Dalen Terry donned black and yellow Kobe Bryant 5s inspired by renowned mixed-martial artist Bruce Lee for Saturday’s game against USC. Terry wasn’t filming a fighting scene with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the 1978 movie “Game of Death,” but he certainly showed physicality.
Less than a minute into Saturday’s 72-63 win over USC, Terry collided with Trojans guard Boogie Ellis while going for a loose ball near midcourt. Terry stood up and grabbed his head, then was escorted to the locker room. He returned with 13:39 left to play in the first half.
And like Bryant, Terry received “M-V-P” chants in the second half. Terry finished with nine points on 4-for-9 shooting while adding four rebounds and four assists. He played 29 minutes.
The big number
14 —Consecutive double-digit scoring games by Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin dating back to Dec. 5 before Saturday’s game. Against USC, scored eight points on 4-for-10 shooting.
Arizona hosts four-star guard with Tucson ties
The Wildcats have hosted a number of recruits over the last few weeks, but the latest prospect is more familiar with Tucson than any of them.
Four-star El Paso shooting guard KJ Lewis took an official visit to the UA this weekend and was in attendance for Saturday’s game.
Arizona offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-4-inch, 185-pound Lewis in January. He is also being recruited by Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Memphis, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Texas, among others.
Lewis spent the early part of his childhood living on Tucson’s east side before moving to El Paso, where he blossomed into one of the top guards nationally at Chapin High School. Lewis is rated by 247Sports.com as the 15th-best shooting guard in the country.
Lewis will wrap up his official visit Sunday afternoon with a campus visit.
Fond memories for Gardner
Growing up in Indianapolis, the heart of Big Ten country, Jason Gardner only knew about Arizona because of the old Sega Genesis “Coach K College Basketball” video game.
Gardner, a former UA point guard who is now director of player relations on Tommy Lloyd’s staff, was a guest on former Wildcat A.J. Bramlett’s “Bear Down Ballers” podcast.
Gardner said his “brother would always play with Arizona with Damon (Stoudamire),” whenever they would play the game.
“That’s the main reason I knew about Arizona,” Gardner said.
Gardner recalled when late coaching icon Lute Olson — and his wife Bobbi Olson — recruited him to play for the Wildcats.
“His wife Bobbi would call me after my games and I would talk to Bobbi more than ‘Coach O’ sometimes,” Gardner said. “Sometimes she would call and ask about the game and then hang up. I’m thinking, ‘I didn’t talk to ‘Coach O,’ that was kind of weird. That relationship, being far from home, knowing you had a mother figure, you felt trusted and you had someone if you needed something to talk about and things like that.”
At Arizona, Gardner developed into a three-time All-Pac-10 selection and helped the Wildcats to their fourth Final Four appearance in 2001. His No. 22 jersey hangs in the McKale Center rafters.
Faces in the crowd
Former Wildcats Mo Tangara, Matt Othick, Luke Walton and John Ash were in attendance for Arizona-USC. Like UA center Oumar Ballo, Tangara hails from Mali.
