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This was Monday's snapshot look at the Arizona basketball coaching staff: Denver Nuggets assistant coach Mike Dunlap could be on the way in and Josh Pastner could be on the way out.

Both remained uncertain.

What was clear: That Russ Pennell was officially hired and he's excited about it.

Pennell, 47, left Rob Evans' ASU staff four years ago to start the Arizona Premier developmental program but said Monday that Arizona offered an attractive opportunity to jump back into the college game.

"You look at Arizona and the storied history, and with the current returning players and the incoming players," Pennell said. "You take a look at this situation, and they don't come along very often. As a coach, there are some situations that are better than others, and you want to be part of it. That's where I'm at."

The situation could also be attractive enough to lure Dunlap, who is well-regarded after building Division II Metro State (in Denver) into a national power and spending two years with the Nuggets as an assistant.

Dunlap was not available for comment Monday but told the Rocky Mountain News that "there's interest" because of a relationship he began with Olson in 1997, when he coached the Adelaide 36ers and Olson took the Wildcats to Australia for an exhibition tour. He declined to say whether he had been offered a job.

"His team was playing there and I went out to dinner with Lute and (then-wife) Bobbi,'' Dunlap told the Denver newspaper. "The relationship really started to form then.''

Dunlap said he was contacted by California and Stanford before jobs at those schools were filled, and also pulled out of a possible interview at Oregon State. He told Denver reporters earlier Monday that he has also interviewed for the Chicago Bulls' head coaching job.

"I guess the 'fit' part of it is —- (the Bulls are) a really young team, and I have a lot of experience with that," Dunlap told the Denver Post. "That was a curiosity of them with me."

If he landed with Arizona, Dunlap would likely be hired as the lead assistant, possibly with a salary that approaches the $375,000 Arizona set aside for Kevin O'Neill last spring.

As of now, Pastner makes $123,900 in a No. 2 assistant's role and would likely have a chance to earn more as an assistant at Memphis. It is unclear what Pennell will make. The UA denied a public records request to release Pennell's offer sheet Monday, saying there is not yet a finalized written agreement.

UA athletic director Jim Livengood also declined to specify on Pennell's salary agreement, saying only that he was pleased with the hire.

"I'm very, very excited for Russ to become a member of our staff," Livengood said. "He's a perfect combination of somebody who's a great coach and a great teacher."

Livengood created the opening for Pennell by moving O'Neill, the Wildcats' interim head coach last season, to a fundraising role. Olson said on April 1 that O'Neill would not be back on the staff. On Friday, UA announced assistant Miles Simon would not have his contract renewed, creating another opening.

"We're happy to be adding a coach like Russ to our staff with his wealth of experience," Olson said in a UA statement. "He is an outstanding coach, a hard worker and a wonderful family man. I'm sure Russ and his family will fit into the Tucson community very nicely."

Pennell (pronounced PEN-ul) won't have to move far to join the Wildcats. Pennell has resided in the Phoenix area for a decade after following Evans from Mississippi to ASU. A 1989 graduate of Pittsburg (Kan.) State, Pennell was also an assistant at Oklahoma State.

Pennell has 14 years of Division I experience, working with accomplished big men such as Bryant "Big Country" Reeves and Ike Diogu. He has the credentials to fill the UA's posted requirement of working with front-line players.

But Pennell said Monday he hopes to work with all UA players.

"My forte is player-development," Pennell said. "I'm really looking forward to getting back to daily workouts with the players."

Pennell said he did not expect to be a lead recruiter but his ties to the Arizona Premier program could prove invaluable. His star guard, Gilbert Highland freshman Matt Carlino, has said Pennell's UA position could influence whether he chooses to play for the Wildcats.

Pennell officially starts his UA job on Monday, allowing him the opportunity to coach the Premier in this weekend's Arizona Cactus Classic at McKale Center. He said he has withdrawn due to fatigue and the NCAA-related necessity of cutting his fiscal ties to the Premier before joining the Cats.

"We're nicked up and I've got a lot of stuff to do," Pennell said. "I just felt like it might really take away from kids more than it should."