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A total of 37 of Olson's former Arizona players are currently scheduled to be in attendance Saturday for this special event at McKale Center.

By University Communications
August 5, 2009

Thirteen current or former National Basketball Association standouts, headline the roster of players scheduled to attend the Lute Olson retirement ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 8.

A total of 37 of Olson's former Arizona players are currently scheduled to be in attendance Saturday for this special event at The University of Arizona's McKale Center. The program is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Of the 37 players, 13 have NBA experience and include: Mike Bibby, A.J. Bramlett, Jud Buechler, Sean Elliott, Reggie Geary, Andre Iguodala, Richard Jefferson, Steve Kerr, Khalid Reeves, Eddie Smith, Tom Tolbert, Luke Walton and Pete Williams.

Two of Olson's former players from his time at Iowa, Ronnie Lester and John Dorsee, also will attend. Former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder will participate as well.

The Lute Olson retirement ceremony is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10 a.m. with the program scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free parking is available in the Cherry Avenue Garage and surrounding lots.

Wildcat fans and alumni can review the Lute Olson tribute page on the Arizona Athletics Web site. They can also leave a comment or favorite memory of Coach Olson on that page.

Olson posted a career record of 780-280 (.736) in 34 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach and was 589-187 (.759) in 24 years at Arizona. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 27, 2002, Olson is one of only 17 coaches in basketball history to tally 1,000 career victories (covering all levels; Olson also coached on the high school and junior college levels), and has the most Pac-10 wins (327) of any coach in league history.

During his quarter century at Arizona, the Wildcats won one national championship (1997), played in the 2001 national championship game, participated in four Final Fours (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001), won 11 Pac-10 Conference titles and four Pac-10 Tournament crowns (1988, 1989, 1990, 2002) and participated in the NCAA Tournament in 23 consecutive seasons, the longest active and second-longest streak in NCAA history (North Carolina, 27).

In his collegiate coaching career, Olson produced 52 NBA Draft picks, including 31 at Arizona, and coached 19 Wildcat All-Americans. He led the UA to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons and had 29 overall in his career, making him one of only three head coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons.