CLAIRE C. LAURENCE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior guard, Fil Torres

Reserve role more beneficial to Torres in long run

Sitting on the end of the bench wouldn't bode well for most college basketball players' career prospects. But UA senior Fil Torres doesn't mind the view from the sideline.

In fact, the physical education major's seat on the bench next to the UA coaching staff will most likely help further his basketball career better than if he were on the court playing.

"It wasn't really about playing all the time, because I want to get into coaching later on and I just wanted to learn as much as I can about the college game," Torres said, citing assistant head coach Rodney Tention as his mentor of sorts.

"When you're not in the midst of everything, you can always have the outsiders view. You definitely see every little thing because you've got a bird's eye view (from the bench)."

Head coach Lute Olson said Torres' intelligence and competitive nature will serve him well on his quest to become a coach. Olson agreed that while he's sure Torres would have liked to play more in his UA career, observing the nuances of the game from the closest vantage point will only help him.

"I would say in Fil's case, he would be excellent in the coaching profession," Olson said. "Sometimes, that person (on the bench) gets a clearer picture of things than someone who's actually playing a lot. They get the chance to observe the game from a different perspective."

As he prepares for his last game in McKale Center Sunday afternoon against Arizona State, Torres said his total experience during his time in Tucson is what he will take beyond graduation.

"My experience here before I even made the team was great," said Torres, recalling his accomplishment of being picked over 25-30 other players during an open tryout after Arizona's 2001 Final Four run.

"I was happy here without making the team, but it was just an added bonus."

Torres notes that while nothing was guaranteed at any point, he kept in contact with coaches during his first two years on campus, hoping to get the chance to one day wear the cardinal and navy.

Everything changed for the Lisle, Ill., native during that summer tryout, when UA coaches saw something in the 6-foot-2 guard that forced their hand in finally giving him a roster spot.

While UA coaches are happy Torres waited so long for a roster spot to open up, he said the decision to come to Arizona was an easy one, despite having to shoot down opportunities to play elsewhere to come to Tucson.

"The schools were not as enticing because they were so small," he said. "My high school had 2,800 people, and most of those schools were smaller than that. I really just didn't want to go to a school that small."

While fellow senior and former walk-on Jason Ranne was offered a scholarship before his junior season, Torres has been a walk-on during his entire stay.

Gaining a scholarship wasn't a priority for Torres, however. His Native American heritage and strengths in the classroom meant that his schooling was already covered by the Oneida Tribe of the Iroquois Nation.

Torres said that while a scholarship would be nice, just being part of the team is more important.

UA associated head coach Jim Rosborough said Torres' role of controlling the scout team during practice is just as important to the team as anyone else's.

"We wouldn't be where we are without these guys," Rosborough said of Torres and Ranne, who will also make his final McKale Center appearance Sunday. "They don't get the reward of getting into the games. They're there and they cheer hard, and then they come back Friday after a Thursday night game, and then they have to learn a new offense. It's difficult."

As for the opportunity to enter the game for a final time Sunday, Torres said it's a nice thought, but not necessary.

"I'd just be more concerned with the fact if we're winning or not," he said. "It's not even about if I get in. It's about how the team's playing. We've got more to accomplish and need to focus more on winning than saying, ÎThis is Jason and Fil's last game.'"