Hall of Fame basketball coach Lute Olson of Arizona returned to practice Monday night but his status for returning to the Wildcats full-time after a three-week leave of absence is still unknown.
Assistant Kevin O'Neill, who is the acting head coach, confirmed Tuesday morning that Olson was at practice and "I'm assuming he'll be back here again [Tuesday]."
O'Neill said Olson was on the court working practice, not just observing.
"He was out there and it was good to see him back," O'Neill said.
Still, O'Neill said he didn't know if Olson would be coaching the Wildcats (3-2) against Cal State-Fullerton Wednesday or No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday.
The Tucson Citizen reported in its Tuesday editions that Olson said, "it's nice to be back." The Citizen caught up with Olson before practice where he said he was "going to give it a try," in terms of returning to coaching.
Olson took the leave of absence to deal with a personal matter that is not health related. At the time Olson said that was the case and multiple sources close to him have confirmed that the issue isn't his own health. Still, every source related to Olson has said that this is a deeply personal situation that requires Olson's attention and something that doesn't necessarily have an end date. So, there has never been a set timetable for a return.
The 73-year old Olson has missed 12 games in his career with the Wildcats. He missed six games when his first wife, Bobbi, passed away in 2001. He missed another game in 1994.
The Wildcats are coming off a 76-72 overtime loss at Kansas Sunday night.
An attempt to reach Olson was unsuccessful Tuesday.
Andy Katz covers college basketball for ESPN.com.
Source: ESPN.com
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