Lute to step down?

[azsouthendzone]

2008 is the year of Russ Pennell, a former assistant under Rob Evans. Great hire for the interim coach.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Elite means best of the best, and best of the best for decades, not through one coach. You think U of A is elite because you went to U of A and want to defend your school. That's fine and admirable, but doesn't make it true. Like I said, UCLA, Kentucky and UNC are on a different level with U of A. U of A bball is an excellent program, but just isn't elite. Get some perspective from someone like Mr. Boldin who is at least realistic about the college basketball pecking order, maybe you'll listen to him because he is a U of A fan?

i understand you're an asu homer, but c'mon man . . . you keep making this argument over and over again and it just makes you look silly. you say "best of the best for decades" . . . uh . . . lute was there for decades. when you have a streak of 23 years of making the tourney, that's decades. doesn't matter if it's one coach, two, or eight. that's decades. people know the name of Arizona in hoops. that's (unfortunately) more than you can say for arizona state in either football or hoops where they are routinely referred to as "arizona" by admittedly ignorant writiers and sportscasters.

uofa is def in the upper heirarchy of hoops. i'm a gtown alum and i consider them to be in our class, and i def consider us to be part of the crown jewels.

recognize your homerism for what it is.

btw, i didn't attend either institution and have no bias.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

i understand you're an asu homer, but c'mon man . . . you keep making this argument over and over again and it just makes you look silly. you say "best of the best for decades" . . . uh . . . lute was there for decades. when you have a streak of 23 years of making the tourney, that's decades. doesn't matter if it's one coach, two, or eight. that's decades. people know the name of Arizona in hoops. that's (unfortunately) more than you can say for arizona state in either football or hoops where they are routinely referred to as "arizona" by admittedly ignorant writiers and sportscasters.

uofa is def in the upper heirarchy of hoops. i'm a gtown alum and i consider them to be in our class, and i def consider us to be part of the crown jewels.

recognize your homerism for what it is.

btw, i didn't attend either institution and have no bias.

:notworthy

 

[Lefty]

i understand you're an asu homer, but c'mon man . . . you keep making this argument over and over again and it just makes you look silly. you say "best of the best for decades" . . . uh . . . lute was there for decades. when you have a streak of 23 years of making the tourney, that's decades. doesn't matter if it's one coach, two, or eight. that's decades. people know the name of Arizona in hoops. that's (unfortunately) more than you can say for arizona state in either football or hoops where they are routinely referred to as "arizona" by admittedly ignorant writiers and sportscasters.

uofa is def in the upper heirarchy of hoops. i'm a gtown alum and i consider them to be in our class, and i def consider us to be part of the crown jewels.

recognize your homerism for what it is.

btw, i didn't attend either institution and have no bias.

Perfectly put.

 

[Skkorpion]

i understand you're an asu homer, but c'mon man . . . you keep making this argument over and over again and it just makes you look silly. you say "best of the best for decades" . . . uh . . . lute was there for decades. when you have a streak of 23 years of making the tourney, that's decades. doesn't matter if it's one coach, two, or eight. that's decades. people know the name of Arizona in hoops. that's (unfortunately) more than you can say for arizona state in either football or hoops where they are routinely referred to as "arizona" by admittedly ignorant writiers and sportscasters.

uofa is def in the upper heirarchy of hoops. i'm a gtown alum and i consider them to be in our class, and i def consider us to be part of the crown jewels.

recognize your homerism for what it is.

btw, i didn't attend either institution and have no bias.

Wow. I don't consider Georgetown one of the crown jewels and my dad, one brother and one sister graduated from there. Gtown is exactly like UA, though, in they are a one coach pony with upside.

John Thompson = Lute Olson. The younger John Thompson may be resurrecting and saving the directionless program. Can UA do the same, without an interim period of mediocrity? We'll see.

Immediately following a legend is always tough. Successfully replacing a legend at a one coach school is nothing short of miraculous.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Wow. I don't consider Georgetown one of the crown jewels and my dad, one brother and one sister graduated from there. Gtown is exactly like UA, though, in they are a one coach pony with upside.

John Thompson = Lute Olson. The younger John Thompson may be resurrecting and saving the directionless program. Can UA do the same, without an interim period of mediocrity? We'll see.

Immediately following a legend is always tough. Successfully replacing a legend at a one coach school is nothing short of miraculous.

