By Kristen Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
January 15, 1997

Together Again

"Guys like Bruce Fraser, Tom Tolbert, Sean Elliott, Jud of course, are still my best friends and they will be for life," said Kerr, who signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent in September of 1993 and finished the 1995-96 season with a .515 percentage from three-point range, the second best in the league.

Both Kerr and Buechler were members of the 1996 Chicago Bulls record-setting championship team. The Bulls won an NBA-record 72 games and went on to beat the Seattle Supersonics for the NBA title. Buechler resigned with the Bulls in the offseason and this year the Bulls are 32-4.

Kerr, who played for Arizona from 1984-88, and Buechler, played on Arizona's 1988 Final Four team that lost to Oklahoma, 86-78 in a semifinal game in Kansas City, Mo.

"The success that we had was a big part of our friendship because we grew up together," said Kerr, a nine-year veteran of the NBA. "When you're 18 or 19 years old and you're part of something together and you see all of that success, it's a big moment in your life. And when you share it together, it makes your friendship and your relationship that much more special."

Buechler, who played for Arizona from 1987-90, describes his four years at UA as the best times in his life so far.

"Those four years when I was 18 to 22 are very impressionable years," said Buechler, who has been in the league since being drafted in the second round in 1990. "I ended up having a good career there and having a lot of fun and gained a lot of good friends that I'll have the rest of my life."

Even though Buechler - who spent last summer playing on the professional beach volleyball tour before returning to the Bulls - has been gone from Tucson for several years he said that he misses the close friendships that were formed at Arizona.

"The camaraderie you have being on a collegiate team is much different than the NBA," said Buechler.

A member of the 1990 All-Pacific Ten Conference First Team after averaging 14.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists, Buechler said, "It was fun being around the dorm just having good times, living in tight quarters."

Buechler was, however, reunited with his collegiate teammate when he signed with the Bulls in September of 1994, one year after Kerr became a Bull.

At Arizona, however, Buechler and Kerr, who are averaging 1.0 and 8.1 points this season, respectively, never got to become very close friends.

"When I came in he was a senior, "Buechler said. "I was hanging out with the freshman guys and Steve wasn't living in the dorms anymore, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time with him."

Buechler and Kerr, whose wives were sorority sisters at Arizona, have gotten to know each other on a much closer basis over their last few seasons with Chicago.

"It's really been a special relationship," said Buechler, who was given the nickname "Mr. Fundamental" by Michael Jordan for his dependability off Chicago's bench. "(Kerr) has helped me out quite a bit and is one of the big reasons that I've been able to make the team here and be successful."

Over the years Kerr said former Arizona players have had a lot of reunions, mostly at teammates' weddings.

"Weddings are a great way to get together," said Kerr, who was a second team All-America selection his senior season after setting a Pac-10 record, shooting .573 percent from three-point range. "Unfortunately the weddings are just about done so we're going to have to come up with different ways to have reunions."

Last September Buechler and Kerr returned to McKale Center along with several former players, including Elliott and 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire, for the Wildcat Dream Invitational.

"We had a great time out there and I'd like to do it again," Kerr said. "We have the second highest alumni number in the NBA and we should take advantage of that and have some fun with it."

During the game, the fans continued the tradition of shouting his name as "Steeeeeve Kerrrrrr" in public address announcer fashion.

"That was unbelievable the way that worked out and it's a great memory for me," Kerr said. "I still have fans come up to me who say, 'Hey I remember that in Arizona when you used to score and fans would repeat your name' and they'd talk about how cool that was."