Lute Olson will rejoin the recruiting trail this week

Other articles by Bruce Pascoe:

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After he finishes meeting with players today, Arizona coach Lute Olson will be out of Tucson by early Wednesday morning.

To recruit.

Then he'll be back.

Despite a season he called "disappointing in a lot of ways," Olson said Monday at his annual postseason news conference that he remains upbeat and has not changed his career outlook.

"No. This group was a great group to work with," said Olson, 72, who is under contract through 2011. "They've done a really good job in the classroom. They've been great in the community. There hasn't been anything that we asked them to do that they haven't done.

"I think they've done a great job of representing this program. Are they disappointed? Yes. But there are 16 teams left and everyone else is disappointed."

The Wildcats' season ended Friday in a 72-63 loss to Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament, leaving them out of the Sweet 16 field for the third time in the past four years.

Rejoining the field next season won't be easy. The Wildcats were a collective 3-7 against teams in this year's Sweet 16. They also lost twice to Washington State, which nearly made the NCAA tournament's second weekend but lost to Vanderbilt in double overtime, and they lost once to Virginia, which fell short of the Sweet 16 by just three points.

Arizona will know early and often where it stands next season. The Wildcats have 10 games on their 2007-08 schedule against teams in this year's Sweet 16, starting at Kansas on Nov. 25.

At the same time, as their loss to the more-physical Boilermakers showed, the college game is becoming more physical and defensive-minded. Olson said the Wildcats correspondingly will increase their off-season weight training and conduct more work on one-on-one offensive and defensive skills than on shooting during abbreviated early-fall practices.

"The biggest thing is we need to be stronger and physically more aggressive," Olson said. "They have to be pushed to the Nth degree."

Olson said center Kirk Walters, who is still recovering from mono contracted in November, and forward Jordan Hill will remain in Tucson throughout the summer to stay dedicated to strength training. Olson said even forward Chase Budinger, who will try out for USA Basketball's 19-under team this summer, expressed concern that doing so would take away from his weight training.

But, Olson said, the mental aspect also needs work.

Olson said his top-rated incoming freshman, guard Jerryd Bayless, is a "tough, hard-nosed kid," and indicated that forward Jamelle Horne, guard Laval Lucas-Perry and wing Zane Johnson all are tough competitors.

As for the returning players, well, they can always watch the Purdue tapes again. Assistant coach Josh Pastner said that game should stick in their gut for a long while.

"When you lose, you should feel physically sick," Pastner said. "It's like a street fight and you're cornered. Are you going to fight or are you going to let them hurt you?"

● Senior forward Ivan Radenovic will play in an East-West all-star game on March 30 in Atlanta during the Final Four weekend, Olson said.

● Walters' chances for a medical hardship waiver that would allow him to play next season were probably helped recently when he "nearly blacked out" during a practice and underwent more tests, Olson said. A Pac-10 committee will decide on his request in June, said Bill Morgan, the UA's associate athletic director for compliance.

● Forward Mohamed Tangara has been invited to play on the Mali national team this summer, Olson said.

● A public announcement about Marcus Williams' future is expected soon, Olson said. Williams has long been expected to leave this spring for the NBA, and the Wildcats have already recruited to fill his roster spot.