Arizona basketball walk-ons Weitman, Menaugh, Champion integral part of Cats' Mideast tour

After he helped Salpointe Catholic win the Arizona Class 4A high school basketball title in 2020, Grant Weitman followed his heart.

Instead of looking for a school where he might play regularly, he chose to play for the program he grew up with, coming from an athletic family who followed the Wildcats and with a grandfather who was close friends with Lute Olson.

That meant his basketball work would largely go unnoticed outside the program and unrewarded inside it. Including team meetings, video review, weightlifting and, of course, practices, where Weitman often whips on a green jersey and serves with other walk-ons and non-rotation players to mock an upcoming opponent.

He gets no athletic scholarship and very little playing time. While Weitman has regularly traveled with the Wildcats, some walk-ons don’t even make that cut because schools are limited to only 15 players on Pac-12 road trips.

But this month, Weitman, Catalina Foothills grad Will Menaugh, a sophomore, and senior forward Luke Champion were all rewarded for their efforts in a way they possibly couldn't have imagined. The Wildcats’ returning walk-ons were part of the Wildcats' traveling party for a 10-day trip to Israel and the United Arab Emirates, visiting an array of religious and cultural sites, receiving escorted tours, enjoying local cuisine and staying in upscale hotels.

“Going into my senior year. It's kind of like a gift almost, a little bit,” Weitman said. “I mean, for them to bring the walk-ons ... is super nice (for) me, Champ and Will. I’ve enjoyed it.”

The three walk-ons all had the chance to play two minutes each in UA’s wins over Israel Select and UAE Select. Champion scored against Israel Select, while Weitman and Menaugh scored against UAE Select.

But like many Arizona players, Weitman said the best thing overall about the trip was the chance to spend time with his teammates while seeing so many places. The players also switched roommates at each of their three hotels during the trip, giving them a chance to get to know others better.

“Being with the team is probably the best highlight. Going to a different country, going on these activities and seeing the mosque, for example,” Weitman said. “It's great team bonding. I don't think that many teams get to do that, and we were the first team to go to Abu Dhabi. So I think it's a super cool experience.”

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In Abu Dhabi, the Wildcats took a VIP sunset tour of the $545 million Grand Mosque, while also visiting the brand-new Abrahamic Family House, a peace memorial that features a mosque, a synagogue and a church all on the same site. Weitman said that allowed players to get in touch with their religions; the Wildcats do not have any Jewish players but have many Christians, while Malian center Oumar Ballo is Muslim.

“The mosque was probably the craziest thing I've ever seen,” Weitman said. “It was cool to see Oumar there too because it’s his religion.”

The Abrahamic House is “kind of connecting all people. I'm Christian. I thought the church was amazing.”

Before arriving in the UAE, the Wildcats roamed all over Jerusalem and bobbed in the Dead Sea, taking a bus ride down the west shore of the salty lake. Weitman said he enjoyed visiting Jerusalem, where the Wildcats retraced what were said to be many Biblical sites and toured the Old City, which features layers of religious and cultural sites.

“I loved Israel. I loved Jerusalem,” Weitman said. “I thought it was super cool to see all the historical stuff. We saw thousands of years of history. Something probably most people never get to see.”

Exclusive coverage of UA hoops Mideast Tour — only in the Star and at Tucson.com/Pascoe