By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
With the death of Bobbi Olson last week, not only did UA basketball coach Lute Olson lose his wife, but the Wildcat players lost a loving mother.
At Bobbi Olson's memorial service this past Sunday at McKale Center, junior forward Richard Jefferson said that Mrs. Olson was just as much a part of Wildcat basketball as her husband was, which is why many players have struggled emotionally.
"She is one of the most caring, loving people that I have ever encountered in my life," Jefferson said. "She was a mother to every player that came in and out of Coach O's program. Each time you saw her, a smile ran across her face, as if you were bright spot of her day. That's something that every guy on our team will certainly remember."
Senior forward Justin Wessel said that Mrs. Olson is going to be on his mind when the team departs on a road trip to Washington today.
"When we leave, not seeing her on the first few rows of the plane and not seeing her on the bus will be hard," he said. "And she won't be at dinner with us, that's going to be the hard thing."
In dealing with the loss, Luke Walton said that the entire team has relied on each other as a support unit.
"Every day that goes by, it gets a little easier to realize life without her," he said. "The team is together all the time, so that makes dealing with the grief a little easier, too. We still miss her, but we all just think about her every time we go out and play basketball and that helps us out."
Jefferson, who spoke on behalf of the UA team at Sunday's memorial service, said that speaking at McKale Center helped him cope with his sorrow.
Following the service, the team spent the afternoon at the Olson home, comforting their coach.
"He's still doing good, all things considered," Wessel said. "Obviously, it is a really tough loss for him, but he is still there motivating us. (Olson) wants us to be ready (to play)."
While UA assistant coach Josh Pastner shares in the team's anguish, he said that Mrs. Olson would want the team to use their grief as a rallying point.
"It is never going to be put in the back of your mind, especially when you are dealing with someone that was so close to all the players," he said. "What we have to do is bring the team together more closely and use this as a motivational force. We want our guys to use the memories of Mrs. O as reason to get out on the floor and have them play as Bobbi Olson would have wanted them to play."
"We are not guaranteeing wins, but with her spirit with us, our guys will certainly be putting forth the maximum effort, just as she would have wanted it."
