Lute Olson is stepping down as Arizona's basketball coach, a source has confirmed to CBSSports.com.
The development comes less than a week after the start of official practice and one day after Olson, 74, missed a workout and scheduled speaking engagement at the Rotary Club of Tucson luncheon for what was deemed "health-related" reasons by Arizona officials, including athletic director Jim Livengood. Associate head coach Mike Dunlap is expected to replace Olson on an interim basis.
ESPN's Dick Vitale first reported the news Thursday.
A message left on the cell phone of Livengood by CBSSports.com was not immediately returned.
Looking ahead, it's reasonable for fans of Gonzaga and Pittsburgh to start worrying because Mark Few and Jamie Dixon will almost certainly develop into serious candidates to replace Olson on a permanent basis. Few obviously has strong west-coast ties while Dixon, from the Los Angeles area, is familiar with the state of Arizona given how he assisted Ben Howland at Northern Arizona in the mid-1990s.
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How about a list of coaches, or your views on who Arizona may consider to replace Olsen? Top five? Or how about a poll? I think Bruce Pearl would be a good candidate.....(after he buys a suit)