Arizona Loses Third Recruit Since Olson's Departure

In the five days since Lute Olson stepped down as head basketball coach at Arizona, three recruits have backed out of their oral commitments to play for the Wildcats. More here.

From the Pac-10 blog at the Oregonian:

"Guess the good news for the Arizona athletic department is that it won't have to put on a news conference next month to announce the basketball program's letter-of-intent signings."

ESPN: Arizona's Olson to Step Down

This morning, ESPN's Dick Vitale reported that Lute Olson is set to step down as Arizona men's head basketball coach.

Thus far, no official announcement has been forthcoming:

"Nothing has changed," UA sports information official Richard Paige told the Tucson Citizen on Thursday morning. "Lute is still our coach."

Mr. Paige's non-denial denial reminds me of President Clinton's non-denial denial of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

In 1998, President Clinton was forced to testify in a sexual harassment case which had been brought against him by a former Arkansas state government worker named Paula Jones. Ms. Jones' counsel was attempting to establish that President Clinton had a history of marital infidelity. So they questioned the President about his purported sexual relationship with Ms. Lewinsky, a former White House intern. President Clinton tried to obfuscate Ms. Jones' counsel by raising questions about the meaning of the word is (as the word's meaning pertained to his previous statements that "there is no improper relationship," and "there's nothing going on between us").

President Clinton was later impeached and disbarred for having committed perjury in the Paula Jones case (remember that although the U.S. Senate voted to impeach the President, he was allowed to remain in office). But his parsing of words gave the world the now famous phrase: "It depends on what the meaning of the word is is."

Sure, as Mr. Paige told the Tuscon newspaper, Lute Olson is still Arizona's coach. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't plan to step down in the next few days.

More:

ArizonaCentral.com has a timeline of Lute Olson's recent history at Arizona (Olson took a leave of absence for the 2007/08 season, before returning -- amid a great deal of uncertainty about his future [and the future of the Arizona basketball program] -- for the 2008/09 season).

Update (10/24/08):

It's official. Lute Olson has retired after 25 years at the University of Arizona.

USC's uncertain future

By Mark Buckets

O.J. Mayo has been the subject of substantial criticism from Drive & Dish throughout his young basketball career. Most of it is, to be quite frank, well-deserved.

The bulk of pressure created from his first and last season in Los Angeles is self-induced.

To the surprise of no one - in particular Trashtalk Superstar - Mayo is a national leader in shots per game and shots per 40 minutes. As many pundits point out - Andy Glockner of ESPN.com in particular - Mayo can "get his own shot." While that may be true, quite simply, O.J. is throwing up more "J's" than most anyone in the country.

While watching the Trojans game vs. Arizona on Thursday night, it was blatantly obvious that Mayo was pressing the issue. In Mayo's defense - literally speaking - he was hawking the nation's freshman darling, Jerryd Bayless, all over the floor at the Galen Center. On offense, D&D is concerned - well, we don't think much of Mayo in these parts - with his infatuation of the three-point shot beyond NBA range. He's got a ways to go in that department.

In the opinion of this blogger, when push comes to shove, Mayo's inability to involve teammates within the flow of Tim Floyd's offense will lead to USC's demise.

Many expect USC to be up and down until tournament play begins. As March Madness heats up, only time will tell if the Trojans can make either behind Mayo - or in spite of him.

Farewell, Larry Smith

By Mark Buckets

Drive & Dish doesn't cover college football as adamantly as college hoops. It's natural. We write about basketball.

But I was saddened to hear of the passing of Larry Smith, the former coach at Arizona, USCand Missouri. It was during Smith's tenure at Missouri that I came to appreciate him as a coach and as a man.

I have no connection to the University of Missouri, where Smith ended his coaching career in 2000. But I have no doubt in my mind that he affected the lives of all he coached.

He wasn't Joe Paterno. He wasn't Bobby Bowden. He's not even a Hall of Fame candidate.

He was a teacher at heart- and had to endure a broken heart.

This was a guy who worked his way up the coaching ladder. He worked under Bo Schembechler at Miami of Ohio, and followed him to Michigan. Eventually, a big opportunity arose for Smith - the job at USC. He went to three straight Rose Bowls but never really etched his name into Trojan lore.

Everyone who has ever been touched by Smith is extremely grateful for the times they spent with him. Former players came to his aid as Smith valiantly fought - the same way he coached - and eventually succumbed to cancer.

The guy never quit on anything in his life.

One thing that will stand out to me - among other things - was the look of absolute shock and disbelief as number one Nebraska came into Columbia, stormed back from a huge deficit and beat Missouri on a freak play in overtime. The stars aligned for Smith that day. He had a chance to elevate his program under star quarterback Corby Jones that day. Just when he thought that day had came - his team lost a late lead and were beaten by Nebraska.

It was the look on Smith's face that struck a chord with me. It was a combination of awe and absolute hurt. As I examine the "look" years later, it wreaks of sadness. It was the look a youngster has after a long courtship of the opposite sex.

You know how it goes: the first few dates were rousing success. This is the girl that you really could yourself settling down with. And just as you have a false sense of security, she drops the bomb on you, and your world has crumbled.

A perfect microcosm of Larry Smith's coaching career.

Larry smiled after that play. Hands on hips, not knowing what to do. It defined Larry Smith as a man, and as a coach.

Larry Smith isn't a household name around the country. This was a man I could relate to early on in my life.

Bear Down, Fight On, and Hold that Tiger, Larry Smith.