Craig Smith Canned

[Ma-ake]

Hearing very positive rumors.

[77ute]

Jensen as head coach and Miller as No. 1 assistant would be fabulous.

[FountainOfUte]

@LuckyUte

… Are we becoming a bit zoobish longing for 1998 the way zoobs have for 1984?

A solid post. But I want to address this.

Like someone said above, we all know that 1998 was an outlier. If F4s can be expected at all, we know that they come 30-40 years apart. And I’m not holding my breath. There’re WAY too many factors including a heavy dose of luck to make F4s happen. You can probably barely count on one hand the programs that can measure a good year or bad year based on a F4 appearance. We’ll not ever be one of those.

Still, We’re living WAY below our means as a Power 5 basketball program. And I think a school with the resources of Utah can reasonably measure its success in terms of Sweet 16s. Those are manageable to achieve with a little less luck and achieving them is a sign of a healthy Runnin Utes program.

If Utah mbb is running at its AVERAGE level of success, we should be getting to a S16 at least once per decade. If we’re REALLY cooking, we should be able to get that deep (or deeper) two or three times per decade. It’s not like we haven’t done it.

There is NO reason we should go on a 9-year drought of even MAKING the Tournament and having a player drafted to the NBA. (But we’ll still take UDFA’s — congrats Carlson!)

Again, like someone said above, we’re not going to compete with the $$$ of traditional basketball powerhouses. And we won’t have the war chest of B1G/SEC schools (unless we become one).

But after that, there’s STILL room for more success than we’re having and should expect. Every school has rebuilding years and down years. We’ll haves those. But they should not last a decade.

Let’s get back to where we EXPECT to make the Dance every year. Let’s have our BEST teams go to S16’s, not NITs. Let’s show the Big 12 that we were a basketball school decades before we were a football school. (BTW, BOTH can have success, it’s not zero sum.)

Here’s to brighter times ahead.

[Ma-ake]

Another rumor - the U has extended a hoops offer to Cole Fotheringham’s younger brother.

If that’s true, things must be solid.

Either there’s nothing to these rumors, or maybe out of respect we get these seniors honored tomorrow night before we hear anything?

[LAUte]

I’d like to see the BB team like the football team–as the team other schools don’t want to play. (Of course, 2024 was an exception to football’s respected and feared status.)

[LuckyUte]

@FountainOfUte

Like someone said above, we all know that 1998 was an outlier. If F4s can be expected at all, we know that they come 30-40 years apart. And I’m not holding my breath. There’re WAY too many factors including a heavy dose of luck to make F4s happen. You can probably barely count on one hand the programs that can measure a good year or bad year based on a F4 appearance. We’ll not ever be one of those.

You made my point much better than I did, because this is what I was trying to say, but did so confusingly inartful.

[HoopUte]

ESPN 700 currently reporting that Alex Jensen is the guy. They’re not naming sources, but they’re being really confident.

[Ben_In_Utah]

Poor OC, he had to come back on air about 20 minutes ago, said he got a text and was being “sent to the principals office” and needed to backtrack and say its not yet official but very likely to end up that way.

[RockerUte]

I heard from a fairly reliable source (and by fairly reliable I mean they’re a respectable donor at the U, and have been right before on most things but wrong on others) that Harlan was NOT leading the new coach hiring process (and that Alex is the likely new coach). Heard this a couple of days ago actually and find it very bizarre or telling that Harlan isn’t leading the search.

If true it could mean a couple of things I suppose. 1. Harlan is on the way out. 2. Harlan’s previous treatment of Alex bothered boosters or Alex or both, 3. Some boosters are dictating who is coming and tying NIL money to it and Harlan said, “I’m out (of this search) if that is how it’s going to be.”

[UteBrave]

I really hope it’s a Jensen/Miller combo. I’ve said it before, but CS just didn’t demand the attention to detail to have the players do the little things that turn a mediocre team into a good team and a good team into a great team. I believe Jensen & Miller would do that.

[330ute]

New coach and his assistants​:crossed_fingers:

[330ute]

We’re getting the band back together. We just need Sweet Lou

[NewbombTurk]

Please let this happen regarding Alex.

We need some good news given what is going on in the world and our nation.

[UTEopia]

It’s interesting that there have been several new offers go our since Smith was fired.

[IrvingWashington]

@330ute

We’re getting the band back together. We just need Sweet Lou

Piniella?

[Greginslc]

Sakoda?

Kicking the ball through a hoop is not allowed!

[Diehard_Ute]

@RockerUte

I heard from a fairly reliable source (and by fairly reliable I mean they’re a respectable donor at the U, and have been right before on most things but wrong on others) that Harlan was NOT leading the new coach hiring process (and that Alex is the likely new coach). Heard this a couple of days ago actually and find it very bizarre or telling that Harlan isn’t leading the search.

If true it could mean a couple of things I suppose. 1. Harlan is on the way out. 2. Harlan’s previous treatment of Alex bothered boosters or Alex or both, 3. Some boosters are dictating who is coming and tying NIL money to it and Harlan said, “I’m out (of this search) if that is how it’s going to be.”

I find it odd when AD’s lead searches.

AD’s should be the closer, not the search committee.

[RockerUte]

Semantics, but he isn’t leading the process and I never said conducting the search, I said leading it. His previous snub of Alex Jensen proves that he probably shouldn’t be involved anyway.

[LAUte]

Tommy Lloyd on Craig Smith’s son (both on the Ute staff) showing up and working the Arizona game.

https://x.com/JFurKSL/status/1894985903279665516?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1894985903279665516|twgr^06e60279e588e003b23de27f56e5b8e4e6c60f95|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksl.com%2Farticle%2F51263192%2Fhave-you-seen-this-arizona-coach-gets-emotional-talking-craig-smiths-kids

[RockerUte]

I’m hijacking this post for a second, but I never go to Twitter but whenever I do in instances like this, somehow it has gotten worse. Wow.

Folks should try bluesky.