LAHAINA, Hawaii – After working in one of his “conference of champions” 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.
“That’s in Cincinnati?” Walton asked Steele, and then went on with more playful questions.
“Bill,” Miller said at one point, interrupting Walton. “You know they were a No. 1 seed last year, right? I just wanted to make sure you know that.”
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 “different for sure” but talked positively about his players.
Walton also asked Miller what keeps him excited about this season’s team.
“Well, you know in college basketball, that’s what happens,” Miller said. “It’s a very young game. We’re not the only program in the the country who’s playing young players. There’s quite a few others up here who have quite a few young faces.”
His full responses to those questions is in the video below:
Bill Walton asks Sean Miller about the #ArizonaWildcats pic.twitter.com/dpTLzM3lUn
— Bruce Pascoe (@BrucePascoe) November 19, 2018
Later, Miller said he was fortunate to be at UA, and “there’s no place in the world that loves college basketball more than Tucson and McKale Center."
He added: "And Bill, people think you’re a Bruin but you’re part-Wildcat,” referencing how Luke Walton played for the Wildcats.
Walton responded in typical form.
“We are most proud and honored and fortunate for him to have done that,” Walton said, “and for you to be in the conference of champions.”
Emmanuel Akot represented the Wildcats in a hula dancing competition featuring one player from each team, but didn’t make the “finals” as judged by crowd applause. The ultimate winner was Iowa State’s Terrence Lewis.
Akot is shown dancing on the left in this video:
Feelin’ some kind of way... 😂😂😂#MauiHoops @AuburnMBB @APlayersProgram @DukeMBB @IlliniMBB @CycloneMBB @XavierMBB @ZagMBB @Aztec_MBB pic.twitter.com/qf5rgOZ7ga
— Maui Invitational (@MauiInv) November 19, 2018
Walton asked Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski if he has a “a great team or the greatest team ever?”
Krzyzewski said “it’s the greatest team ... I’m coaching right now.”
It’s not really a surprise to Miller that he’s coming across another former protégé in Travis Steele in Maui, according to what he told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
