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Lute Olson says he will coach the Arizona basketball team next season now that a newly disclosed "medical condition" that led to his season-long leave of absence is behind him.

Upon leaving the team on Nov. 4, Olson said he was not leaving because of a "health scare" but for a personal matter. He was not available to elaborate Monday, only issuing comments through a Univeristy of Arizona news release.

"I am very eager to be back doing what I love, which is coaching this team," Olson, 73, said in the statement. "I appreciate everyone's support during this period and want to thank (interim coach) Kevin O'Neill for the great job he's done in my absence."

O'Neill said Monday that it was "great" that Olson announced a return but did not say whether he would return as an assistant coach under Olson for next season.

"I don't know that," O'Neill said. "That's an option, obviously. What I do is I make my decisions at the end of the year. I think anytime you even think about making your decision during the season, you're making a mistake."

Nor is it clear what the Arizona Wildcats roster might look like. The UA has five departing seniors, and although its four November recruits have signed binding letters of intent to play for the Wildcats, at least standout underclassmen Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger face decisions this spring on whether to leave early for the NBA.

Budinger declined to comment on whether his decision would be affected by who the coach is, while Bayless said it wouldn't matter.

"I'm really not worried about what's going to happen next year right now," Bayless said. "They are two very good coaches, and it's definitely not going to impact what I do."

Indeed, during their weekly media session Monday, the Wildcats appeared mostly focused on their first-round Pac-10 Tournament game Wednesday against Oregon State, which they probably must win in order to remain alive for a 24th straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Asked why the news was released Monday, just before such a critical game, O'Neill said he didn't know.

"I didn't release it," O'Neill said. "I'm just going to try to coach the team as best I can. Regardless of when this news came out, it was going to be big news."

Several UA players said they would welcome Olson back for his 26th year at the UA and were not concerned about the timing.

"I don't look at it as a distraction. I just think it's another thing that's been announced out of this program," wing Jawann McClellan said. "Regardless of who the coach is, we know what task we have to do. We have to go out there and play for ourselves. We have to try to play a good game against Oregon State.

"I think people realize that Houdini could be the head coach and we still have to go out there and perform."

Olson, who is under contract through the 2010-11 season, did not meet with the UA players Monday and did not hold a news conference to announce his decision. UA athletic director Jim Livengood and President Robert Shelton were out of town Monday and unavailable for comment.

Livengood scheduled a news conference for 11:30 this morning to discuss it, but Olson is not expected to be present.

Olson's statement, however, did somewhat address the reason for his previously unexplained absence. He said in his Nov. 4 release, issued by a Phoenix-based public relations firm, that "it isn't a health scare but rather a personal matter that needs my undivided attention." Since then, his absence has sparked rampant rumors.

"I know there has been a lot of speculation about my situation," Olson said. "I'm glad we can clear the air, but the most important thing right now is the team. All of our effort and attention should be on these student-athletes and their efforts to advance to the NCAA Tournament."

O'Neill, when asked about any possible confusion over Olson's sudden acknowledgement of a health issue, deferred the question to Olson.

"I think you'd have to ask him that," O'Neill said. "That's not my business. And I'm not trying to evade the question. Those questions need to be answered by Lute."

Olson returned to participate for several practices in November, saying before his first effort that he would see how he felt before determining if he would return permanently. But on Dec. 6, he announced he would extend his leave for the entire season. That same day, he filed for divorce from his wife of four years, Christine Olson. The divorce is pending.

Lately, Olson has been seen around his McKale Center office and has been in occasional contact with some players.

McClellan, one of the closest players to Olson, said the coach seemed fine to him, even though he had not seen him much lately.

"But you can't tell," McClellan said. "Until a person gets out there and gets the adrenaline going to coaching, only time will tell if he's OK. I hope he's OK. I hope all is well."

A number of people with close ties to Olson and the basketball program declined to comment Monday when reached by phone. Some requested their names be kept out of this story in any form.

A couple of prominent Tucsonans who are also UA boosters were willing to speak about Olson's return. Car magnate Jim Click and developer Don Diamond said they were happy to see Olson return to the helm. Diamond and Click are two of Tucson's biggest civic leaders and charitable givers, with both contributing substantially to the university.

Diamond said he was happy Olson was back because "he's an outstanding human being."

Click said Olson deserved the time off, considering all he has given to the program — which also earned him the right to come back.

If Olson was in the private sector and had built a company from the ground up into a national powerhouse, Click said, it would be a no-brainer that Olson would get the time off he needed to deal with his issues.

"That's exactly what Lute Olson did. He took one of the worst programs and turned it into one of the best," Click said. "I am thrilled that Lute Olson has decided to come back. I'm sure the community is as well."