Lute Olson taking leave of absence

[devildeac]

Just out of curiosity, who will get the wins and losses while Olson is out?

If he doesn't take them, will he get as much criticism as Coach K did in '95?

1. I think Pete Gaudet gets the W/L when Lute is out.
2. You gotta be kidding to think that Lute will get the criticism that K received/s.

Serious answer now: If Lute is not coaching in any capacity, then the interim will/should get the W/L but I would bet Arizona has the NCAA clarify that issue.

[-jk]

1. I think Pete Gaudet gets the W/L when Lute is out.
2. You gotta be kidding to think that Lute will get the criticism that K received/s.

Serious answer now: If Lute is not coaching in any capacity, then the interim will/should get the W/L but I would bet Arizona has the NCAA clarify that issue.

According to the NCAA, "If the head coach is not present at a contest due to illness or other unexpected circumstances, or otherwise is unable to complete the sport season, it is the responsibility of the institution to determine whether the win, loss or tie for that contest shall be credited to the head coach or to an interim or assistant coach, as determined by the institution preferably prior to the contest."

Several examples were provided, including K/Gaudet in '95, and Majerus and Olson in '01, all credited to the interim coach.

-jk

[hurleyfor3]

Serious answer now: If Lute is not coaching in any capacity, then the interim will/should get the W/L but I would bet Arizona has the NCAA clarify that issue.

The correct phraseology, as any unc fan will tell you, is that Arizona must petition the NCAA to get the losses removed. The school has to, you know, go door to door and get signatures and stuff.

[/sarcasm]

[YmoBeThere]

Out today that Olson will be gone for the rest of the season. Perhaps a strange way to hire a head coach(O'neill)?

[JasonEvans]

Out today that Olson will be gone for the rest of the season. Perhaps a strange way to hire a head coach(O'neill)?

I am betting that Lute comes back for a final swan-song/farewell season next year before handing things over to O'Neil.

One has to wonder what this does to Arizona recruiting. Uncertainty about the head coach is never a good thing from a recruiting standpoint. Arizona has always been a major force in recruiting (they have beaten us on several occasions). How much does this hurt them? A premium article (I will not pay for it) on rivals says 4 of Arizona's commits are still solid but a fifth has "no comment." Seeing as the 4 2008 signees have all signed LOIs (making it much more difficult for them to reneg on Arizona) I wonder if the fifth is 2009 PG Abdul Gaddy. He is a real stud recruit, easily considered one of the top 20 players in what is a loaded class and the highest rated recruit in the 2009 class to commit so far. That said, Duke was not really on his recruiting radar and if he does not go to Arizona, he would likely go to Kansas or a West coast school in OR or his home state of Washington.

If Olsen's absence hurts Arizona in recruiting it could make a huge difference with the Wear brothers, Travis and David. They are both top 20 studs from the 2009 class and if Arizona falls off their list it makes UCLA a very likely destination for these 6-9 twins. Damn, UCLA is a real recruiting machine under Howland!

Duke and Arizona, despite locking heads many times in the past, are not really after many of the same players in the 2009 class. We are both in the early running for 6-7 forward Reeves Nelson, but there are a ton of schools still on his list including UCLA, Georgetown, Cal, USC, and UNC.

I may be wrong, but aside from Nelson, I don't see any other major recruits considering Duke and Arizona.

--Jason "one other side note to all this is that Lute will now fall hopelessly behind Coach K in total wins... though that was just a matter of time anyway" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Perhaps a strange way to hire a head coach(O'neill)?

One more note... Arizona is saying that Kevin O'Neil is NOT Lute's designated successor, at least not yet. In many ways, this season will serve as O'Neil's audition for the job. If Arizona falls short of expectations, it may really hurt O'Neil's quest to get the job long-term.

--Jason "aside from a few years at Marquette, I have not been all that impressed with Kevin O'Neil as a coach" Evans

[BoC]

In the game against Arizona in the '90-'91 season, Greg Koubek hit a three-point shot at some point in the game (probably late in regulation) and when the commercial break ended the officials had changed the 3-point shot to a 2-point shot, with no explanation. Regulation ended in a tie, and Duke lost in 2-OTs, 103-96.

I remember being outraged at the initial point downgrading (and I'm actually a pretty fair-minded individual when it comes to things like "unfair" officiating, etc...), especially when the announcers showed replays of the shot in question and Greg's foot was clearly behind the three-point line.

Maybe that has something to do with the K/Lute deal.

[Turtleboy]

Apparently, he's getting divorced.

[Ben63]

I wish all the best to Coach Olsen, his family, and the rest of the Widcat players. Hope to see him back on the sidelines soon.

[Patrick Yates]

That must be one messy divorce if it entails taking time off from the season. Heck, Lute did not even take time off when his first wife was dying from cancer.

Then, IIRC, and, I do, he got remarried at breakneck speed. That marriage is presumably the bust up in question here.

That leads to the question: What is so bad about this divorce that it warrants a leave of absence. Any lawyer will tell you that a divorce can be handled purely through lawyers. An amicable divorce (rare, but they do exist), are relatively painless affairs. This must be bad for Lute to take a leave of absence for.

SPECULATION ALERT.

