He sounds impressive. His portfolio and results are of a much larger scope than Larry Scott. I’ll be very interested to see what changes he makes.
He killed the presser. I’m hopeful/optimistic he will succeed where Larry Scott failed…time will tell. Even though he lacks the college administrative experience, he sure sounds like a guy who can listen to the ADs and partner with campuses to make things better for the student athletes and conference. And I’m really interested to see what he does with the upcoming media rights contract…this should be his area of strength.
Football. Football. Football. If he can get that right, everything else will fall into place.
TVs TVs TVs. I visit the east coast often. They starve for PAC12 stuff. Best football the East Coast has ever seen. *And hopefully the best refs you’ve ever seen.
Can confirm. It’s SEC and B1G all day and PAC12 after dark. If you haven’t done a Utah game thread on r/cfb you’re missing the party.
I’m going to have to check out the r/cfb thread during a Utah game. Thanks for the suggestion.
No problem! It’s a watch party with fans around the country. Even the byu fans are decent for the most part because they get put in place quick. The Utah fans for the most part represent the school well. You’d be surprised. Utah has picked up fans looking for another team to like. We tend to have pretty entertaining games.
It will be a hell of a lot easier to get a good TV contract if we have two or three title contenders in football.
Wrong, it will be a hell of a lot easier if we get the right people to dial it in. You have no idea the demographics vs 10 years ago. Times are a changing bro
I finally got around to watching Kliavkoff and I’m optimistic that he gets it. He spent a lot of time talking about some things we can do to help out football. Time will tell, but I feel pretty good about this hire. Johnny, you’re right, the demographics are shifting. For now, it’s still about kissing football’s ass though (see SEC & BigTen).
Looks encouraging. He needs to move the Pac 12 offices to a more affordable location like Las Vegas where also 3 people can meet without a zoom call. Next, since he is not a college football guy, I hope he gets a second in command that is. Still, first up, fix the TV problems and that will go a long, long way. He also has the clear example of what not to do, so we can all expect improvement.
BREAKING The next #Pac12 commissioner is MGM president George Kliavkoff, per source. He took BAM and generated billions for them; did a big deal with HULU. "He's proven he knows how to get s**t done. He's not Larry Scott. He's gonna listen, collaborate and build trust with ADs."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) May 13, 2021
I like it! It’s about time we got the mob involved with the PAC12…
Well if you want things to run right…
Russian mob, even better.
Give DirecTV an offer they can’t refuse.
I’m not sure about this hire. What’s his experience with professional women’s tennis?
I like it. More games and other events are coming to Vegas.
Pretty good background here
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/SB-Blogs/Newsletter-College/2021/05/13.aspx
New p-12 slogan, “ What happens in the Pac 12 stays in the Pac 12.”
That’s been the P12 Network slogan for years!
What happens in the Pac-12 stays on the west coast.
HUH?
So is Larry Scott get fired, or step down?
Neither. His contract wasn’t extended.
That’s a nice way of firing someone.
https://twitter.com/pac12network/status/1392870428012474368?s=21
Rumors are…. Bill Walton? OMFG
If it is Bill Walton…is it possible to get back into the MWC? Asking for a friend.
Harlan must have had inside info. Seen it comming. He has already hired MWC basletball coach.
No. Just no. We thought our conference is the laughing stock of the P5 conferences NOW?
Jon Wilner says he heard a leaked name but it is so shocking he needs 4x confirmation.
I have figured out the ID of the next #Pac12 commissioner but am so shocked that quadruple confirmation is required to make sure I'm not being set up.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) May 13, 2021
Another rumor was Condoleeza Rice.
Heard the other day Oliver Luck was the leading candidate. If it’s that shocking to Wilner, I’m guessing it’s not him.
George Kliavkoff? Wow! He doesn’t even have a wikipedia page yet. Very shocking. Hope he does well!
Not sure if it can get worse so it’s only up from here
Bronco Mendenhall officially denying that he is the choice for Pac-12 Commish.
Latest news MGM Entertainment and Sport Director hired as Pac-12 Commissioner.
AP source: Pac-12 hires sports entertainment executive George Kliavkoff of MGM Resorts as its new commissioner.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) May 13, 2021
Weird.
Ian and coach K are gone folks, lets move on.
Give Mr Smith a chance, and see where things are in 2-3 years.
do we really want kids here because of the daddy caoching ties?
But… he’s already been here for like two months! 😉
No Way! We need football off season doldrum drama from the BB to kill time until football starts rolling around :)!
