Prized UA recruit Brandon Jennings, right, is expected to keep his verbal commitment to the Wildcats despite Lute Olson's leave of absence.

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Just over a week before signing day, Arizona's four 2008 basketball recruits do not appear to be wavering despite coach Lute Olson's departure.

UA coaches telephoned the Wildcat recruits Sunday morning to inform them that Olson was on an unspecified leave of absence.

Forward Emmanuel Negedu said Monday he still planned to sign a binding letter of intent next week. In addition, representatives of the other three recruits said those players would still sign with UA between Nov. 14 and Nov. 20.

Kelly Williams, a Los Angeles-based adviser for the Wildcats' top-rated 2008 recruit, Brandon Jennings, said the guard had no intention of signing elsewhere, even though he has previously decommitted from USC and could again be a target for rival recruiters. Jennings is a unanimous top 10-rated player in the class of 2008.

"No, no, no. He's good," Williams said. "The (UA) coaching staff called me and explained that he has some family issues that he has to take care of. That's the way we're looking at it."

Negedu said he was told that Olson had to leave because of family matters and was not worried about the coach.

"It's not like he has any health issue," Negedu said. "He's got to be there."

Similarly, Trent Suzuki, the personal trainer for UA sophomore Chase Budinger and 2008 recruit Jeff Withey, said Withey is "fine" with the Wildcats, and the coach for wing Brendon Lavender said Lavender remains firmly committed, too.

However, Lavender found himself fending off queries about that commitment after attending Sunday's UA-Concordia exhibition.

"Some people are asking him questions if he's going to be going there, which is ridiculous because coach (Olson) is going to be gone a short time," said Gary Ernst, coach of Mesa Mountain View High School. "Brendon came back convinced" from Tucson that Olson would soon return.

Several recruiting analysts said the vague nature of Olson's departure Sunday may have added to speculation about his future. He left behind a statement from a Phoenix-based public relations firm saying he was facing a personal matter that was not a "health scare."

"Any time a coach is sort of up in age, something like this is going to raise eyebrows, and you have to wonder how long he will be coaching," Rivals analyst Jerry Meyer said. Recruits could think "'Will he be there all four years?' But it's a little early to tell because you don't know what is going on."

The uncertainty also means it is not yet clear what kind of impact Olson's absence will have on the Wildcats' long-term recruiting, said Scout analyst Dave Telep.

"Until Coach Olson wants more people to know what's going on, it's difficult to say," Telep said. "From a recruiting standpoint, this would be the least impactful time, as long as their commitments are solid."

Jennings' commitment is solid in large part because of assistant Kevin O'Neill, according to HoopScoop publisher Clark Francis. O'Neill, who is now serving as interim head coach, played a role in recruiting Jennings just before his May commitment.

"I think from Brandon's perspective it doesn't matter — he's thinking 'Kevin O'Neill is going to get me to the NBA,'" Francis said. "I don't think it will be a problem, because he likes their style, it's close to home for him, and O'Neill is a great selling point.

"I'll bet you if (UA freshman guard) Jerryd Bayless announced he would go pro after one year, that would have more effect on him not being there than Lute Olson. I know Brandon wants to play with Jerryd Bayless."

Meyer said the announcement made him wonder about the timing of O'Neill's hiring last May, when Olson replaced longtime UA assistant Jim Rosborough.

According to Francis, there was a pretty good reason: He said he fully expects O'Neill to replace Olson as UA head coach someday.

"Kevin has pretty much taken over," Francis said. "Whenever Lute goes, Kevin is the guy. Lute hangs on for a while as master of ceremonies and Kevin does all the work.

"Making that decision last spring makes (Olson) look like a genius."