More from Star columnist Greg Hansen
- Updated
Related to this collection
For Star subscribers: Palo Verde won on toughness and discipline.
These 40-Minute Men give the old basketball term "40 Minutes of Hell" an entirely unwanted meaning. Aren’t they educators first, representing their universities?
It includes the most consequential basketball coaching rivalry of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s last decade or so: Pima College's Todd Holthaus vs. Mesa’s Kori Stephenson.
If the NCAA Tournament selection committee does its homework, a split with ASU will boost ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s chances to get a No. 2 seed.
If Tommy Lloyd can continue the trajectory of his first 22 games as a head coach, he will join the most successful first-year head coaches in Pac-12 history.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s women basketball coach Adia Barnes was recently reprimanded for a middle finger gesture. She later issued a sincere apology.
Border issues, lifts on mask mandates, Sen. Sinema, teachers, change in AF flights and the war on drugs.
Chip Hale isn’t one to exaggerate. He’s one to work.
In retrospect, beating the Sun Devils shouldn’t have created that much worry. History suggests ASU’s weekend victory over No. 3 UCLA was a one-shot wonder.
Chip Hale and Cailtin Lowe stir the blood of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ fans, who link them to success. Who doesn’t want to be part of a winner?
For a month or so, I would’ve nominated Christian Koloko as the most improved player in college basketball. Now I might give Oumar Ballo the vote.
The Top-10 ranked UA women's and men's teams go a perfect 4 for 4 at McKale from Thursday through Sunday, with a combined attendance of 47,206.
The Star's longtime columnist breaks down ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s women's basketball win over Oregon; explains why the Wildcats' work ethic trumps other teams' talent; and argues that separating home fans and visiting players will keep both sides safe.
The Wildcats won with defense and patience — and with offensive specialists Benn Mathurin and Azoulas Tubelis on the bench at crunch time.
The UA expects to hit a season-high in attendance when ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ hosts Oregon in a rematch of last month's overtime thriller.
Tyger Campbell has not committed a turnover against ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in 134 minutes.
Barnes becomes the fourth UA coach to serve as the parade's grand marshal, joining Lute Olson, Mike Candrea and Jerry Kindall.
UA has shot in the low 30s the past two games, and next faces UCLA's tough defense.
The Star columnist shares why the Trojans can keep their heads up high, how UA football is headed in the right direction and a new villain for Wildcat fans.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has struggled to score the past two games, but luckily it played an offensive-challenged ASU team Saturday at McKale.
Bobby Hurley's behavior is no longer the lead story; his future at ASU is.
Greg Hansen: Don't make much of UCLA's Tuesday night rout; Wildcats will soon have a shot at revenge
Now it’s a chess match. Let’s see what happens in the rematch at McKale next week.
Architectural plans and fund-raising efforts are not yet complete, but it’s expected that the Wildcats will be able to move into a $12 million practice compound and clubhouse in summer of 2023.
If Shaina Pellington can play, shoot, score and lead her club’s offense anywhere near as well as she did Sunday, the Wildcats have the pieces necessary to get back to the Final Four.
The Star columnist shares how imperative Tommy Lloyd's team-first culture has been for the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats, how Azuolas Tubelis' injury compares to other notable setbacks, and a basketball-heavy Sunday for the UA.Ìý
Last year, Clancy Shields’ Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 1960s. This year, they might be better.
This ruckus is good for Pac-12 women’s basketball. Now there are truly feuding rivals — and crowd appeal — which the women’s game has often lacked.
Hansen’s claim that “It’s on fans to bring back McKale Center magic†is totally off base. Attendance has been down and enthusiasm at the games…
Death penalty must be abolished
There are far more important things than a basketball game, as recent events have shown.
The Star columnist weighs in on the Gronkowski family success on the football field and in the business world, Kenny Lofton's path to Cooperstown, the MLK Classic, UA baseball ticket sales and Jim Furyk's return to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.Ìý
Greg Hansen: Tommy Lloyd's fast, free-flowing Wildcats are Gonzaga 2.0, and that's a very good thing
The light now shines on Tommy Lloyd and his 13-1 Wildcats.
College football’s version of free agency may be viewed as insanity by some, but if you don’t fully participate it’s like investing in Blockbuster Video instead of Apple.
Despite earning tens of millions more in revenue each year, Alabama is clearly better than ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in only a couple sports.
Click here to order "Hansen's Hundred," which counts down the top 100 sports figures in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history as chosen by the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s l…
The Star columnist checks in to explain why McKale Center "is trending toward the kind of crowd you get at an ASU-Cal game," the steps to retiring Aari McDonald's jersey, and why ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium is in dire need of reconstruction.Ìý
After the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl Games were cancelled because of COVID 19, STAR sports columnist Greg Hansen noted that this was an obvious loss for Tuc…
Free bus service is communism
New UA defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen recently re-recruited USC's Hunter Echols from the teeming NCAA transfer portal. It's a smart strategy.
