A success story: Colleagues, friends speak highly of USU's Stew Morrill

Getting Utah State basketball coach Stew Morrill to talk about himself — personally or professionally — is like trying to wring water from a dry rag. No matter how hard you try, the result is always the same.

Personally, he doesn't need to speak for himself. He has longtime friends Richard Brimhall and Craig Drury to do that.

They know him so well they could tell about the first time he cut class, the first time he cussed and nearly everything about his high school career as a football and basketball player at Provo High School.

They could continue by telling about pawning his new birthday watch to get money for green fees (they later bought it back), going to the movies, sleepovers, picking the lock at the local church to play basketball, going deer hunting and befriending a disabled neighborhood boy and including him in their circle of friends, which still continues to this day.

"Basically we did everything together," Brimhall said of his childhood days with Morrill. "I consider him like a brother."

Professionally, his impressive 360-182 record as a college basketball coach does the talking. Postscripts added by Stanford coach Mike Montgomery and former Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote make his career even that much more impressive. In 18 seasons, he's had just one losing record.

Earlier in the month, the Aggies (24-2, 16-1) were ranked as high as 19th in the nation. It was the Aggies' first ranking in The Associated Press poll in 33 years. The Aggies fell out of the Top 25 with a loss to Pacific five games ago but have since moved back in. They were ranked 24th last week, and with wins over Long Beach and UC Irvine over the weekend they could move higher.

"Stew is a classic example of a motivator. Unlike some motivators, when the kids are through playing for him they are sad. They don't want it to be over," said Drury, the current head basketball coach at their alma mater. "It's a rewarding experience and he drives everything he can get out of them."

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Born and raised in Utah, Morrill understands the nuances of the state's unique LDS Church culture, and it is perfectly balanced out by his experiences as player at Ricks College, Gonzaga and in France; or as an assistant or head coach at Gonzaga, Montana and Colorado State.

He understands small-town USA, and he understands the inner city, and his teams are usually a reflection of both.