Wild About '88: Chapter 27: Anthony Cook drops 23 on the Ducks.
This season marks the 35th anniversary of one of Tucson’s most beloved teams of all time, the 1987-88 Arizona Wildcats that finished 35-3 and went to the program’s first Final Four. We will celebrate that team by recapping each game during that unforgettable season by referencing newspaper archives and interviews conducted during the making of the upcoming documentary film ‘Wild About ‘88: The Rise of Arizona Basketball.’ (Some interview quotes in this series have been edited for clarity.)
February 11, 1988 vs. Oregon
Arizona used Anthony Cook and defense for another trouble-free game in the Pac-10.
Cook tied a career-high, scoring 23 points while adding seven rebounds. For the past ten games, he is averaging 16.4 ppg. More impressively he is shooting 71% in conference games.
“The guys have been looking for me inside and I’ve been consistent lately,” Cook said. “I got the ball a lot at Cal, and going into practice this week, they were looking a lot more inside. I guess it carried over into the game.”1
Cook made eight of ten field goal attempts against the Ducks.
“I have a comfortable shot now." Cook said. "Last year I felt the pressure when the games came along. Now I do the same things I do in practice.” 2
The Wildcats held the Ducks to 39% shooting from the field.
"We had a bad week last week. Tonight we wanted to pick up the defensive intensity,” Steve Kerr said.3
Arizona did just that in the second half, forcing 11 turnovers and holding Oregon to just eight field goals.
"The difference was our defense. It made a lot of things happen," UA coach Lute Olson said. "Our No. 1 priority was to get out on people and force some turnovers.” 4
Kerr remained hot from the outside. He hit 5 of 6 shots from behind the arc and passed Reggie Miller’s previous Pac-10 three-point record of 69. Kerr now has 73 three-pointers on the season and has connected on 24 of his last 34 bombs.
The play of the night went to Kenny Lofton. On a fast break, he imitated Dominique Wilkens’ patented reverse pump dunk to perfection.
No. 3 Arizona would go on to win 89-57, improving their record to 22-2 and 11-1 in the conference.
Fun Fact: The original Ant-Man, Michael Douglas attended the game at McKale Center.
Next Up: February 14, 1988 vs. Oregon State
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Jack Rickard, “That’s more like it: Arizona gets back into comfort zone,” The Tucson Citizen, February 12 1988, Page One and Six: Section B.; Jack Rickard, “Technical timely for UA,” The Tucson Citizen, February 12 1988, Page Six: Section B.; Jay Gonzales, “Cook helps UA defeat Oregon: Ties career high with 23 points,” The Arizona Daily Star, February 12 1988, Page One and Two—Section C.; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jay Gonzales, “Cook helps UA defeat Oregon: Ties career high with 23 points,” The Arizona Daily Star, February 12 1988, Page One—Section C.
Jack Rickard, “That’s more like it: Arizona gets back into comfort zone,” The Tucson Citizen, February 12 1988, Page One—Section B.
Jack Rickard, “That’s more like it: Arizona gets back into comfort zone,” The Tucson Citizen, February 12 1988, Page One—Section B.
Jack Rickard, “That’s more like it: Arizona gets back into comfort zone,” The Tucson Citizen, February 12 1988, Page One—Section B.