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Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Lute Olson missed a practice and snapped a long string of Rotary Club of Tucson luncheon appearances Wednesday for health-related reasons.

Olson was replaced at practice by associate head coach Mike Dunlap and by assistant coach Reggie Geary at the Rotary luncheon.

Geary said Olson — who had a soft, raspy voice at his Tuesday media session on the first week of practices — had a case of laryngitis. Dunlap said after practice Wednesday that Olson, 74, was simply not feeling well.

"It happens to everybody," Dunlap said.

Olson's absence was unusual for the Rotarians, who typically pack hundreds of members and guests into their lunch meeting for Olson's annual preseason visit.

"He's been here every year that I can think of," said Frank Zunno, an 18-year Tucson Rotarian.

Olson typically breaks down the season's roster and fields questions, which Geary did this time.

"He's been an annual fixture," said Bob Shaff, a former Rotary Club of Tucson president, of Olson. "Everybody was disappointed. Very disappointed."

During his quarter-century career at Arizona, Olson's presence at practice has been constant. When his first wife, Bobbi, battled ovarian cancer for two years, he worked his schedule around practices and missed only a game at Connecticut in December 2000. He was out two weeks after she died in January 2001.

Last year, Olson cited "a medical condition" for taking a season-long leave of absence.

Still, UA athletic director Jim Livengood said he was not concerned. "He's just sick," Livengood said.

Geary took an easygoing approach at the Rotary Club podium, poking fun at nearly every player. Among his comments:

● Forward Fendi Onobun is strong as ever following off-season surgery to repair a stress fracture in his tibia. "Anytime we see (football coach Mike) Stoops coming down the hallway, we push him the other way."

● Center Jeff Withey is "6-11 and probably pushing about 165 pounds (actually, 210)."

● Late addition Garland Judkins "actually plays too fast — we've got to slow him down. He's a great, great athlete."

● Zane Johnson is a "our catch-and-shoot spot-up three-point shooter. This year, we hope he's a maker."

● Chase Budinger "has taken ownership of this group."

● Walk-on David Bagga is "coach Olson's victory cigar — when you see him in the game, it means we're probably going to win."

Geary also spoke optimistically about the Wildcats, but noted that the Pac-10 will be tough, with four or five NCAA tournament teams. Then there's the nonconference schedule.

In December, "we're playing Texas A&M, Gonzaga, UNLV, San Diego State and Kansas. That's a lot in (18) days," Geary said. "Coach (Olson) must think we're pretty good, I guess."

Meanwhile, Geary used himself as a reason why the UA's graduation rate was only 20 percent in the most recent NCAA report, which included players enrolled from 1998 to 2001.

Geary played four years for the Wildcats from 1992 to '96 but did not graduate until 2005.

"My last year, I was told —and probably shouldn't have believed — that I had to focus 24 hours a day on the NBA draft," Geary said. "So I actually walked away from the University of Arizona. The end game for a lot of our guys is getting to the NBA. … But we want them to come back, year after year after year, and they're starting to do that."

Geary was chosen in the second round of the 1996 draft by Cleveland, spent the 1996-97 season with the Cavaliers, and 1997-98 with San Antonio before playing in the Continental Basketball Association, and then in several foreign countries.

Olson may have changed his tone on the work Kevin O'Neill did as interim head coach last season, noting that last year's staff "did a very good job," but he and O'Neill may still be distant.

Now an assistant coach with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, O'Neill declined to comment Wednesday about his relationship with Olson when told of Olson's remarks. O'Neill said only that he enjoyed last season and is enjoying this season so far, too.

"I'm enjoying my time working for Marc" Iavaroni, the Grizzlies' head coach, O'Neill said. "The Grizzlies are a great organization."