arizona and 'Sweaty Sean' relevant again. We feel bad (Mannion) has such a heavy load to carry.”

Among other things the “dirt” also said “all three” of Stone Gettings’ fans call themselves “stoners” and wondered why Jemarl Baker’s name is spelled as it is considering it is pronounced “Jamal” (“Dude, why is there an ‘r’ in your name?")

Hop’s honeymoon over?

After winning two Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards during his first two seasons at Washington, Mike Hopkins’ honeymoon may be over. The Huskies have won  just two of their last 10 games. 

The Seattle Times’ Percy Allen wrote that Hopkins said he’s learned more about himself in UW’s past nine games than he did during his first two seasons.

“Sometimes it’s so easy to take a look at that (the score) rather than looking at the process and focusing on the process everyday,” Hopkins said. “For me, I’ve always felt that way, but sometimes you can get lost in a different direction. So for me, it’s the process of why did I get into coaching? I got into coaching because I love making guys better. I love putting together a group of guys that they say can’t do it, but you can do it.

“In perspective, you go through this thing and sometimes you get tested. But it’s really a sign of your true character of what’s going to come out when you’re tested. Winning is not going to teach you anything, but I’ve learned a whole hell of a lot and hopefully we can turn it and that’s what we’re focused on doing.”

He said it

“All young players go through that stretch where you know they can maybe lose confidence in shooting and then it can lead to other areas. If you're a versatile player, your shot may not be going in, but there's so many other things you can do to help your team win. I think that's really our message to Josh. But I have to give him confidence. That falls on me. “

— UA coach Sean Miller, discussing guard Josh Green, who was 0 for 8 at ASU and 1 for 6 in the first half Thursday.

The big number

10

Arizona's first-half lead on Thursday. It vanished shortly before the half. 

Another big number

9

Washington's second-half lead on Thursday. The Huskies went on to lose by three points.

View the Star's e-edition from Thursday night's game:

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Check out photos from Thursday's game here: 

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