He also got off just the right amount of gag lines, including the one when a reporter asked him about the NBA championship ring he was wearing from his days as an assistant with the Houston Rockets. Did the ring help him get the job? "I'll tell you what," he said. "It helps you in recruiting."

Hearty laughs all around.

Asked if he thinks of Utah as a mid-major program, he replied, "This is a high major to me, and if not, we're going to make it one." He later referred to it as a "high, high major."

So look out North Carolina.

He even had an acronym, not unlike former football coach Ron McBride's "MAFU," which stood for mental toughness, attitude, fanatical effort and unity. Boylen's is PPTPW — "Players play, tough players win!"

Or maybe it should be CCGCW — Coaches coach, great coaches win.

Throughout the proceedings, there was the usual mixture of optimism, tinged by the faint air of insecurity. Meyer's quick departure still hasn't been forgiven by some Ute fans. He, too, was on the podium not long ago, saying he had no plans to leave.

So when the question arose, Boylen pointed out that he wants to raise his family in a family-friendly city, and that he has moved four times in five years. "If you think I want to move again, you're crazy. ... We're here for the long haul."

Who's to say? Rick Majerus stayed 15 years, Urban Meyer two, Ray Giacoletti three before being fired.

That's the thing about these introductions. It's partly about promises, partly about plans. But it's mostly about getting all jacked up.

---

E-mail: rock@desnews.com