Official Utah basketball coach candidates thread.

[Goatnapper'96]

Our tradition and program is a lot more prestigious than yours,

Uhhhhh, lots of good that did you your last two hires! My friend, some basic analysis of recent history is a great indicator for the clout that is bringing to the table in your behalf.

"Uh Coach Few, you do realize that we went to the NC game in 1998 and we still believe......"

"---That is great there Dr Hill. No doubt Utah has a great history and that means a lot to those of us in the coaching fraternity, why don't you call my friend up in Cheney. He is an up and comer and in a place like Utah where 'great coaches are made and not hired' he would fit your model great. Thanks for your time, I need to start prepping now to play Dave Rose in 6 years. Have a nice day and if you have any more needs my assistant is here for you anytime you need her!"

[BoylenOver]

Ok, BO, tell us what coaches with Div1 head coaching experience are waiting to hear from Chris Hill right now.

A BCS affiliation makes us more attractive to potential suitors. Again, I haven't seen the names of Bo Ryan or Matt Painter thrown around by Ute fans, but Mike Gottfried or Billy Gillespie are both attainable, quality hires that vastly outweigh Dave Rice and Jeff Judkins.

[SeattleUte]

Then you should have no problem bringing Dave Rose over to the Utes. Good luck with that.

Dave Rose is brainwashed like the rest of you. Or he's afraid of being shunned and despised by you all. He's trapped, like so many of you. He wouldn't go to UCLA.

[kccougar]

A BCS affiliation makes us more attractive to potential suitors. Again, I haven't seen the names of Bo Ryan or Matt Painter thrown around by Ute fans, but Mike Gottfried or Billy Gillespie are both attainable, quality hires that vastly outweigh Dave Rice and Jeff Judkins.

And that's the bottom line I'm seeing from most Ute fans.

[Goatnapper'96]

And that's the bottom line I'm seeing from most Ute fans.

In all honesty what else is there for fans to get excited about?

Clearly their history did not carry the clout they would like in the last two coaching searches.

Majerus' shadow was supposed to be gone after Giacolletti cleared out his locker, but Rick was fat and had poor social graces so perhaps it lingered longer. Maybee the Utes need their own Wendy to sew that shadow onto someone so it will fly away.

The Good Doctor had previously been a hiring Genius through the 2005 season when Utah pulled a Utah. Now he is looking about as much a Genius as Gary Crowton looked after Utah shut out BYU 3-0. Well he is looking quite a bit smarter than Crowton did at that point, but it ain't like that is a real big hurdle to clear!

Ute fans are running on empty my friend so you are surprised that fans build themselves up around the one legitimate angle for optimisim they have? That is what fans do.

The fundamental reality is that luck is a much larger component than most want to admit, who the hell do you hold accountable when things don't turn out lucky? Utah has been enormously unlucky twice, I expect that to change this go around no matter how sexy the hire might look. Some people are just good coaches and just need an opportunity to prove it. BYU got lucky with Dave Rose. Really lucky. Methinks that Utah is in for some better luck this go around.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Hey, Utes - why all the angst over the possibility of hiring Dave Rice to replace Boylen? I realize you're going to the big, bad PAC12, but I think some of your fans have an inflated view of the prestige of your program right now. It's like those homeowners trying to sell their homes in today's market that keep saying "two years ago it appraised for...."

Why don't we just hire a high school coach if we are going to give up on the program. Dave Rice is basically throwing in the towel. He would have the worst resume, at the time he is hired, of any of the coaches in the Pac-12. BYU fans putting his name forth are just doing it to twist the knife.

There are guys much more qualified than Dave Rice that wouldn't dream of turning Utah down including guys in state like Randy Rahe and Dick Hunsaker.

Rice's resume frankly sucks for a head coaching gig in the MWC let alone the Pac-12. He would make a nice hire for a Big Sky or low tier WCC program.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Ok, BO, tell us what coaches with Div1 head coaching experience are waiting to hear from Chris Hill right now.

I don't know, I would be shocked if Dave Rice would even take a job from Utah right now. He would probably just turn us down anyway. Same goes for Judkins, no chance he would take the job. We will be lucky to get a high school coach to take the job. Ute fans are just so damn unreasonable to think we have a chance at really anyone. We should just close down the program now.

