Olson surprises UA officials by saying O誰eill is out

During a confrontational 48-minute news conference Tuesday, Lute Olson further reestablished control of the Arizona Wildcats basketball program while announcing he would remove Kevin O’Neill as assistant coach.

Olson said if O’Neill did not land a job elsewhere and came back next season, the university would “be responsible for the second year of his contract.” That apparently was news to UA athletic director Jim Livengood and O’Neill alike.

“None of that has been determined,” Livengood said, declining additional comment.

O’Neill, who says he intends to be an assistant coach and the future head coach, said, “I’m not aware of that.”

UA president Robert Shelton said Tuesday evening he didn’t know what conversations Olson and O’Neill were having. Shelton said he had not seen the news conference but was glad Olson held it considering the circumstances.

Olson’s first news conference in Tucson since October gave him the opportunity to clarify his leave of absence.

“What we’re trying to do is get clarity there, and I hope that moved us in that direction,” Shelton said. “It’s been a tough season for everybody.”

O’Neill guided the Wildcats as interim head coach after Olson left Nov. 4 for a season-long leave of absence necessitated by what he called “health issues” Tuesday. O’Neill said he gave a two-year verbal agreement to the UA upon being hired as an assistant coach last May, with a yearly salary of $375,000. All UA assistant coaches’ contracts are year to year.

“It was a verbal thing,” Olson said of O’Neill’s deal.

O’Neill also had a verbal agreement — and a public statement from Livengood — in December that he would be Olson’s eventual successor, a promise for which Olson indicated he had given only a mild stamp of approval.

“Mr. Livengood felt for the continuity of the program that he would name Kevin as my successor. He said, ‘Do you have any objection?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t have any objection. That’s your job,’ ” Olson said.

The 73-year-old Olson, who has said he plans to coach at least until his contract expires in 2011, said he saw no need for a formal succession plan.

He also indicated the Wildcats suffered under O’Neill’s more-structured offense.

“I apologize for what they had to go through in terms of the change,” Olson said. “They came here to play a wide-open game and they didn’t. That’s no one’s fault, because that’s not coach O’Neill’s belief on the offensive end. It was his team once I left.”

O’Neill, who was given a raise to $725,000 for performing head-coaching duties this season, declined additional comment on Olson’s remarks.

Dealing with O’Neill is only one of many items on Olson’s plate since he returned to work fully on March 24. He said his leave of absence has cost UA three top 2009 recruits.

Olson met last week with the parents of guard Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger. Both the freshman Bayless and the sophomore Budinger are projected first-round NBA draft picks, but they have not announced their plans.