As a graduate assistant basketball coach at the University of Arizona in 1985, I felt like I had arrived. Working as a high school coach for five years gave me a good experience, but I could never have prepared myself for the next 24 months. Knowing Coach Lute Olson from my undergraduate days at the University of Iowa helped land me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My wife and I had just gotten married a year earlier and we embarked on this adventure with open arms. We both worked full time and barely saw each other long enough to catch up. We had both agreed that embracing the college coaching profession would require every ounce of energy and creativity we had. We were prepared to make the most of this two-year position on the Wildcat staff.
The 1985-86 season was only the third of many years in which Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson was on the sidelines in Arizona. The rebuilding process began two years earlier and charted a great future path for the program. Among those Olson signed in the late spring of 1983 was Steve Kerr, an “Opie” Taylor lookalike from Southern California. He had caught Olson’s eye during a late-summer league game with his ability to shoot from all over the field. Minus one quick step and plenty of athleticism, Kerr jumped at the chance and enrolled at Arizona that fall.
Not long after arriving on campus, it was clear that Kerr had the makings to be a special player. He had the knowledge and grit of a veteran NBA shooting guard to go along with his long-range shooting ability. He assimilated into the Wildcat program with ease and became an immediate leader on and off the field. Kerr was starting his junior season in college the fall we joined the Arizona staff.
Immediately after arriving in Tucson, I charged full speed into my new position. A self-proclaimed fan of the organization, I settled into my new office. It was actually a movie theater with a narrow table leaning against the wall. I would have worked in the dugout at the Jerry Kindall baseball field if I had to. Taking on every task imaginable filled my days while he got me settled. My running mate, Tom Billeter, was also a graduate assistant, and we became inseparable for the next two years. Recruiting, practice, weights, conditioning, study table and game preparation were part of the job and we took it on 24 hours a day.
A month into our first season, I began to feel comfortable with the staff and crew. Six freshmen dotted the list, including high school All-American Sean Elliott from nearby Cholla HS. From the start, it was apparent that Kerr was just as obnoxious and competitive as he comes off. Nasty in the sense that nothing he was associated with would be defeated, a trait trainers covet. When a mother duck feels threatened, she will do anything to protect the young from her. The same applied to Kerr. As an Arizona Wildcat basketball player, you had mother goose on your side. Kerr was the mother goose who proudly and proudly protected and represented his flock.
As the season progressed, it became clear that his Wildcat team had the ability to be very special. Midway through the conference season, whispers of a championship were heard throughout the Pac-10. Finally, the stage was set in LA for a matchup with the legendary UCLA Bruins. Having to win at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion was the only obstacle standing between the Wildcats and a championship. The Bruins had Reggie Miller, and luckily, retired Hall of Famer John Wooden sat across from our bench in his favorite spot. We had a future Hall of Famer in Lute Olson and a Kerr-led team that wouldn’t refuse. By winning the game in Los Angeles that night, Kerr proved himself to be the King of the Cats. No one expected this youth-laden team to make a splash this year. Maybe in the future, but not this season, fans thought. We flew home that night with the Pac-10 championship trophy and a taste of champagne.
Adjectives are often thrown at players who suck at this rare leadership ability. The trainer on the floor, the general or the glue are terms used by television announcers. Steve Kerr had all of this wrapped up in one neat package. On top of that, his public image was an A+ as was his ability to speak like a senator. Too good to be true? The icing on the cake was his ability to orchestrate his team to victory and, of course, his jump shot. I have fond memories of Kerr, the perfectionist, shooting 3-pointers around the perimeter at the quiet McKale Center late at night. The success of each night’s shot depended on meeting his self-inflicted percentage targets. He forced himself to shoot when he was tired and would continue his task until he reached the goal. Never say die was his motto and he lived it every night in the shadow of his field. Steve made us all proud when he finished his 13-year NBA career as the best 3-point percentage shooter of all time. His most famous shot came from a nifty pass from Michael Jordan in Game 6 of the 1997 ALCS. This buzzer-beater sealed one of the Chicago Bulls’ historic six world titles. I have never been or had the opportunity to train a player who possessed all these qualities. Very few coaches do.