by Jeff Goodman
Lute Olson is stepping down as head coach of the Arizona men's basketball team.Athletic director Jim Livengood confirmed Olson's decision after ESPN and FOXSports.com reported the news.
"This was not a decision that was made lightly," Olson said in an Arizona press release. "I've had a wonderful run at The University of Arizona. I leave with a great sense of pride in what we have accomplished here."
"At this stage in my life, I want to devote my time to my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and friends. I look forward to watching Wildcat basketball and visiting with my colleagues in the coaching profession. It is time to pass the program on to a younger staff, to transition the university to the next generation of basketball."
Associate coach Mike Dunlap, a former national championship-winning coach at Division II Metro State and an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, will take over on an interim basis.
It's highly unlikely Dunlap will be named the head coach permanently until the end of the season at earliest, due to the debacle last season with Kevin O'Neill.
O'Neill had been hired as an assistant before last season, with the intention that he would take over for Olson when he retired. O'Neill was then pressed into interim head coaching duty when Olson took a leave of absence for personal reasons. When Olson decided to return to the program, a rift developed between the two and O'Neill was eventually let go.
Olson, 74, will retire 20 wins shy of 800; he currently owns a career mark of 780-280, earned during stints with Long Beach State, Iowa and Arizona.
Since arriving in Tucson, he has turned the Wildcats from also-rans to perennial contenders, winning a national championship there in 1997 and taking them to five Final Fours during his 25 years at the helm.
Under Olson, the Wildcats have made 24 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the longest such streak in the nation and he boasts a 589-187 record with the school.
No comments:
Post a Comment