This post is dedicated to my good friend Cody, the administrator at Weber Hoops who is now settling his family in the San Jose area after taking a job there. (You will find out why if you keep reading.); Cody, I'm pleased to hear that you are safe and wish you luck in California.
Note: I've been reading a twitter debate between Block U and ESPN 700's Bill Rielly on twitter about the possibility of Larry Kristowiak (I did not spell the name right and I don't care...it's a poor choice) at Utah's head basketball coach. Any of these guys would be better....
Original Blog...
All signs point to the dismissal of Jim Boylen as the Utah head basketball coach at the end of the season. I kind of like this guy, he was a good balance between the too much we had with Majerus and the too little we had with Giacoletti. The fault for the dismal situation that the Utes are in right now can not all be blamed upon Boylen. The Block U has a very nice article about the decline of Utah Basketball. Boylen is likely not the guy to fix it.
Based on the block U article about the current state of Ute Basketball, requirements for replacing Boylen are:
1. Not necessarily young, but healthy enough and without enough baggage to be a burden to the program as Majerus was in his final years in Salt Lake.
2. Knows how to recruit local kids and deal with those who desire to serve LDS missions.
BTW--Currently Weber State has 8 local players (either from Utah or a neighboring state: Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona or Nevada), Utah State has 9 and BYU has 10. Utah has 3. This does not include those currently serving LDS missions. Certainly if the other big schools in the state can succeed with local players, Utah can too.
3. Has the ability to get along with and keep assistant coaches to provide stability.
4. Has some collegiate-level head coaching experience.
Here is my short list.
5. Current Utah State Assistant Chris Jones--Out of all of the people on my short list, Jones is the only one who has not been a head coach anywhere. He was an assistant for Giacoletti before becoming one of Coach Stew's peeps in Logan. He currently runs the defense in Logan, where the Aggies are one of the best defensive teams in the NCAA. He is also a Utah Alumnus and a native of Salt Lake City. As an alum of Judge Memorial (Catholic High School) one would assume that he is not LDS, but being at Utah State and affiliated with the U for so long, one would also assume he can deal with LDS kids.
4. Current Utah Assistant Barrett Peery--Is a local product who served as the head coach at the College of Southern Idaho before joining Boylen's staff. He was the SWAC coach of the year and led the Eagles to the Conference Championship in 2008. Before going to CSI, he was an assistant at Portland State and at his Alma Mater, Southern Utah and also at Snow College and Utah Valley. He is a native of Payson, Utah, where almost everyone is LDS and if he is not LDS, he has a lifetime of experience dealing with LDS kids. He played college ball at SUU helping them win back-to-back conference titles and earning NCAA bids.
3. Current Westminster College Head Coach Tommy Connor--Has been the head coach in Sugarhouse for 12 years and currently boasts a 243-105 record for the Griffins. His teams have also dominated the Frontier Conference for the last decade where Connor has a 118-34 record. Of course there is a big difference between the NAIA and the PAC-12, but at least the U will not have to pay relocation expenses to get this very successful coach on the bench at the north end of 13th East.
2. Current BYU Assistant Dave Rice--This name will come up with every coaching vacancy west of the Mississippi this off season. That is what happens when you are an assistant with the type of consistency the Cougars have had with Dave Rose as the head dude. Rice is known for his recruiting skills and by looking at the roster for the Utes, Cougars and Aggies, he is winning the battle for the local guys. He was a member of the UNLV national championship team and the team that made the final four the following year. The main downside, and the reason I do not list him first is because he has no experience as a head coach. But that will change, one way or another, in 2012. Someone, somewhere, will hire Rice.
1. Current Weber State Head Coach Randy Rahe--Prior to the current season, Rahe was 81-50 at Weber and possibly doing his best coaching for the Cats this season. After all, who did not think that the season was over for Weber State once Damien Lillard went down with a broken foot, but now WSU is only a game and a half out of first place in the conference. The fact that a guy like Lillard is even in Ogden is a testament to how good Rahe is at recruiting. Coach Rahe has dealt well with the LDS missionaries he has been blessed with over the years in Ogden--such as Darrin Mahoney. Before becoming the head coach in Ogden, Rahe was an assistant for Gaicoletti.
Update...March 17...Rumor has it that none of these men are being considered...St. Mary's Randy Bennett is considered the leading candidate for the job.
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