Shaking that Montana coaching tree
Judging by the way the coaching search has gone so far, it might be fair to wonder whether athletic director Chris Hill is trying to turn the Huntsman Center into a branch campus of the University of Montana.
Consider:
Former Montana coach Mike Montgomery was the first hot name to emerge in the search, though Montgomery told Hill he wasn't interested. (Hill, of course, absolutely would have been.) Then, Hill tried to hire Larry Krystkowiak, who played for Montgomery at Montana and later coached the Grizzlies.
Now, sources indicated the Hill plans to interview Michigan State assistant Jim Boylen when the Spartans finish their season. And how did Boylen start his coaching career? By working at MSU under former coach Jud Heathcote - who coached at Montana even before Montgomery.
Sensing a pattern here?
If nothing else, it certainly suggests a comfort level with the Montana coaching tree and the kind of coaches it seems to produce - level-headed, unpretentious guys who know the game and tend to put a premium on defense.
Utah State's Stew Morrill is one of those guys, and Hill considered him for the job when it was open three years ago. Naturally, Morrill was the guy who followed Montgomery as the coach at Montana.
One other guy whose name occasionally gets floated as a potential current candidate is Old Dominion's Blaine Taylor, who followed Morrill as the Montana coach, and later employed Krystkowiak as his assistant for a year at ODU.
Certainly, that credential would seem to qualify him for consideration.
But several sources have indicated the while Taylor wouldn't mind getting back out West at some point, he's unlikely to leave ODU for anything but a spectacular offer, in part because he has two teen-age kids in the middle of high school whom he's not keen on uprooting just now.
Taylor also has four years remaining on a contract that reportedly pays him a base salary of $200,000 - that's more than the $175,000 the Utes paid Giacoletti - though his annual total, with incentives and media deals, is believed to be well within $400,000. The Utes paid Giacoletti a total of nearly $500,000 a year.
Taylor is expected to have another great team lined up for next season, too, after the 24-8 Monarchs finish this season in the NCAA Tournament. A good tournament run could make him too hot (and in turn, too expensive) for the Utes, as well, if he's not already - having compiled a 118-67 record at Old Dominion.
But he does have that Montana feel.
Consider:
Former Montana coach Mike Montgomery was the first hot name to emerge in the search, though Montgomery told Hill he wasn't interested. (Hill, of course, absolutely would have been.) Then, Hill tried to hire Larry Krystkowiak, who played for Montgomery at Montana and later coached the Grizzlies.
Now, sources indicated the Hill plans to interview Michigan State assistant Jim Boylen when the Spartans finish their season. And how did Boylen start his coaching career? By working at MSU under former coach Jud Heathcote - who coached at Montana even before Montgomery.
Sensing a pattern here?
If nothing else, it certainly suggests a comfort level with the Montana coaching tree and the kind of coaches it seems to produce - level-headed, unpretentious guys who know the game and tend to put a premium on defense.
Utah State's Stew Morrill is one of those guys, and Hill considered him for the job when it was open three years ago. Naturally, Morrill was the guy who followed Montgomery as the coach at Montana.
One other guy whose name occasionally gets floated as a potential current candidate is Old Dominion's Blaine Taylor, who followed Morrill as the Montana coach, and later employed Krystkowiak as his assistant for a year at ODU.
Certainly, that credential would seem to qualify him for consideration.
But several sources have indicated the while Taylor wouldn't mind getting back out West at some point, he's unlikely to leave ODU for anything but a spectacular offer, in part because he has two teen-age kids in the middle of high school whom he's not keen on uprooting just now.
Taylor also has four years remaining on a contract that reportedly pays him a base salary of $200,000 - that's more than the $175,000 the Utes paid Giacoletti - though his annual total, with incentives and media deals, is believed to be well within $400,000. The Utes paid Giacoletti a total of nearly $500,000 a year.
Taylor is expected to have another great team lined up for next season, too, after the 24-8 Monarchs finish this season in the NCAA Tournament. A good tournament run could make him too hot (and in turn, too expensive) for the Utes, as well, if he's not already - having compiled a 118-67 record at Old Dominion.
But he does have that Montana feel.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 9:34 AM |
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