Utah has Boylen 'very interested'

Michigan State assistant coach Jim Boylen will be interviewing this week for the open Utah basketball job, perhaps today.

Boylen confirmed from Michigan on Monday that he will meet with Utah athletic director Chris Hill this week and said "I'm very interested ... It's a great job."

The meeting will not take place in Salt Lake City, however. Boylen wouldn't say when or where he would meet with Hill and preferred not to say much else about the situation.

As usual, Hill is not saying anything substantial about the U. coaching search. He was in his office Monday after spending five days in Sacramento overseeing the NCAA regional.

"We're moving along, but there's really nothing new to report," he said about the coaching search.

Hill said he was leaving today for his next assignment as a member of the NCAA men's committee. The fact that the games in San Antonio don't begin until Thursday means Hill will likely be stopping for interviews before flying to Texas.

Boylen, who turns 42 next month, has been an assistant at Michigan State under Tom Izzo the past two years after coaching in the NBA for 13 years with stops at Houston, Golden State and Milwaukee. He spent 11 years in Houston and was part of two NBA championships. He also was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1989-92.

If hired, Boylen would likely bring a defensive mentality that was missing in the Ute program the past two years. Izzo has been known for having one of the better defensive programs in the country over the past few years. He's known as a personable coach who is able to develop young players.

He also might be able to bring in players who have a chance to play in the NBA because of his extensive NBA experience. Over the years he has worked with the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Yao Ming and Jason Richardson.

Boylen is not unfamiliar with the area, having visited Salt Lake City numerous times during his 13 years in the NBA as an assistant as well as spending time in Utah coaching in the Jazz summer league.

A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Boylen played collegiately at Maine, where he was a point guard, averaging 21 points a game as a senior.

Boylen's name has already been mentioned in connection with the recently opened job at the University of Michigan. He also was a candidate for the Texas A&M job three years ago, but has been selective in the jobs he has pursued over the years.

Hill wouldn't give a timetable for naming a coach, although it isn't likely to happen this week because of his NCAA duties.

While it is not known how many candidates Hill has interviewed or will interview, it is believed just a handful of candidates are on Hill's radar.

Other possible candidates are Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor, Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall and Kent State coach Jim Christian.

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