Boylen is new U. coach

Jim Boylen has been very selective in looking at basketball head coaching jobs over the years.

Three years ago when he was an assistant coach with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, he came close to getting the Texas A&M job when Billy Gillespie was hired.

Then, earlier this month when the University of Utah head coaching job opened up, Boylen went after it hard.

The Michigan State assistant obviously impressed Utah athletic director Chris Hill, who will introduce Boylen this afternoon as the new Ute head basketball coach.

A press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Huntsman Center lounge.

The 41-year-old Boylen will replace Ray Giacoletti, who was let go on March 2 after three seasons, including two straight losing seasons.

"I think it's a good fit," Boylen said, even before he was officially named the new coach. "I think Utah can be a perennial Top 20 program."

Boylen said he is "very familiar with the area," and said he researched the Ute job thoroughly before pursuing it.

Coaching 13 years in the NBA, including 11 with the Houston Rockets, allowed him annual visits to Utah, and he has even vacationed in Utah in the summer. "It's a special place," he said.

Boylen lists his strengths as developing talent, teaching, recruiting, helping players get to the NBA and being a "people guy."

When asked about his lack of head coaching experience, Boylen pointed out he had a lot of responsibility at Michigan State and believed his experience in the pros and at one of the nation's premier programs would trump head coaching experience at a small school.

Boylen already knows all about the Utes' defensive deficiencies this past season. Michigan State is known for its defense, and Boylen wants to bring that to Utah. The Spartans ranked sixth in the nation in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense and eighth in rebound margin.

"I want to instill a defensive mindset," he said. He's also aware of individual Ute players, adding, "We need to toughen (Luke) Nevill up."

MSU coach Tom Izzo reportedly called Hill the day Giacoletti was let go to recommend his assistant for the job. Izzo has been unavailable for comment but has praised Boylen in the past, saying, "Jim adds many different dimensions to our coaching staff."

Several other former Izzo assistants have gone on to become successful coaches.