Name:
Position:
Team:
Career Record (entering the 2008-09 season):
Key Influences:
Profile:
What a long, strange trip it's been.
Pennell joined the Arizona staff as part of the shakeup that occurred when Lute Olson returned from his year-long leave of absence. Interim coach Kevin O'Neill -- the man most thought was Olson's heir apparent -- was forced out, along with ex-Arizona player Miles Simon. In came Pennell and ex-Denver Nugget assistant Mike Dunlap.
When Olson suddenly retired, Dunlap was reportedly Arizona's first choice to step in. Dunlap passed, and suddenly Pennell was being introduced as the new head Wildcat.
Pennell played two years for the legendary Eddie Sutton at Arkansas, before transferring and finishing his college career at Central Arkansas. After a few years with a travelling team, he got his start in coaching as part of Sutton's staff at Oklahoma State from 1990-1992.
He left the Cowboys for a spot on Rob Evans' staff at Mississippi, where he worked for six seasons, from 1992-98. He followed Evans to the Pac 10, working on the Arizona State bench from 1998-2006. After Evans was fired, Pennell took a job running the Arizona Premier Basketball Academy.
Will he last? The deck is stacked against him. The history of coaches replacing legends like Lute Olson is pretty grim. And he's never been a head coach at the college level; his only head coaching experience has come via the basketball academy. Meanwhile, some of Arizona's top recruits are re-considering their decisions.
Barring a stunningly-good 2008-09 season, it seems reasonable to expect that the Wildcats will be looking for a more established coach for next year.
