Rumours are flying that U of A assistant coach Josh Pastner has or soon will take a job as the assistant head coach at Memphis, a job left open when Derek Kellogg became the head coach at UMass.
If this happens, it will mean all three of head coach Lute Olson assistant coaches left the program since Olson returned in April. No word yet from Memphis, Arizona or Pastner on the validity of this rumor.
Stay tuned.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
BREAKING NEWS
Arizona assistant mens basketball coach Miles Simmon has been let go. Simmon also played at Arizona and was the MOP of the 1997 tourney. He has been a coach with the team since 2005. The U of A will not need to pay him any money since his contract is up. Simmon is the secound coach in as many weeks to leave the staff. Kevin O Neil now has another job with the ADs office.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
YouTube Clip of the Week
It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing.....The YouTube Clip of the Week!!!! Well this is the first ever, but every Thursday from now on.
This week it's from 1996. Arizona v Cincinnati. Cincinnati was number one in the country at the time. Lute Olson was going for his 500th win. It was one of the greatest plays in the history of college basketball, in my opinion.
This week it's from 1996. Arizona v Cincinnati. Cincinnati was number one in the country at the time. Lute Olson was going for his 500th win. It was one of the greatest plays in the history of college basketball, in my opinion.
Arizona Golfer wins Pac-10
From the Arizona Daily Star
By Patrick Finley
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Creighton Honeck picked at his buffet lunch. He couldn't eat.
After double-bogeying the second-to-last hole of Wednesday's Pac-10 men's golf championships in Fairfax, Calif., the UA senior figured he lost any chance to win the individual title.
"You get that emptiness feeling in your stomach when something like this happens," the senior said.
After about an hour off — one that included a few practice shots — Honeck learned he had completed 18 holes in a first-place tie and would be paired with UCLA's Kevin Chappell, a good friend, in a sudden-death playoff.
Honeck said he "bombed a driver" just to the left of the fairway, and hit a four-foot putt to birdie — and win — the first playoff hole.
"I don't really remember much after that," he said.
It marked the first tournament victory of his collegiate career. Honeck finished with a 71 on the day, the only one of the tournament's top five finishers to make par. For the tournament, he shot a 3-under 281.
He is the seventh UA golfer to win the Pac-10 title and the first since Henry Liaw in 2004.
The Texan wasn't as thrilled as you would think — the UA finished sixth as a team, and Arizona State beat USC in a one-hole playoff.
Walking up the last fairway of regulation, he started thinking it was the last tournament he would play with his college teammates.
"You get those feelings," he said. "I'm walking down the fairway and I have my whole team in red and white watching me come in. Seeing all those guys — they're my friends, they're my family — and knowing it was my last tournament with all them, it's pretty sad."
Coach Rick LaRose expected that.
"You'd have to say he was the team leader this year," the UA coach said. "He fit the mold. He was a pleasure to have around."
By Patrick Finley
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Creighton Honeck picked at his buffet lunch. He couldn't eat.
After double-bogeying the second-to-last hole of Wednesday's Pac-10 men's golf championships in Fairfax, Calif., the UA senior figured he lost any chance to win the individual title.
"You get that emptiness feeling in your stomach when something like this happens," the senior said.
After about an hour off — one that included a few practice shots — Honeck learned he had completed 18 holes in a first-place tie and would be paired with UCLA's Kevin Chappell, a good friend, in a sudden-death playoff.
Honeck said he "bombed a driver" just to the left of the fairway, and hit a four-foot putt to birdie — and win — the first playoff hole.
"I don't really remember much after that," he said.
It marked the first tournament victory of his collegiate career. Honeck finished with a 71 on the day, the only one of the tournament's top five finishers to make par. For the tournament, he shot a 3-under 281.
He is the seventh UA golfer to win the Pac-10 title and the first since Henry Liaw in 2004.
The Texan wasn't as thrilled as you would think — the UA finished sixth as a team, and Arizona State beat USC in a one-hole playoff.
Walking up the last fairway of regulation, he started thinking it was the last tournament he would play with his college teammates.
