Lute Olson Out

[robmufan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3659611

[AlumKCof93]

Andy Katz is reporting that Crean has contacted Arizona about the position.

[tower912]

Again?   Which personal problem and how long will it last?

[AZWarrior]

Its Arizona!!  Its Arizona!!   

[Ahoya06]

Mike Deane maybe? He's followed Kevin O'Neill before, and this is what the next coach is essentially doing...

It's too bad KO was shown the door last year, he could have stepped in permenently otherwise...

[THEGYMBAR]

KO showed himself the door by opening his mouth. He had a chance and blew it. While I am a big KO fan, he is his own worst enemy. That job should and would have been his. Sad day for Lute and his family.

[4everwarriors]

Too bad Crean pissed himself by jumping for IU. He may have gotten this elite gig minus the NCAA sanctions.

[🏀]

Too bad Crean pissed himself by jumping for IU. He may have gotten this elite gig minus the NCAA sanctions.

How did you miss the chance to link Crean, tanning & the Arizona sun on that one?

[4everwarriors]

Can't argue there. But, T-Cubed would still probably prefer his tanning bed.

[avid1010]

That's unfortunate news.  There were always conflicting reports on Lute; however, we used to catch a practice or two a year and bumped into him plenty at his restaurant.  He was always a class act from what I observed...one of the few coaches who I've never heard swear...much more than I can say for myself.

[jce]

I read that he is now engaged to a 47 year old mother of two.  God bless him, but after his first wife died after nearly 50 years of marriage, he got married to another woman, and then divorced.  You'd think another marriage is the last thing he needs.

[Mayor McCheese]

One of the best coaches in the game today.  The man will be missed, and Arizona basketball won't be the same.  Although the program was falling a bit into mediocrity the past few years, still brought in some of the best talent and was always a dangerous team come tournament time.

[77ncaachamps]

KO showed himself the door by opening his mouth. He had a chance and blew it. While I am a big KO fan, he is his own worst enemy. That job should and would have been his. Sad day for Lute and his family.

Oh hell yes to everything ^^^.

[avid1010]

+1 - the "big fan".  I wasn't around much KO, and I know he brought in some talent, but did he have any class at all???  Couldn't have been worse than Mike Dean...we had to move our seats as our young kids and their friends were to close to his colorful language, and as I stated above I'm no Saint 

[jce]

One of the best coaches in the game today.  The man will be missed, and Arizona basketball won't be the same.  Although the program was falling a bit into mediocrity the past few years, still brought in some of the best talent and was always a dangerous team come tournament time.

Yep.  Arizona is going to have some trouble because they have to import talent...and they imported a lot of talent from the LA area.  One of the reasons they have slipped IMO is that Ben Howland is wrapping those people up and they aren't leaving.  Tim Floyd is a good recruiter as well.

[radome]

What does a coach change mean in college basketball etiquette in 2008?  Does every school move in on Arizona's recruits?  Are the recruits left alone until they pull a TT and asked to be relased?  Does anyone know? 

[4everwarriors]

Etiquette? Get real here. We're talkin' jobs. It's every dog for himself.

[ecompt]

I somehow doubt Arizona, with all its tradition, is going to take a guy who is currently doibng very little at Wagner. As for his language, avid is absoluitely correct. I was a few rows behind Deane for one game and he was an embarrassment to MU. The cursing and abuse of his players was awful. 

[Ahoya06]

I somehow doubt Arizona, with all its tradition, is going to take a guy who is currently doibng very little at Wagner. As for his language, avid is absoluitely correct. I was a few rows behind Deane for one game and he was an embarrassment to MU. The cursing and abuse of his players was awful. 

If you're referring to my above post, I "tealed" it to note the sarcasm. That'd be about as big a step down as one could take. But yeah, Deane's language was awful, and he also treated his players like crap.

[mu-rara]

KO to Ron Curry, from all the way across the court:

"Ron, you f**in kitten, take the ball to the hole"

Lucky my daughter was not at THAT game.  I was a KO fan (win, baby win) but class was not his act.

[THEGYMBAR]

KO had a ton of warts but they actually made him more appealing to me. Nothing better than seeing him with a cold beer in hand not caring who was around. No sacred cows in KO's world.

[MR.HAYWARD]

I once heard KO rip Roney Eford with an F bomb filled tirade after taking him out of a agme that was absolteuly one for the ages.  I never til that point realized that that many F bombs could be so elequently fit into one tirade.  I think there were about a dozen hairy wet cats in the tirade too.

Then a bout 3-4 minutes later he walked down the bench and started it again only to finish with..." are you now f'ing ready to f'ing play?".



Like KO or not at least he was real, and I will always give him more credit as I think he had a harder job than Crean.  He made Crean's job easier, Mu may have been a Loyola of Chicago if it were not for KO.

[THEGYMBAR]

Right on Mr. Hayward----KO saved the day. Good thing he did not know what he was he getting into when he took the job. He busted his butt and saved the program from being Loyola. TC did great job, but if KO never had arrived there would have been no need for TC.

MU was about as low as D1 program could go when KO arrived. The win over KY was one for the ages in my opinion. Only if we could replay the 2nd half of the Duke game.

[mu-rara]

I once heard KO rip Roney Eford with an F bomb filled tirade after taking him out of a agme that was absolteuly one for the ages.  I never til that point realized that that many F bombs could be so elequently fit into one tirade.  I think there were about a dozen hairy wet cats in the tirade too.

Then a bout 3-4 minutes later he walked down the bench and started it again only to finish with..." are you now f'ing ready to f'ing play?".



Like KO or not at least he was real, and I will always give him more credit as I think he had a harder job than Crean.  He made Crean's job easier, Mu may have been a Loyola of Chicago if it were not for KO.

Amen Brother

[AlumKCof93]

I agree - O'Neill did a great job resurrecting MU. But I'm also glad he left as he lacks the attributes the head coach should have as the most visible position at MU.