Why can’t we find a coach

[Utah5410]

Seriously. Why is it so hard for Utah Ball to be successful. Utah St does it. BYU does it and has been doing for a while. With way more restrictions placed on them. I truly do not understand. I really don’t.

[The Miami Ute]

#AskHarlan…

[UteThunder]

It’s more than just Harlan. Hill couldn’t find anyone either.

[FountainofUte]

I remember when coach Smith came in he said “Utah has everything a program needs to succeed.”

He’s not wrong. And yet, I can’t figure out why no coach can find sustained success. I can’t see what reasonable handicap the University of Utah would have that produces the results we are getting. I know we’re not Duke or North Carolina or even Arizona. But why in the hell do our results look like a mid tier mountain west team?

[RustyShackleford]

There is absolutely no reason BYU and Utah St is having more success than us. Frankly it’s unacceptable, and it starts at the top with Harlan.

[Ute Dub]

If you’re measuring success by the tournament, Utah has been there more recently than BYU.

[bopahull]

I think people are talking about being consistently good. Utah has a history of being consistently good to great in basketball. Since Majeris left, we’ve had a couple of descent seasons, but have been at best mediocre.
This is not the basketball I grew up watching (or listening to) and I’ve been listening since at least Gardener.

[Ghost of the HEB]

We’ve made the tourney three times in past 18 years (and currently on 8 year drought). Byu-Provo bball program is much healthier than ours and has been for a while.

[FountainofUte]

If that’s your argument for why Utah mbb is still healthier than BYU (it’s not, btw) enjoy being right for another 4 or 5 days.

[UteManX]

It starts at the top with Harlan. However, smith doesn’t recruit. Ask every high school
Coach in the state. They will tell you right away that smith never recruits kids.

[AZUTE]

First off Chris Hill was super paranoid about any incoming Coach committing recruiting violations and Utah getting out on probation.

NCAA Bball recruiting was all about cash and gifts at that time and Hill wanted no part of it. So after Majerus left a lot of very good Coaches expressed interest in the job but backed away when Hill told them about the recruiting limits.

No AAU recruiting No prep school recruiting. Only HS and JC kids. That’s like telling someone they have to run the Daytona 500 in a Pinto. Giac and Boylen were willing to accept the limits. He lessened the restrictions a little with Coach K but not enough to really compete for top level kids.

Each one of those 3 had a couple of good seasons but none of it was sustainable with their hands tied behind their back by Hill.

Recruiting is the life blood of the game and Craig Smith is not a very good recruiter. Utah has decent money for Bball NIL but it’s not great. Add that to the fact Utah Bball still fights some religious and cultural stereotypes in recruiting.

You need fans to donate to the NIL to get goods recruits but fan won’t donate to a losing program. The program can’t get better without NIL money to buy better players.

In short it’s a mess.

This was supposed to be the year that springboarded Utah forward to a consistent winner and tournament participant but pick you excuse (injuries, poor coaching, inconsistent play) it didn’t.

Know Utah is moving into the best college basketball conference in America and the program has absolutely no juice right now. It’s blah it’s stagnant it’s dull it has no fire or passion.

Unless Smith and Company pull off some kind of transfer portal miracle next season he’ll be lucky to finish .500

Not to mention Smith will probably lose a player of two to the portal. It’s just the way it is nowadays in the sport. The only player I think are guaranteed to return next season are

Lovering
Wahlin
Worster
Madsen
Erickson
Ben Carlson

Tarlac
Smith
Exacte
Keita
are definite maybes on returning in my opinion.

So a guy who’s not very good at recruiting with limited NIL could have to find anywhere from 3 to 7 new players. Any players that does remain is basically a rotation bench guy. He needs an upgrade at every spot on the floor.

Good luck

[Utah5410]

Why did we bring in Smith if he wasn’t a good recruiter ? Also. AAU prep, those days are done. Get into these pipes, work your magic’s it really is unacceptable. And I understand donate money. But I’m sorry. Show me you know what you’re doing with the money.

Whit is worth every Penney. Before he knows how to build a program and work with what he’s got. He’s never been the best recruiter. But he squeezes everything he’s got out of everythone.

Hell. Ellis was a low 3 * kid. Bishop, Vaki. Mid 3 star kid. Vele walk on etc etc.

If smith can’t recruit fine. Then you’d better develop the s**t out of these kids and so far he’s shown he can’t do that.

[The Miami Ute]

Why did we bring in Smith if he wasn’t a good recruiter ?

Because he was the “easy button” for Harlan. Do you recall how that “coaching search” went? Well, if I remember correctly, there really wasn’t one. Krystkowiak hadn’t even cleared out his office and Smith had already been announced as the head coach. I don’t know where this program can go from here. I mean, the PAC 12 is easily the worst of all P6 basketball conferences and Utah couldn’t make the tournament as a member. Next year could get really, really ugly unless Smith can bring some experienced players.

[WJUte]

I don’t expect us to compete for the same players as Kansas or Carolina type players but when I see Utah State thriving with a couple dudes who played for Montana State and a group of other players from really all over the world it makes me wonder how hard the Utah Mball program really works to find the best players. NIL money is important but I think plenty of players out there jump at the chance to play in the B12. I say show Ben Carlson, Lovering, Erickson and Tarlac the door and go find some ballers.