Notes on the Utes -- From Their Former Coach
Having had more than a few minutes to talk with former coach Ray Giacoletti after his Gonzaga Bulldogs lost to No. 11 Tennessee here in Seattle yesterday -- here's the feature article about him that ran in the newspaper today -- I wanted to get his opinion on the Utes he left behind.
Especially since, you know, he recruited them all.
And Giacoletti was happy to oblige, having seen the Utes plenty as their game against the Bulldogs on Monday night has drawn closer. The biggest difference he has noticed, he said, was a greater sense of experience and maturity -- never mind the many different ways the Utes do a variety of things, such as defend ball screens.
Naturally, I asked him if the improved maturity was a product of last season -- disappointing though it might have been at the time.
"It's a product of the last two years," he said. "Kids that play that many minutes as freshmen get better. That's just the way it is. They've found ways to win close games, like the Cal game."
That's something the Utes could not do last season, losing six games by three points or less. I've always wondered how drastically different things might have turned out, had the Utes won even a couple of those games -- particularly the season-opener against Southern Utah at home and the double-overtime loss at Rhode Island.
Couple of early wins there, and maybe the confidence holds up a little more ... maybe the Utes survive a couple more of the close games ... they break about even for the season, maybe even win a game in the league tournament ... and Giacoletti remains with the Utes, starting this season with high hopes for a team that had almost everybody coming back.
But of course, that didn't happen.
Giacoletti said he's happy working as an assistant for close friend Mark Few and the Zags now, though, and that he's in no hurry to take another shot at head coaching. Two teams at lower levels tried to lure Giacoletti shortly after he was fired from the Utes -- "a guy, two days in a row, tried to talk me into it," he said -- but he said he "wasn't ready" to try it again.
Plus, he had already accepted a job offer from Few, in a state where he had spent years before joining the Utes.
"This is perfect," he said. "In the middle of your career, to have a chance to go learn a new system from a guy who has been as successful in the last 10 years as anybody in college basketball, it's very rare that you have that choice. I'm excited to have it."
I also asked Giacoletti about center Luke Nevill, particularly, knowing that most fans view the 7-foot-1 junior as an underachiever who -- despite his obvious skill -- still doesn't dominate or play as consistently hard as he should. That's not the way Giacoletti saw it.
"I see him just older and playing with much more poise," Giacoletti said. "He looks like, just the way he carries himself, his head's up a lot more, he looks like an older, experienced, college basketball player."
Guess we'll see how well he and the rest of the Utes hold up against the Zags, soon enough.
Especially since, you know, he recruited them all.
And Giacoletti was happy to oblige, having seen the Utes plenty as their game against the Bulldogs on Monday night has drawn closer. The biggest difference he has noticed, he said, was a greater sense of experience and maturity -- never mind the many different ways the Utes do a variety of things, such as defend ball screens.
Naturally, I asked him if the improved maturity was a product of last season -- disappointing though it might have been at the time.
"It's a product of the last two years," he said. "Kids that play that many minutes as freshmen get better. That's just the way it is. They've found ways to win close games, like the Cal game."
That's something the Utes could not do last season, losing six games by three points or less. I've always wondered how drastically different things might have turned out, had the Utes won even a couple of those games -- particularly the season-opener against Southern Utah at home and the double-overtime loss at Rhode Island.
Couple of early wins there, and maybe the confidence holds up a little more ... maybe the Utes survive a couple more of the close games ... they break about even for the season, maybe even win a game in the league tournament ... and Giacoletti remains with the Utes, starting this season with high hopes for a team that had almost everybody coming back.
But of course, that didn't happen.
Giacoletti said he's happy working as an assistant for close friend Mark Few and the Zags now, though, and that he's in no hurry to take another shot at head coaching. Two teams at lower levels tried to lure Giacoletti shortly after he was fired from the Utes -- "a guy, two days in a row, tried to talk me into it," he said -- but he said he "wasn't ready" to try it again.
Plus, he had already accepted a job offer from Few, in a state where he had spent years before joining the Utes.
"This is perfect," he said. "In the middle of your career, to have a chance to go learn a new system from a guy who has been as successful in the last 10 years as anybody in college basketball, it's very rare that you have that choice. I'm excited to have it."
I also asked Giacoletti about center Luke Nevill, particularly, knowing that most fans view the 7-foot-1 junior as an underachiever who -- despite his obvious skill -- still doesn't dominate or play as consistently hard as he should. That's not the way Giacoletti saw it.
"I see him just older and playing with much more poise," Giacoletti said. "He looks like, just the way he carries himself, his head's up a lot more, he looks like an older, experienced, college basketball player."
Guess we'll see how well he and the rest of the Utes hold up against the Zags, soon enough.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 3:47 PM |
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