Greg Hansen touches on the McKale Center atmosphere, Terrell Brown's run at an ex-Wildcat record, and more.
Together, the two coached ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to the national championship game, assembled the nation’s No. 8-ranked recruiting class for 2022 and have helped the Wildcats to a 10-0 start to the 2021-22 season and the nation’s No. 4 ranking.
Here's a look at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s best, from No. 1 to 100:
If you disrespect the Rose Bowl, you disrespect a generation of sports fans who sat in front of a fireplace on New Year’s Day, waiting for the voice of ABC’s Keith Jackson to make you feel warm all over.

010222-tuc-spt-hansentop100col-p1
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ assistant Salvo Coppa, left, adjusts the scheme while head coach Adia Barnes talks to one of the game officials during the Wildcats’ O…
With this year's top 100 list coming soon as a coffee-table book, here's a look back at Greg Hansen's list of 20 (or so) of Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s top sports figures of a pandemic-ravaged 2020.Ìý
The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl may not be the Rose Bowl, but having the game called off this season is a big deal.
A long-ago night at the Pioneer Hotel has become a significant moment in the UA athletic department’s celebration of Black History Month.
For Star subscribers: On April 28, 2004, coach John Condes and the Lancers chopped down Brophy, 5-2. Hard to believe, but it was the school’s first boys tennis championship since 1972.
Ìý
For Star subscribers:ÌýFrank Borman, Karl Eller and Larry McQuade were successful in their post-football days after helping the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High football team dominate.
For Star subscribers:ÌýAs an underdog in ’92, Pima College beat the odds until the final game of the NJCAA season.
For Star subscribers:Ìý The Badgers won the 1958 state championship by 42 strokes, a state record that lasted until 1997. They won 56 consecutive matches from 1957-60.
For Star subscribers: Our longtime columnist checks in updates on Dalen Terry's NBA chances, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s radio presence, Kenzie Fowler Quinn's career and college football's future.
For Star subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ rose from the ashes in 1992 with three of the most unlikely tennis standouts in league history.
For Star subscribers:Ìý The final American team standing after a month of city, district, state and regional playoffs — and three games at the World Series — was from International Little League of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
For Star subscribers: Before Desert Christian, the last ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ small school to win three consecutive baseball titles was Wilcox, 1999-2001.
For Star subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ advanced to face third-seeded UConn in the Sweet 16 in Dayton, Ohio.
For Star subscribers: Sunnyside’s 1984 team really put the Blue Devils on the map.
For Star subscribers: Nobody had more fun than ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s title-winning co-ed volleyball team.
For Star subscribers: Legendary coach Doc Van Horne called ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High's '39 squad "the best team we’ve ever had."
For Star subscribers: The Wildcats were so good that future NBA lottery pick, power forward Larry Demic, couldn’t make the playing rotation.
For Star subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ supported the Icecats, who finished in the top four of the national club hockey finals in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996 and 1997.
For Star subscribers: About the only thing that hasn’t changed from 1991 to 2022 is that winning the national championship carries the same weight.
For Star subscribers: Our longtime columnist crunches some numbers and provides perspective after a busy week in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ sports.
On the day ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High won the 1949 state basketball championship, you could’ve made a case that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was America’s No. 1 basketball city.
For Star subscribers: The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Toros of the early 1990s became familiar with the taste of champagne, winning the Pacific Coast League in both 1991 and 1993.
It’s difficult to imagine any ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ team, any in any sport, at any time, having a trio as dominant as the Badgers’ Bari Weick, Eric Finical and Bill Longton were in '79.
For Star subscribers: Paula Pyers left Santa Rita High School as the highest-scoring girls basketball player in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history.
For Star subscribers: Our longtime columnist checks in with news on ex-Wildcat Stephanie Rempe, a look at Tommy Lloyd's exhausting week and Terrell Stoglin's world travels.
For Star subscribers: In the 1980s, baseball was king in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and Pima was part of the royalty.
For Star subscribers: Coach Stacy Iveson changed the culture of a losing program in a short period.
For Star subscribers: The '69 Tigers led the state not just in winning percentage, but points scored per game. Marana tied a state-record with 130 points in a December game.
For Star subscribers: In the first 60 years of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football, Tex Oliver’s five-year coaching period was in a class by itself.
For subscibers: CDO all but toyed with state playoff opponents, beating Phoenix Brophy Prep 26-4 in the semifinals and rolling over Glendale Deer Valley 11-5 in the championship game.
For subscribers: After finishing the ACCAC season with a school-record 18-2 conference season, Pima won eight consecutive elimination games to become No. 1.
For subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s ’61 Wildcats were known locally as the "Cardiac Kids." Their comeback win over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State was a heart-stopper.
For Star subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ had never experienced anything like the Sean Elliott Story.