[kccougar]

Why don't we just hire a high school coach if we are going to give up on the program. Dave Rice is basically throwing in the towel. He would have the worst resume, at the time he is hired, of any of the coaches in the Pac-12. BYU fans putting his name forth are just doing it to twist the knife.

There are guys much more qualified than Dave Rice that wouldn't dream of turning Utah down including guys in state like Randy Rahe and Dick Hunsaker.

Rice's resume frankly sucks for a head coaching gig in the MWC let alone the Pac-12. He would make a nice hire for a Big Sky or low tier WCC program.

I get the feeling there are Ute fans more concerned about making the "right hire" than they are about winning basketball games.

[MartyFunkhouser]

I get the feeling there are Ute fans more concerned about making the "right hire" than they are about winning basketball games.

No, I'm concerned with making a hire that makes sense. Dave Rice doesn't make any sense. Seriously, what does this guy bring to the table that gives me any hope that he is the best guy for the job.

Recruiting: he recruits Utah and Bishop Gorman. He isn't going to take any Utah recruits from Dave Rose and he doesn't get the best players at Bishop Gorman. So basically we are hiring him to get Tavernari and Abouo. I'm sure those BYU role players are going to be stars at Utah and lead us to success in the Pac-12. Does the guy have any AAU ties?

Coaching pedigree: Rose, Morrill, Spoonhour, Bayno. Wow, that is just an amazing coaching pedigree, sign me up for that right now. UNLV thought so much of him that they didn't consider him when they moved out Bayno. I guess it makes sense because Spoonhour was such an amazing coach.

Michigan St fans told us how Boylen was such a great hire, I'm not surprised BYU fans are pimping Rice. We have done the career assistant and it failed. I don't see the solution to our problem is hiring another assistant with a substantially worse resume than our current coach.

[Goatnapper'96]

Why don't we just hire a high school coach if we are going to give up on the program. Dave Rice is basically throwing in the towel. He would have the worst resume, at the time he is hired, of any of the coaches in the Pac-12. BYU fans putting his name forth are just doing it to twist the knife.

There are guys much more qualified than Dave Rice that wouldn't dream of turning Utah down including guys in state like Randy Rahe and Dick Hunsaker.

Rice's resume frankly sucks for a head coaching gig in the MWC let alone the Pac-12. He would make a nice hire for a Big Sky or low tier WCC program.

This is an interesting concept. I have no argument that Hunsaker or Rahe have better resumes. However, there is a reality that in searches decisions could frequently be based upon "we know that we don't want that." What I mean is while Rice has nothing to hang his hat on, sometimes that is a plus. The U does not yet know that Dave Rice is not what they want, they just know that they don't know what he is. I think the U knows that neither Hunsaker nor Rahe is what they want. Under those circumstances what direction does an AD go? Clearly, I am not claiming that the Utah HC search is limited to those 3 just bringing up a point that is interesting, at least to me.

To be honest I don't think the U should hire Dave Rice. It makes no sense IMO. His heart is in Vegas and how would the Ute fans react when their coach leaves a PAC-12 school to go coach at a MWC school? Can you imagine the "heads exploding" on Utefans.net? It would be a new world order, in fact I hope that the U steals Dave Rice from us just to eventually bring to pass the aforementioned "head exploding" on Utefans.net.

[Donuthole]

No, I'm concerned with making a hire that makes sense. Dave Rice doesn't make any sense. Seriously, what does this guy bring to the table that gives me any hope that he is the best guy for the job.

Recruiting: he recruits Utah and Bishop Gorman. He isn't going to take any Utah recruits from Dave Rose and he doesn't get the best players at Bishop Gorman. So basically we are hiring him to get Tavernari and Abouo. I'm sure those BYU role players are going to be stars at Utah and lead us to success in the Pac-12. Does the guy have any AAU ties?

Coaching pedigree: Rose, Morrill, Spoonhour, Bayno. Wow, that is just an amazing coaching pedigree, sign me up for that right now. UNLV thought so much of him that they didn't consider him when they moved out Bayno. I guess it makes sense because Spoonhour was such an amazing coach.

