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Jay John was not surprised when he heard the news the first time.

John, a graduate of Salpointe Catholic High School and the UA, said Tuesday he was happy with the appointment of Kevin O'Neill as Lute Olson's eventual replacement, though he had not talked to Olson since November.

"I do believe that Coach Olson always wanted to have one of his own, so to speak, take over for him," said John, a former Olson aide who is now the head coach at Oregon State. "Kevin was there at the groundbreaking of the explosion of Arizona basketball. I think it's a great decision. As an alum of Arizona, I'm pleased and proud that's the direction the university decided to go to."

That direction, O'Neill admits, is "probably more along the recruiting lines than it is the current team." He said Tuesday he had yet to contact recruits from the 2009 or 2010 classes to tell them the news, but "we'll be reaching them sometime in the next little bit."

Tony Bennett has seen the impact on recruiting first-hand. The Washington State coach served as assistant to his father, Dick, for one year before being named associate head coach and head coach designate for two more. Bennett took over as the WSU boss last season, leading the Cougars to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"There's continuity, for sure," he said. "That's big in establishing your style, your system. You don't have to worry about that when the time comes."

But the recruiting advantage is huge.

"To walk into those homes and talk to kids and say, 'Look, I'm the assistant right now, the associate head coach, but you will be playing for me,'" Bennett said.

USC coach Tim Floyd called O'Neill a coach "other guys had to measure their programs against," and who has a passion for recruiting. O'Neill's experience as an NBA assistant and head coach will help him land players, said the one-time coach of the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets.

"Kevin is one of the great teachers and coaches, and he's a guy with an NBA background," Floyd said. "I think that has certainly served us well in terms of recruiting. There's not a guy alive 6-5 or above, a junior in high school or above, who doesn't think he's going to play in the NBA."

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said coaching against Olson this year is something that "despite all of us being competitive, is something we'll all miss." Romar said Olson embodies Pac-10 basketball.

"You can count the ways," he said. "Coach is the dean of the coaches. He's so well respected by the other coaches. Obviously, he's been very successful."

Floyd is not sure those days are over.

"I think we all hope Lute comes back because he's been so great for our business," Floyd said. "He's been a model citizen and represents the coaching profession in a way we all hope we could live up to.

"His teams have set the standard for this conference for over 20 years."