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY IN ANY CONCIEVABLE PLANE OF REALITY that Lute did not sign a pre-nup when he remarried. None. He is too smart and too rich not to. Given the unseemly haste of his marriage, I have to wonder what the soon to be ex will be breaking out in an attempt to void the prenup, or meet some out clause, or whatever. What could be so bad that he would take off a season? It would have to be something that would make him a media circus, thus ensaring the team, which he is presumably trying to shield/spare.

Why do I feel like ESPN is getting ready to set up a satelite office on the UA campus?

Patrick Yates

ps. I am well aware that my interest in this makes me a bad person. I came to terms with me being fundamentally "bad" long ago, so don't carp at me. I don't care about other peoples' feelings.

[ehdg]

Patrick Yates

ps. I am well aware that my interest in this makes me a bad person. I came to terms with me being fundamentally "bad" long ago, so don't carp at me. I don't care about other peoples' feelings.

Tks for a good laugh. Love this post!!

They wheren't married that long I think so she can't be entitled to that much I'd think. She's only able to go after what he earned during their marriage no?

[Channing]

i know we live in a celebrity driven society, but I hate how Lute Olsen's divorce is front page ESPN news. I would have preferred some privacy for Olsen in what is presumably a trying time for him and his family. I understand that is the punishment for being in the public eye, but a little discretion would go a long way.

[wiscodevil]

Tks for a good laugh. Love this post!!

They wheren't married that long I think so she can't be entitled to that much I'd think. She's only able to go after what he earned during their marriage no?

i think she is richer than he is.

[dukestheheat]

dukechem-

an interesting side story to that which you bring up about K/back stuff from 1995; this 'leave of absence concept' isn't new to sports and in particular, college basketball.

k was widely criticized for the w's/l's not going onto his record after he took the leave; appropriately, they were added to gaudet's record as it was his team at that time.

so i took a look at a couple teams out there who might have had the same thing happen; Kansas popped up immediately. Phog Allen had to take a leave during a season and the w's and l's after his leave were added to his assistant (just as that which happened with duke/gaudet/K).

so when i took the chance to mention this to a couple Kansas folks I'd chatted with, that the very same thing happened to one of THEIR coaches and in the same type of situation that they were criticizing Duke for, they said that that would put an end to their griping. and it did.

dth.

[elvis14]

i know we live in a celebrity driven society, but I hate how Lute Olsen's divorce is front page ESPN news. I would have preferred some privacy for Olsen in what is presumably a trying time for him and his family. I understand that is the punishment for being in the public eye, but a little discretion would go a long way.

Amen brother. Why isn't Olson taking leave "for personal reasons" good enough? That's what personal means, we don't need to know that he's getting a divorce and ESPN shouldn't be reporting it!

[dukie8]

i know we live in a celebrity driven society, but I hate how Lute Olsen's divorce is front page ESPN news. I would have preferred some privacy for Olsen in what is presumably a trying time for him and his family. I understand that is the punishment for being in the public eye, but a little discretion would go a long way.

i disagree. i couldn't care in the least what he is up to in his personal life but other people do. if he has a problem with that, then he shouldn't coach men's basketball at the university of arizona and be paid accordingly. there are plenty of other places he can coach at (eg, high school or low profile schools) that nobody will care in the least what he does and doesn't do in his personal life.

it kind of reminds me of movies stars complaining about the media and paparazzi when, but for the media and paparazzi, they wouldn't be making even a fraction of what they currently earn.

[Channing]

i disagree. i couldn't care in the least what he is up to in his personal life but other people do. if he has a problem with that, then he shouldn't coach men's basketball at the university of arizona and be paid accordingly. there are plenty of other places he can coach at (eg, high school or low profile schools) that nobody will care in the least what he does and doesn't do in his personal life.

it kind of reminds me of movies stars complaining about the media and paparazzi when, but for the media and paparazzi, they wouldn't be making even a fraction of what they currently earn.

I understand that argument. However, in my mind there is a distinction between a movie star/ high profile athlete and a college basketball coach. I know they get paid very well, but I believe the people who should care about this are the administrators and boosters at UA (only to the extent of whether it will affect his job). I know the reason Lute gets paid so much is because of the popularity and big business of CBB (which results from the media), but I dont think he is analogous to the movie star who goes running to the media everytime she gives 100 dollars to charity.

JMO

[VAGentleman05]

i think she is richer than he is.

Big time (she is a Wahoo, you know). Lute's lawyer says the "personal problem" is not the divorce, and I'm inclined to think he's telling the truth on this one. I'm doubtful that Lute will be able to keep it private forever, though.

[rthomas]

Fooling a-round. Clap, clap clap clap clap. Fooling a-round. Clap, clap clap clap clap. Fooling a-round. Clap, clap clap clap clap.

Sorry, but I don't give a {blank} about Lute or UArizona.

[gotham devil]

Big time (she is a Wahoo, you know). Lute's lawyer says the "personal problem" is not the divorce, and I'm inclined to think he's telling the truth on this one. I'm doubtful that Lute will be able to keep it private forever, though.

She inherited a nat gas business when her father, the CEO, [committed suicide]. As for O'Neill, he's always had the rep for being cold and abrasive, which has hurt his recruiting.