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Lute Olson (Arizona) Stepping Down

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ScriptOhio

ScriptOhio

Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Source: Olson to step down 20 wins shy of 800

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Lute Olson will step down immediately as head coach of the Arizona men's basketball team, FOXSports.com has confirmed.

The news, which was initially reported by ESPN's Dick Vitale, was confirmed by a source close to the program.
Olson has not officially informed the team yet. 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.

Entire article: FOX Sports on MSN - COLLEGE BASKETBALL - Source: Olson to step down 20 wins shy of 800
 
pure speculation on my part, but watching his interview with Andy Katz led me to believe he's become ill. His head shaking was readily apparent. Early onset Parkinson's maybe? Nothing is out publicly, so again a pure guess, but if you've seen the interview you know what I am talking about...
 
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I heard he has been having health problems recently. I don't want to see the guy ill, but I will be happy he isn't coaching for the UofA any longer.

PS Suishichic - he got re-engaged to another woman after his divorce.
 
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DaytonBuck;1303914; said:
He was one of the greatest coaches of this era. The Bibby team that took out Kentucky and won the title was one of my favorite Final Fours.
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You really think so. I do not think that he was that great of a coach. He always had so much talent and never consistently give a whole lot when it came to the NCAA tournament. Also, it's pretty easy to coach when you have such talented athletes IMO. The one thing that he could do was recruit. He could even do that when he was at Iowa but there were always whispers back then.
 
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Olson just couldn't endure another season

Even Lute Olson couldn't withstand the battle with Father Time forever.
The charismatic Arizona head coach, who turned 74 last month, finally succumbed to the reality that he is unable to roam the sidelines for another year and retired on Thursday afternoon.
Olson was proud, stubborn and wanted to go out on his own terms.
However, the man envied by so many because of his ability to appear ageless had finally started to look the part of someone who could no longer endure the rigors of a college basketball season.
After a one-year hiatus for personal reasons that he wasn't willing to disclose, Olson was set to return to the court for his first game in 20 months. He had been coaching the team in practice, but those around the program still questioned how long he'd make it through the season. "I was hoping he'd stick around and make it one last year, but he just couldn't do it," said one source close to the program. "You could see it over the last few weeks. We had a good idea this was coming."
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For now, life goes on and those in Tucson finally have closure. But Olson deserved a happier ending.

Entire article: FOX Sports on MSN - COLLEGE BASKETBALL - Olson just couldn't endure another season
 
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Arizona's appointment of Pennell comes as a surprise, even to him

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Russ Pennell was as surprised as anyone to be selected as the interim replacement for retired Arizona coach Lute Olson on Friday.
"Obviously, when I woke up this morning, I didn't expect to be sitting in front of you," Pennell told reporters at a McKale Center news conference.
The announcement came as a shock because the 47-year-old Pennell has ties to Arizona's archrival, Arizona State. He was an assistant to former Arizona State coach Rob Evans from 1998-2006 and served last season as a Sun Devils radio analyst.
Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood turned to Pennell, who has never been a college head coach, after Olson's top assistant, Mike Dunlap, turned down the job. Dunlap will remain on the staff as an assistant, along with former Wildcat Reggie Geary.

Entire article: Arizona names Russ Pennell as interim coach - NCAA Basketball - SI.com
 
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LitlBuck;1304329; said:
You really think so. I do not think that he was that great of a coach. He always had so much talent and never consistently give a whole lot when it came to the NCAA tournament. Also, it's pretty easy to coach when you have such talented athletes IMO. The one thing that he could do was recruit. He could even do that when he was at Iowa but there were always whispers back then.
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I can't really begrudge anyone that got a title with a team he built. They did have some epic tourney meltdowns like against Illinois in 05. They where the Kansas of the 90s getting beat by mid-majors. He's probably not a hall of famer on Xs and Os but he did a good job recruiting.
 
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