Jim Vanderhoof

KD reminds me of Shawn Marion. He is smooth and can shoot or get to the rim. His lack of playing time has to be a result of his defense. How else can you explain? Defense has been an issue with Smith’s teams especially on the road. Offensively he is a tough matchup and can score and get rebounds. He would be my top player on the roster to kee o…[Read more]

Thanks Miami. Let’s get a win tonight against ASU.

Well said JGore. I think you hit the nail on the head. It wouldn’t surprise me at this point to see Jensen as head coach and Miller in some role as an assistant or involved with the program at another level.

Smith is not a bad coach by any means but he doesn’t have the backing to take it to the next level (can’t recruit). Jensen would bring back…[Read more]

I don’t think you fire a coach before the season ends unless you have a replacement committed. Doesn’t make sense to eat two years of salary if you can’t get one of the big three to commit. Unless you can get Jensen Miller or Bryant your just rolling the dice again.

He left the Aggies in a bind. They don’t want him either. He inherited Sam Merrill who plays a lot for the cavaliers and the center that plays for the Celtics. Inheriting two NBA players in the MW will get you to the dance. He has never recruited an NBA caliber player. Maybe one of the Dakota colleges will take him back. He has 4 million coming s…[Read more]

Throw out all the stats, past success, recruiting etc and just focus on the eye test. I’ve been watching Utah basketball since Jack Gardner days. Gardner, Pimm, Foster and Majerus all had players that fit team roles and played team basketball. Role players set picks got rebounds and played solid defense and set up the scorers.

From Majerus to c…[Read more]

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

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!!

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…[Read more]

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 s…[Read more]

I wouldn’t be to concerned with losing players. Mike gives you a secondary ball handler and Dawes has some starter qualities. Wahlin and Azur are good bench players. The rest should hit the portal.

I listened to the Tony Jones interview (he follows the NBA). He knows the local market and Bryant was his first pick. He raved about Bryant’s credibility in the NBA and his development skills would make him the best recruiter. He is next in line for an NBA head coaching job (according to Jones) so would have little interest in the Utah job.…[Read more]

I hear you Miami. I’ve followed Ute bb since the old Einer Neilson fieldhouse( pre Huntsman). We need to get the best local talent and find players to fit a system. We can’t get the big stars so have to settle for secondary talent. Jensen would be best at local recruiting because of his local ties and he is LDS which helps with the locals. Mil…[Read more]

I agree with everything AZUTE. One other point Jensen is LDS. Lots of the top Utah recruits are LDS. The Josh Grant interview was spot on. I’ve followed Utah basketball since the Hunstman center was opened. Local talent has always been a backbone of the program. Hard to believe we can’t find a point guard or any other position with all the in sta…[Read more]

Novel thought utesfan. Players that actually know how to play as a team. Miller and Jensen were two of the best team players. We may never get the best players but we can play smart team BB. Turnovers and poor foul shooting are team stats that reflect bad coaching.

Smith thought his success pre Utah would transfer to a higher level of competition Minnesota. The talent and athleticism is hard to overcome if you can’t match it. The Josh Grant interview showed Smith’s lack of respect for past players.

I couldn’t agree more Rick. The same 4 I would keep. The turnovers and lack of free throw success is on coaching. Smith never defined roles and never settled in to a rotation. Josh Grant interview backed these thoughts.

Watched Smith play a couple games for St Johns. He looked like a true point guard under Pittino. Coaching matters.

Seems strange to not wait for the season to end. He has been a lame duck since last year. BYU has set a blueprint. Jensen and Bryant are equivalent to Young. Miller has NBA experience and connections. Boosters will step up with a coach that can recruit. No honor code to keep non LDS talent to stay more than 1 year.

It’s hard to tell about 2025 yet proud Ute. We looked better on paper last year and lost 7 in a row. QB was the glaring weakness along with a complicated offense that nobody seemed to grasp. The new offense should be more player friendly and easier to learn.

I expect a different mindset with players and coaches. ASU and BYU have the targets on t…[Read more]

I don’t think Miller will play second fiddle. Dream come true if both Jensen and Miller came back. Johnny Bryant is a sleeper. He has become a star development coach and has a great reputation in the NBA.

All talented players want to play in the NBA. Having a coach that is experienced in player development at the NBA level would be a big recruiting tool.