The Official Ute Basketball Thread

[cougjunkie]

I like his game. Among a myriad of issues though with this team continues to be getting good shots. Too much isolation and wild contested shots.

This seems to be the key, isolation beat your guy one on one and throw something up when you get amongst the trees down low.

Everyone else just stands around on the perimeter.

[MarkGrace]

Utah basketball. lol.

Didn't Funk guarantee Boylen would do better things with the Ute program than Giacoletti? I guess we'll just have to file that one away with the rest of Funk's awesome predictions.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Utah basketball. lol.

Didn't Funk guarantee Boylen would do better things with the Ute program than Giacoletti? I guess we'll just have to file that one away with the rest of Funk's awesome predictions.

Boylen has been a substantially better coach at Utah than Ray Giacoletti, but that isn't saying much. I'm not sure it is possible to be worse than Ray Giacoletti.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Utah basketball. lol.

Didn't Funk guarantee Boylen would do better things with the Ute program than Giacoletti? I guess we'll just have to file that one away with the rest of Funk's awesome predictions.

If Giac did not have Jackson, Bogut, Chaney, Hawkins, he would have had 3 losing seasons. His first great move was to run off Hawkins and Chaney after 2005 :igiveup:

[TripletDaddy]

I received several distraught texts from UteStar during today's SDSU game. He was hopeful at first then despondent. His last text to me was right after the end of the game.

Has anyone heard from him? Is he alright? If any of you live close to him, can you please drive by and verify that he is doing ok?

[Top Ute]

If Giac did not have Jackson, Bogut, Chaney, Hawkins, he would have had 3 losing seasons. His first great move was to run off Hawkins and Chaney after 2005 :igiveup:

If Hawk doesn't leave after the 04-05 season, Ray Giacoletti is still the HC at Utah. That has been the single-most disastrous event for Utah hoops in the post-Majerus era.

[UteStar]

Has anyone heard from him? Is he alright? If any of you live close to him, can you please drive by and verify that he is doing ok?

NO HE IS NOT ALRIGHT. YOUR TEXTS DID NOT HELP.

[Senioritis]

So, this is where we are.

I knew the SDSU game as going to be difficult because (a) the Aztecs do not suck and (b) the Utes are on the verge of sucking, and, in some cases this year, have sucked.

But the real harbinger of doom was that the tickets for this contest featured Jace Freaking Tavita. I am not making this up. We have gotten to the point where Utah is facing a top 10 San Diego State team at home, and the guy whose picture is on the tickets can't dribble with his left hand or hit a fat man in the ass with a handful of sand, and has actually left the program. I give up.

The crowd was less than plucky, but not as naggy as they've been in the past. In fact, when Utah's on offense, we've all been lulled into sort of a stupefied silence as we watch four guys pass it around the perimeter with one guy posting up at 17 feet until somebody gets impatient and decides to huck something up there like Jonathon Tavernari on a bender.

Really, the will has been sucked from the Utah fanbase in a remarkable way, like the infant orphans you hear about in eastern Europe who just don't cry anymore because they know crying isn't going to get them anything. The dye has been cast, now we're all just waiting, mostly whimpering softly in self pity, occasionally yelling at David Foster in a fit of tourettes, and perhaps drinking way too much.

I think, if you watch Utah try to run the high screen and roll just one time, you understand why Jim Boylen has two feet in the grave with one foot on a banana peel and his other foot holding a microphone. They must have run the high screen set 20 times in the SDSU game, and NOT ONE FREAKING TIME did the screener actually make contact with the screenee. NOT ONE FREAKING TIME!!!!! That, if my calculations are correct, is a 0% success rate on setting a basic screen at the top of the key. Remarkably, this does not create any space for the guy with the ball, and it also doesn't create any chance for an effective roll to the basket. The opponent could defend the Utah high screen with one player, even if that player was a square headed mouth breather like Nate Cooper.

It is what it is.

Will Clyburn is sexy, Jiggy Watkins is fun to watch as long as you don't care about your point guard creating for other people, Chris Kupets plays like you'd expect Vanilla Ice to play, David Foster's entire practice regimen consists of riding a stationary bike for 90 minutes, Jay Watkins' back is so bad that he struts around like Dave Chappell and he doesn't even mean to, Chris Hines is so pissed that he explodes for five points every three games, Shawn Glover is a soft as the undercarriage of an African elephant, JJ O'Brien is like the bizarro Shaun Green, Antonia Dimaria shoots like a shot happy wrestler, and none of these guys CAN SET A FREAKING SCREEN!

So, we've got Dave Rose with his pug nose and his merry bunch of fems coming into the Hunstman Center tonight, the only prayer we've got is if Jimmer gets an incurable lip fungus from a skanky sorority girl which makes him unable to play, and, if and when the Utes lose, the fans will let out a collective "meh" and then probably drink too much.

I'm interested to watch the Mighty Cougars tonight, as (thank all that is holy) I haven't been forced to suffer through watching any of their games this year. My good Zoobie BIL thinks they don't have enough size to be elite, which, if that's the case, means that SDSU will wear their asses like hats.

However, I'm morbidly curious about the game this evening like James Longstreet was about Picketts Charge. We know the outcome, but the actual event could be just riveting.

Also, David Foster is on the tickets. At least he's still on the team.

[UteStar]

As always Senioritis, fabulous post and it was spot on just about everything. Of note - The SDSU game was the best attended game this year...by far. Announced attendance for all of the other games has been around 7300, but really only about 6000 on hand. This SDSU game, there were around 9,000 actual fans there...but as you said, the crowd cheered and holla'red, but the real spirit just was not there.

Of note (part 2) - Ticket boy Jace Tavita will be in a Hawaii uniform next year some time. He is bringing his 20 minutes with no stats line to the 'Bows.

[TripletDaddy]

Yes Senioritis, thank you for that excellent summary of a game that took place 3 days ago.

I look forward to curling up in front of the fire and reading your Oregon/Auburn analysis this next lazy Sunday afternoon.

[Senioritis]

Yes Senioritis, thank you for that excellent summary of a game that took place 3 days ago.

I look forward to curling up in front of the fire and reading your Oregon/Auburn analysis this next lazy Sunday afternoon.

No thanks is necessary, but thanks!

[LA Ute]

Yes Senioritis, thank you for that excellent summary of a game that took place 3 days ago.

I look forward to curling up in front of the fire and reading your Oregon/Auburn analysis this next lazy Sunday afternoon.

[PaloAltoCougar]

...Jim Boylen has two feet in the grave with one foot on a banana peel and his other foot holding a microphone.

A superb line in a post of great lines.

[Sullyute]

So, this is where we are...

[Art Vandelay]

Last night was the first time I've seen the Utes play all year so I realize my sample size is small and biased. Was last night indicative of how Kupets usually plays? No assists, 4 turnovers, looked lost on both offense and defense. Basically the red-clad version of Nick Martineau.

Sidenote: After hearing James Bates go on and on about his twin sisters, I did a quick google search. I now see where all the talent in the family is.