TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson said Thursday night he would extend his leave of absence through the end of this season, citing undisclosed family matters that require his attention.
In a statement released by the university, the 73-year-old Hall of Famer said he plans to return to coach the Wildcats for the 2008-09 season.
“There are personal issues within my family that need to be addressed and I must devote my full energy to that,” Olson said in the statement.
Athletic director Jim Livengood said assistant coach Kevin O’Neill will continue to serve as interim coach for the rest of this season. The 22nd-ranked Wildcats (5-2) are at Illinois on Sunday.
Livengood said the university supports Olson’s decision.
“All of us at the University of Arizona want what is best for Lute and his family,” Livengood said. “He has brought immeasurable good to our program and the university and we want him to know that we are supportive and wish him nothing but the best as he tends to these issues.”
Olson requested a leave of absence on Nov. 4, asking the public and media to respect his privacy. He has attended a few practices since then but has said little publicly.
EMPORIA ST.: Emporia State suspended coach David Moe for one game Thursday for knocking over a water cooler after he was ejected at the end of regulation in the team’s 93-89 overtime loss to Newman a day earlier.
Referees assessed two technical fouls against Moe on Wednesday with 54.6 seconds left in regulation and the Hornets trailing 70-67. Moe went on the court to argue face-to-face with officials and then knocked over Newman’s water cooler on his way to the locker room.
SE MISSOURI ST: The Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball team should lose all 79 of its victories during the four-year tenure of former coach B.J. Smith, an NCAA committee has ruled.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions also decided that Southeast should have its 2006 NCAA tournament appearance taken away, according to a letter from the committee to university president Ken Dobbins that was released Wednesday.
The university is appealing the ruling. Smith has asked for a full hearing, which will take place no earlier than April.
Among the violations cited in a preliminary report the school released in June 2006: improper transportation of prospective players from airports and on official visits; prospects receiving summer lodging without paying rent or paying an inappropriate amount; and members of the women’s staff observing summer workouts of prospective and enrolled athletes.
Smith was Southeast’s coach from 2002-03 through 2005-06, before resigning. The team’s 79-41 record over that span was the best in the Ohio Valley Conference.
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