"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated" - The Rivalry Thread

[myboynoah]

Pelado again bringing the hammer.


So our uofutah friends, does this make sense? I really liked Miller as a player. Is he coaching right now? Jensen is as well, right?

There was a very low time that I would have been ecstatic with Burgess is BYU's coach. Weird to look back on that time now.

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[Omaha 680]

I'm surprised. I thought he had them playing a lot better than expected this season, including the home win over BYU. Of course, some of their fans may have had outsized expectations for this Utah team.

This is great except for the potential loss of Burgess. What an outsized sense of their place in college athletics the U continues to have. Mark Harlan continuing that great tradition.

[myboynoah]

Not a bad list. I wonder how many are realistic. Who are the hottest MWC and AAC coaches?

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[Joe Public]

There was a very low time that I would have been ecstatic with Burgess is BYU's coach. Weird to look back on that time now.

MBN looking back and seeing one set of footprints . . .

https://www.cougarstadium.com/forum/sports/the-arena/62135-thanks-coach-pope?p=2314486#post2314486

[BlueK]

Smith was pretty successful at two other places before Utah. Maybe he wasn't the main problem.

[Clark Addison]

I think Alex Jensen would be a good get, but I don't see him leaving the NBA. Having said that, I didn't see Kevin Young leaving the NBA either, so who knows?

[myboynoah]

MBN looking back and seeing one set of footprints . . .

https://www.cougarstadium.com/forum/...86#post2314486

lol, exactly. But I thought, "Well JP seems to know stuff, so we're all good."

But maybe you saw beyond my limited understanding of the possibilities.

Watching Chandler playing for Pope and UK on Sunday took me back to those dark days when it all seemed to be falling down around us. Chandler gone. Jaxson looking at the NBA, but for sure gone either way. Richie visiting Pope and UK fans saying he had committed. It's like Psalm 23.

[myboynoah]

lol

They might now end up going for Pope's assistant, Coach Fueger.

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[Jeff Lebowski]

lol

They might now end up going for Pope's assistant, Coach Fueger.

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That @cronair guy is one of the biggest idiots on the internet.

[myboynoah]

I'm surprised. I thought he had them playing a lot better than expected this season, including the home win over BYU. Of course, some of their fans may have had outsized expectations for this Utah team.

He weighs in.

Basically, Smith was not a very good coach (which is likely true). Also, BYU sucks (which is not true) but have really coach Richie up into some kind of super soldier (doesn't take into account all that time Richie spent in church gyms as a kid).

My contrarian theory is that the thing that did him in is that actually he had enough talent and it did not play to potential. That has been true in the past and was actually true this season despite the exodus of transfers last year. He has a lot of players who were promising freshmen (Dawes, Little, Keller, Lovering, Sharavjamtz), were all highly recruited as freshmen and transfers and came to Utah with years of eligibility. Auser was a strong DI starter when he came, was strongly recruited, and has delivered.

BYU is a valid comparison for a randomized clinical study. BYU has had a better year (again) and its best players are local kids. Its two hotshot recruits purchased purportedly with millions in NIL money, Catchings and Demins, have performed substantially below expectations, but a roster depleted by transfers and graduates and stocked with Utah kids has carried them to 10-6 in the conference and probably and NCAA invitation. Saunders has been coached up like crazy.

Yes, some of Utah’s players have improved. None has been a bust really (maybe Little has). But the team has not played up to potential. Neither did it the past two years.

College basketball is brutally competitive. You can make all kinds of excuses for Smith. But it’s not possible to say Harlan abused his discretion here.

This team has a decent nucleus of talent. Hopefully Harlan can keep it together. Yes, there’s a lot of rumors about not enough NIL money. But this team was put together with resources. They’ll never tell you they have enough money.

[Jeff Lebowski]

He weighs in.

Basically, Smith was not a very good coach (which is likely true). Also, BYU sucks (which is not true) but have really coach Richie up into some kind of super soldier (doesn't take into account all that time Richie spent in church gyms as a kid).

Keita is playing great. I wouldn't call him a local kid.

[myboynoah]

Keita is playing great. I wouldn't call him a local kid.

Or Foos, or Mag, or Boskovic, or Baker.

[Moliere]

Utah sucks and will always suck…even if they had th best basketball coach ever.

[LiveCoug]

Or Foos, or Mag, or Boskovic, or Baker.

I mean, fous and keita are not utah natives, but high school local

[BlueK]

When Utah beat KSU and KU I think Harlan who planned to fire Smith at the end of the season was worried the utes could suddenly go on a late season roll and possibly even make a run in the conference tournament that would make it more controversial to fire him so he did it now, even if firing a coach during the season is pretty much universally perceived as bush league.That's my theory.