Given what Lute Olson has meant to the UA in basketball success, athletic revenue and prestige, it should be a no-brainer to pay him in full.

Sarah Prall / arizona daily star 1996

More Photos (4):

Related articles:

Opinion by Greg Hansen : Livengood's UA legacyOpinion by Greg Hansen: Great story is unfoldingOpinion by Greg Hansen: Return to coaching highly unlikely after unexplained leave of absenceOpinion by Greg Hansen : Arizona puts on a show worth toastingOpinion by Greg Hansen: Cats' newest dance: the O'Neill grindOpinion by Greg Hansen: Stoops a champ at stomping, shoutingOpinion by Greg Hansen: Arizona's Mr. November

Other articles by Greg Hansen:

Greg Hansen Sunday Notebook : Black learns golf's secret Greg Hansen : Tubac's 'Triangle' a 'Wreck' for golfers Greg Hansen : First stop Indianapolis Greg Hansen : Historically, 44th draft picks have brief or no NBA history Greg Hansen Sunday Notebook : USC, O'Neill a good fit Greg Hansen : For Miller, hard work is a legacy from father Greg Hansen: El Rio's No. 8 tee shot is intimidating Greg Hansen : ASU's Tucson pipeline pumps as rich as ever Greg Hansen : Tucson's Tyler appears calm before the storm at Bethpage Greg Hansen : Friends for life reunite

Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Construction
West-Press
Printing

UA athletic director Jim Livengood should not for a moment hesitate to pay Lute Olson his full salary this season. Because Olson has not engaged in leverage talks with any school dating to his 1985 and 1989 flirtations with Kentucky, he has not tapped into his full earning potential. Now is the time to reward him for being loyal, among many other intangibles, foremost being the winning image Olson indirectly brings to the school and to Tucson.

In modern college sports business, most of the heavyweight college football and basketball coaches have bonus-laden contracts for loyalty. Louisville's Rick Pitino, for example, is to be paid a $3.6 million "continuation bonus'' if he's still on the job in 2010 and another $3.6 million if he sticks it out until 2013.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops is to receive a $3 million "anniversary benefit'' if he makes it to his 10th anniversary Dec. 31, 2008, as the Sooners' football coach. And even a coach like Cal's Jeff Tedford, who hasn't won a championship of any sort, is due a $2.5 million bonus if he stays with the Bears through 2009.

The UA doesn't have to justify paying Olson while he sits out the basketball season. According to the Department of Education, the top three money-makers in Pac-10 basketball revenue for the 2006-07 season finished this way:

● Arizona — $16,710,417.

● UCLA — $9,108,587.

● Washington — $8,842,303.

When it comes to revenue, Olson has provided the UA with a veritable cash machine, always open, always flush, for 25 years. Of course he gets paid.

UA football coach Mike Stoops turned 46 on Thursday. That should be a good omen in the context of UA football coaches. When Dick Tomey was 46, he coached Hawaii to a 7-4 record in 1984. When Larry Smith was 46, he coached Arizona to the Sun Bowl at 8-3-1 in 1985. Even when John Mackovic was 46, he coached Illinois to a remarkable 10-2 finish in 1989. Stoops enters the prime of his coaching life, with four years head coaching experience.

Not all are impressed. Longtime Pac-10 writer Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News, who used to toil for this newspaper, ranked Stoops at the bottom of the Merc-News' Pac-10 football coaches analysis.

Wrote Wilner: "Mostly, Stoops should have been let go because the rest of the conference wants him to stay — other teams would much rather deal with Stoops than potential alternatives. … Isn't the smartest move the one your competitors don't want you to make?''

It relates to the way UA basketball fans did not want to see the Sun Devils jettison Rob Evans.

TV programming alert: Wednesday's UA-UNLV basketball game, played in Las Vegas, will be broadcast only on CSTV, an obscure cable network (owned by CBS) on the fringes of college sports programming. It is the only Pac-10 game to be aired on CSTV this year. … UA cross country coach James Li earned a trip to Honolulu earlier this month where he was honored as USA Track and Field's 2007 coach of the year. Meanwhile, Li's double world-champion distance runner, Bernard Lagat, took a trip to icy Pullman, Wash. Lagat, who lives in Tucson, flew to Pullman last Sunday to be honored at the WSU-Portland State basketball game. Li and Lagat began working together at WSU 12 years ago. Lagat not only met Li in Pullman, but also his wife, Gladys. … UA volleyball coach Dave Rubio can now fully understand what it took for his injury-scarred team to compete in the Pac-10 this year. Stanford, USC and Cal all reached volleyball's version of the Final Four. Another, Washington, was the No. 6 overall NCAA seed, UCLA was No. 8, and Oregon reached volleyball's Sweet 16. Brutal.

