State of Utes MBB

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Looks like a sinking ship again. Last year could have been a springboard to get some butts in the seats again. Road losses and not making the tournament was a big disappointment. Losing Smith and Keba is a big blow to the program along with Burgess jumping ship. Smith has been unable to recruit athletes and keep up with the new style of play. It might take an Urban Meyer basketball version to dig us out. Coach Smith should have taken the USU job again. Other than Wahlin last years recruits looked like a high school team.

[NarfUte]

Nobody in the AD seems to give a s**t about the basketball team. Even in the announcement of Keller signing, they say we also signed Keanu Reeves (Not Keanu Dawes)

Here’s the link

[MDUte]

I’ve heard this is true. And with this being the case, I don’t think fans should feel the need to give a s#*t about MBB either. Don’t feel like you need to waste your time and money supporting MBB if the AD isn’t committed to it…or at least until they hit the reset button yet again.

[Trailgoat]

Good catch NarfUte. Maybe this is a new strategy shift by the athletic dept to get fans in the Huntsman? Go the Hollywood recruiting route. If Utah can get Keanu Reaves, Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Wahlberg in the rotation, Utes sell out every game. Utah could also go for a Globetrotter format next season? Add in some new, up and coming actors, the MUSS will be packed :)! Sadly to your point, seems the apathy is not just with the fan base.

[Charlie]

I think that may be a guess. For years, Utah benefited from 2 individuals they have no longer. Chris Hill’s first love was MBB and he was good at his job. He was supported by Jon Huntsman, also a MBB fan, in a big way. Together they made Rick work out for as long as he did. Football has enjoyed an unusual long run with an awesome HC to get us where we are.

Likely Harlan may not be as passionate about MBB as Hill. However, without a wealthy passionate funds supporter, I wonder how much he can do. We may think it is the AD’s job to find and draw in such a supporter. Nice if he does. Still, it think it is luck more than what I see as a good job. I believe Huntsman came to the U’s program thru his choice rather than be sold. I expect that Ryan Smith chose to get involved with the Y rather than something Holmoe did to make it happen. The AD does fund raising, the fan level stuff, but the big boost, like what you see at Oregon, is something that flies in the window one day and is independent of the AD. Actually, it is the other way around, the money guy brings in the AD, the HC, to lift the program. Hard to change what you don’t control. I hate to simply say get to work and overcome these advantages others have.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

It’s pretty clear Smith is not the answer we were looking for. With that being said the bigger the hole we dig the harder it will be to get out for the next coach. With NIL and portal it’s easier to jump ship than trying to get it back on track.

[Utah]

Here is a big issue with the University of Utah: It relies on taxpayer dollars for a lot of funding. In most states, the legislature supports their flagship university.

In this state, most of the legislatures have pledged secret back room loyalties to a corp that owns a rival institution and the legislatures do what they can to undercut Utah.

So when it comes to spending money, Utah has to be a lot more careful in how they do it because they are under a really big microscope. And there are some issues with big time donors/legislatures in the state of Utah and basketball (see the Donovan Mitchell falling out).

It’s a tough place to be for basketball at the U of U. It’s so much easier to put money and resources into football and gymnastics and baseball and volleyball, etc and ignore basketball. Especially with BYU deciding that they are a basketball school now.

[EagleMountainUte]

@Utah Love you man but what are you talking about?

The AD, University can only control what they can control and they have s**t the bed with a once great program.

Donovan Mitchell has nothing to do with it.

I wonder who funds USU?

I mean put the blame where it needs to be Harlan.

[MDUte]

Agreed. Unless you’re talking to Zoobs, Utah’s AD gets zero $’s from state funding. The AD is entirely self-supported by its own revenue.

If on the other hand you’re talking to Zoobs, by all means, lean into whatever tax supporting narrative you prefer. It’s always fun to get a rise out of those fools. Personally, I like to talk up how awesome it is being the state’s flagship university which makes it possible for Utah to receive hundreds of millions of tax dollars to funnel into athletics. And even better, I greatly appreciate seeing the state legislature increase taxes in Utah County in order to cover the cost of these state provided funds to Utah athletics. Zoobs eat this stuff up, they love it!!!

[EagleMountainUte]

It’s like we try to excuse so many bad decisions with ludicrous unrelated things to support some agenda. Can’t reason someone out of position they didn’t use reason themselves into or something.

Bringing up all this other crap that didn’t exist under Majerus apparently? Like quit blaming external factors and hold the AD accountable for making decisions with the program. Hold Craig Smith accountable for how he runs the program. That is it.