For Star subscribers: Wayne Jones,Kevin Schmidtke and crew posted one of the greatest seasons in Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ high school football history.
For Star subscribers:ÌýPima's 2010-2011 team was the launching pad for what has become a powerhouse program.
For Star subscribers: Coach Heather Moore-Martin had a goal before the start of the 2011 season: "We want to be the best team ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has ever seen."
For Star subscribers: The Cougars' 2001 state championship team was loaded.
For Star subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat ASU by seven strokes and Oklahoma State by 15 on a week the field in Albuquerque was stacked with future PGA Tour winners.
For Star subscribers: No one was able to beat Jeff Scurran’s Sabercats in 1992.
For Star subscribers: The Panthers were the last ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ school to win the state boys track championship at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s highest classification.
For Star subscribers:Ìý Behind Christine Keeley and Kelly Walbert, the Lancers went 16-0 and breezed to the state title with a 5-1 victory over Phoenix’s Xavier Prep.
For Star subscribers: Tedy Bruschi and the 1993 Wildcats were introduced to the nation as "Desert Swarm."
The Star's longtime columnist on players who left the UA; the son of a Sun Devil who picked the Wildcats; and why this year's Maui Invitational might be the toughest tournament that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has ever played in.Ìý
For Star subscribers: In 11 seasons at Catalina Foothills, coach Charlie Kendrick went 246-18-5, which is a 93% winning ratio.
For Star subscribers: The 1993-94 Wildcats won a rugged Pac-10 and routed Missouri’s once-a-generation Big Eight champions in the Elite Eight.
For Star subscribers:Ìý"I couldn’t believe it," said Baena, who not only gave ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ the national championship, but also won the NCAA individual title.
For Star subscribers: "We took advantage of our local talent. I was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time."
Ìý
For Star subscribers: The Badgers won back-to-back state championships in 1987 and 1988 with rosters that included future big-leaguers.
For Star subscribers: All five PCC players sunk their penalty kicks as the Aztecs beat No. 1 Essex Community College.
For Star subscribers: The '91 Toros were a real-life version of the movie "Bull Durham," capped by two of the most unforgettable baseball games in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history.
For Star subscribers: Our longtime columnist on hall of famer Jim Rosborough, an ex-Cat's impressive push to the big leagues, and the identity of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s own "Moonlight" Graham.
For Star subscribers: Rodney Peete scored 17 points in the 69-50 state championship victory over long-dominant Phoenix Union.
For Star subscribers: "We all knew Coach Kindall was going through a really bad time. We won it for him."
For Star subscribers: Maxpreps.com ranked Salpointe No. 30 of all prep football teams nationally, and No. 2 in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ behind 14-0 Division I champion Phoenix Mountain Pointe.
For Star subscribers:ÌýAcross the last 50 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ high school baseball seasons, two teams have gone undefeated: the 1972 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High Badgers, 25-0, and the 2000 Willcox Cowboys, 33-0.
For Star subscribers: To this day, the 2000-01 Wildcats probably fielded the best rotation, Nos. 1-7, of any team in school history.
Hansen's Sunday Notebook: Ex-UA, Olympic swimmer makes golden decision — she's donating her kidney
For Star subscribers: Our longtime columnist tells the story about an unlikely gift from an Olympic champion; a new role for Matt Brase; and home-run hires by Pima College.
For Star subscribers:ÌýThe Warriors had two players who averaged triple-doubles during Pueblo’s historic 28-0 state championship season.
ForÌýStar subscribers: Perhaps it’s foolish to try to pick one of Sunnyside’s 35 state championship teams as No. 1, but the 2022 Blue Devils produced eight boys state champions.
For Star subscribers: Seven of the Aztecs' nine starters were from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ high schools.
For Star subscribers: The Badgers, who outscored opponents 475-138 that season, won 54-16 in the state title game.
For Star subscribers: Frank Busch’s Wildcats not only beat Auburn, they outscored the Tigers by 184 points in the NCAA championships.
For Star subscribers: ESPN ranked the Dorados No. 2 in the country. If that’s not the best high school softball team in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history, what is?
For Star subscribers: Win over Nebraska helped ease sting of Rose Bowl snub.
For Star subscribers: ASU won 65 games in 1976, then an NCAA record. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won 56, but it wasn’t a matter of "how many" as much as it was "when and where."
For Star subscribers: The Wildcats scored 484 points to defeat defending national champion Auburn by 136 points. The one word that fit the occasion: Historic.
For Star subscribers: Rugged road trip prepared Wildcats for unforgettable run to the 1997 NCAA Champions.
For Star subscribers: For one season, the Sidewinders were the best minor-league team on the planet.
For Star subscribers: JennieFinch went 32-0, the singular pitching performance in women’s college softball history.
For Star subscribers: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ had never felt that way about a basketball team — about any team.
For Star subscribers: With due research — covering more than 22,000 teams since 1912 — we begin the countdown.