TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -Arizona assistant basketball coach Kevin O’Neill has been reassigned to duties within the athletic department.
The 51-year-old O’Neill was hired last spring, and took over as interim coach when coach Lute Olson took a personal leave of absence last season. After Olson returned in March, he announced that O’Neill would no longer be a part of his staff.
Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said O’Neill would serve as an assistant athletic director until June 30, the end of the department’s fiscal year.
“Kevin and I will sit down in mid-June to determine the next step,” Livengood said in a statement on Wednesday.
O’Neill had a contract for this year and a verbal agreement to serve as an assistant coach next season.
Arizona gave O’Neill a $350,000 raise to serve as interim coach on top of his $375,000 base salary as an assistant coach. In December, Livengood announced that O’Neill would succeed Olson after the 73-year-old Hall of Famer retires.
Last spring, Olson replaced longtime aide Jim Rosborough with O’Neill.
During his tenure as interim head coach, O’Neill led Arizona to a 19-15 record and the school’s 24th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the nation’s longest active streak.
Add A Comment