O’Neill discusses highs, lows through memorable UA hoops season

It’s almost been four months since Arizona’s basketball program was turned upside down in a Phoenix airport.

From the moment Kevin O’Neill told his team that Lute Olson would be taking a leave of absence that ended up stretching through the length of the season, nothing has been easy.

But despite the injuries, uncertainty and abrupt conclusion, O’Neill looks back on his stint as interim head coach exclusively in a positive light.

“I wish we were still playing, but we’re not,” O’Neill said to open Wednesday’s season wrap-up press conference. “I appreciate that our players did everything in their power to get us in the NCAA Tournament for a 24th straight year and did everything in their power to try to win.”

Arizona finished 19-15, with an 8-10 record in Pac-10 play. Their No. 1 strength of schedule resulted in a No. 10 seed in the West region of the NCAA Tournament, where the Wildcats lost 75-65 to No. 7 West Virginia in the opening round — the program’s second-straight first-round exit.

Olson returned to work on Monday, resuming his duties as Arizona’s head coach. O’Neill and Olson spoke on Tuesday, and while O’Neill wouldn’t go into specifics with regards to the conversation’s content, he did say that their relationship remains strong.

“We talked yesterday about a number of things, not just basketball,” O’Neill said.

With Olson back in charge, O’Neill will now move back into an assistant’s role.

Much has been made about whether O’Neill could transition smoothly between positions, but O’Neill maintains that there will be no issues.

“I’ve been an assistant and a head coach for the last 20 years, between the NBA and all that kind of stuff,” O’Neill said. “I had a two-year commitment to being an assistant here and I plan on honoring that commitment.”

O’Neill will continue to preach his hard-nosed, man-to-man defensive approach as Olson’s lead assistant, but look for the 2008-09 Wildcats to go back to playing with Olson’s open offensive philosophy.

O’Neill said he coached this year’s team the only way he knew how, and it would be foolish for any coach to attempt to adopt anyone else’s style.

“if I tried to coach (former Temple coach) John Chaney’s style, I don’t think that would work,” O’Neill said. “If I tried to coach (current Houston Rockets coach) Rick Adelman’s style, that wouldn’t work. You have to coach what you are comfortable with. I realize that was a big change for the players in some respects, but when I looked at our team I thought the style we played gave us the best chance to win and that’s why I did it. And that’s why I would do it all over again with the personnel we had.”

O’Neill said he plans to take some time away from the game before flying to Chicago to meet with his agent and go over his options.

While he plans on serving as Olson’s assistant next year and taking over as head coach in the event that Olson retires, he said he is in no rush to make any decisions about his future.

O’Neill still believes this team would have won more games without injuries to Jerryd Bayless, Nic Wise and Bret Brielmaier throughout the season, but he acknowledges that there is no point in playing the “what if” game.

“I believe that if we wouldn’t have had major, major injuries we would have won more games, but if cows had puppies there would be a milk shortage,” O’Neill said.

With the coaching position regaining a hint of stability, the major questions now surround Bayless and Chase Budinger.

Will Arizona’s two leading scorers return to Tucson, or will they make the leap to the NBA?

“If those guys call me, I’ll give them my opinion. If they don’t, I’ll understand that,” O’Neill said. “They are probably getting so many opinions right now that it’s unbelievable. That’s up to them and their families to talk to the proper people in the NBA and see what’s best for them.”

So, did O’Neill enjoy his time as Arizona’s head man?

“I had fun coaching the guys,” O’Neill said. “Coaching to me is fun. I like the practices and games part of it. So, yeah, I had a great time. I plan on doing this for another 25 years at some level at some time.”

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