Guard Brandon Jennings, playing a game at McKale Center in December, may have trouble getting to the UA this fall because he is not yet academically qualified.

greg bryan / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2007

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In the bizarre six-week period since Lute Olson returned as Arizona's basketball coach, he has strangely taken no action on something far more urgent than hiring and firing assistant coaches.

He has not moved to replace Jerryd Bayless or Chase Budinger, nor has he been able to get a commitment for 2008-09 from guard Nic Wise. This leaves the Wildcats desperately short on available (and capable) bodies. Planning for another season with both Wise and Budinger goes beyond risky. It isn't very smart.

In addition, Oak Hill Academy basketball coach Steve Smith on Friday told the Herald-News of West Paterson, N.J., that incoming UA point guard Brandon Jennings hasn't yet qualified academically to enroll at Arizona.

"He needs to get his test scores up a little more to correlate with his GPA,'' Smith told the newspaper. "I think he'll make it but I obviously have some concern. He won't get his scores back until the end of June.''

This lack of fill-in-the-blanks recruiting is puzzling because no college basketball coach in the country was better at finding talent on short notice — transfers and free agents — than Olson from 1985 to 2005. His ability to acquire Chris Mills, Brian Williams, Ben Davis, Loren Woods, Tom Tolbert and Andre Iguodala after they had played or committed elsewhere is what sustained Arizona as a Top 10 program.

But since Olson returned from a leave of absence, Oregon's Ernie Kent moved in to get former Cal signee Garrett Sim, Cal's Mike Montgomery was swift in getting emerging Las Vegas combo guard Jorge Gutierrez, and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski beat everyone on one-time Stanford signee Mitch Plumlee.

Worse, UCLA's Ben Howland worked resourcefully behind the scenes and has apparently gotten LSU signee J'Mison Morgan, a Top 25 prospect, to get a release from LSU and play for the Bruins next year.

A quarter-century ago, hired by Arizona in early April, Olson was impressively quick in hitting the junior college trail to sign Pete Williams and Eddie Smith in his first six weeks on the job. Williams and Smith were the cornerstone recruits of Olson's early Arizona years. It became an Olson trademark: never be caught short.

Given the fluid status of Budinger, Wise and now Jennings, the UA is in no position to stand pat.

Tucson attorney Burt Kinerk, who has represented prominent UA athletes from Sean Elliott and Tedy Bruschi to Ricky Barnes and Crissy Ahmann, is a horseman at heart.

Kinerk attended his 20th Kentucky Derby last week, a streak highlighted by the 1996 appearance of his thoroughbred, Corker, who finished 11th. Corker is now retired, breeding on a ranch on the Arizona-New Mexico border. Kinerk had a horse, Festin, run in the Breeders' Cup Classic in 1991. Festin lives in Argentina.

"I was a baseball player in high school and at the UA,'' Kinerk says, "and I've closely followed UA football and basketball for many, many years.'' He has gone to Final Fours and Super Bowls but he insists that the Kentucky Derby remains "the most exciting two minutes in sports.''

UA freshman receiver Terrell Reese caught 20 passes in his first exposure to college football in 2007 and has established himself as one of Sonny Dykes' rotation players for '08. He quietly went to the UA track team after spring practice and last week jumped 7 feet 1/2 inch in a dual meet against Arizona State. Reese finished third in the Texas Class 4A finals in 2006, jumping 6-10. He is the 14th Arizona jumper to clear 7 feet and the second football player; receiver Jeff Nadeau went 7- 1/4 in 1994. The Arizona record is 7-6 set by James Frazier in 1980. … Tucsonan Brianna Glenn, who won NCAA championships in the long jump and the 200 meters as an Arizona Wildcat in 2001, has been busy preparing for next month's Olympic trials. Unfortunately, in the worst timing possible, she hurt her knee (floating cartilage) and had to skip an international competition in Qatar this weekend. Her return to training remains uncertain. About all that has gone well for Glenn, who trains under UA coach Fred Harvey, is that she was one of four potential USA Olympians invited to New York City to model the team's workout/warmup gear last week for a Polo Ralph Lauren photo shoot. Glenn had an MRI last week and is seeking a second opinion rather than sit out six to eight weeks. … Tucson pro golfers Nate Tyler and Rich Barcelo both shot even-par 72s last week in U.S. Open qualifying rounds near Florence. To get one of seven berths in sectional qualifying required 69.

