Jamie Dixon, now at TCU, said succeeding Lute Olson would have been an intimidating responsibility.
Sean Miller was Xavier’s coach, while the man who was rumored as a possible candidate to take over the UA program in 2009, Jamie Dixon, was preparing for an NCAA Tournament game.
Olson retired at the start of the season, giving then-UA athletic director Jim Livengood months to monitor a lengthy list of coaches. As the chair of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee, Livengood had access to private team practices. “Our fan was used to what Lute had brought and Lute changed over the number of years,” Livengood said. “That was one of the greatest things. … We wanted to end up with somebody that wasn’t going to be the next Lute Olson. We weren’t trying to replicate that, but we wanted to replicate many of the values that Lute had.
Added Livengood: “There were a lot of misnomers during that time. It was a very interesting time because when you’re going after someone to replace Lute, it’s just not like an everyday job on the street.”“There were so many rumors in terms of conversations I had with Mark Few, which never happened,” Livengood said.
“Time, place and fit, that may sound nebulous or cliche, but I’ve always felt that way regardless of the sport. Jamie is a good one — a great one. I don’t want him to be a great one night. I want him to be a good one, but not a great one night.”