Lute Olsen will return to coach the Arizona Wildcats next season. This was the statement that Olen made in a University of Arizona release recently. Olsen sited “personal issues” as the reason for his leave of absence, and as of yet there have only been rumors as to what those specific personal issues are. Arizona basketball will be left in the hands of assistant coach Kevin O’Neill, who has been received well by both the players and fans. O’Neill’s leadership of the team should not adversely affect the team in any meaningful way. It was, however, distracting for Olsen to have taken a shorter leave, and then to return in a diminished role, leaving everyone in doubt as to when Olsen would retake control over the head coaching position.
Now that Olsen has made his decision, it’s time for the Wildcats to focus on basketball and the media to focus on basketball as well. Clearly Olsen would like for this to be as private a matter as possible, and has been careful not to let too much on for the public’s knowledge. When you are as well respected, admired, tenured and loved as Olsen, you have earned the right to have some time off to deal with personal issues without any criticism. Overall, the media has been fairly good about keeping the hype of this story to a minimum. We all wish Coach Olsen the best with his struggles, and we hope that everything turns out all right for him and his loved ones.
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