Catching up with former Arizona basketball star Sean Elliott, who discusses his decades-long quest to earn his UA degree, his impressions of current Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd and more.
Almost nobody knew that, over three decades after ending his legendary Wildcats basketball career, Elliott had again become an Arizona student, gradually erasing a shortfall of 27 units via online classes since COVID hit in 2020 until he graduated this week.
Although today’s UA students mostly weren’t even alive during Elliott’s 11-year NBA career, when he picked up two NBA All-Star invites and helped lead the Spurs to the 1999 NBA title, maybe some have seen him doing a Spurs broadcast or know that his jersey is also retired in San Antonio, where the Tucson native still lives today.
Elliott cited those two people — the coach who “would jump on you” if he heard about you missing class or an assignment, and the mom who told him even an accomplished player could feel inadequate without a degree — as his primary reasons to finish up what became a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Elliott said the idea of getting a degree was actually “the whole goal” when he arrived at UA as a freshman in the fall of 1985. The COVID restrictions of 2020 meant Elliott had “downtime and no excuses,” so he called former UA player and developmental director Reggie Geary, who followed Elliott to UA and played with him for the Spurs in 1997-98. Elliott then worked with UA senior associate AD Jennifer Mews to get enrolled via the “CATS Forever” program for former UA athletes who return to finish degrees.
“I could take classes that were just interesting or things that I hadn't even thought of taking, like a detailed history of the Italian Renaissance. Something that I never thought that I would get so wrapped up in was my oceanography class. For a nerd like me, I looked forward to the two lectures a week. That was exciting.
"And all those nights where I just kind of powered through, even if I was on an airplane, on the way from one city to another, where I'm reading or I'm trying to finish an assignment and get it turned in. I'm just proud that I was able to stick with it and fulfill that promise.” "But I love him as a coach. I've watched a lot of basketball over the years, and when you watch his style and what he's done with his players, I just appreciate it so much.”
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