I just really don't get this whole one coach thing. If a coach has been there for TWO FREAKING DECADES then yes - it can single handedly define a program. UCLA had John Wooden and, then other then one year where Harrick cheated his way to an NC had nothing else, until Howland came in.

Would you have dared to say UNC isn't part of the upper tier programs right after Dean Smith retired? Would you say that Penn State, Nebraska, and FSU aren't crown jewels of college football because they have had one coach with sustained success?

I get that if you don't make the appropriate hire after one of these legends your program can fall into irrelevance. And that is something that has happened to USC, Oklahoma, Nebraska in College Football and Indiana, and to a lesser degree Arkansas and Oklahoma State in College Basketball.

Everyone gets that and we think the next hire at UA is paramount or we could easily slink back into irrelevance that we suffered fron in 1984.

But to say one coach doesn't make you a great program is ridiculous. Again - how many times have you had anyone cite the 1947 NFL Champion Arizone Cardinals? While history is important IMO it is only relevant to the absolute tippy top of the upper crust like Kentucky and Kansas who have been powers since James Naismith put up the peach basket and have had good coaches/players ever since.

Otherwise should I think that Oregon is a better college basketball program then the University of Texas because they have a NC in 1939 and UT has none?

Just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Russ Smith]

Wow. I don't consider Georgetown one of the crown jewels and my dad, one brother and one sister graduated from there. Gtown is exactly like UA, though, in they are a one coach pony with upside.

John Thompson = Lute Olson. The younger John Thompson may be resurrecting and saving the directionless program. Can UA do the same, without an interim period of mediocrity? We'll see.

Immediately following a legend is always tough. Successfully replacing a legend at a one coach school is nothing short of miraculous.

Georgetown is alread resurrected, when you have McDonald's AA's transferring OUT to get more PT, you've resurrected. They lost a 6'10" that way after last season and Doc Rivers son also transferred out to get more PT somewhere else. They landed the top rated big in the 08 class is Greg Monroe and have a great 09 class too including a kid Hollis Thompson that everyone in the Pac 10 wanted. In fact UCLA still wants him, he moved from LA to the Bay area to live with his dad and we keep seeing rumors that his mom pushed him to verball to Georgetown and his dad wants him at UCLA.
When you can pull a kid right out from under everyone in the Pac 10, a kid that is a great student, you're pretty set. Texas is doing that too but they're taking kids that can't qualify at most Pac 10 schools, Thompson could go to Stanford if he wanted, they were in his final 5.

 

[Lefty]

I just really don't get this whole one coach thing. If a coach has been there for TWO FREAKING DECADES then yes - it can single handedly define a program. UCLA had John Wooden and, then other then one year where Harrick cheated his way to an NC had nothing else, until Howland came in.

Would you have dared to say UNC isn't part of the upper tier programs right after Dean Smith retired? Would you say that Penn State, Nebraska, and FSU aren't crown jewels of college football because they have had one coach with sustained success?

I get that if you don't make the appropriate hire after one of these legends your program can fall into irrelevance. And that is something that has happened to USC, Oklahoma, Nebraska in College Football and Indiana, and to a lesser degree Arkansas and Oklahoma State in College Basketball.

Everyone gets that and we think the next hire at UA is paramount or we could easily slink back into irrelevance that we suffered fron in 1984.

But to say one coach doesn't make you a great program is ridiculous. Again - how many times have you had anyone cite the 1947 NFL Champion Arizone Cardinals? While history is important IMO it is only relevant to the absolute tippy top of the upper crust like Kentucky and Kansas who have been powers since James Naismith put up the peach basket and have had good coaches/players ever since.

Otherwise should I think that Oregon is a better college basketball program then the University of Texas because they have a NC in 1939 and UT has none?


Just doesn't make any sense.

