9/28/2022 basketball Edit

Arizona men's basketball team unveils newest uniforms

Arizona's new uniforms are a nod from the past when the Wildcats rose to prominence in the 1980s with players like Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr. (Reed Saxon | Associated Press)

Ari Koslow • GOAZCATS

GOAZCATS.com reporter

Ari Koslow is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona majoring in journalism. He covered the football, basketball, baseball and tennis teams for the Daily Wildcat for close to four years.

The Arizona men's basketball team unveiled its new uniforms Wednesday afternoon after teasing the updated look in recent months.

Lute Olson became the Wildcats head coach in 1983 when he began to help turn the program around. It was in 1988 when Arizona made the Final Four for the first time in program history led by the likes of Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr under Olson.

The Wildcats would go on to make the Final Four once more in 1994 before eventually becoming national champions in the 1997 season.

The new uniforms reflect several nods to the team that helped first turn the program around in 1988. One key element of the uniform that does that is the horizontal "CATS" logo on the left leg of the shorts. It is similar to what was worn by Kerr, Elliott and that team back in 1988. The right leg of the shorts features a large "Block A" logo while the waistband is highlighted by the retro cactus and sunset logo that used to grace the floor at McKale Center.

Additionally, there is an ode to Olson with a "LUTE" inscription as well.

There is also a gold accent "Block A" on the backside of the neck of the jersey.

Arizona had announced back in May that it was receiving new uniforms this year, but it wasn't until Wednesday where we knew what they looked like. The program teased its release with a short video featuring Kerr and Elliott on Monday ahead of the Wednesday unveiling.

The team unveiled two versions of its updated uniform with white and navy blue combinations.

Arizona's move to reflect its teams of the past continues a trend that started on the football side within the last couple years. The football program made the move to its classic "Desert Swarm" era uniforms when Jedd Fisch took over trending away from a more modern look in favor of a classic uniform style.

The basketball team has now done the same under its second-year head coach, Tommy Lloyd.

UA will get to debut its new uniforms this Friday when the team hosts its annual Red-Blue Game at McKale Center. The Wildcats opened up official practices on Tuesday in preparation for the upcoming season.

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(All photos courtesy of Arizona Athletics)