Rupp has experience to lean on

Kerry Rupp, the man charged with coaching the Utes in Rick Majerus' absence, has been down this road before.

Just more than a year ago, while Majerus attended the funeral of Andre Miller's stepfather in Southern California, Rupp coached Utah to a 79-75 win at BYU. The victory snapped the Cougars' 44-game homecourt winning streak.

Rupp told reporters he hardly slept the night before — tossing and turning at the thought of being the man in charge.

Things, however, worked out. Rupp credited Majerus for having the Utes prepared.

"Every little thing he said to me, I wrote down because I wanted to make sure I did a good job and carried my end of the deal," Rupp said at the time. "He was really good — the game plan was in place and he said, 'If you need to make adjustments, make the adjustments you feel are necessary.' "

Weber State coach Joe Cravens can relate. As a Utah assistant, he replaced Majerus on an interim basis for 24 games in 1989-90 (going 12-12 and upsetting BYU in the WAC Tournament) while the coach underwent heart surgery.

Cravens said the biggest adjustment Rupp may face is an increased stress level. The move to head coach is a huge leap in that regard, he added, while noting that Rupp's experience against BYU could help ease the transition.

"I think Utah basketball is in good hands," Cravens said of Rupp. "He'll do fine. He's been there. The system is intact. The program is intact."

Utah athletic director Chris Hill expressed a similar belief. He reiterated it to Utah's players at a meeting with Rupp and the other coaches on Wednesday.

"I think the players and the coaching staff have a lot of confidence in Kerry," Hill said. "There's no question he's the right guy to do this right now."

Rupp is in his third season as an assistant at Utah, where he oversaw scouting and recruiting. He joined the Utes after a successful career at nearby East High, where in 1999 he was honored as Coach of the Year by the Utah High School Activities Association.

Under Rupp, the Leopards reached the state finals twice and won four region championships. He took over in 1990 following head-coaching stints at Uintah and Murray high schools.

Rupp was also a successful player — earning All-American honors at Cyprus High School. He graduated in 1972 and went on to play collegiately at Utah State and Southern Utah. As a senior, Rupp was the Thunderbirds' MVP.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com