EagleMountainUte

$5M is what his buyout is…probably $4M after taxes though.

You never know…Utah State has lost their head coach at the end of the previous two seasons. Right now, they stand at 24-5, even after last night’s blowout loss to Boise State, with another NCAA trip in their future. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Jerrod Calhoun hired away this offseason and Smith make a return trip to Logan. Remember, you…[Read more]

Personally, I can see Smith getting picked up by a G5 team and once again having success, to include return trips to the NCAAs. He just doesn’t have what it takes to be a consistent winner at a P4 program.

I was being ironic for the most part. I noticed a few people on the site, after Smith got fired, saying words to the effect of “watch the team play better now.” Not gonna happen…and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Utah lose every game remaining on their schedule.

Rick, none of what you posted proves that Larry was a better coach or even as good a coach as Smith. All you really did is copy and paste stats. Now, if you’d have thrown some analytics in there, then maybe we could have a conversation. I for sure completely believe that Larry was a better recruiter but a much crappier Xs and Os guy than Smith.…[Read more]

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.

They’re from Pakistan…they kept talking about ship tenders in Lahore. Lahore is Pakistan’s biggest port city.

I’m not sure, but the guy I always see at the Crimson Club events is Spencer Eccles…he’s been right after Kyle when it comes to lifting any silverware the last few seasons.

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/02/24/utah-basketball-head-coaching-search-possible-candidates-replace-craig-smith/

The Ken Garff Family…I’d definitely start with them…also include Leo and Harriet Hopf, and the Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. Those are the biggest whales in the Utah Athletics constellation.

He might not be the only one. Seems like the current ownership group values money above everything else. Also definitely seems that whatever shot they had to be relevant in the NBA playoffs is gone.

I have to say that if the next head coach isn’t Alex Jensen, it’ll feel like a bust for me. Both Coach K and Smith were serial winners and a regular presence at the Dance before coming to Utah. So, for me, that means that I’m very lukewarm on a coach that’s won in a lower conference without Utah ties. As we’ve seen, the Utes haven’t had a good…[Read more]

The most recent guys that made it through the filter were our fans in Pakistan.

Yeap to all three. Good analysis…but how do you think the team will take it? Will they mail in the remaining three games now that Smith is out of the picture?

Spence said that Utah matched what Saint John’s offered Deivon Smith in NIL, but he still decided to leave. That right there is some incriminating stuff.

Yeah but, what I’m saying, is that Utah is on the hook to Smith for two more years after this one. Smith’s putative last season with the Utes would have been 2026-2027. Do you see? If Smith was still the HC, next season wouldn’t be his last under contract.

Big enough to get you back watching MBB at the JHC?

Josh Eilert will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Smith’s original contract was for six years. That means that he had two more seasons, until 2027, after this one. I will say that it only surprises me due to the timing. Couldn’t they have done it at the end of the season? His results surely didn’t warrant an extension.