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The Arizona Wildcats' succession plan has become shrouded in a haze.

Kevin O'Neill, announced as Lute Olson's successor in December, said Wednesday he intends to stay at Arizona and succeed Olson when he retires. But UA athletic director Jim Livengood said the announcement was a contingency plan intended for the possibility Olson wouldn't be back in 2008-09.

Now that Olson is on the job again, the offer may be off the table.

"Things change all the time," Livengood said Wednesday. "It was set up at that point, certainly, in case Lute didn't come back. It's hard to say as we move forward. Right now, Lute is back as our head coach."

Livengood said in a Dec. 18 statement that O'Neill "will be our coach in the future when Lute decides to retire." That's still what O'Neill appears to be thinking.

"You'd have to talk to Jim about that," O'Neill said during his season-review news conference Wednesday. "But as I sit here today, I'm planning on being the next coach, too."

When told O'Neill said he intended to be the next UA head coach, Livengood said: "Any of our coaches can say anything they want. He was answering a question."

At the same time, O'Neill said he knew that Olson was planning on fulfilling a contract through 2011, "so that's a long ways off … that's the least thing I'm concerned about right now."

O'Neill offered several vague statements Wednesday about his future, but did say he planned to take some time off, talk to his agent, and listen to any offers that may arise.

Meanwhile, he said, he will serve as an assistant coach and do whatever Olson tells him.

"I think everybody should fulfill their contractual obligations until they choose otherwise, or are told otherwise," he said. "I'm planning on staying."

O'Neill, who made $725,000 as an interim head coach this season, is scheduled to revert to his original $375,000 salary next season as an assistant. He originally gave the UA a verbal commitment for two years at $375,000 each but the contract is only year-to-year and is not binding for next season.

Olson left town Wednesday afternoon to recruit and was unavailable for comment, but he said Tuesday that he could work with O'Neill since they had worked together for three years in the late 1980s. Olson also said O'Neill indicated he needed a couple of weeks "just to think."

But O'Neill said he did not feel as if Olson had imposed any sort of deadline for him.

"I didn't get that impression at all," O'Neill said.

If O'Neill stays, it is unclear what role he would fill. Olson said Tuesday he "obviously" would switch back to his more up-tempo offense, chucking O'Neill's structured sets aside, and O'Neill said he didn't know if he would have any input on the defense, either.

"I don't know," O'Neill said. "You'd have to ask Coach that. I wouldn't assume anything."

O'Neill was hired in May with the expectation of taking over the UA defense for the past season. But he wound up becoming interim head coach Nov. 4, when Olson first announced a temporary leave of absence for a personal matter.

Olson then announced on Dec. 6 he would not return for the rest of the season, forcing O'Neill to tell the Wildcats during a layover in Phoenix that he would be coaching them the rest of the way.

O'Neill called that moment a "pinnacle" in a season he has called the most difficult of his career. He said he enjoyed working with the players, crediting them again for putting up with difficult circumstances, and said he had no regrets about how he coached the team.

Under O'Neill, the Wildcats ran a more structured offense and went exclusively with a man-to-man defense.

"I coached the way that I knew how to win," O'Neill said. "I don't think that anyone can coach anyone else's style. Like if I tried to coach (former Temple coach) John Chaney's style, I don't think that would work. If I tried to coach (current Houston Rockets coach) Rick Adelman's style, that wouldn't work. You have to coach what you are comfortable with.

"I realize that was a big change for the players in some respects, but when I looked at our team I thought the style we played gave us the best chance to win and that's why I did it. And that's why I would do it all over again with the personnel we had."

As the Wildcats skidded toward the NCAA tournament bubble late in the season, O'Neill said he felt as if he had the word "streak" written on his forehead. But the Wildcats managed to earn their 24th straight NCAA tournament bid after finishing 8-10 in the rugged Pac-10 this season.

He said he would leave it to others to rate how he did.

"But I can honestly say I think I did the best job that I could under the circumstances," O'Neill said. "I believe that if we wouldn't have had major, major injuries we would have won more games, but if cows had puppies there would be a milk shortage. That's basketball."

● ESPN reported during its McDonald's All-American Game broadcast Wednesday that UA signee Brandon Jennings said Arizona's Jerryd Bayless told him that he would return for his sophomore season. However, Bayless' brother, Justin, said Wednesday night he was unaware of the remark and that he believed Bayless was still deciding.

Bayless said Monday he had no idea how long he would take to decide, and Olson has not yet held a scheduled meeting with Bayless' parents.

● Olson is expected to hold a news conference Tuesday to discuss his leave of absence, team spokesman Richard Paige said.

● Forward Jawann McClellan has not been invited to the Portsmouth, Va., pre-draft camp because of a misunderstanding, O'Neill said, but may be able to participate. The Portsmouth camp precedes the NBA's primary pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., and is attended by many foreign scouts.

● O'Neill said he has not spoken to Bayless and Chase Budinger about their decisions to stay or leave for the NBA, suggesting any prospects speak with NBA general managers. "Those guys aren't going to lie to you," O'Neill said. "An agent might lie to you. Your friend … might tell you, 'Hey, I think you are a lottery pick,' or whatever it may be. What it gets down to is this: If I wanted to buy some farm equipment, I might go talk to 10 farm dealers and try to get the right opinion."