Chris Hill

[SeattleUte]

For the record, and as LAUte will attest, when Utefans were worshipping Chris Hill as deity I disagreed that he deserved the lion's share of the credit for the athletic department's successes. Nor, however, do I believe that he is an incompetent, lazy, careless or stupid Athletic Director as many utefans now appear to be asserting. I'm sure he did the best he could and his choices were within the business judgment rule in making his last three basketball hires. Hiring coaches is a part of his job, at which he is now quite experienced and has had some success, the overall evidence suggests he is fit for the job, and I will always trust his hiring decisions until they are proven to have been a mistake. He is neither a god nor incompetent. He's just an athletic director, and his resources are not unlimited, he does not actually coach, and he is not omniscient.

[Goatnapper'96]

For the record, and as LAUte will attest, when Utefans were worshipping Chris Hill as deity I disagreed that he deserved the lion's share of the credit for the athletic department's successes. Nor, however, do I believe that he is an incompetent, lazy, careless or stupid Athletic Director as many utefans now appear to be asserting. I'm sure he did the best he could and his choices were within the business judgment rule in making his last three basketball hires. Hiring coaches is a part of his job, at which he is now quite experienced and has had some success, the overall evidence suggests he is fit for the job, and I will always trust his hiring decisions until they are proven to have been a mistake. He is neither a god nor incompetent. He's just an athletic director, and his resources are not unlimited, he does not actually coach, and he is not omniscient.

I believe he is a Dr and I like him a great deal more than I did a decade ago. If you high rollers ever get a chance to bend the good doctors ear as him how that "good coaches don't come to Utah, they are made at Utah" is going for him these days?

The fact of the matter is I even think that individual coaches hires are so much of a crap shoot that while it is a fundamental manner in evaluating ADs, it is not as important as what they do on their watch to change the atmosphere of the university to make it more appealing to top notch coaches. It seems to me that the good Doctor has done some great things that while required some short term sacrifice, will benefit the U over the long run. I am no expert but it appears to me that he heavily invested in the football program, ran off Mac when it was unquestionably obvious that he could not lift Utah to reach the levels the good doctor expected and the vision the good doctor had came to fruition. This cemented the U as a solid candidate when the Pac decided it needed a conference championship game. Clearly, the good doctor knew that college athletics rides on the engine of football and he sacrificed Utah's proud tradition in hoops on that altar and IMO, has better positioned Utah to reach even greater heights in hoops than it previously did. I think DR Chris Hill has done an admirable job during his tenure as AD at the U.

Saying that did anyone watch Saint Louis last night?

[LA Ute]

I believe he is a Dr and I like him a great deal more than I did a decade ago. If you high rollers ever get a chance to bend the good doctors ear as him how that "good coaches don't come to Utah, they are made at Utah" is going for him these days?

I know you love making that dig, but don't you think that by and large he is right? He was certainly right when he said that, and I don't hearing him saying it these days. I can tell you he's a good man and he feels awful about the current position of the basketball program. Only a jerk would feel otherwise in his position.

Seattle's right, Hill is not a god, but he has had a remarkably long and successful tenure at Utah. I'm glad we have had him for the last 25 years.

[Katy Lied]

Chris Hill is a good man. He gets delusions of grandeur every once in a while, but basically a decent man. What I don't get is how come he didn't come under more censure for allowing Boylen to jettison the entire team and start over. No way JimBo makes that move without Hill's blessing.

[jay santos]

I don't think the last three BB coaching hires have been that bad. Utah's a state school without a lot of good BB recruits in its state. And they lose those recruits to BYU more often than not. You're 500 miles from the next closest population areas. The fan base has been spoiled with an unlikely coaching hire in Majerus, and the rise of the FB program, which has much stronger market forces on its side. I think the problem is in expectations not the actual hires.

[il Padrino Ute]

I don't think the last three BB coaching hires have been that bad. Utah's a state school without a lot of good BB recruits in its state. And they lose those recruits to BYU more often than not. You're 500 miles from the next closest population areas. The fan base has been spoiled with an unlikely coaching hire in Majerus, and the rise of the FB program, which has much stronger market forces on its side. I think the problem is in expectations not the actual hires.

I agree with this 100%. U fans were spoiled by Majerus' success - which was, in reality, about a 5 year span that was amazingly successful - and the expectations were that it would be continued because of the flawed thinking that it was Utah the team, not Utah under Majerus, that made Utah one of the better teams.

[Top Ute]

I don't think the last three BB coaching hires have been that bad. Utah's a state school without a lot of good BB recruits in its state. And they lose those recruits to BYU more often than not. You're 500 miles from the next closest population areas. The fan base has been spoiled with an unlikely coaching hire in Majerus, and the rise of the FB program, which has much stronger market forces on its side. I think the problem is in expectations not the actual hires.

Whatever. Expectations were as low this year as they've ever been at Utah, and this team won't come close to meeting them. This team might win one game against Division I competition this year. Might. But the fans are somehow to blame for this? C'mon already ...

[SeattleUte]

I agree with this 100%. U fans were spoiled by Majerus' success - which was, in reality, about a 5 year span that was amazingly successful - and the expectations were that it would be continued because of the flawed thinking that it was Utah the team, not Utah under Majerus, that made Utah one of the better teams.

So you think Utah fans should expect one (AT MOST, IF O'BRIEN WOULD HAVE AMOUNTED TO ANYTHING) D-I quality recruit in four years?