Michigan St fans told us how Boylen was such a great hire, I'm not surprised BYU fans are pimping Rice. We have done the career assistant and it failed. I don't see the solution to our problem is hiring another assistant with a substantially worse resume than our current coach.

Eventually it will sink in with you guys that it's not all about resume. But if you want to keep bringing in guys with D1 coaching experience (Giac) or with an impressive resume (Boylen) then most BYU fans won't have a problem with that.

[Shaka]

You guys need a coach that understands how to recruit in Utah. JJ was a very integral part of your success in the '90s. He understands the LDS athlete and would give BYU a run for its money with native recruits. The right guy coaching women down south.

[LA Ute]

In all honesty what else is there for fans to get excited about?

Clearly their history did not carry the clout they would like in the last two coaching searches.

Majerus' shadow was supposed to be gone after Giacolletti cleared out his locker, but Rick was fat and had poor social graces so perhaps it lingered longer. Maybee the Utes need their own Wendy to sew that shadow onto someone so it will fly away.

The Good Doctor had previously been a hiring Genius through the 2005 season when Utah pulled a Utah. Now he is looking about as much a Genius as Gary Crowton looked after Utah shut out BYU 3-0. Well he is looking quite a bit smarter than Crowton did at that point, but it ain't like that is a real big hurdle to clear!

Ute fans are running on empty my friend so you are surprised that fans build themselves up around the one legitimate angle for optimisim they have? That is what fans do.

The fundamental reality is that luck is a much larger component than most want to admit, who the hell do you hold accountable when things don't turn out lucky? Utah has been enormously unlucky twice, I expect that to change this go around no matter how sexy the hire might look. Some people are just good coaches and just need an opportunity to prove it. BYU got lucky with Dave Rose. Really lucky. Methinks that Utah is in for some better luck this go around.

I think you are exactly right. Anyone who has ever hired anyone for a difficult job knows that sometimes it just doesn't work out, despite all the great recommendations, experience, and seeming personality fit. When it doesn't work out, the responsibility is on the one who made the hire. But intelligent senior management and observers know that there's a difference in being a poor judge of talent and simple bad luck. BYU fans (egged on by our own SU) are enjoying our disappointment and having a great time taunting us, but we aren't going to be at our lowest point forever. BYU basketball fans, of all people, should understand how that works.

[Goatnapper'96]

I think you are exactly right. Anyone who has ever hired anyone for a difficult job knows that sometimes it just doesn't work out, despite all the great recommendations, experience, and seeming personality fit. When it doesn't work out, the responsibility is one who made the hire. But intelligent senior management and observers know that there's a difference in being a poor judge of talent and simple bad luck. BYU fans (egged on by our own SU) are enjoying our disappointment and having a great time taunting us, but we aren't going to be at our lowest point forever. BYU basketball fans, of all people, should understand how that works.

As a BYU basketball fan it can get lower. You have no idea what type of disapointment can fjump out of that orchestra pit and commence chasing your ass around stage with a bayonette. I have experienced one loss seasons. Those are numbing. When BYU loses a round 2 game in the NCAA giving up 25 offensive boards, I am not sure I will ever get over it.

But, I do enjoy taunting SeattleUte, and perhaps the rest of you by affiliation.

[Jarid in Cedar]

That came out harsher than I meant it to, but honestly, I don't see how a Dave Rice hire would be so universally bad. He is a very good coach. But Ute fans are hell-bent on hiring a homerun coach when I'm not convinced they are out there to be had right now for Utah.

Ok now that the hornet's nest has been stirred, the reason that Rice is not a good option in that he would be a "swing for the fences" hire that may be as likely to strike out as succeed. He may turn out to be a spectacular coach, but he may turn out to be Boylen 2.0. IMO, Utah needs a safe hire, not a home run right now. If Hill swings big and misses right now, the program could be set back for the next decade. Personally, I would rather take a guy who can restore a level of competitiveness and legitimacy to the program than searching for the guy we think will have us in the final four in two years.

Rice may turn out to be a great coach but, right now, the program cannot afford to take that risk with him.