Arizona Wildcats Basketball
A basketball story from a long time ago
The Arizona Wildcats, ranked No. 14 this week in the AP College Basketball Poll, takes on Utah Tech from St. George, Utah, tonight at McKale Center -- their last tuneup before they head off to Hawaii next week to participate in the Maui Invitational.
Tonight's game will have me shaking my head for all forty minutes as I watch the game and recall a moment fifty-eight years ago. It was a snowy night in St. George, and I sat at the scoring table inside the Dixie Junior College gym. Then, I was an 18-year-old sports publicist at Eastern Arizona Junior College in Thatcher, covering the game for my Alma Mater.
Eastern had a star point guard named Freddie Lewis. He would once again lead his team to victory. Lewis, at six-foot tall, could dunk the ball behind his back and play the game like the ball was an extension to his right hand. Lewis would move on to Arizona State University, where he played two seasons (1964-66) and averaged 18.2 PPG. He was drafted by Cincinnati in 1966 and played eight years in the ABA with the Indiana Pacers.
Dixie Junior College eventually became Dixie State University (2013-2022) and is now called Utah Tech.
Freddie is now 79. His birthday was on July 1, and he lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. I'm 77. My birthdate is July 2, and I'm...well, you know where I am.
Photo: No#14, the high-flying Freddie Lewis with the Indian Pacers, back in the day.
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