Four teams from P12 are in.
The Tar Heels just declined to be considered for the NIT.
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A little arrogant…
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Not Interested, Tarheels.
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At mid-season I really thought we’d have an NIT bid. The collapse at the end of the season was unexpected, and hard to explain. Yes, the injuries were deadly, but the loss of poise and the seeming amnesia about fundamentals was really puzzling. I’ve gone from optimism to feeling a bit worried. No, the sky’s not falling but Smith needs to find a way forward.
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There’s a good article in the SL Trib today about how Lynn Roberts nearly ran out of time with her womens b-ball rebuild. Year 2 and 3 were dark times for Utah womens hoops.
I’m also concerned with Craig Smith. No doubt he can coach and he appears to have assistants that can recruit. Next year will likely be the tipping point.
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Craig needs to read this article. (I’m sure he has.)
Quality basketball CAN happen at Utah. Get the fans back in the seats, whatever it takes.
We’re not dreaming (aka 1984) of a return of Majerus. We’re looking for a return of Jack Gardner, Bill Foster, Jerry Pimm, AND Big Rick.
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I’ve been haunted by a thought lately–the close relationship at Utah between greatness and something substantially less. Imagine everything as it was with Majerus, but he did not recruit Andre Miller. Now, subtract just Van Horn. All else the same. His legacy would be greatly reduced, great a coach as he was. And it’s easy to imagine neither of those players recruited. Indeed, they only came because they were so far under the radar and their greatness came as such a surprise.
The state produces essentially no NBA future stars anymore. Salt Lake never has been a magnet for great out of state recruits (the best out of state recruiting was by Jack Gardner, while SEC schools eschewed Blacks).
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That is definitely food for thought. Just how different would things be? Yet that also shows that Smith may “just” need to find that diamond in the rough or 2.
The Maji did find Motolla and Doleac around the same time as well as Alex Jensen and a few others. He was great at developing players and bringing out the best in those who could handle his tough love approach.
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Not to mention the stifling defense, superb fundamentals, and concentrating on smart players with good basketball IQs. (Strategic brilliance too.) The guy was a multifaceted genius.
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This. We need more of this.
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I have wondered why this is the case today. Is it that the talent level required to play in the NBA today is significantly higher than it was in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s or something else.
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I think one factor is that there are a lot of foreign players in the NBA these days. Not so much in the 70’s and 80’s.
No. The state doesn’t even produce as many great collegiate players as it used to with half the population. The past greats would be great now.
I think football devours the best athletes like a cancer. Nowadays, Danny Vranes would be a great collegiate tight end and NFL prospect.
So blame Kyle Whittingham.
One of the best players on Kansas’ team this year is a freshman from Kansas who’s scoring double digits.
Sport fashions come and go. Look at MLB. There are far fewer great Black American players than there were when we were kids.
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Certainly Majerus would have had a great career at Utah without Van Horn or Miller. But subtract them and there would be no Final Four/NC game, probably at least one less Elite 8, and he may have fallen short of a dynasty.
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When the NBA became a worldwide product, the talent pool to draw from expanded in size. Now it isn’t about just having talent, it’s about being sellable and talented. I hate to say making it at a pro level has always been a lottery odds shot.
Yeah football is getting a lot more pub these days; but as they keep moving to become a worldwide product, their talent pools will begin to grow exponentially too.
It’s why these kids (and more importantly their parents) need to realize if the game is a ticket to a college scholarship- it’s a gift. Accept it with humility, bust your butt in practice to get ready to play in the game; but bust you butt in the classroom, too. Plan on walking on your Senior Day with your degree(s) in hand to you next chapter - the one where you are not a player anymore. Always bet on the odds you know you can win with.
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Who are utah nba players historically? Vranes , Frank Jackson and???. Tom chambers sort of? Who else am I missing?
[Some guy named Andre Miller. DeLon Wright and Jakob Poeltle (sp) are still playing.]
Edit: never mind. Those guys are not from Utah the state. If you want to go way back on players from Utah, Arnie Ferrin played in the NBA, and I think Wat Misaka did for a while too. I’m just going by memory of what I’ve read in the past.
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Isn’t this about players from the state of Utah?
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