[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 4, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H1468-H1469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA WILDCATS ON THEIR OUTSTANDING 
                           BASKETBALL SEASON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHADEGG. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend and pay tribute to the 
University of Arizona Wildcats on their outstanding basketball season. 
This is truly a special team which should be lauded for their courage 
and for their effort in the face of very, very difficult circumstances, 
both on and off the court.
  As a U of A alum, I closely followed their amazing story. The 
Wildcats' victory in entering the Final Four perfectly captured their 
great season. In a rough and tumble fight, in a contest that the Wall 
Street Journal described as ``equal parts rugby and hoops, with a 
little WWF thrown in,'' the Wildcats triumphed over a physically gifted 
University of Illinois squad. After the game, Illinois point guard 
Frank Williams said, ``We gave them our best punch and they survived 
it.''

[[Page H1469]]

  Indeed, the University of Arizona Wildcat basketball team this year 
suffered a lot of punches, many thrown in their direction. Toughest of 
all, head coach Lute Olson suffered a blow on New Year's Day, losing 
his beloved wife Bobbi to ovarian cancer. Known affectionately by 
players and coaches and students at the U of A alike as Mrs. O, Bobbi 
Olson was a special person. In fact, many considered her to be the 
Wildcats' sixth player. Famous for her efforts on behalf of the team 
and the university, her efforts in recruiting and her famous apple 
pancakes, Bobbi Olson provided encouragement to the players and 
perspective to her husband. She will be dearly missed by the Olson 
family and by all fans of U of A basketball. I would like to express my 
personal condolences to Coach Olson.
  Cancer is a terrible disease that affects thousands of families each 
year. In fact, Mr. Speaker, cancer has reared its ugly head in my 
family. It took the life of my mother, and my oldest sister is today 
thankfully a breast cancer survivor. I share Coach Olson's grief and 
greatly admire his strength to overcome this tragedy as he did this 
year and lead his team to such a wonderful and stunning season.
  The individual members of the Wildcats basketball team also deserve 
mention. Arizona arrived in Minneapolis this past weekend with a star-
studded line-up that boasted five preseason nominees for the John 
Wooden Award which goes to the sport's top individual collegian. Led by 
junior forwards Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright, center Loren 
Woods and a back court of Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas, the Cats 
overcame a disappointing 8-5 start to finish the season with a 20-2 run 
into the final game this past Monday night. Individually, these men are 
exceptional athletes but, more importantly, under the coaching of Lute 
Olson, when they played together, they formed an exceptional team. It 
was this unselfish teamwork that led this talented squad to the Final 
Four and indeed to the final game.
  In an era where the best prospects see college basketball as a 1- or 
2-year stopover on their way to the next level, the NBA, I would be 
remiss if I did not mention a rare exception, an athlete that 
recognizes that an education and a contribution to society are noble 
pursuits. The University of Arizona had such an individual in the 
person of Eugene Edgerson. As a freshman reserve, he played on 
Arizona's 1997 national championship team. However, he was also a 
member of this year's gifted Wildcat team because he took a break last 
year to complete the student teaching requirement in a kindergarten for 
his degree in elementary education. Then he stayed to take graduate 
courses when he finished his fourth year of eligibility. Eugene says he 
came to school both for the books and for the hoops and could not see 
leaving without getting the most out of both of them. Mr. Edgerson 
serves as a model on and off the court.
  Unfortunately on Monday night, the Wildcats came up short in their 
quest for a second national championship. But even in defeat, they 
displayed the talent and grace of a championship team.

                              {time}  1715

  I want to congratulate Lute Olson. I want to congratulate all of the 
assistant coaches. I want to congratulate the team for its great 
season, for its unselfish play. You have made University of Arizona 
alumni like me, the student body of the U of A, the State of Arizona 
and fans of basketball, particularly college basketball, all across the 
country extremely proud. Thank you very much for a great year. I 
commend you all.
  Our hearts and sympathies go with you, Lute. And to the team, bear 
down.


                arizona wildcats 2000 basketball roster

     No--Name, Position, Ht., Wt., Class, Hometown:
       0--Gilbert Arenas, G, 6-3, 188, So, North Hollywood, CA.
       2--Michael Wright, F, 6-7, 238, Jr, Chicago, IL.
       3--Loren Woods, C, 7-1, 244, Sr, St. Louis, MO.
       4--Luke Walton, F, 6-8, 233, So, San Diego, CA.
       5--Travis Hanour, G, 6-6, 189, Fr, Laguna Beach, CA.
       11--Jason Ranne, G, 6-4, 200, Fr, Tulsa, OK.
       13--Andrew Zahn, F, 6-9, 254, Fr, Redondo Beach, CA.
       14--Mike Schwertley, F, 6-5, 224, Fr, Phoenix, AZ.
       15--John Ash, G, 5-11, 179, Sr, Tucson, AZ.
       22--Jason Gardner, G, 5-10, 181, So, Indianapolis, IN.
       23--Lamont Frazier, G, 6-3, 182, Sr, Los Angeles, CA.
       24--Russell Harris, G, 5-11, 165, So, Mundelein, IL.
       30--Justin Wessel, F, 6-8, 240, Sr, Cedar Rapids, IA.
       33--Eugene Edgerson, F, 6-6, 237, Sr, New Orleans, LA.
       35--Rich Anderson, F, 6-9, 213, Jr, Long Beach, CA.
       44--Richard Jefferson, F, 6-7, 222, Jr, Phoneix, AZ.
       Head Coach: Lute Olson.

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