[thirtyfour-thirtyone]

This state has a lot of baggage (i.e. a lot of state sponsored backwards racist garbage flowing from the legislature), and that does not help our cause. Yes, it is possible for things to work out in spite of that, as you allude to with USU, but we certainly have our work cut out for us. A lot of potential recruits look at things like the legislature’s attitude toward Donovan Mitchel, and say, “I want no part of that.” They look at the dismantling of the U’s diversity offices and say, “why should I go somewhere like that.” They might even look at this message board, and have the same sort of response…

I personally had an offer from the U out of high school, and chose to go to a state that was more welcoming of people who are “different.”

[EagleMountainUte]

Yeah and this history somehow sprouted with Mitchell again? Or was it Scalley’s recent comments? Oh wait Scalley is beloved by most players who happen to be “different”. Utah Football is pretty damn diverse team to. Wow must be some external factor for overriding your reasons.

Somehow this history didn’t exist under Majerus when he brought in Andre Miller? Just stop with the agenda of trying to make something broader than it needs to be.

Harlan sucks and Smith was the wrong guy who seemingly is getting another year. Despite the huge pain the program is suffering through.

[The Miami Ute]

They look at the dismantling of the U’s diversity offices and say, “why should I go somewhere like that.”

This garbage again? Holy smokes, why don’t people do some resarch on this issue? I thought that I had debunked dismantling of DEI as an impediment to athletic recruiting when I showed some dude a while back that A. Dismantling DEI surely hasn’t hurt recruiting efforts for universities in Texas and Florida and B. There are 32 states that are somewhere in the process of passing legislation to dismantle DEI, to include almost the entirety of B1G and SEC states.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at this link: https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/anti-dei-bills-states-republican-lawmakers-map-rcna140756

[EagleMountainUte]

Only people that are in favor of DEI are people that have benefited from it when they were not the most qualified candidate.

[The Miami Ute]

Any policy that doesn’t explicitly allow the best qualified person to get a specific job is flawed.

[thirtyfour-thirtyone]

There is a reason Utah is known world-wide as a racist misogynistic backwater, and you are part of that reason.

[The Miami Ute]

LOL…I rest my case…once again, those pesky facts get in the way of the progressive narrative…bye Felicia…

[Stone]

This is like Q-anon, but on the left of the political spectrum.

[pedro]

Didn’t Coach Smith recruit Tavion and Keita (not to mention kept BC on board)?

Utah fans, most of which haven’t been to the Hunty in years, act like we deserve better. It’s easy to point to the loses the program has had, but easier to forget about the wins.

Fact is, as long as we aren’t support it, we have no room to talk.

[GameForAnyFuss]

“Utah fans, most of which haven’t been to the Hunty in years, act like we deserve better.”

Boom…you nailed it with this statement. It hurts but it’s true.

As a STH who rarely misses a game, I have to laugh while I’m sitting at the Hunty, staring at red chairs all around me, while I read comments online about how we need a better coach (costs money) and we need a bigger NIL pool (costs money).

Can the basketball program do a better job without more money? Absolutely – they are dropping the ball in several ways. But they can only reach a certain level without more fan support (i.e. money), and that level isn’t as high as we all want it to be.

[EagleMountainUte]

Didn’t cost money when they got rid of Larry K. Hindsight is great but I always said give him another year. I bought tickets under him. Craig Smith was never the guy.

[GameForAnyFuss]

You’re probably right – Craig Smith isn’t the guy. So who are you going to get who’s better? Whoever it is, I bet he costs money.

And how do you keep good players like Deivon Smith? Hint: It costs money.

Look, I get it…not everyone likes basketball. Most of us don’t follow all Utah sports, and that’s OK. I’ll admit it: Swimming has never gotten a dollar of my money. But I also don’t go online and complain about the quality of our swim team.

Utah basketball seems to be unique in that regard. It’s the only sport I know of where fans demand excellence while simultaneously not supporting it.

[EagleMountainUte]

It cost a lot of money to get rid of Larry K. I am well aware. I understand money is needed to do all the things.
We all can see an absolute buzz saw of a season before Smith can be let go. I feel like ripping the Bandaid now shows you care about the asses in the seats now just as much as hoping for future.

Reality is I don’t trust Harlan to get the job done so he should be first to go.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Your points are all valid. Maybe a switch to the Big 12 will spark some interest. It only takes a great coach or player to make a big difference. Look at USU last year. With the portal things can change faster. NIL can’t survive in the long run.

[PlainsUte]

Some of you all need to start up some MLM, energy drink and/or e-coin schemes so you can make some largish NIL offers.

[Charlie]

Absolutely right Miami. Merit and test scores will produce not only the greatest diversity, it also eliminates so many nonproductive hires. I have gone variety of universities, gained degrees in three different states and enjoyed advanced military training and would say the UofU is as welcoming as any. As a non-LDS I have had zero issues as well.