6’9” 5* PF Patrick Baldwin Jr just committed to Milwaukee university of the Horizon league because his Dad is the HC Coach there.
So yeah if it means a package deal to get top recruits you do it.
Since when did this Daddy coaching thing happen? I don’t like it!
It goes all the way back to Kansas hiring Danny Manning’s Dad
I can understand the “everyone is doing it, so we also need to do it” perspective. But I am not sold on the idea that hiring a kid’s dad to get a top recruit is a good thing for a team. I think it could result in a cancer on the team. Too much risk for conflicts of interest, special treatment, etc.
Frankly, I would be embarrassed if I were the kid. I would not want to play for a school that hired my dad as a way to sign me. Nor would I want to play for my dad in a competitive environment (even if he had been hired long before my recruitment). I would want to make my own path without any hint of favoritism. But that is not for everyone.
I found that professional basketball coaches in Belize (Costa Rica isn’t too far away) make $6000 to $30000 a year. If there is away to help your family, you don’t think any kid would get their dad a coaching gig???
1st world problems.
To each their own. I would be embarrassed if I were the dad or the kid. The dad should get a job based on his merits as a coach; not as a handout to gain favor with his son. If I were the kid, I would be embarrassed that the only reason my dad got a job there was as a bribe to get access to me.
Good Lord. Are you comparing Puerto Rico to Belize??? LOL Get out and see the world, man
It is Costa Rica, not Puerto Rico. Perhaps learn how to read before criticizing.
My bad, I’m mixing up players with the coaches. Even then, Costa Rica is worlds apart from Belize. Belize is one of the poorest countries in the region with half the population under the poverty level. Costa Rica so different than Belize.
Besides the point, the hiring of player’s dad to land the player is weak.
Ultimate in helicopter parenting!
But what if the Dad didn’t need a job but needed a car upgrade? Much less money.
.
https://twitter.com/bostynholt/status/1392198540944809986
He has the build of a baller, but he’s a complete unknown as far as I can tell.
6’7″ wing.
9.6pts/6.5 rebs/57%FG/43%3pt in 22 mpg.
Won JUCO natty last year.
Here are some Holt Highlights…
Hopefully he’s a diamond-in-the-rough get for us. His offer sheet consists of Idaho, Portland St, Iona, North Texas, and Louisiana Tech…so not exactly a big recruiting win. But he looks like a solid player from his highlights. It does seem a bit concerning with over 1500 in the transfer portal that we are looking to the JUCO ranks for players.
Seems to me that Smith is seeing his shooting percentages and expecting it will scale with more minutes. After what I saw out of the Running Utes the last two season, I’ll gladly take a SF who shoots 43% from deep.
I like what you’re thinking there and I’ll add that Smith thinks defense first and this “wing” grabbed 13 rebounds to win the NJCAA championship game.
This kid’s other offers were from Idaho, Portland St., North Texas, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, and Iona. We are sending players to Power Five programs and bringing back low end Mid Major talent. The two players Smith talked into comming back from the transter portal were in the portal because they probably wrer not going to get playing time if they stayed.
I keep hearing that this was a good coaching change. So far we have traded a team that was ready to make some noise, for a team that does not belong in the Pac 12.
You make mostly fair points. But Larry K had “a team ready to make some noise” the next season for the past 5 seasons. But they did not make noise (at least, not the good kind). Had Larry been retained, I find it hard to believe next season would have been the exception (I bought that promise the past three seasons, to my disappointment).
Smith will likely take some time to get “his” guys and build the program they way he wants. He was not a splashy hire that was going to reel guys in on name value. But Smith strikes me as the scrappy kind of coach that will get the type of players he wants and the type of players that wants to be in his program. A new coach deserves time to do that.
Look a little closer. This (was) a team that had more talent than any team since Majerus left. All of the key players were staying. With Stefanovic and Thelissen comming in they were getting more depth. As a team they committed to hitting the weight room to gain strength. That light finally went on for Carlsen. Five of the 7 teams that finished ahead of Utah went to the Dance and left with the best record of any league in the country. Considering that the committee (in my opinion) screwed the pack 12 over on the seeds they did an amazing job. 13 and 5. If Az. was not on self probation and Oregon and USC having to play in the same bracket, (that is a discussion in itself) it would have been better. I believe that 10 years of Majerus lunchens taught me a little about what it takes to be a successful NCAA Tourney team. Utah was there.
You are assuming that the key contributors would have stayed, which is not believable since most reports were that some (Mikki at least) were planning on leaving regardless.