[Goatnapper'96]

I know you love making that dig, but don't you think that by and large he is right? He was certainly right when he said that, and I don't hearing him saying it these days. I can tell you he's a good man and he feels awful about the current position of the basketball program. Only a jerk would feel otherwise in his position.

Seattle's right, Hill is not a god, but he has had a remarkably long and successful tenure at Utah. I'm glad we have had him for the last 25 years.

No I don't think by and large he is right. I think he made a solid hire in Mac, two brilliant hires in Urban and Majerus, a good hire in Whit and two very,very poor hires in Giac and Boylen. I will give you an opinion on Krystkowiak in 4 years or so. I would also be glad if I were a Ute fan. I also would remind Ute fans about his quote about "great coaches being made at Utah" if I were a BYU fan. It was an arrogant comment and looks embarassingly stupid at this point in time. So my desire remains for one of you high rollers to ax 'em how that "great coaches are made at Utah" doctrine is going these days. It is a rather simple request. You can even start it like this: "Good Doctor Hill, my internet uhhhh aquaintenance Goatnapper, who happens to friends with the jovial fellow in the front row whose family used to develop all of Ute athletic pictures, thinks you are a real swell dude and a strong AD who has lifted U of U athletics. However, since he is also a devout BYU fan he remembers a quote of yours about the time you hired Ray Giacolleti that 'at Utah we don't hire great coaches, we make great coaches.' Since that time, the mighty U of U hoops program has had 3 winning seasons and 4 losing seasons with each successive losing season forcing us to re-evaluate our perspective on the worst year ever in Ute hoops and to be honest most of us shudder when contemplating the depths that 2011-2012 might take us if we don't schedule NAIA religious academies. So he wants me to ax you if you still subscribe to that theory?"

Seems like a pretty straightforward request.

[Cutty]

Expectations were definitely too high post Majerus. The guy was a brilliant coach and had the fortune of Van Horn/Miller/Doleac/Jensen/Mottola and great role players alongside them, which pretty much ensured a decade of success. The problem with Giacoletti was his team quit on him and he didn't appear to give a damn. With Boylen there weren't any signs that he had the program on the right track. I don't think Hill was in the wrong for firing either guy.

[Flattop]

Chris Hill is a good man. He gets delusions of grandeur every once in a while, but basically a decent man. What I don't get is how come he didn't come under more censure for allowing Boylen to jettison the entire team and start over. No way JimBo makes that move without Hill's blessing.

Because Utes fans wanted Boylen to jettison Henderson, Brown and at least two others.

[LA Ute]

No I don't think by and large he is right. I think he made a solid hire in Mac, two brilliant hires in Urban and Majerus, a good hire in Whit and two very,very poor hires in Giac and Boylen. I will give you an opinion on Krystkowiak in 4 years or so. I would also be glad if I were a Ute fan. I also would remind Ute fans about his quote about "great coaches being made at Utah" if I were a BYU fan. It was an arrogant comment and looks embarassingly stupid at this point in time. So my desire remains for one of you high rollers to ax 'em how that "great coaches are made at Utah" doctrine is going these days. It is a rather simple request. You can even start it like this: "Good Doctor Hill, my internet uhhhh aquaintenance Goatnapper, who happens to friends with the jovial fellow in the front row whose family used to develop all of Ute athletic pictures, thinks you are a real swell dude and a strong AD who has lifted U of U athletics. However, since he is also a devout BYU fan he remembers a quote of yours about the time you hired Ray Giacolleti that 'at Utah we don't hire great coaches, we make great coaches.' Since that time, the mighty U of U hoops program has had 3 winning seasons and 4 losing seasons with each successive losing season forcing us to re-evaluate our perspective on the worst year ever in Ute hoops and to be honest most of us shudder when contemplating the depths that 2011-2012 might take us if we don't schedule NAIA religious academies. So he wants me to ax you if you still subscribe to that theory?"

Seems like a pretty straightforward request.

If I had time and a level of obsession on the subject that matched yours, I would find a list of unfortunate statements by BYU athletic directors (if that's what that glorified manager position at the Y can legitimately be called) and ask you to defend them. But I don't have that in me. Still, I think I will ask DOCTOR Hill your question next chance I get. He will find it amusing. I am pretty sure whatever answer I get won't satisfy you, however. Maybe I could ask your favorite general officer about similar statements made by military leaders over the decades. I am not sure we'd learn any more from that inquiry than we would from Hill's response, though.

[Flattop]

If I had time and a level of obsession on the subject that matched yours, I would find a list of unfortunate statements by BYU athletic directors (if that's what that glorified manager position at the Y can legitimately be called) and ask you to defend them. But I don't have that in me. Still, I think I will ask DOCTOR Hill your question next chance I get. He will find it amusing. I am pretty sure whatever answer I get won't satisfy you, however. Maybe I could ask your favorite general officer about similar statements made by military leaders over the decades. I am not sure we'd learn any more from that inquiry than we would from Hill's response, though.

Ask Patton about Metz.

[Top Ute]

Expectations were definitely too high post Majerus. The guy was a brilliant coach and had the fortune of Van Horn/Miller/Doleac/Jensen/Mottola and great role players alongside them, which pretty much ensured a decade of success. The problem with Giacoletti was his team quit on him and he didn't appear to give a damn. With Boylen there weren't any signs that he had the program on the right track. I don't think Hill was in the wrong for firing either guy.

We would've ensured another decade of success if Majerus wasn't looking into every job under the sun and scaring away recruits because they were concerned Majerus wouldn't be there all four years.

You could have won 45 games per year in the NBA with the kids who tripped to Utah but went elsewhere.