Who is you favorite basketball coach in Utah history?

[ProudUte]

A few thought of mine:

Jack Gardner was an amazing recruiter and coach.  He took Utah to two final-four appearances and if it wasn’t because of an NCAA penalty – he would have likely been to three final-fours.  I know many of you do not remember him.  But, he was an amazing coach.  He mixed national talent with local kids to develop top-ten teams.

Coach Foster was only here three years and left for Duke.  He brought in two top-ten recruits in one season.  If he had stayed, amazing things may have happened.

Jerry Pimm did a great job, but got himself in a bit of trouble and was forced out.  He worked well with the media and the community.  Had he avoided some issues (non-basketball) he may have remained here 30 years.

Lynn Archibald was a very nice man, but not a great coach IMO.

Majerus was Majerus.  One of the best X & O guys in the history of the sport.  He was never politically correct and failed to work with the local media.  The 1998 season was very fun.  He developed some great players and turned others away with his vulgarity and sometimes mean-spiritedness.

The coaches since Majerus have all been failures IMO.  Coach K started off good, but something happened along the way and the team went downhill.  Too bad.

So, in the end, Jack Gardner is my all-time favorite Utah basketball coach.  I really liked Jerry Pimm, but …  Foster was not here long enough.  Majerus is likely the favorite for many non baby-boomer Ute fans.  That is understandable because he simply knew how to win and those were the glory years for those of you under 60.

 

 

[PhiladelphiaUte]

As a Gen-Xer, Majerus was my guy.  I was never really into basketball (I’m a football/hockey/lacrosse kind of guy), but during the Majerus years (aka, my college years), I did. 

And then after Majerus left, I went right back to not really caring anymore.  And it wasn’t just about the “winning” that came with Big Rick.  There was just such a presence about the whole program back then that’s been missing since.  The ’76ers had already clinched the Eastern Conference, and are the favorites to make it to the NBA title game.  And still….I don’t really care.  Sure, I “hope they win”, but will I watch?

Nope.  Don’t care that much.

So with the fat man, it wasn’t the fact that we were winning.  It was “energy” that no other basketball coach brought to the table to peak my interest.

[Tony (admin)]

Big Rick.

[Tony (admin)]

Pimm after that.

[Utesbyfive]

The Maji.

[Johnny]

Yeah definitely, Majerus. He lived near me when I went to the U. I have stories. Hint: it was after Desert Storm.

[Hal Evans]

Toss up for me most of you are to young to remember Jack Gardner but he was outstanding. Majerus was outstanding as well in a much more complicated time.

[FountainofUte]

I’ll have to say Majerus for me. Like others, I’m a Gen-X’er who has no memory of a coach before him. At the time, all I cared about was the winning that he brought and the prestige that came to the school and community that I’m proud of. In the years since, as I hear more about his oddities and mean streak I see him a little differently.

I’ll be honest, while I had no idea about the decades of mediocrity that were about to follow his departure, I DO remember being a little relieved when he left. I thought that he had become too big for the school and that what he wanted came before the school rather than a working partnership. I was tired of his flirting with other schools every offseason. Alas, his era was a great one, and it was fun to be at the U as a student while his program was peaking.

As for LK, I wonder how history will view him? I think he gets a bad rap by the vocal minority. Was it time to part ways with him? I think yes. Was he a bad coach? No. Just an imperfect one, like most. I think history will view him as one of our “good” coaches, though not one of our “greats.” Hey, the guy got us to a Sweet 16. Yes, so did Giac, but I think LK came in to a program that had been floundering in the MWC (let alone on the national stage) and got them to a steady, winning place in a P5 conference, usually in the top half of the PAC-12. I know that’s not Wooden territory, but it’s also not bad job considering where the U program was when he inherited it.

Like Harlan said at the parting of ways, it was just time for a new voice after a decade of Larry. Sometimes a voice gets lost after a while and I think his had. But I will always be more grateful for what he did do for the program than upset about shortcomings.

[kazute]

For me Majerus. Not as much as him as a coach, but the memories I have during that time. Always relevant. VanHorn buzzer-beaters. New Years Eve midnight game against Tim Duncan and Wake Forrest. 1998. On and on.

I do have fond memories of Pimm as a very young kid. Anyone remember the 4 corners basketball before the shot clock?