UA MEN’S BASKETBALL
Arizona (14-7, 8-7) vs. UCLA (14-5, 10-3)
Where/when: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles; Thursday, 7 p.m.
Bottom line: Arizona seeks revenge on UCLA after dropping the first matchup in Tucson. The teams last played each other on Jan. 9, when the Bruins outshot Arizona 49 percent to 43.1 percent and made 15 more free throws en route to a five-point victory.
Youth movement: Arizona has relied heavily on its freshmen. James Akinjo, Azuolas Tubelis, Bennedict Mathurin and Jordan Brown have collectively accounted for 62 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 75 percent of all Wildcats points over the team’s last five games.
Accurate Akinjo: Akinjo has connected on 39.2 percent of the 102 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 8 of 15 over his last five games. He’s also made 81.3 percent of his free throws this season.
Undefeated when: The Bruins are 9-0 when they hold opposing teams to 62 points or fewer and 5-5 when opponents exceed 62 points. The Wildcats are 13-0 when they hold opponents to a field goal percentage of 43.6 percent or worse, and 1-7 when opponents exceed that percentage.
Did you know: UA has attempted the fifth-most free throws in all of Division I. The Wildcats have averaged 24.7 free throws per game.
Delores (Dee) Wilson Cline, a free spirit formally of many locations to include Tempe, Ahwatukee, Case Grande and Queen Creek but most recently of Crivitz, WI. Dee was born September 25, 1941 in Minneapolis, MN. A unique woman whom we were lucky to have as a mother. She was the last of her original family, the Oman’s of Minnesota. Her mom (a home maker whose cooking skills are of family legend) died when she was a child and her father (a skilled carpenter who helped build the Panama Canal and spent WWII rebuilding Pearl Harbor) died a few years later. Mom was one of 5 children, the oldest brother dying while still young. Dee once slipped fell through a frozen lake as a child, drowned and was then revived, avoiding a second family tragedy. She was close to her 2 living older brothers and a sister who’ve all passed in their own time.
She grew up a fierce tomboy and was constantly getting into trouble. She loved adventure, hunted, fished, camped and explored the world. Even though a hunter she had a soft heart towards animals. One of her biggest regrets was killing a small bird while sighting in her rifle as a child. The bird made a good mark to aim at but she never thought she would hit it. When it dropped dead she carried that sorrow with her for the rest of her life but used moment to teach her 2 kids to avoid actions that will cause regrets.
When her mother died a new step-mother forced all children from the previous marriage to leave their home. Teenaged Dee traveled the US and developed a wander-lust, finding herself in Texas on her own (one brother ended up in Boys Town and her sister joined a convent). Her love of travel continued her entire life and we moved to new places every few years so she could see a new sunrise and provide better for her kids. Her son later served in law enforcement and often joked that she was trying to stay one step ahead of “Johnny Law”. As age crept up she still explored with frequent cruises around the world, most frequently with her daughter.
She lived life and loved excitement. She jumped from airplanes, rode motorcycles and overcame so much in her life. She never knew when to stop and always had something to do, somewhere to go and someone to see. She loved being with others and just feeling a part of something bigger than herself. I think her biggest fear was being alone but she never was. Her daughter was a constant partner in whatever new adventure was being taken. If her daughter was not there then one of her service dogs was at her side.
She was an unrepentant romantic marrying 4 times but was unlucky in love. He first husband was killed by police, her second abusive, and her third worthless. She eventually found love again late in life after our father and married a wonderful man named Rex Cline. She had a strong sense of humor and relished her new name of Dee Cline. She and Rex had years as close companions but only a few months as husband and wife. She kept his ashes after his death so that he would be buried with her. They’ll be together forever, as they should be.
She proudly served in the Army in the Woman’s Army Corps at Ft. Sam Houston, TX and then Orleans, France. She loved her time in the Army. She regaled her children of her Army shenanigans to include taking a dare to climb the flagpole that flew the French National flag. After climbing to the top, she became scared and couldn’t get herself down. Yes, alcohol was involved and the Military Police responded. To add to her embarrassment, it was her then MP boyfriend that had to get her down. Her Army stories inspired her son to join the military and do a lifetime of service in various capacities.
Dee was told by doctors that she would never have children. Despite that she managed in her 30’s to have 2 within the same year, earning the title of “Fertile Myrtle” by our father. During this time, she ran a small ranch in California and boarded horses to include Francis the Talking Mule. She also took care of the Baskin-Robbins parade horses who participated annually in the Rose Bowl Parade. She easily made friends with the president of the Baskin-Robbins Corporation who became our Godfather. We remember him fondly, taste testing new ice cream flavors and hearing stories of WWII and his fun neighbor, Cher. Our mom’s love of animals always ensured a steady supply of them throughout her life and she was known for her posse of dogs that she trained in obedience, tricks, and even dance routines. She even trained the cat! If you watch the old Disney classic Escape From Witch Mountain you can see one of her Great Danes.
After divorcing our father, Dee successfully raised us with no support except from family and friends. We were classic latch key kids as she never worked less than 2 full-time jobs. This taught us self-reliance and resilience. Dee eventually earned enough to provide a solid middle-class life for her us by high school. She was very proud when her son graduated Marcos de Niza high school, the first of our family to do so. Even with a minimum early education she motivated herself to get her GED. She then used her veteran education benefits to become a nurse, specializing in trauma surgery and operating room and even took advanced college courses. Her daughter followed in her footsteps choosing nursing to help others.
She was always there to listen to our success and failures. Her motherly advice was all over the map, due to her varied experiences, and you never knew if you were going to hear an answer worthy of June Cleaver or Dr. Ruth. Forced to be both mother and father, she had the unique ability to heal our boo-boos using a mother’s magic kiss, followed by rubbing dirt on it and then telling us to walk it off.
Our mom was a social butterfly and loved to be doing anything with anyone. She was an avid member of the American Legion and loved attending church services when health and circumstances allowed. She loved to live vicariously through her children, following their adventures and always supported her kids in any way they needed.
She still serves as an example to us of how much a person can overcome any tragedy and circumstance and still turn out to be a good person. She never allowed negative things to dictate her life for her.
She died this past weekend on Valentine’s Day. She was like no other we’ve ever known.