Official Utah basketball coach candidates thread.

[MartyFunkhouser]

It is only a matter of time, so lets get this started right now. We know what we have in Boylen and it isn't pretty. There is a certain amount of risk with pulling the trigger now, but worst case scenario we end up with someone like Mike Dunlap or Tommy Connor. Hell, we end up with Dave Rice, I would be pissed off but still I'll take the unknown over the known bad.

[MartyFunkhouser]

I'll throw out a few names that are risks, but have been successful in the past.

Billy Gillispie. Yes he sucked it up coaching THEM, but he was fantastic at UTEP and aTm. He is currently unemployed and I'm sure would listen to offers at Utah.

The big con is he has a couple of DUI arrests and is an alcoholic, but we are beggars right now and we need to take this type of risk. He entered rehab in 2009 and hopefully he has been successful and is ready to step back into coaching.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Kerry Rupp. He has moved on and shown some value as a HC. He has connections to SLC. He may have some tough feelings about leaving last time as well.

[MartyFunkhouser]

We could always hire the guy we offered the job to before Jim Boylen, Larry Krystkowiak. He may not take the job though as his aspirations do seem to be in the NBA. He may just use us again to leverage a job offer that he really wants.

[MartyFunkhouser]

2nd recovering alcoholic candidate and second Larry candidate, Larry Eustachy. We get a Larry and an alcoholic, the best of both worlds.

[SeattleUte]

BILLY GILLESPIE.

Please for the love of god not Kerry Rupp. We're better than that.

[SeattleUte]

2nd recovering alcoholic candidate and second Larry candidate, Larry Eustachy. We get a Larry and an alcoholic, the best of both worlds.

We need a proven head coach like Billy Gillespie.

[MartyFunkhouser]

BILLY GILLESPIE.

Please for the love of god not Kerry Rupp. We're better than that.

We agree on something. Finally, we gain some common ground and all it took was both of us wanting an alcoholic as our head coach. We had great success with Majerus as a coach with his food addiction. Maybe the key to a successful Ute coach is some form of addiction.

[MartyFunkhouser]

We need a proven head coach like Billy Gillespie.

Larry Eustachy is a proven head coach.

[SeattleUte]

We agree on something. Finally, we gain some common ground and all it took was both of us wanting an alcoholic as our head coach. We had great success with Majerus as a coach with his food addiction. Maybe the key to a successful Ute coach is some form of addiction.

Majerus also was an alcoholic I'm sure. Gillespie is the Second Coming of Majerus.

[SeattleUte]

Actually, Wikipedia calls Billespie a workaholic. I love his picture; he looks like someone not so nice in a Quentin Tarentino movie.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Gillispie"]Billy Gillispie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:BillyGillispie.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/BillyGillispie.jpg/220px-BillyGillispie.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@en/thumb/3/3f/BillyGillispie.jpg/220px-BillyGillispie.jpg[/ame]

[MartyFunkhouser]

Actually, Wikipedia calls Billespie a workaholic. I love his picture; he looks like someone not so nice in a Quentin Tarentino movie.

Billy Gillispie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He is both.

[SeattleUte]

I never understood why people said last year's mass exodus and massive JC attempted fix gave him an extra year. I say it gives him less rope. When they get to their fourth year, losing bad game after bad game, and nothing about the future even potentially excites, it's time to make a change. Last year's offseason actually killed my confidence in him absent some immediate, huge, dramatic turnaround.

I don't know if the conference title was a "fluke," but it was won with a player that came to Utah because of Majerus.

[TripletDaddy]

Watching BYU play UTEP and sitting there throwing eye daggers at Tim Floyd (junkie can attest), but as his team fell further and further behind, I couldn't help but wonder if he wishes he were still coaching in the PAC instead if coaching UTEP. It is a desirable conference for hoops.

I would imagine that right now is a great time for Utah to make this move. Any new coach coming in will be able to recruit under the PAC banner, he will be following a dud so expectations will be very low and the bar of success will be very achievable, he will be taking control of a once proud brand-name that has relatively recent tournament success to its credit, and the salary will be generous, again, relatively speaking (assuming that right now is not a great time for Utah to skimp on a head coach).

Boylen is a dead man walking.

[LA Ute]

I know Chris Hill has a short list. He always does, for every HC position. I just don't know who's on it.