Utah athletic director Chris Hill has said in the past that selecting a new coach is not about "winning the press conference."

But Jim Boylen did anyway.

The 41-year-old Boylen, who had been listed as the prime candidate for the job by the Deseret Morning News a week earlier, was introduced as Utah's 14th head basketball coach Wednesday afternoon at the Huntsman Center.

And he wowed the crowd with talk of annual championships and bringing toughness and winning back to Utah basketball.

"This is a big day for me," he said. "I'm pumped. To say I'm jacked up would be an understatement."

Boylen comes from Michigan State where he was an assistant the past two years under Tom Izzo after being an assistant there for five years early in his career. In between he coached as an assistant in the NBA, 11 years with the Houston Rockets and one each with the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks.

"I felt I was born for this job," he said. "I'm excited. My family's excited. I feel in my heart we can be great here at Utah."

Boylen signed a five-year contract worth $575,000 per year for base salary, radio and TV compensation and camps. His wife, Christine, was also present along with their two young daughters, as well as Boylen's two brothers, Freddy and Bobby.

The Michigan native said he had eyed the Utah job for many years, going back to his days in the NBA when he made frequent visits to Utah. He estimates he's spent 250 days in Utah over the past 15 years during NBA playoffs and coaching in summer leagues for 10 years running.

"I love the community," he said. "Great people, great families.

"I've got two small children. I think it is a great place to live, raise your family and compete at the highest level. Those combinations are not easy to find, to be in a major city with an NBA team where basketball is valued. I just think there couldn't be a better fit for me."

Hill said he had met personally with eight possible candidates during the past month, although he preferred not to identify them.

He talked how Boylen sold him during his hourlong interview in San Antonio with his preparation and enthusiasm. Hill said at one point during the interview Boylen was standing up showing Hill how to defend the post and the pick and roll.

"I love his enthusiasm, I love his commitment, I love his ability to hold people accountable," Hill said. "I share the vision with Jim on how good we want to be and how we want to treat our student-athletes and how we want to develop them."

Boylen stressed the idea of team and getting the support from the community and students.