You are 100% correct. Check out this article.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/264121

Program will recover, succeed in future
UA job among elite in country, insiders believe
By Patrick Finley
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.25.2008
John Wooden is arguably the greatest basketball coach of all time.
No question, he was the hardest to replace.
Since 1975, every one of the Bruins' eight head coaches has fallen, in one way or another, under Wooden's shadow.
Friday, Wooden called Lute Olson, who retired Thursday, "one of the better coaches of all time." But he doesn't view that success as a hindrance to whoever the Wildcats' next coach will be.
"In many ways, it's difficult to follow a coach that's retired, that's true," he said. "But in many ways, it's good. They have a program that's been built up. They already have an attractive program that's being supported very well.
"You're stepping into a program that's done well. I'd much rather do that than a place that's never done well."
Asked jokingly if he'd take the UA job, Wooden, 98, laughed.
"If I had good knees, I would," he said.
Olson's departure will hurt the UA — both in the Pac-10 and nationally — in the short run, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said, but that can be counter-acted with a good hire. Olson gives the UA tradition — "and you can't substitute for tradition," Bilas said.
"He took that program from being frankly nothing — no offense — to being a national power," said Bilas, who was recruited by Olson to attend Iowa but chose Duke instead. "It was a national power for 20-something years.
"Because of Lute Olson, Arizona has become a much more attractive job for any coach."UCLA coach Ben Howland said Olson established the UA as a power, and that will still bear fruit in the Pac-10.
"That's one of the great things about his legacy — he's developed the program into a Top-25 program that will now live on," he said. "There's no question that the excitement and history and tradition has been established at the University of Arizona because of Lute Olson."
Former CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer said a shift toward players leaving early for the NBA draft has made administrations nationwide reconsider what a national power can be.
He said replacing Olson — "Like what's going to happen at Penn State with Joe Paterno," he said — will be a challenge for UA athletic director Jim Livengood to recognize a shift in the game.
Twenty years ago, Packer said, major powers didn't have the possibility of a major downturn because of guaranteed depth. Now, the possibility of players leaving early will make it harder for Olson's replacement to build a program.
"To maintain what Lute did would be very difficult for Jesus Christ, Superstar," Packer said.
Jay John, a former Olson assistant and Salpointe Catholic graduate now coaching at Cal, said "there are some barriers" to being in Tucson. The talent pool in the state is low, and the city isn't close to many recruits.
"There had to be a real planning take place to take these unofficial visits to Tucson," he said. "In other places, you can get in the car at the last minute. Nobody gets in the car and drives eight hours."
Olson made Arizona a relevant place for recruits to go.
"There's a charming and powerful presence about the man that you're attracted to — 'I want to be like him,' or 'I want to play for him,' " John said.
Eventually, that overruled any regional challenges.
"After time, and when the program got to be better, it was pretty easy to recruit there," said Phil Johnson, a former UA assistant now coaching under Tim Floyd at USC. "I'll tell you why — it was because of Lute."
Bilas considers Arizona an "end of the top 10 job" — behind Indiana, UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Texas. He doesn't think the timing of Olson's announcement will, in the long term, affect Arizona — or the coach's own legacy."It's hard for me to think of situations where coaches leave where it's ideal, where a great career ends in a storybook fashion, like coach Wooden's did," he said. "It just doesn't happen that way very often.
"I don't think the program is going to suffer as a result of (the timing). The program would suffer with Lute leaving, whether it's perfect or imperfect."

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Wow. I don't consider Georgetown one of the crown jewels and my dad, one brother and one sister graduated from there. Gtown is exactly like UA, though, in they are a one coach pony with upside.

John Thompson = Lute Olson. The younger John Thompson may be resurrecting and saving the directionless program. Can UA do the same, without an interim period of mediocrity? We'll see.

Immediately following a legend is always tough. Successfully replacing a legend at a one coach school is nothing short of miraculous.

"may be resurrecting" the program? i'd say a final four and a steady stream of top rated recruited classes, as well as big east championships means the program is just fine.

and just b/c only coach has been in place for all/the majority of success doesn't lessen that success. the 'cuse is all boeheim. duke is all coach k (yes, i did try to type his name, and failed). it matters not how many coaches have been in place, but rather the respect the school engenders on a nationwide basis when determining this mythical concept of the top schools.

now i think skorp is showing his asu homerism.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I heard (rumor, I know...sorry) that Lute broke the news to his team by conference call.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

i understand you're an asu homer, but c'mon man . . . you keep making this argument over and over again and it just makes you look silly. you say "best of the best for decades" . . . uh . . . lute was there for decades. when you have a streak of 23 years of making the tourney, that's decades. doesn't matter if it's one coach, two, or eight. that's decades. people know the name of Arizona in hoops. that's (unfortunately) more than you can say for arizona state in either football or hoops where they are routinely referred to as "arizona" by admittedly ignorant writiers and sportscasters.

uofa is def in the upper heirarchy of hoops. i'm a gtown alum and i consider them to be in our class, and i def consider us to be part of the crown jewels.

recognize your homerism for what it is.

btw, i didn't attend either institution and have no bias.

