Martinez in the transfer portal

[cjd1]

Utah G Ian Martinez (FR) has entered the transfer portal. https://t.co/wgDFpNVHHp

— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) April 6, 2021

[ironman1315]

Life is pain.

[Ute2]

So… tell me more about brewer… 😉

[jamarcus24]

I already fell for this one on April Fools Day. Wait a minute…

[AZUteFan]

Unfortunate result but encouraged that Smith didn’t feel like he had to retain daddy to keep him on the roster.

Now is the time to weed out the LK garbage and start fresh.

[Ute2]

This! 

very sad about Martinez… but indicative of smith building a solid culture?

[Utephoria]

Judging by this depressing news, Ian’s dad must not be a part of the future staff.

[Utes 69]

 

My response…sad sad sad! too bad dad is unable to get job with out relying on the kids BB skills.

[Trailgoat]

Getting rid of daddy ball is a good thing. IMHO, totally okay with losing Martinez and his coach/dad as well. Another example of bad coaching decision by LK hiring the father of a kid, dumb move. How this was considered okay at the college level is a head scratcher. I presume the Martinez transfer portal announcement is listed as a packaged father-son deal, best of luck to them.

Get the impression Smith is moving on from these players that don’t want to be on the team. Let’s not forget Utah’s poor performance has as much or to do with the talent/effort on the court. As a fan, would rather see new players Smith recruits as his own. Go Utes!

[AZUTE]

Never thought I’d see the day BYU’s Bball roster had more ethnic diversity then Utah’s

Still think one or all of Jones Pelle or Jantunen leave.

Smith is not a dynamic recruiter and if he thinks hiring a token black assistant coach is going to change the perception of Utah basketball to HS and Prep school players and coaches he’s in for a ride awakening.

Sorry if that offends some of you but it’s the reality of the situation

There is a title wave of negative recruiting he has to swim against

[ironman1315]

Okay doky. 

[cjd1]

Since only about half the roster is complete isn’t that a premature comment?

[Stone]

Smith’s focus should definitely be on making the team the most ethnically diverse team in the world. 

[Ute Dub]

F**k that! Coach Slocum was hired because he’s a damn fine basketball coach and Smith is familiar working with him from their days at Colorado State, I believe. You don’t understand how racist and demeaning your comments are to Coach Slocum basically you are saying he was a token hire? F**k that!

[AZUTE]

Why are you so freaked about talking race and sports?

75% of the nba is black. Since 1983 only 3 white guys have won the NBA MVP award.
Of the top 100 2021 HS basketball recruits in American 85 are black.

Slocum was hired because he’s a great coach and because he’s black. Go ahead and stick your head in the sand if you want and pretend that Utah Bball doesn’t have a problem recruiting and retaining black student athletes but I’ve had a very prominent prep school coach who I know tell me he’d never recommend Utah to any of his black players. I asked why and he said black players don’t fit in at Utah.

Now you and I know this is bull but it the perception around the program and in recruiting perception is reality.

If Smith was smart he’d hire a qualified second black assistant and a black director of Bball operations.

The stereotypes are real and the negative recruiting against the program is almost to much to overcome.

If Utah wants to compete for a Pac12 title and ncaa tournament bids they need to recruit better players.

Time will tell if smith can do that

[Stone]

You called Slocum a “token” hire. Seems extremely condescending and, dare I say, racist. You are saying that he would not have been hired but for the color of his skin. You should let him know that, I am sure he would love to hear it. 

Also, based on your follow-up post, it sounds like when you say “ethnic diversity,” what you really mean is you want a single ethnicity, not actual diversity. But sure, let’s recruit kids based on their skin color. The KKK would agree with that same principle. 

Woke people are some of the most racist people I know, but they are somehow oblivious to it by their incessant virtue signaling.

Smith was not hired to win diversity championships (to the chagrin of some). He was hired to win on the court. He should recruit the best players for his system based on talent and merit, not skin color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, etc.

[Ute Dub]

WTF are you talking about? Utah’s best basketball players the past 10 years are black…Delon Wright, Kyle Kuzma, Timmy Allen. Remember when the starting lineup was Brandon Taylor, Delon, Loveridge, Kuzma and Poeltl with Dakari Tucker off the bench?

I get that you want more black players and that you’re not interested in Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic non-white, etc. How is the football team getting the diversity that you are so badly seeking? Let’s start there and ask if it’s difficult to get talent in Utah’s defensive backfield. Seems like Utah just pulled a commit from tOSU to come play corner, recently. How did that happen?

 

[AlphaUte]

They’re all a bunch of quitters.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

^^^ THIS ^^^

Obviously, it wasn’t Larry that was driving these kids to the transfer portal.  It was the kids themselves.  If they’re all leaving for more playing time, then it could be that there’s a cancer in the locker room, where everyone is a prima donna glory whore.  They think they’re something special, and when we don’t roll out the red carpet for them, they take their ball go home.  So let ’em go.  And perhaps we should send the rest of them packing as well, to ensure they don’t induct the newcomers into the existing “prima donna” culture.  

Now is the time to do so.  It’s not like we were any good anyway.

[Stone]

Interested schools better hurry and open up an assistant coaching position.

[Utah5410]

At this point. Craig smith has the benefit of the doubt. He’s won everywhere he’s been. All in or in the way. If smith doesn’t thing Martinez dad is worth it. Then next.

[Charlie]

Looking forward to the team Smith will build is interesting.  However, it was also interesting to wonder if the previous team would have progressed.  After watching the tournament, we can’t have too many guards that can drive and shoot or too many mobile big men.  Coaching change or not, I am hopeful we have a better team next year.

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

Jones next?

[Johnny]

I think that’s where Patino got into trouble at Louisville. He had to find jobs for recruit’s dads. Too much attachment to AAU. It was insane. I’d rather a coach build from scratch and sever ties if that stuff was going down.

AAU is what it is today because of 1 and done. Before that, the high school kids who could go straight NBA. That’s what killed College Basketball. 

We need someone in charge who understands the landscape, yet doesn’t compromise.