Larry Krystkowiak and the 2011-12 Utah Utes

[MartyFunkhouser]

Boylen got more out of what Giac left him than many Ute fans thought was even possible. Fine, Giac recruited better, but he clearly could not coach.

Giac didn't get Utah to the Sweet 16, Andrew Bogut did. What Utah accomplished that year was done in spite of Giac, not because of him.

Giac was in over his head and flat out quit. Boylen may have been in over his head, but he never quit.

Granted, Boylen should not have said anything to the press about Utah players after being fired.

Keep bashing Boylen, but it won't change what happens at Utah from this moment on.

What Boylen did at Utah was substantially worse than quitting on the team. He actively sabotaged the program on his way out. It is amazing that people still want to defend him.

[Flattop]

What Boylen did at Utah was substantially worse than quitting on the team. He actively sabotaged the program on his way out. It is amazing that people still want to defend him.

Outside of unwise comments to a media outlet, what exactly did he do?

Lot's of rumors floating around, but what really happened?

[Top Ute]

This UF.net poster always has good thoughts about basketball. Here's a good post about the Montana State game:

http://utefans.net/message.php?id=1280641

I just don't get the whole "improvement" angle. How could this team get any worse? How many of these players that are improving are even going to be back next year (in case you forgot, we're oversigned by 3 and probably aren't done recruiting for next year)? Is it really improvement when you lose by 15 instead of 35? Or is it just a case of the other team not playing that well?

I just can't buy long-term into this program based on what's happening this year, since Larry is effectively going to blow everything up again next year.

[Topper]

Giac left Boylen something to work with. One of the best post men in the country for one thing. What did Boylen leave? Compare also Lynn Archibald who left Majerus Josh Grant and Jimmie Soto et al.

Without speculating as to the whys and what fors, just answer that simple question.

By the measure of who left what behind, Giac is superior to Boylen. Beyond that there is no reason to judge Boylen better than Giac.

Boylen also never won us an NCAA game. The one thing that we have to be proud of in the past seven years Giacoletti gave us.

Boylen's snakeoil salesmanship must have worked with all the people who still believe he had any redeeming worth to the U of U, or even that there's a gound to judge him better than Giacoletti.

When I saw Boylen handing out quotes to the press about where JJ O'Brien was likely to go that was it for me. That was the capstone on an awful tenure at Utah. I saw that not only was Boylen a bad coach, he was also stupid and immoral. What kind of a person would rather leave the worst possible legacy as coach? There is nothing but bad that I can say about the man in terms of his professionalism at Utah. Better to get that disease out of the program asap.

So if the planned merger/acquisition of BYU by Utah occurs, you should have a coach in the name of Rose.

[SeattleUte]

I just don't get the whole "improvement" angle. How could this team get any worse? How many of these players that are improving are even going to be back next year (in case you forgot, we're oversigned by 3 and probably aren't done recruiting for next year)? Is it really improvement when you lose by 15 instead of 35? Or is it just a case of the other team not playing that well?

I just can't buy long-term into this program based on what's happening this year, since Larry is effectively going to blow everything up again next year.

He took over a team with four players, after the recruiting season was essentially over.

[SeattleUte]

Outside of unwise comments to a media outlet, what exactly did he do?

Lot's of rumors floating around, but what really happened?

It's direct evidence that he was consulting with O'Brien about leaving Utah. Not that O'Brien wasnt' perfectly entitled to do what he did. Boylen was unprofessional in getting involved in that.

[Blueintheface]

25 pages, SU. I'm impressed.

[Flattop]

It's direct evidence that he was consulting with O'Brien about leaving Utah. Not that O'Brien wasnt' perfectly entitled to do what he did. Boylen was unprofessional in getting involved in that.

Then you should have no problem finding a link for me.

[LA Ute]

I just don't get the whole "improvement" angle. How could this team get any worse? How many of these players that are improving are even going to be back next year (in case you forgot, we're oversigned by 3 and probably aren't done recruiting for next year)? Is it really improvement when you lose by 15 instead of 35? Or is it just a case of the other team not playing that well?

