Lute Olson is evidently quitting as Arizona coach; the news, originally reported by Pulitzer winner Dick Vitale, has been independently confirmed by Fox Sports.

Assuming that Dick Vitale and Fox couldn’t possibly be wrong, here’s why I’m bummed out:

1) Something is seriously wrong with Lute Olson. Nuss at CougCenter put together a great timeline of all the shit that’s gone down in Arizona, and it’s pretty clear evidence, to me, of some sort of deep personal conflict. I read the guy’s autobiography, and he’s a very likeable figure; able to adapt views forged in Depression-Era North Dakota and somehow relate to modern players. Hard to say what the cause of Olson’s obvious erraticness is — psychological? medical? — but here’s hoping that Olson seeks help.

2) Lute Olson made the Pac-10 what it is today. When Olson took over in Arizona in 1983, the conference was in a serious slump. UCLA was a shadow of its former self (In the 1984-85 Husky media guide, the UCLA entry under “strengths” was “tradition.”) When his Arizona team made the Final Four in 1988, it was only the second time a Pac-10 team had made it since ‘77. In the 1990s, Pac-10 teams would make four such appearances, they’ve made four in the 2000s. Olson raised the bar.

3) Arizona basketball is going to slump. This is practically inevitable when a legendary coach leaves. It happened at UCLA, it happened at North Carolina (though briefly), it’s still happening at Oregon State, hell, it happened at Washington after Marv Harshman retired. Maybe I’m not supposed to, but I like that the Arizona game is a real test every year. Makes it much more fun when you win. (Note: the Huskies are 17-35 against ‘Zona in Lute’s tenure). This helps recruiting, but — I mean, how much sweeter was the Pac-10 tourney win in ‘05 when it came against the Wildcats?