Arizona basketball could be in the midst of a historic season, one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Even with Monday’s loss at Kansas the Cats are clearly one of the very best teams in the sport, and have as good a chance as anyone to reach the Final Four and win the national championship.
As exciting as this is, there is no doubt that the expectations of success in the postseason can in a way dampen the enjoyment of the regular season. After all, what good are all these wins if the season doesn’t end with more banners going up in the McKale Center rafters?
For many, the Wildcats being as good as they are is actually a source of stress or even angst, which is not ideal. Even when championship aspirations (or expectations) exist it’s never a bad idea to, as a fan, take a step back and enjoy the moment.
I was able to do just that last weekend when Arizona hosted Oklahoma State, as I had the opportunity to take my 3-year-old son to his first Arizona basketball game.
That meant taking him to the bookstore, where he saved me money by only wanting a red Arizona shirt and a stuffed Wilbur doll. It involved walking across campus to the arena, where I got to point out certain things that mean plenty to me but at this point absolutely nothing to him.
We had a stop at a Starbucks so he could get a snack, and then we made our way up the ramp and into McKale Center.
And let me tell you all, watching him take those first steps into a place where I have experienced so much joy as well as a little heartbreak was pretty dang cool. The same can be said about walking around the concourse. Being able to take it all in — that is, everything but the game itself — was a real treat.
The opponent being Oklahoma State surely helped, as there wasn’t the kind of intensity that you’d have with say maybe a Kansas or Iowa State. But still, this was the No. 1 team in the country looking to remain undefeated and set a conference record for start to a season.
At the time Arizona was the No. 1 team in the country, was undefeated and was on the precipice of making some history. This late in the season, that’s something to appreciate.
My son didn’t care about any of that.
He was pumped to see Wilbur on the court, enjoyed the fire plumes during the lineup introduction and took his cues from the rest of the crowd when it came to when to clap. In the interest of full transparency there were a couple of times where his cheers followed an Oklahoma State bucket. I’m sorry.
However we do have “Bear Down Arizona, Go Cats!” and parts of the fight song down, along with a love of Wilbur. And yet, there’s still plenty to work on before I can say my kid is fully indoctrinated into Wildcat fandom.
Having a consistently good and maybe even great basketball team will help.
Arizona looked like a great team that afternoon as the Cats overwhelmed a spunky Oklahoma State team in such a manner to where the game wasn’t even remotely competitive by halftime. That’s always nice as a fan, but it was everything I could have hoped for as a dad.
Because while I got to enjoy the game, I was largely able to focus my attention on making sure my son was having a great time. That involved a short break in the Hall of Champions (where we got a picture with the Territorial Cup) and some laps around the place, along with a bag of popcorn.
As a parent you do what you gotta do.
I realized early on though that to my son it did not matter how well Arizona played. For obvious reasons he doesn’t understand the game or even really what he was watching. He didn’t realize that the Arizona team he was watching has the expectations and hopes of an entire city and fan base on its shoulders, that this expertly constructed roster might be the one to finally get the program back to where many believe it should be.
My son certainly didn’t watch the dominant performance and say “that’s nice, but none of it matters until March” or say anything about how a February win over Oklahoma State means nothing if Arizona doesn’t reach the Final Four.
He simply enjoyed what he got to watch and experience.
Maybe we can learn from him?
Yes I, like many of you, really want to see Arizona make it to Indianapolis this year. And I, like many of you, understand that regular season wins don’t guarantee postseason success, and that with a record like the one Arizona has accumulated anything short of the Final Four would be seen as a disappointment.
That thought shouldn’t cheapen what the team has accomplished or blind you from truly seeing what we’re witnessing.
Remember Arizona cannot win an NCAA tournament game for another month, and the hope, stress and worry that comes with March Madness will have its time. Until then, let’s all just enjoy the ride because none of us know when it is going to end.