I just can't buy long-term into this program based on what's happening this year, since Larry is effectively going to blow everything up again next year.

Sorry, but if you watched that game you saw the younger players running an identifiable offense, and doing it rather well. That alone was pleasing to me. Your approach to Utah hoops 2011 seems to be some variation on primal scream therapy: you're just really ticked off about the state it's in and have nothing good to say, so you are venting continually. Or am I misreading you? I share your disappointment and disgust with what has happened, but I'm also seeing things that at least give me hope for the future - something that has been in short supply for several years now.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Sorry, but if you watched that game you saw the younger players running an identifiable offense, and doing it rather well. That alone was pleasing to me.

I know Boylen was horrible. And his offense was oft times even worse. But I've seen several comments here and on other boards about what a good thing it was to see the team running some offensive sets.

The questions I have are: 1) Was this not evident the first few games of this season?, and 2) Shouldn't that be viewed as an absolute baseline, no matter how bad things were in the past, and not necessarily anything to provide positive vibes about a current team/coach? It seems like saying a team looks to be going in the right direction because they understand what traveling and double dribble are.

[LA Ute]

I know Boylen was horrible. And his offense was oft times even worse. But I've seen several comments here and on other boards about what a good thing it was to see the team running some offensive sets.

The questions I have are: 1) Was this not evident the first few games of this season?, and 2) Shouldn't that be viewed as an absolute baseline, no matter how bad things were in the past, and not necessarily anything to provide positive vibes about a current team/coach? It seems like saying a team looks to be going in the right direction because they understand what traveling and double dribble are.

Fair questions. To me the offensive progress is only one of many hopeful signs. Since the Giac days I've felt like I'm watching ward ball when watching the Utes play. That has changed markedly. So has the general feel of the program. It's far too early to get very excited, but the early signs are encouraging.

[Top Ute]

Then you should have no problem finding a link for me.

The link to the Albuquerque newspaper story is located behind a pay wall. But it's been documented that Boylen was talking about O'Brien and New Mexico to the media. It's not a stretch to put 2 and 2 together.

[MartyFunkhouser]

For the record, I do want to bash Boylen. I haven't quite gotten over the way he destroyed the Ute basketball program and have certainly not gotten his interference with our program after he was fired for failing miserably at his job.

Oh and for anyone who doesn't think he failed miserably, look no further than his opening press conference. He said he would be a success if he won a conference title every year as a coach. He delivered one title in 4 years.

[Top Ute]

Fair questions. To me the offensive progress is only one of many hopeful signs. Since the Giac days I've felt like I'm watching ward ball when watching the Utes play. That has changed markedly. So has the general feel of the program. It's far too early to get very excited, but the early signs are encouraging.

See, it's remarks like these that make me wonder if we're more concerned about perceived style over proven substance. Because the offense in Giac's last year was a joy to watch. If shooting 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3 is "ward ball," then give me ward ball over what we have now. Under Ray, it was the defense that was an atrocity.

When I hear people say, "Well, at least we're running an offense," my first response is, "So what? These guys spend hours every day running an offense, and Larry is no dummy." You might as well and try and give me hope by saying our players hustle and give great effort. It's false praise, at least from the perspective of the fan, and to a player's face, if that's the best thing you can say about them, it's condescending and borderline insulting.

[Top Ute]

I know Boylen was horrible. And his offense was oft times even worse. But I've seen several comments here and on other boards about what a good thing it was to see the team running some offensive sets.

The questions I have are: 1) Was this not evident the first few games of this season?, and 2) Shouldn't that be viewed as an absolute baseline, no matter how bad things were in the past, and not necessarily anything to provide positive vibes about a current team/coach? It seems like saying a team looks to be going in the right direction because they understand what traveling and double dribble are.

Forgive us for having fans deep in the throes of Stockholm Syndrome. We've been battered and abused with so much bad basketball over the years, that we take the absolute basics as signs things are getting better.