Tucsonan Brent Strom, who has been the pitching coach for the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals, is at Tucson Electric Park this weekend as part of his new role with the St. Louis Cardinals. Strom travels through the Cardinals' minor-league system as what he refers to as a "methodology'' coach. He works with minor-league pitchers and pitching coaches on "what is taught and ways to teach it.'' Strom, who played at USC and in the major leagues for five years, is working with the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds here. … After watching Class 4A-I high school baseball powers Catalina Foothills and Sabino battle in a classic state quarterfinal game Tuesday (Foothills won 5-4), I fully believe what Sabino coach Rod Allen says about the state baseball playoffs. It's a pure crapshoot. A double-elimination tournament would help identify a champion better. The same applies to coach Todd Naskedov's Amphi team, which has a city-high 73 victories the last three years, but hasn't won a state 4A-II title because it bumped into a hot team on the wrong day. … A.J. Albritton, a junior basketball player at Sahuaro High School, has been invited to participate in the prestigious USA Junior Nationals International Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, July 21-27. The selection was based on his outstanding performance in the USA Junior Nationals all-state high school basketball competition last month in Las Vegas. … Don't be surprised if Joan Bonvicini is among the finalists to become the new women's basketball coach at UC Santa Barbara. If she indeed plans to return to coaching, that is a wonderful opportunity.

Former Salpointe Catholic quarterback Tyler Graunke has not clearly won Hawaii's No. 1 QB job in spring camp, as expected. Instead, he is battling junior Inoke Funaki for the starting job under a new coaching system. Offensive coordinator Ron Lee said both QBs have a chance to win the job in August. … Pusch Ridge sophomore quarterback Greg Schimke, who threw for 11 touchdowns in a three-week stretch last October, participated last week in the nationally known Air 7 Quarterback University camp. It is operated in Los Angeles by Steve Clarkson, who has helped develop, among others Matt Leinart and Ben Roethlisberger. Also in the camp: Nicholas Montana, son of Hall of Famer Joe Montana. The camps are now under the sports business umbrella of former 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo. … Sign of the times in UA football: In Wednesday's sports section came this headline: "Arizona football team not penalized.'' It was a news story about the UA football team's graduation rate/team GPA having improved but still being below the national average. These days, that qualifies as uplifting news. … It has been a terrific year for Mike and Theresa Weldon of Tucson. Their son, UA sophomore second baseman Mike Weldon, is hitting .327 for the Wildcats in 13 starts. On Friday, their daughter, Lindsey Weldon, smacked the game-winning single to give Canyon del Oro High School the state 4A-I softball championship 3-2.

USA softball coach Mike Candrea's patience is often tested on the long, 46-city, five-month journey that leads to the Beijing Olympics.

Last week, for example, his team took a 10-hour bus trip from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Williamsport, Pa. This week, they will fly to central California for five more games, and then play May 25 in Prescott before getting a few days off.

On his Bound 4 Beijing tour, Candrea, the UA softball coach, did not react like a boorish Bob Knight or Bill Belichick after his team's 185-game streak of exhibition victories was stopped by Virginia Tech.

In a game played March 26, but broadcast on ESPN for the first time Monday (and again several times last week), Tech pitcher Angela Tincher pitched a no-hitter to beat Team USA 1-0.

After the game, Tech coach Scot Thomas approached Candrea and asked if he could have, as a keepsake, the lineup card Candrea had taped to the dugout wall. Candrea did so immediately and graciously.

There's one word for that: winner.