Reader comments
Cravens craving a new coaching gig

jbud | 12:30 a.m. July 14, 2008

is The mtn still a tv station???

Utahby5 | 1:16 a.m. July 14, 2008

Great article.

I remember meeting Coach Cravens as a young 14/15 year old participant at a Coach Rick Majerus basketball camp many years ago. I was very impressed with him. He is very deserving of a HC job and great citizen of the state of Utah. I am glad he has chosen to live here in Utah for so long.

And as for broadcasting, he is the best MTN broadcaster I have listened to. I love listening to his insight during the games. He provides analysis that only a former coach could do.

Hope he is able to find a new coaching job but will be sad see him leave the Utah booth.

Stick to Broadcasing Joe | 1:25 a.m. July 14, 2008

Lets be honest--Joe Cravens seems like a nice guy but he is a terrible head coach and if another school is crazy enough to hire him they will experience many losses and sub par seasons like we had in Ogden and what Cravens did in Idaho. He just isn't a good head coach but he is a decent assistant. He can't seem to handle the stress---remember his temper tantrum on the court a few years back when he acted like a 3 year old? Cravens was the wrong hire from the beginning and Weber State realized this several years too late. The one great season he had was because of the play of Jermaine Boyette to whom he didn't even recruit. I hope Joe sticks to broadcasting.

Comments continue below

bil@hayes.org | 7:25 a.m. July 14, 2008

craven's commentary during games is second to none....some one with that
kind of insight into the game has to be a good coach. i too, hope he gets another coaching shot, but it better be a good one because he is to good at
what he does as an analyst.

WSU Cat Fan | 7:50 a.m. July 14, 2008

Ditto "Stick to Broadcasting Joe" I couldn't agree with you more. Country Joe was not a good head coach, even the players knew it and wanted Guy Beach to get the job over Joe. The teams had a lousy offense and didn't seem to know what they were doing. Randy Rahe has been a outstanding hire, his teams play hard, and play the right way. Joe says he would have had a better season than Rahe's 1st year, they should have, with the transfer from St. Johns already being pegged as a possible MVP, but I doubt it, they would have under achieved like so many other seasons under Cravens direction.

homeytennis | 8:24 a.m. July 14, 2008

Weber rotted Cravens. Look at his record at Idaho and look what subsequent coaches have done. It makes him look like the second coming of John Wooden. Regarding Beach, isn't he in NCAA purgatory for his actions with Ray Lopes at Fresno State that almost got that school the death penalty?

Sour Grapes | 8:31 a.m. July 14, 2008

Cravens, quit the moaning. Not a single fan at Weber wanted you around anymore and are much happier with Coach Raye. I stopped going to games when Cravens was coaching because I couldn't stand watching his teams play. It was painful and very frustrating. Cravens is a quality man but a lousy head coach. Anyone willing to hire him will soon find that out. Stick to something you do good, Joe. Like broadcasting for that mickey mouse network they call the Mt. And please stop the whining!

True Weber | 8:52 a.m. July 14, 2008

A true Weber fan is synonymous with a Craven's hater. If you support this guy, we don't want you among our ranks. I'd love to see him get fired from the broadcasting job. It's not what Cravens did that makes us scorn him. It's what he didn't do.

DB | 8:51 a.m. July 14, 2008

I like Joe, and I hope he does what makes him happy. That said, the selfish side of me hopes he stays in broadcasting. I enjoy his insight and wit on both the Mtn. and Altitude. With another year or two of improving, I really think one of the "bigger boys" would pick him up to do color.

Weber Fans are Pathetic | 9:12 a.m. July 14, 2008

Cravens is a great man AND coach. You were fortunate to have that caliber a man at your piddly little school. The Mountain is also lucky to have him. He'll bring success and make better whatever organization gets him.

Vegas Ute fan. | 10:23 a.m. July 14, 2008

I am probably biased since I first met Joe when he was on Majerus' staff and I liked him as a person. I don't know if I would hire him for as a coach but, he was a class act then and I bet a he is still a class act.

I also agree with several other commentators, "Country Joe" is the best Basketball color man on the Mtn. For selfish reasons I wish he would continue to pursue that career.

Purple Power | 11:46 a.m. July 14, 2008

Cravens is best on tv talking hoops, not coaching hoops. I was never impressed with his coaching behavior while at Weber State.

A fan | 1:02 p.m. July 14, 2008

Give Cravens a break. Weber fans won't be happy until they bring Ron Abegglen back.

re: True Weber | 1:32 p.m. July 14, 2008

What didn't he do? Win the national title?

What the article didin't say... | 2:58 p.m. July 14, 2008

I donï¿½t think most people at Weber State disliked Cravens. He was very likeable and a great story teller. However, he was not a good coach. He was constantly out-coached.

