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The Wildcats' return to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years has former players who are part of that exclusive club taking a stroll down memory lane. 

Over the last few days, several ex-Wildcats reflected on their favorite Final Four memories. Here's what some of them had to say about playing in college basketball's biggest event. 

A.J. Bramlett, on Arizona's run to the 1997 national championship (via Cronkite News): "The run that we had, beating three No. 1 seeds, the brotherhood that we had and still lasts to this day — some of those guys are my best friends in the world. The way we were able to do it, it's something extremely special. The best thing is that we get relive it every year around this time. It was amazing." 

Jason Gardner, on the 2001 Final Four in Minneapolis: "The bus rides, the hotel, the fans, walking out to the court and the bright lights. You're trying to find your family and all you see is red and the Arizona fans. ... Walking through the hotel lobby, you're signing autographs, shaking hands, taking pictures and your family is taking pictures with everybody. It was all about being in the moment with everybody." 

Matt Muehlebach, on experiencing the 1988 Final Four as a freshman: "There are so many things you remember. We played in Kansas City and tickets were incredibly difficult (to find). It was a non-dome stadium, one of the last non-dome stadiums (for the Final Four).

"Someone pulled up in front of McKale Center and traded their red BMW for four tickets; that happened right in front of McKale. I remember someone offering me $15,000 for four tickets. I was thinking about it. You think about your integrity and it's $15,000. My whole family is in Kansas City, so there was 25 or 50 people I could've given tickets to.

"That was a hard thing to think through. ... It means so much to the community. You can feel it. I remember (Steve) Kerr's speech when we got into McKale Center, and just seeing all the hard work we put in. The joy that I'm feeling right now, the joy watching those guys, it's infectious and it's so good for the identity of Tucson." 

Corey Williams, on the 1994 Final Four in Charlotte: "The lobby was crazy. The thing about the Final Four is that everything is concentrated. There's four teams left, so now the basketball world is focused on those four teams. When you come down to the lobby, you got autograph seekers, people who want pictures, long lost family members telling you that they're your cousins.

"It's crazy. You're a rockstar. It's one of the biggest sporting events in all of sports and you're right there in the center of it. You can't go anywhere without people knowing who you are because there's only four teams left.

"Going out to nightclubs — we went out one night and Alonzo Mourning, who was playing for the Charlotte Hornets at the time, he was in the nightclub. Jodeci, the hit R&B group, they were in the nightclub with us. We're hanging out during Final Four weekend, when we should've been in the hotel resting, and you just soak it all in.

"You're on top of the world for 48 hours. It's one of the most tremendous experiences. We took an NBA charter flight — which was unheard of in '94 — to Charlotte. Back then, we flew commercial, so that was a huge deal. We couldn't believe we were in a luxury plane. There's so much stuff you remember.

"The biggest thing, when you go to shoot-around, you're in front of 10,000 fans. It's crazy. To go out, get some shots up and there's 10,000 fans taking pictures and wanting autographs. The kicker for us: (U.S. President Bill Clinton) came to our game when we played Arkansas. It doesn't get any crazier than that.

"We get to the gym and all of a sudden we gotta go through metal detectors. 'Why are we going through metal detectors?' 'Oh, the president is coming.' 'Oh my God.' He's a huge Arkansas fan and it was a great time."

Reggie Geary, on the 1994 Final Four: "My funny story from the (hotel) lobby is Tammy Faye, she was a TV evangelist, and I met her. I was sitting next to her at breakfast. I recognized her and she was a lovely lady, she was super nice. There were so many of these weird encounters.

"When you get to the Final Four, you meet all sorts of people from different walks of life. ... (Clinton) was a big Arkansas guy and was following the team that year. He came to the game and it threw everybody off. You're talking about the president being in the building. Getting into the building was difficult not only for the players, but for the fans. It was great to play in front of the president, it was a great honor, but the circus around that delayed things a little bit." 

Miles Simon, on the '97 national championship: "Some of the most fun memories was just being at the hotel with all the fans that were there supporting us. Wildcat Nation is one of the best fan bases in all of the country. ... Game-wise, just playing in front of 50,000 people, that was surreal. Most importantly, just getting it done for Lute Olson. ... He's obviously one of the greatest coaches of all time."