TUCSON, Ariz. — During the Phoenix Suns' recent training camp on the campus of the University of Arizona, general manager Steve Kerr took time to reflect how much his life had changed and the direction it took since his freshman year 25 years ago.

Kerr arrived in Tucson, a little-known player who was lightly recruited. He came into an Arizona program that was 1-17 in the Pac-10 the year before, and obtaining playing time for Kerr looked like it would be a challenge.

Few thought Kerr would be a lightning rod who would turn the Wildcats' program into a national power, but he became the player who started a rich tradition at point guard.

Kerr led the Wildcats into their first Final Four in 1988 and earned second-team All-American honors.

Kerr later defied the odds in the NBA, becoming the first non-Boston Celtics player to win four consecutive NBA titles and five in all during a 16-year NBA career.

Now Kerr returns to Arizona again, this time as the general manager of the Phoenix Suns, hoping to turn one of the NBA's top franchises into a champion.

“Certainly couldn't have envisioned this, sitting on the gym floor, having a big role with the Suns,” Kerr said. “It's pretty amazing. I owe it all to coach (Lute) Olson and the University. When I came here, I was just hoping to make the team, get a little playing time. My experience here at the UA and with coach Olson set the foundation for my career since. It's pretty amazing to think what has happened since.”

However, Kerr's defining moment as a player also was his most tragic. Kerr's father, Malcolm, was president of American University in Beirut, Lebanon, where Kerr was born. During Kerr's freshman year, his father was assassinated by gunmen believed to be militant nationalists.

Prior to attending his father's funeral, Kerr elected to play against in-state rival Arizona State. In what was his best game to date, Kerr scored 15 points to lead the Wildcats.

“That was the first thing that endeared him to everyone, and particularly the way he was able to handle his grief,” Olson said. “I don't think anyone, unless they've had to go through something similar, would ever understand what he had to go through, and he had to go through it publicly. Sometimes ,when it happens with someone else, it's a private thing. It's not a front-page thing, and everyone wanting a piece of him to talk to him about it.

“It prolonged the sorrow, I think.”

Since that time, Kerr has become Tucson's favorite son. Even during his career, columnists had said it would be ideal for Kerr to replace Olson as coach of the Arizona program.

“I said that would be wonderful, but I don't think that will be a possibility,” said Olson, who glowed as if he was talking about his own son. “I said I think Steve is the guy who is going to be a general manager in the NBA because he has the NBA experience, and he has the championship experience. There was never any doubt in my mind that he would be a general manager once he decided that's what he wanted to do. He has those qualities that any owner is going to take a look at and say, ‘This is the guy I want.'”

Olson said he has been impressed with Kerr's ability to assess situations and come up with a move to work to his advantage. One particular moment Olson remembered was prior to the 1993-94 season, when Kerr was at a crossroads in his career.

Kerr had a partially guaranteed contract. Instead, he decided to take a tryout with the Chicago Bulls, during Michael Jordan's first retirement.

Kerr knew that with a player such as Scottie Pippen bringing up the ball, it would free him up to look for his jumper.

“He said, ‘Coach, I know if I'm going to have a future in this league, it has to be with a team like Chicago,'” Olson said. “He said, ‘If I don't make it, I don't make it, but if I'm going to be in the league for an extended period of time, that's how I have to make it.' That's the intelligence that he has and his ability to evaluate what his talents are, and where he would fit best.”

Kerr went on to win three consecutive titles (1996-98) with the Bulls, and he hit the game-winning shot in the deciding Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz in 1997. Kerr also won two more titles with the San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003).

After retirement, Kerr was an analyst for TNT and wrote a column for Yahoo! Sports before taking the GM job with the Suns.

In his first year, Kerr made the move of breaking up a team with the best record in the NBA to acquire Shaquille O'Neal, a four-time NBA champion.

As a result, the Suns dropped in the standings and lost to the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Kerr wound up being the target of critics.

“In this business, we're all measured by wins and losses. From that perspective, last year we did not succeed and that's my job, to help this team win,” Kerr said. “You live, and you learn and you move forward. I feel very confident about our team this year and what we have on the floor.”

Another casualty from last season was coach Mike D'Antoni, who left for the New York Knicks and also took his frenetic run-and-gun style with him.

Kerr hired former Spurs teammate Terry Porter, who promises to bring a more defensive philosophy to the Suns.

“This is a long-term plan. We want to be good this year, but we want to be good every year,” Kerr said. “To be really good, you've got to have a foundation in place where all the players know what they're getting into, where they can trust each other and trust the plan. That's what Terry is laying out there right now.”

Olson said there's no question in his mind that Kerr will prove a success in his career.

“I believe the first year certainly was enough to test anyone, but there's absolutely no question in my mind he will become one of the outstanding general managers in the league,” Olson said. “In the league, things can change so quickly. I don't think anyone can predict anything in the NBA, except at the end, Steve will become one of the very best.”

Yet no matter what happened with Kerr as a general manager, he has proven to be a remarkable overachiever during his basketball career. For Kerr, that proves gratifying and bittersweet.

Kerr's father passed away before seeing any of his basketball accomplishments. Kerr said he sometimes thinks about his father.

“I think often about how much fun it would have been for him to watch me at the UA and then the NBA. That's maybe the hardest thing for me, that and never meeting his grandchildren,” Kerr said. “Those things are tough to think about.

“On the other hand, maybe he's the one pulling the strings to make all this happen somehow. I never could have imagined all this in my wildest dreams. Maybe he's up there somewhere to make this all occur.”