Cravens does not get enough credit for being a good recruiter. But his greatest assets led to his glaring weakness. Most people familiar with the Big Sky basketball during his time at Weber State would agree that Cravens easily had the most talented teams most of the years he was there. However, he couldnï¿½t coach that talent on the floor.

For all you Cravens lovers who bash on Weber State and the fans for wanting Cravens gone, the bottom line is thisï¿½ï¿½ï¿½.he had freaking Harold Arceneaux and Eddie Gill back for their senior year and couldnï¿½t win the Big Sky. He lost the very first conference home stand. Right then we all knew he was no Ron Abegglen.

What the article didn�t say #2 | 3:06 p.m. July 14, 2008

Cravens says he had ï¿½one bad yearï¿½ at Weber State. These numbers say otherwise.
* Cravens finished with a .500 or worse mark in Big Sky play in 4 of his 7 seasons.
* Cravens finished in 4th place or worse in the Big Sky in 4 of his 7 seasons.
* Cravens failed to qualify WSU for the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 1981 and only the second time ever. Which is saying something as the Big Sky doesnï¿½t take every team every year.
* Cravens had Back to Back losing seasons for only the third time in school history.
* Cravens lost 4 out of 7 Big Sky conference games at home this season.
* Cravens won 34% of in his in state games:
Southern Utah 4-3 57 %
UVSC 2-2 50 %
USU 2-5 29 %
Utah 2-5 29 %
BYU 1-6 14 %
* Cravens had one (1) 20 win season in 7 seasons
* Cravens had a winning season in the big sky only 3 of 7 seasons
* Cravens had 3 straight loosing seasons and 4 overall if you only count games against Div 1 teams.

Ray W. | 3:15 p.m. July 14, 2008

Nice guy, not a great coach.

Please | 4:32 p.m. July 14, 2008

Cravens is the man...unless you know the guy don't rip him. Ask his former players what they think of him and your opinion will change.

Horrible James | 6:16 p.m. July 14, 2008

I wish the Mountain would give Joe more broadcasting opportunities and get rid of the ridiculous James Bates. He is so BLUE and PRO BYU that it is unfair to the rest of the league. He is not funny and every story has to do with the Cougars. Too bad the Mtn. has to have this goof ball as a commentator, turn down the sound Ute fans, he is rotten!

TJ | 12:03 a.m. July 18, 2008

Cravens is a good guy and a nice person, but not a good head coach. If you look what he did at the U, Idaho and Weber State, he's a .500 coach.

Joe's biggest error's was when he brought in Jamal Jenkins. Jamal was terrible at best and would not have even made the roster at the Junior College level. Joe played for Jamal's Grandfather at UT Arlington and was given his first coaching job there too. Joe felt obligated to return the favor in the form of a scholarship and court time to the grandson, Jamal. Weber lost a couple of really good players when they found out that no matter what they did, Jamal came first.

Another error; the motion offense. Germaine Boyette would take over and flourish in the poor offense system of no screens and designated play, but he was the only one. Joe was very luck to have Germaine there for three years. Once he left, the system crumbled fast and he had two losing seasons. Joe did in fact recruit Germaine and was always regarded as a great recuiter and assistant coach.

The reason he hasn't got a new gig, his record.

John | 12:09 p.m. July 18, 2008

It is honorable as a good administrator to allow coaches to complete their contract. Joe Cravens would have won the Big Sky Conference his next season with Tyler Jones and Nedim Pajevic returning. Tyler may have been one of the top five players to play at WSU in the past 20 seasons. WSU has won their last four titles every four years and Joe Cravens built a program to accomplish that goal during Dave Patten's senior season. Sadly, Coach Cravens was never given an evaluation to make changes since athletic director John Johnson departed to Washington State. What is equally sad is Ann Milner, president and Norm Tarbox, vice president didn't have the professional values to visit with Joe and express their concerns. Instead he told Jerry Graybeal to fire Joe because of declining attendance. Joe's last season consisted of 3 snow storms on game nights and a home game against the U of U team that was sliding down and didn't bring any fans. It didn't help that Dutch Belnap was calling boosters in Januray to get Joe fired and Ron Abegglen hired while he was doing the play by play for the wildcats. How is the attendance today?

Brad | 10:55 p.m. July 24, 2008

Joe Cravens is an exceptional coach, and an even better person. He coached the best team in WSU's school history and recruited every major contributer on that team. He is known and respected all over the world and in the game of basketball. I have associated with coaches and players in China, Switzerland, Turkey, all over the United States, and the NBA, and Joe Cravens has the highest respect, from men who actually know basketball. On a more personal note, as a former player of his. He has been like a second father to me in life, and a coaching mentor. There is nothing that this man would fail to do for his players, coaches, friends and family! Whatever institution wisely hires this man next, will benefit from his vast basketball knowledge, his love for the game, and his loyalty to those he loves.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.