TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – Kevin O’Neill had little to say Tuesday about his future with Arizona meeting with Wildcats coach Lute Olson.
“I don’t want to get into anything about that,” O’Neill said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We had a great meeting, a very positive meeting.”
O’Neill was promoted to interim coach after Olson went on a personal leave of absence on Nov. 4. O’Neill was later designated Olson’s permanent successor when the Hall of Famer retires, but he has not said whether he would return as an assistant next year.
Olson returned to work Monday.
O’Neill said weeks ago that he would decide his next move after the season. But on Tuesday it didn’t sound as if he would make a decision soon.
“I have no timeframe for anything,” said O’Neill, who is under contract through June.
O’Neill will meet with the media on Wednesday at McKale Center to wrap up the Wildcats’ season, which ended last week in a first-round loss to West Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
Overcoming distractions surrounding Olson’s absence and a series of injuries, O’Neill guided Arizona to its 24th straight NCAA tournament appearance, extending the nation’s longest active streak.
What isn’t clear is Olson’s relationship with O’Neill.
Olson has been noncommittal on any plans for O’Neill, whom he hired last spring to help shore up Arizona’s porous defense.
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