Mens BB

[Utes 69]

I listened to the Josh Grant podcast, he had a lot of good info, the only thing I disagree with is the statement that Alex Jensen is the only person in the whole wide world to turn the program around! there are several young energized coaches that would fill the roll just fine,

[Minnesota Ute]

By him saying that, I had to conclude that this is already a done deal. Otherwise why go out on that limb dragging the rest of the program with him.

The last thing a prospective new coach wants to hear is a Utah legend saying in essence, any hire that isn’t Alex is a disappointment and will fail. He also was highly critical of Craig for not allowing alumni to ‘help him’. What person would take a high pressure job upon hearing that a bunch of people from the outside are going to tell him how to do his job and if he doesn’t listen he will be fired and summarily excoriated openly in the media.

He also said at one point “If the decision can be announced sooner…”, not decision made, not candidate found, not if the search goes quickly, so…

My conclusion is it’s done, or Josh did us no favors and would have been much better off keeping his trap closed (as much as a love him for some of the best bball watching years of my life).

[Jim Vanderhoof]

You bring some good points Minnesota. I think the biggest disconnect with Smith was recruiting and style of play not actual coaching. You can’t tell me there isn’t any local players the last couple years that aren’t better than Little and Erickson. Smith just recruits talent but some don’t fit his system. The most successful past coaches had a system and recruited players to fill roles in that system. That’s why the turnovers are so high.

[The Miami Ute]

Jim, I always said that if the Utes could find a guy that recruited like Coach K and coached like Smith, they’d be an eternal presence at the Dance. Unfortunately, those guys are extremely hard to find.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Yes NBA ties matter in recruiting Miami. Coach K had them Smith doesn’t. No point guard and lack of athleticism has been the Achilles heal of Smith. His recruiting and playing style doesn’t fit a P4 conference. Smith should have listened to the past players 4 years ago. If it’s true he rejected Millers offer to help coach he deserves to be fired. How can you refuse help from one of the greatest point guards of all time when that position has been a bust in his tenure?

[Rick]

Jim,
He didn’t even return Miller’s calls offering his services. Smith had an assistant finally return the call after Andre had called a few times over several weeks.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

That’s unbelievable to me. I would have reached out to Andre if I was Smith. My sympathy for Smith is fading fast.

[GunthersRevenge]

I agree with some of the comments that it kind of seems like it’s a done deal to hire Jensen. It seems like a major factor in the hiring decision this go around is booster support. Not sure if this is accurate, but lots of talk that the boosters had turned against Smith. In my opinion, not too many candidates would get the boosters and some fans more re-engaged than Jensen, especially if Andre Miller also got brought in as an assistant.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Jeff Johnson said on DJ and PK that Miller didn’t want to be head coach but wanted to help out. Why wouldn’t you find a spot for him? He is close friends with Jensen. Wouldn’t it be amazing to get both!!

[Minnesota Ute]

Someone else brought up a good point that as a job at a state university, they have to create the vacancy (aka fire smith) then post the position and interview applicants that are qualified. There may be some EEOC boxes to check as well. I’m not sure how true that is or what the requirements are exactly, but that sounds like it could be the reason that, while it is a done deal, it can’t yet be announced yet.

[Author]

Posts