Arizona is already feeling the effect of losing legendary coach Lute Olson to retirement. The Wildcats had a Top 10 recruiting class for 2009, with a five-star recruit and two-four star prospects in the fold for next year. While five-star Abdul Gaddy is still committed (though not a guarantee to stay), four-star recruits Solomon Hill and Mike Moser (a former IU target) have already declared that they are not still committed to play for the Wildcats.
Today's news regarding Arizona is that assistant Mike Dunlap balked at the offer of becoming interim head coach, and instead Russ Pennell will take over with Dunlap still on the staff. While the recruiting situation has already been shaken up, ESPN.com's Andy Katz reports that this could also affect two star juniors, among other current Wildcats:
"Arizona could be headed toward an Indiana-like implosion if juniors Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill declare for the NBA draft in June."
Reactions? Is this a fair assessment, or is it a poor comparison considering the players and sanctions Tom Crean inherited at IU?
