Having Benn Mathurin officially join the Arizona Ring of Honor on Saturday was just a matter of time. Once he picked up the 2021-22 Pac-12 Player of the Year award, the former Arizona standout wing qualified automatically.
The surprise was that many of his Indiana Pacers teammates were among those on hand at McKale Center to watch. After playing the Trail Blazers on Friday, Indiana chartered a jet straight from Portland to Tucson and took a bus from the airport to McKale Center to arrive about 40 minutes before tipoff.
“It’s fun,” Mathurin said. “We had to wake up pretty early, so seeing how my teammates care about me pretty much says a lot.”
The Pacers' appearance had a lot to do with Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, who encouraged his players to go. He even invited the Pacers’ beat reporter for the Indianapolis Star, Dustin Dopirak, on the charter from Portland to Tucson so he could take in Mathurin’s moment and write about it.
“It makes it makes sense for any team but our group is particularly close to one another. They support one another,” Carlisle said. “Benn is a guy who's become an obviously a big part of our team and the guys embrace him. He's a little different kind of personality on our team, but very important.
Indiana plays at the Phoenix Suns on Sunday n ight, and had to squeeze their Tucson stopover into a typically hectic NBA road trip Carlisle said “of all the hard things in the NBA, this is one of the easiest.”
It just took a little travel rearranging to make it happen — sending the whole team through Tucson, when typically NBA players heading to McKale before or after a game with the Suns will branch off in Phoenix and drive down I-10 with whoever wants to go.
“Benn told me about this about two weeks ago, so we were working through logistical ways to get as many people here as possible and then we came up with the idea to just fly direct here from Portland,” Carlisle said. “It worked out so we have almost all of our guys here. It's a great honor for him. It's a great honor for us to be here. This is a very special moment.”
UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic, left, gets a handful of Arizona guard Pelle Larsson, picking up the foul during the second half Saturday.
Dark days brightened
Mathurin’s appearance at midcourt during halftime, when he watched a video of his highlights along with sister Jenn Mathurin and UA athletic director Dave Heeke, was a drastic change from the way he entered the building as a freshman in 2020-21.
Mathurin played his entire freshman season behind closed doors because of COVID protocols and for a different coach that he finished with, since UA fired Sean Miller and replaced him with Tommy Lloyd in April 2021.
Mathurin then led the Wildcats to Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles in 2021-22, picking up the league’s Player of the Year Award, before the Pacers made him the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
“COVID was a really big impact on my career, but I was fortunate enough to come to this school,” Mathurin said. “It was such a bad thing that turned out to be great, to be part of this experience and to get to where I am today.”
Mathurin is averaging 14.5 points while starting 14 of 42 games so far this season for the Pacers. His scoring average is down slightly from 16.7 last season, but both his 2-point shooting percentage (50.9) and 3-point percentages (36.2) have improved.
Though Lloyd didn’t recruit the Montreal native out of the NBA Academy Latin America, Mathurin said he learned how better to be involved with pick-and-rolls under Lloyd and carried that with him to the NBA.
“Obviously, this was a thing I was gonna be involved in going pro, and I feel like he pretty much understood that it was an area for me to grow,” Mathurin said. “He helped me become that player.”
UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba anguishes after the Bruins missed a series of 3-pointers in one possession late in Saturday's game.
He'll be back
Among the Pacers on hand to watch Mathurin were Pacers guards T.J. McConnell and Tyrese Halliburton, sitting next to each other in front-row baseline seats.
McConnell, a standout point guard of the Miller era at Arizona, needs just one more NBA season to qualify for his own Ring of Honor induction. Among the criteria are winning a major Pac-12 honor (as Mathurin did) or playing 10 years in the NBA — and McConnell is in his ninth season after first reaching the league via Philadelphia despite not being drafted in 2015.
“We’re gonna have to figure that out,” Carlisle said of returning for that potential ceremony. “To have our guys sitting courtside (Saturday), T.J. and Tyrese sitting together, and Buddy (Hield) and Myles (Turner) sitting with Benn and his sister Jennifer, it’s just super cool.”
Thoughts for Koloko
Mathurin said he still stays in touch with the Wildcats he played with in 2021-22, including seniors Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson, while he expressed concern for Christian Koloko, who reportedly has been referred to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel because of a career-threatening blood-clot issue.
