O’Neill will succeed Olson at Arizona

December 18, 2007

Kevin O’Neill will eventually succeed Lute Olson as head basketball coach of the Arizona Wildcats, the university has announced. O’Neill has been leading the Wildcats this season since the 73-year-old Olson requested a leave of absence on Nov. 4. No timetable has been set for Olson’s return, though he has said that he wanted to return for the 2008-09 season. O’Neill has 11 seasons of experience as a head coach at Marquette, Tennessee and Northwestern. He was head coach of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors for the 2003-04 season. “Kevin is our coach for now, and will be our coach in the future when Lute decides to retire,” Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said Tuesday. “It goes without saying, but let me say it again: the University of Arizona’s appreciation of what Lute Olson has meant to our program is boundless.”

O’Neill said he was thrilled at the opportunity and that, “It’s an unbelievable honor to follow Lute Olson.” Olson has a career record of 780-280 and 589-187 in his 24-year tenure at Arizona.

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