Disagree. Delon NBA, Poeltl NBA, Kuzma NBA. Which player from last years team is a first round pick and NBA mainstay?
First round picks are rare. If Ian Martinez puts in the work. He has the athletic ability to be a potential NBA first rounder. Pelle Larson will get a good look from the NBA. Jantunen, Thelissen, and Stefanovic will have careers playing pro ball. They have experience with Euro pro ball. The came here for a taste of the U.S. style of the game and maybe an shot at the NBA. Timmy Allen will most likely play on Europe. If Brandon Carlson decides to put in the work (weight room) he will play pro.
I was excited to watch Matinez. He has the athletic ability to do things you just don’t see every day. Ian and his father were here to get Ian tuned up for the NBA. I would put him in a catagory with Danny Vranes, Mike Sojourner, and Jerry Chambers.
I could ramble on but it might put everyone here to sleep.
Ian Martinez has NBA potential at best. He has not proven much at the college level yet other than some brief moments of athleticism. In fairness, he’s just starting college ball. Martinez will need to put on at least 20 pounds and become a much better outside shooter and ball handler to play in the NBA. The daddy-ball thing may also be a red flag in the long run. Point is, kid has a long way to go to be considered an NBA player, first round pick is a stretch. I suspect he may be a portal hopper considering his heavy parental involvement.
Well he was a true freshman in a COVID shortened season so theres that.
Sorry, too many ifs in your post. The only fact that carries any weight is it’s been 5 years of the same story…rinse repeat. Not buying the “what could’ve been” because everything points to the fact that it would’ve ended up being yet another “rebuilding year”. Larry had more than enough chances…there’s no question it was time to move in a different direction. The change might take us a step backwards to go forwards again, I’m fine with that. What wasn’t ok was watching the program die a slow death of mediocrity where we continued to drape off the upper bowl of the Hunstman Center to make it appear more full and it was still empty.
It took Krystkowiak a long time to figure it out. I believe he finally did. What I am telling you is next year was not a rebuilding year. It was a year he was going to cash in on the building work of the previous three years. Unless you have a bunch of 5 star one and dones it takes solid upper class leadership and experience to be a good NCAA tourney team. Timmy Allen 4th yr Sr. Brandon Carlson, Jaxson Brenchley, Mikael Jantuen, and Rylon Jones all 3rd yr Jrns. Pelle Larssson and Ian Martinez 2nd yr Soph. This upper class leadership philosphy is another Majerus coaching belief. Two more solid Euro players were comming in as Fr. Other than the two players that were leaving because were not going to see the floor much. The player turnover problem had been solved. Like several have stated on this site. They quite paying much attention to basketball a long time ago. The only place that I heard of anyone else leaving the team was on this site.
A lot of folks are really high on Coach Smith. He got Ut. St. to the Dance!! As a Utah fan I hope they are right. If you a little closer his record. He got Ut. St. to the dance in a weak league. Cleveland St. and Eastern Washington got in the same way. Ut. St 1st game results pretty much the same as Clev. St. and E. Wash. The bug on the windshield analogy quite appropriate here. Tired of rebuilding, well it’s back. Another Majerus quote. “Coaches don’t make any baskets or get any rebounds. Players do. If your players don’t have talent you are not going to win” So far Smth’s recruits could do a pretty job in the Mt. West or WAC. Not the Pac 12.
Your argument assumes everyone stays. That was never going to happen. Mikki was gone regardless.
You may be right that Larry had finally figured it out and would have cashed in next year. We will never know. Unfortunately, Larry took too long to figure it out (assuming he actually did). Again, things may have turned out differently next year with Larry, but I had heard that story many times over the past 5 years. The story was not playing out. At some point you cannot expect different results when doing the same thing.
Larry had 10 years. That is plenty of time to figure things out. He did well in many regards. I like the guy. No hard feelings. But it makes sense to me why it was time to move on. I think it was time. At some point, it will be time for Smith to move on, too. Hopefully, he is so successful, that that time does not come until he retires in the record books.
Walk-on?
Moving on up… Or down as the case may. Small Ball? 3rd team Horizon League? Come on I would rather have 6’6″ Both Gage! At least he helped us beat Kentuc-ky
Jon Lucas Position: Guard. 6-2, 180lb (188cm, 81kg). Hometown: Milwaukee, WI. High School: Washington High School.
https://twitter.com/too_smoove23/status/1392166042219200514
Trivia: my brother graduated from Milwaukee Washington High. I hope the creepy zoobie Twitter replies turn him away from byu-provo.
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