The Toronto Raptors waived Koloko this week as the final move to complete a three-way trade between Toronto, Indiana and New Orleans.
“Christian is my guy, so obviously it wasn't a great thing,” Mathurin said. “I just told him to keep his head high and just take care of his health.”
Lloyd said he hadn’t been in contact with Koloko yet but expressed sympathy.
“I don't know the ins and outs of it specifically as much as I should but I love C-Low,” Lloyd said. “He’s one of my all-time favorites.”
(Dress) code red
Just in case Zona Zoo student fans didn’t wear red to their Zona Zoo seats Saturday, they were given a red T-shirt to wear.
They had the Zona Zoo logo with the words: “Memories Made Here” on top and “Est. 2002” on the bottom.
Quotable
“You know Benn: It was the usual ‘Kick their ass.' Benn keeps it pretty simple.” — UA coach Tommy Lloyd, on what Mathurin said to the Wildcats before Saturday’s game.
The big number
19: The first-half deficit Arizona overcame to beat UCLA, the biggest deficit it has erased in a win since early in the 2013-14 season, when the Wildcats came back from 19 down in the first half to beat Drexel 66-62 in an NIT Season Tip-Off game at New York.
Photos: Arizona Wildcats defeat UCLA 77-71 in Tucson, Pac 12 basketball
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) gives a big yell after getting loose for an emphatic dunk against UCLA in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
The crowd erupts behind a celebrating Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) after the Wildcats made a late stand and forced an UCLA turnover to cling to their slim in the final minute McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson (16) sneaks in from behind to swat away jumper from UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) in the second half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) finishes off a dunk over UCLA forward Adem Bona (3) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) gestures to a teammate after slipping home a long range jumper in the first half against UCLA in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) gets in center Oumar Ballo’s (11) face after Ballo drew a foul and basket in the second half against UCLA in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) gets a handful of Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) picking up the foul during the second half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2), left, and guard Kylan Boswell (4) yell in front of UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba (14) after Love drew a foul on his score in the second half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) celebrates after drawing a charge against UCLA as the game winds down at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba (14) anguishes after the Bruins missed a series of three pointers in one possession and trailing by four to Arizona in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona safety Genesis Smith (12) celebrates with teammates after an interception against Oklahoma during the first half of the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, 2023, in San Antonio.
Bennedict Mathurin speaks at a press conference about being inducted into the McKale Center Ring of Honor prior to the Arizona game against UCLA in Tucson on Jan. 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) tries to bat a rebound from UCLA guard Will McClendon (4), left, and guard Dylan Andrews (2) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) rises for dunk to finish off a steal against UCLA during the first half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Former Wildcats and current Indiana Pacers teammates TJ McConnell, left, and Bennedict Mathurin chat after Mathurin was inducted into the McKale Center Ring of Honor at halftime of Arizona’s game against UCLA on Jan. 20.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) gets hammered by UCLA guard Dylan Andrews (2) fighting for a rebound in their Pac-12 game at McKale Center on Jan. 20. Old rivals UA and UCLA are scheduled to meet three times over the next four seasons.
UCLA forward Adem Bona (3) picks up a goal tending foul swatting away a shot from Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5), left, guard Caleb Love (2) and guard Kylan Boswell (4) celebrate Love’s and-one opportunity in front of UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba (14) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) ties up UCLA guard Sebastian Mack (12) trying to reel in a pass during the second half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson (16) goes up with UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba (14), top, and guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) for a rebound in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) pulls a loose ball out of the hands of UCLA guard Ilane Fibleuil (8) in the first half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) forces his way past UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba (14) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley, left, bounces off UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic trying to twist a shot in during their Pac-12 game at McKale Center on Jan. 20.
Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) gets close UCLA guard Sebastian Mack (12) applying defensive pressure in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) can’t quite get to the ball, losing the rebound to UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) and forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a Bruin foul late in the second half against Arizona in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) gets squeezed between UCLA guard Brandon Williams (5) and forward Kenneth Nwuba (14) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) forces UCLA guard Jan Vide (27) into a miss on a breakaway during the second half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd talks to one of the game officials on a call in the second half against UCLA in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) reaches in to prevent the transfer of possession from UCLA forward Adem Bona (3) to guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) looks to his bench and teammates after hard won put back bucket against UCLA in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 20, 2024.