You misunderstand my point, which I thought was pretty clear. One more time, slowly. This has nothing to do with U of A vs. ASU, this has to do with the perception that U of A is an elite program. While U of A has certainly been elite over the last 25 years, I think there is little doubt among anyone including many U of A fans that there is a fundamental difference between the UCLA's, UNC's and Kentucky's of the world, (teams that have been powerhouses forever) and great but not elite programs such as G-Town or U of A. Again, semantics? I suppose, but I just don't think you throw around the word elite when there is a clear difference. If you can't see the difference, I don't know what to tell you.

Because of that, I don't see it as a foregone conclusion that U of A will always be a basketball powerhouse, and I think much will ride on the next coaching selection. I think if you went to any ACC basketball or UCLA board they would tell you that your argument is silly too, you're preaching to the choir here. I guess time will show who's right.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Street and Smith did a thing on the best basketball programs of all-time a few years ago and Arizona was top 15. We have the money, facilities, and resume of such a program and therefore on paper should be able to get a quality coach.

Of course UA isn't guaranteed to be a power forever, everyone has down years. But the fact remains that teams with good coaches win and Arizona has the resources to attract a quality name.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Immediately following a legend is always tough. Successfully replacing a legend at a one coach school is nothing short of miraculous.

Whoever is hired won't be replacing a legend, he'll be replacing Kevin O'Neill and Russ Pennell which aren't exactly big shoes to fill.

And successful replacements of a legend happens all the time. Pitino after Crum and Izzo after Jud Heathcote are the two best examples. Hell, Trent Johnson replaced Monty at Stanford and was pretty successful if you want to go local.

 

[Russ Smith]

To update the recruits, all 3 have officially decommitted.

Solomon HIll visited USC Saturday and it looks like he'll probably commit to them soon.

Moser is reopening, he visited UA with his mom, USC is on him, UCLA is seeing if they can get in, the whole Pac 10 is after him now.

Gaddy's dad said it's UCLA or UW, but now there's talk he may be adding a couple of other schools. His issue with UCLA the first time around was 3 top 50 guards in the 08 class, that's still there.

UW is the home school, the family feels betrayed by Lute, so staying home looks quite possible, I think UW is the favorite.

Not sure what UA can do in 09 now unless they're able to keep Moser they're going to have to take an all new class now, going to be tough. but the main thing is find the right coach, the rest will eventually come around.

 

[DWKB]

Whoever is hired won't be replacing a legend, he'll be replacing Kevin O'Neill and Russ Pennell which aren't exactly big shoes to fill.

And successful replacements of a legend happens all the time. Pitino after Crum and Izzo after Jud Heathcote are the two best examples. Hell, Trent Johnson replaced Monty at Stanford and was pretty successful if you want to go local.

Very true, the "legend" issue is only generated by the fan base and their unwillingness to move on, give the new coach a fair shot, etc.. If the UofA posters on this site are any indication, that is not going to be a factor.

In other news, from a Memphis blog:

On Arizona and Rumors

It’s only October, but silly season in college basketball coaching has already arrived. And for Memphis fans, the script is incredibly familiar. A high-profile job opens up. Immediately, John Calipari’s name is thrown into the mix because, well, his name is always thrown into the mix. Posters on Internet message boards who previously trashed Calipari will suddenly claim that he’s their program’s savior. A columnist in said college’s area will inevitably write the case against hiring Calipari - regardless of whether he’s really a candidate - drudging up Marcus Camby and the laundry list of the off-court problems he’s had at Memphis.

In the case of Arizona, which will be the big job open next April now that Lute Olson has announced his retirement this week, let me go ahead and save everybody the trouble.

Calipari isn’t going to Arizona.

Of course, some of this stuff has already started, though not by national writers who understand the dynamics of the situation. But Calipari’s name has been thrown out in Arizona newspapers, and apparently even a Phoenix radio host said that he’d heard Calipari would be willing to take a pay cut to go to Arizona (Whoever is spreading that rumor doesn’t know Calipari very well.) When I mentioned to Calipari that his name had popped up in the Tucson papers, he laughed, because it’s entirely predictable. But his response was clear and unequivocal. He’s not interested.

