LOS ANGELES — Gilbert Arenas’ phone began buzzing nonstop when word started to leak that Arizona was hiring an outsider as its new men’s basketball coach.
Outraged texts popped up one after another in a group chat consisting of Arenas and dozens of other former Arizona players.
The group chat’s preferred candidates were legends of the Lute Olson era who were working to climb the coaching ladder. The former players had lobbied for Arizona to take a chance on Damon Stoudamire, Miles Simon or Jason Terry the way Michigan did with Juwan Howard or Memphis did with Penny Hardaway.