Before I became a Tar Heel, I was an Arizona Wildcat fan. My dad, who was in the Air Force for 27 years, was assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson during the summer of 1996. We moved to the desert from Virginia, and I felt like I was on another planet.
Because I loved basketball, I quickly glommed onto the local team. Arizona had a ton of support in the local community, and 99% of the students at Sabino High rocked U of A gear, rather than the hated “Scum” Devils of Arizona State. Rooting for Arizona helped me fit in.