As someone who spends a lot of time around Calipari and the program, there are a couple things are worth keeping in mind when it comes to Calipari and any other job, especially this one.

1) With his newest contract, Calipari makes $3.35 million a year guaranteed. Let me repeat. Calipari makes $3.35 million per year guaranteed. And that doesn’t even include a dime from the new shoe contract Memphis is about to sign with Nike. Now, I can’t get anyone in the athletic department to go on the record right now about what the financial ramifications of this deal will be. But from what I’ve gathered, it will add another significant chunk of money to Calipari’s annual package. How significant? I’m not sure yet, but the total numbers could be Nick Saban-esque. Olson’s total package at Arizona, according to published reports, was somewhere between $1.3-1.5 million, which is pretty much in line with the pay scale in the Pac 10.

2) Calipari’s mindset, at this point, seems to be geared more toward riding out the momentum at Memphis rather than starting over somewhere else. That doesn’t mean he’s going to coach at Memphis forever, but if the Tigers get a couple of the recruits they’re after along with the players who are already in the fold for next year, Calipari sees them right back in the championship mix. Like Indiana, Arizona is probably a 4-year rebuilding job at minimum.

Bottom line, though, is that Memphis fans have no need to wring their hands over Internet speculation, mostly fueled by fans (and in some cases coaches) from teams that are recruiting against the Tigers. As many others have written on a national basis, fans of Gonzaga and Pitt should have much more reason to think about Arizona at this point than Memphis fans.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I agree with the blog to an extent, they are certainly right on with the finances and how that's going to be the most difficult speed bump in getting Cal. However, if Cal is ever going to make the jump to power conference basketball then Arizona would be the ideal choice. He'd get pretty much every kid on the West Coast who wanted to play up-tempo and besides Arizona is there any other jobs with such a high celing opening up any time soon? Looking at the traditional powers they've all pretty much got somebody locked in for at least the next several years. And despite what the writer insists Arizona has a significantly higher upside than Memphis.

And I wouldn't expect Calipari to tell a Memphis blogger that he has any interest in Arizona. For one it would kill his 2009 recruiting class if things fell apart with 'Zona later in the process and two he's not dumb enough to jeapordize his team with rumors hanging over their heads during the course of the season. This job search will end up like all of them seemingly do, rounds of denials about mutual interest until the chosen guy is on a plane en route to ink the deal.

 

[Lefty]

I agree with the blog to an extent, they are certainly right on with the finances and how that's going to be the most difficult speed bump in getting Cal. However, if Cal is ever going to make the jump to power conference basketball then Arizona would be the ideal choice. He'd get pretty much every kid on the West Coast who wanted to play up-tempo and besides Arizona is there any other jobs with such a high celing opening up any time soon? Looking at the traditional powers they've all pretty much got somebody locked in for at least the next several years. And despite what the writer insists Arizona has a significantly higher upside than Memphis.

And I wouldn't expect Calipari to tell a Memphis blogger that he has any interest in Arizona. For one it would kill his 2009 recruiting class if things fell apart with 'Zona later in the process and two he's not dumb enough to jeapordize his team with rumors hanging over their heads during the course of the season. This job search will end up like all of them seemingly do, rounds of denials about mutual interest until the chosen guy is on a plane en route to ink the deal.

The UofA is #4 on the Forbes list.
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/27/co...s_0102basketball_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=15000
Also, with the football team turning the corner, things are not bad when it comes to generating revenue. I would be a long shot to get Calipari but I would never say no way. The Cats have boosters with big pockets and I have read Calipari would take a pay cut to come to a place like Arizona.

I would think Dixon is the more logical choice, but you never know. No one expected Lute would of replaced Ben Lindsey 25 years ago.

 

[DWKB]

But Calipari’s name has been thrown out in Arizona newspapers, and apparently even a Phoenix radio host said that he’d heard Calipari would be willing to take a pay cut to go to Arizona (Whoever is spreading that rumor doesn’t know Calipari very well.)

I have read Calipari would take a pay cut to come to a place like Arizona.

I wonder, did you read that from the same radio guy or did the radio guy read the your article on the air?

As to this particular portion of the story, I think I'll side with Memphis blogger over radio guy/article writer. If UofA is getting Cal, they're paying for him.

