Dickerson and Simon make for dynamic duo

At the beginning of the 1996-97 Arizona men's basketball season, it was made clear that the hope of success was placed on the shoulders of juniors Micheal Dickerson and Miles Simon.

With academic probelms and a series of illnesses taking Simon out, one piece of the puzzle was not in place and the Wildcats had to learn to cope.

Now, nearing the end of the regular season, with the NCAA tournament on the horizon, the Dickerson-Simon show is back and proving that they can be a deadly one-two punch.

Yesterday against Washington, Dickerson poured in 27 points and Simon added another 20.

"It's definitely a plus," Dickerson said. "The chemistry is starting to come in."

With Arizona's success early success, despite the loss of Simon and the struggles when he came back, there had been talk in local papers that the team was better without Simon. This theory, however, was not accepted by the players.

"I don't think twice about it," Dickerson said about Simon being a part of the team. "We need Miles. Miles has been a part of us for three years now."

Simon and Dickerson, along with freshman Mike Bibby, showed that the Wildcats can not be left alone when behind the three-point arc. Dickerson was 6-for-9 from three-point territory, Bibby was near perfect, connecting on 5 of 6, and Simon added two three-pointers in six attempts.

Simon and Dickerson also showed that they can be an unexpected force on the boards.

Dickerson finished with seven rebounds, four of which were offensive, and Simon had three rebounds, all offensive.

"Both are great jumpers and both are capable of getting the ball," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "There has to be a mind-set about it and getting to the boards. I think right now Michael is getting very aggresive about it and we need Miles to step up."

After to a two-point performance against Tulane and a 10-point game against Oregon, Dickerson has taken his game to the next level, thanks in part, he said, to his father.

"I am trying to step up my game for tournament time," Dickerson said. "I talked to my dad and he said to step it up."

The Wildcats close their regular season this weekend with games at Stanford and California.