UA basketball center Jordan Hill became the 12th Wildcat sophomore to be selected Pac-10 player of the week. The company is impressive: the previous 11 all became NBA draft picks. Only two UA sophs — Chris Mills in 1991 and Gilbert Arenas in 2001 — were two-time Pac-10 players of the week. … Laval Lucas-Perry arrived at Arizona with a reputation for being an honor student. It didn't take him long to figure out that playing time in Arizona's backcourt would never be available in abundance. To his credit, he left before wasting a full season on the bench. Expect to see him starting someday at Xavier or Marquette, any place that doesn't have Point Guard U on the marquee. As with prep quarterbacks who sign on at USC, and then find themselves stacked up on the bench, you wonder why high school stars don't do more realistic research. … Canyon del Oro grad Ian Kinsler scored big points in the Dallas community last week. The Texas Rangers second baseman volunteered to lead the franchise's Toys For Tots Christmas program, joining Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks players making public appearances for the wonderful charity. … The Chicago Cubs have created a trust fund for UA redshirt freshman receiver Devin Veal and his brother, Cubs minor-league pitcher Donald Veal, a former UA and Pima College pitcher. Their mother, Tanya, died of cancer in November 2004. Their father, Donald Sr., died in a scuba diving accident Nov. 10. To contribute to the fund: Donald and Devin Veal Trust Fund, Smith Barney/Citigroup, 701 Market St., Suite 1500, St. Louis, Mo. 63101. Attention: Brad Rippelmeyer.

ASU's home basketball game Saturday against No.17 Xavier (ASU won 77-55) was the Sun Devils' highest-rated nonconference home opponent since 1980. Amazing. In fact, the last time ASU played a higher-ranked nonconference foe at home was in 1980 when they faced Lute Olson's Iowa team, then ranked No. 12, and Ohio State, No. 7. By comparison, Arizona has played 22 home games against Top 25 teams dating to 1987. Duke. UConn. Kansas. North Carolina. Syracuse. That is why UA basketball creates a buzz with recruits. Herb Sendek's home schedule this year — Cal-Poly, Florida Gulf Coast, Delaware State, and so on — is not a ratings or recruiting getter. … Friday at Starr Pass, I had the privilege of attending the 50th wedding anniversary party of Amphitheater High School's Hall of Fame football coach Vern Friedli and his wife, Sharon. Talk about clout. In attendance was the former athletic director at Washington, Mike Lude, the former commissioner of the WAC, Joe Kearney, state championship football coaches Ollie Mayfield, Larry Gray and Todd Mayfield. Former Pac-10 football referee crew chief Jim Fogltance and on and on. What were the odds that a young coach and his wife who began their 304-win odyssey while living in an "aluminum house'' in the mining town of Morenci would create such a legacy? … Catalina Foothills grad Josh Brisco has signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena League. Brisco, a defensive back, had a standout college career for San Diego.

Stepping up its athletic image, Pima College is in a job search for an athletic director, paying almost $90,000 for the job. With capable coaches such as Todd Holthaus, Dave Cosgrove, Armando Quiroz, Kendra Veliz, Greg Wenneborg and Edgar Soto on staff, it has become a much-coveted job. The Aztecs would be wise to see if Eastern Arizona College's Jim Bagnall, a former UA baseball captain from Salpointe Catholic, has any interest. He has been a big-time achiever at EAC. … The Cinderella run of UMass' men's soccer team reached an unhappy conclusion in the NCAA College Cup semifinals Friday in Cary, N.C. UMass starters Doug Rappaport and Chris Brown, graduates of Salpointe Catholic, played the entire game in a dramatic 1-0 loss to Ohio State. Both are juniors. … Tucsonans Dominic Johnson and Jon McGee, former classmates at the UA and Amphi, are world-class bobsledders. They were the first team down the track in last week's FIBT World Cup in Park City, Utah, and plan to compete in next months' Americas Cup. They have prepared for four-man bobsled competition with ex-UA NCAA javelin champion Esko Mikkola and former Wildcat All-Pac-10 linebacker Marcus Bell. That is considerable firepower.

Nancy Evans' awkward and untimely departure from Arizona's softball coaching staff generated many questions. Her public statement, issued Friday, said she would pursue "exciting opportunities.''

In the business of softball coaching, there is no better opportunity than a 32-year-old female pitching coach getting a full season as Arizona's interim, co-head coach. It was the best way for Evans to showcase her abilities and audition for the best available head coaching job in college softball — or perhaps to solidify her status as Mike Candrea's ultimate successor.

Evans was much too dedicated to willingly leave Candrea searching for a pitching coach a few weeks before he begins a leave as the USA Olympic coach. Moreover, Evans likely earned double her listed UA salary ($38,201) operating Candrea's successful summer and winter softball camps.

The full story on Evans' departure is likely never to be made public.