May 23, 2013
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson is returning to the Wildcats at the end of the season.
The 73-year-old Olson has been on personal leave since November 4th.
Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood confirms the Hall of Fame coach will come back under a contract that runs through 2011.
Olson said in a statement his leave was necessitated "by a medical condition that was not life-threatening, but serious enough to require time away from my coaching responsibilities."
That's different from the statement he issued on the day he took his leave. He said then that he wanted to "reassure everyone that this isn't a health scare, but rather a personal matter that needs my undivided attention."
Assistant Kevin O'Neill has served as the Wildcats' interim coach and has been named the permanent successor once Olson retires.
