By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Three Arizona seniors make their second trip to Final Four
SAN ANTONIO - Only three players in Arizona basketball history can claim to have been part of two Final Four runs.
So when seniors Justin Wessel, Gene Edgerson and John Ash begin preparing for their NCAA Semifinal game against Michigan State Saturday, they'll have a bit of wisdom to impart to their younger teammates.
"We're at the Final Four, but not at our goal quite yet," Wessel said. "The last thing we want to do is let up on our intensity. Now is the time to really turn it up."
The differences between the 1997 team and the 2001 Wildcats couldn't be greater. The 1997 "Cardiac Cats" upset three No. 1 seeds to win a National Championship, while this year's team has been seen mostly as a disappointment after starting the season ranked No. 1 in the country.
The 1996-1997 Arizona team journeyed from being a squad mired in obscurity to the sweetheart of the NCAA Tournament. As a No. 4 seed in the South Region, the Wildcats downed three top seeds, all the while claiming hearts as a Cinderella team.
As UA head coach Lute Olson put it, 1997 was supposed to be a "rebuilding season."
This season there weren't hopes for a National Championship - there were expectations for a National Championship.
"The main difference between the two teams is experience," he said. "In 1997, we operated with a freshman point guard (Mike Bibby) and didn't have much experience up front."
Yet despite a preseason No. 1 ranking, the Wildcats endured a difficult travel schedule that helped sink their national ranking nearly out of the Top 25. And that all goes without mentioning the multiple team suspensions and the death of Olson wife, Bobbi, on New Year's Day.
"As far as highs and lows, this season can't even compare to that one," Wessel said. "We hit rock bottom (earlier) this year and have battled our way back up. We are almost to the top, but 'almost' is the key word because we have two games (remaining)."
Though only Edgerson logged minutes in the 1997 season - Wessel and Ash redshirted - all three have wisdom to pass on.
"If there was just one thing I could express to my teammates, it would be that as good as we feel right now, it gets so much better when you win the whole shebang," Edgerson said. "But I think they already realize that because this is a smart team. Knowing what it takes to win the championship, I plan on trying to keep the intensity as high as possible in practice this week."
Following Arizona's 87-81 win over Illinois Sunday, Wessel agreed that his team shouldn't spend much more than about five minutes celebrating.
"We will enjoy this a little bit, but there is still business to be done," he said. "I know our guys aren't going to start resting on their laurels just because we've made it to Minneapolis. This is the real go-time, this is when we have to start focusing harder than we have all season."
After all, the three players aren't likely to forget the several predicaments they fell into in Indianapolis four years ago.
A slow 15-4 UA start allowed North Carolina to open an early 11-point lead, which the Wildcats had to cut into using the three-point shooting of Bibby and Miles Simon. Eventually, they would beat the Tar Heels 96-92 in the semifinal game, but it didn't come without a scare.
Likewise, in the final game, UA was forced into overtime before beating Kentucky 84-79.
"Those were close ones," Edgerson said. "I am not sure we need that again."
Late Saturday night, Wessel, Edgerson and Ash huddled the players together for a pep talk.
"The first time around, I just thought it was easy," Wessel said. "Now I realize how tough it is. John and I and Gene talked to the guys about what it's like and how the Final Four is a memory of a lifetime. At the same time, we've got to win a national title. That's our goal."
Edgerson said he appreciates this year's Final Four berth much more because of the increased role he's played as a team captain.
"It feels better now because I am more involved in the team and getting more minutes," said Edgerson, who averaged just 2.7 points per game in 1996-1997.
"My freshman year, I didn't play too much. I am thankful that I can help my team as we advance toward our second National Championship."
Times have certainly changed in the four years since Arizona's last Final Four.
Discounting the redshirts, the three combined for just 1.8 points in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.
Edgerson and Wessel are two of Olson's top reserves contributing rebounds offensively and clogging the low-post defensively.
Ash doesn't record significant minutes, but is always able to enliven both the crowd and his teammates when he gets into the game.
"How perfect would it be for John, Justin and I to come in as champions and then go out as champions," Edgerson said. "Not many can lay claim to something that special."