"You get those feelings," he said. "I'm walking down the fairway and I have my whole team in red and white watching me come in. Seeing all those guys — they're my friends, they're my family — and knowing it was my last tournament with all them, it's pretty sad."
Coach Rick LaRose expected that.
"You'd have to say he was the team leader this year," the UA coach said. "He fit the mold. He was a pleasure to have around."
Monday, April 28, 2008
Three Wildcats Drafted in NFL Draft
Three former Arizona Wildcats are now pro pics and have a chance to be playing on Sundays this fall.
The first to go was fan favorite Antoine Cason. A rare first round pic for the Wildcats, Cason went 27th overall to the San Diego Chargers. Cason was the first, first round pic for former Wildcats since Trung Candidate in the 1999 draft.
"I’m just going to go in there and do what I can do to better myself as a player and get ready for the NFL," Cason said. "But I’m sure it’s going to be a challenge every week.”
Cason is from Long Beach, California and playing in San Diego will be a homecoming of sorts.
Also drafted: inside linebacker Spencer Larson went 183 overall to the Denver Broncos, cornerback Wilrey Fontenot went 212 to the Atlanta Falcons and defensive tackle Lionel Dotson 245 to the Miami Dolphins.
Defensive End Louis Holmes reportedly signed with the San Fransisco 49ers.
The first to go was fan favorite Antoine Cason. A rare first round pic for the Wildcats, Cason went 27th overall to the San Diego Chargers. Cason was the first, first round pic for former Wildcats since Trung Candidate in the 1999 draft.
"I’m just going to go in there and do what I can do to better myself as a player and get ready for the NFL," Cason said. "But I’m sure it’s going to be a challenge every week.”
Cason is from Long Beach, California and playing in San Diego will be a homecoming of sorts.
Also drafted: inside linebacker Spencer Larson went 183 overall to the Denver Broncos, cornerback Wilrey Fontenot went 212 to the Atlanta Falcons and defensive tackle Lionel Dotson 245 to the Miami Dolphins.
Defensive End Louis Holmes reportedly signed with the San Fransisco 49ers.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wildcats replace K.O.
Just one day after Kevin O'Neil was reassigned within the athletic department it appears like Lute Olson has chosen his replacement. Several media outlets in Tucson and Phoenix are reporting that it's Russ Pennell-who was an assistant coach under Rob Evans at Arizona State. Evans is no longer with ASU.
He spent the past season working on The Sun Devils Radio Network. An official announcement can not be made until the job has been posted on the universities website for two week. As of Thursday night it had not yet been posted.
This will be the third assient coach in as many years. Kevin O'Neil was hired one year ago to replace Jim Rosborough.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
O'Neil reassigned
The saga of Arizona basketball rolls on (and on, and on, and on).
Wednesday Arizona A.D. Jim Livengood reassigned Kevin O'Neil to a fundraising role until the end of the fiscal year in June. After that it's anyone's guess what O'Neil will do.
O'Neil most plausible course of action will be to return to the NBA, most likely as an assistant coach. His name has not be mentioned with any of the current openings (Chicago Bulls and New York Knick).
The move allows Lute Olson to look for someone to fill the job that O'Neil held for a year. Several names have come up, including former ASU assistant Russ Pennell and ex U.A. assistant Rodney Tention. Tention was fired by Loyola Marymount earlier this season as the head coach.
Sadly this move doesn't appear to change any of the problems the university will face. O'Neil can still sue the university if they don't pay him the $375,000 it owes him for the 2008-09 season. O'Neil could also sue over a verbal promise to take over as head coach when Olson retires-all indications are that this deal is now off the table.
This move is the final slap in the face for O'Neil, who has been called a cancer on the team by some Wildcat fans. For whatever reason the relationship between Olson and O'Neil soured at some point over the past season and it has been downhill since then.
But why didn't the university just let him go? They are going to have to pay him, no matter what, right? It seems to me that it would be more respectful just to pay him to go away.
Instead they decided to give him a meaningless job, for about 60 days. 60 days!
What is he going to do over those days. Make a few calls. Take a few vacation days. Take a few sick days.
The entire thing is seedy and mysterious. Then again it has been all along.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