 

[Russ Smith]

I agree with the blog to an extent, they are certainly right on with the finances and how that's going to be the most difficult speed bump in getting Cal. However, if Cal is ever going to make the jump to power conference basketball then Arizona would be the ideal choice. He'd get pretty much every kid on the West Coast who wanted to play up-tempo and besides Arizona is there any other jobs with such a high celing opening up any time soon? Looking at the traditional powers they've all pretty much got somebody locked in for at least the next several years. And despite what the writer insists Arizona has a significantly higher upside than Memphis.

And I wouldn't expect Calipari to tell a Memphis blogger that he has any interest in Arizona. For one it would kill his 2009 recruiting class if things fell apart with 'Zona later in the process and two he's not dumb enough to jeapordize his team with rumors hanging over their heads during the course of the season. This job search will end up like all of them seemingly do, rounds of denials about mutual interest until the chosen guy is on a plane en route to ink the deal.

Well if he waits out the Mayo investigation he may be able to get the USC job after Floyd gets fired but I would think he'd prefer UA to USC simply because Football rules at USC.

Who wrote that blog was that Dan Wolken?

 

[Mr. Boldin]

Who wrote that blog was that Dan Wolken?

Yes, Wolken wrote the blog. If memory serves correct he was the one who accused the UA over the Gaddy's Mom/Memphis/Fed-Ex scandal last spring. Not to mention, like Mao said, Cal isnt that stupid (no coach is). Cal is going to tell the Memphis bloggers and fans what they want to hear, while his agent and other people close to him are talking to Livengood.

I really do not think Cal is a long shot at all. If UA offers him the money he deserves we have a great shot at landing him. Raising the money should not be a problem, with Click, Moreno, Khalil, and possibly Sarver donating.

While this may be a sore topic, Stoops' relative success this year has also paved the way for easier funding for Lute's replacement. With Livengood as our AD, that last thing he wants to do is pay Stoops, a new football coach, and pony up a few mil to hire Lute's replacement all in the same year.

I am fairly confident that with a pacakge from the UA athletic department of near $2 mil and additional funding from Nike, camps, appearances, we would be able to offer the money that is needed to pull Cal away from Memphis.

 

[Dback Jon]

I am fairly confident that with a pacakge from the UA athletic department of near $2 mil and additional funding from Nike, camps, appearances, we would be able to offer the money that is needed to pull Cal away from Memphis.

So you think he would take a $1.5 million pay cut for the priveledge of living in Tucson?

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

So you think he would take a $1.5 million pay cut for the priveledge of living in Tucson?

He wouldn't take that much of a paycut if Arizona were to hire him, we'd have to get around $2.5 at the very minimum for him to consider it and I think Arizona could get there. And let's also note that Memphis ain't exactly heaven on earth, Tucson might be a better fit for an East Coast city guy like Cal anyways instead of the backwards-ass South.

 

[Dback Jon]

He wouldn't take that much of a paycut if Arizona were to hire him, we'd have to get around $2.5 at the very minimum for him to consider it and I think Arizona could get there. And let's also note that Memphis ain't exactly heaven on earth, Tucson might be a better fit for an East Coast city guy like Cal anyways instead of the backwards-ass South.

I agree that I would rather make $2.5 in Tucson than $3 in Memphis.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I agree that I would rather make $2.5 in Tucson than $3 in Memphis.

Right now Lute makes roughly $1.5 before bonuses, half of which comes from the AD while the other half comes from Nike, booster groups, etc. It has been known for quite sometime that Lute is taking a hometown paycut and has been rumored on the radio that Arizona can/will go to around $1.5 just in salary for this hire. So assuming Calipari gets the same $750k Lute does from those outside sources that gets UA up to $2.25 which puts them among the top 5 in the country yet probably still a little below what Calipari would take to jump ship.

Honestly, I'm assuming this doesn't play out until March/April anyways so talking about it right now is moot.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

So you think he would take a $1.5 million pay cut for the priveledge of living in Tucson?

Uh, no thats not what I said...

A base salary of 1.5 mil from the UA plus $1 mil in incentives/camps/appearances/nike deal = $2.5 mil

Nobody is going to pay Cal $3.5 mil except a school like Memphis and Cal sure isnt going to ask UA for $3.5 mil.