Comments about ‘Ex-Ute basketball coach Jim Boylen still wonders what could have been’

Marshall Henderson might have been "raining threes." He might have also been serving a lot of suspensions for throwing punches in blow out games.

So they would have been a little bit less terrible? The program is a train wreck and has been for almost a decade.

I don't think Boylen has the make up to be a successful college coach and am glad that he is gone. Been a terrible year this year but the team has a chance to get back to be a winner year after year with Coach K in charge. With Boylen they were destined to be a .500 team most years.

If boylen knew how to get consistent effort from his players he'd still be coach at Utah ... and would probably be looking at some kind of post season play.

"He might have also been serving a lot of suspensions for throwing punches in blow out games."

Waving a hand in the face of a player who flops afterward is apparently considered throwing a punch now. Nevertheless, from everything I've heard about Henderson, the program is better off without his attitude, as well as Boylen.

Re: StGtoSLC

I'll readily admit that Emery flopped on that, but Henderson didn't just wave a hand. He threw a punch.

And, yes, the Utes are much better off without him. I think it's telling that he's not playing for a Division I program right now.

The Utes are better off without Boylen as well. They'll get better, as anybody should be better at handing his players than that guy was.

"Waving a hand in the face of a player who flops afterward is apparently considered throwing a punch now."

No, backhanding a player square in the face is absolutely throwing a punch and grounds for immediate ejection, which is exactly what happened.

Henderson was a mess and should never have been playing D1 basketball but that was also one of the biggest flops I've ever seen. I'm not defending Henderson because he got what he deserved but if an open back hand doesnt drop you like that.

I agree with motorbike, that Boylen rarely got good effort from his players. He touted himself as someone who would bring NBA talent and knew how to coach up players to the next level. I never saw that from him or with his players. He was a nice guy with a good heart but not head coach material. I wish him the best in the future.

As for ducky, you probably forgot but the Utes won the MWC conference championship a few years back and won the MWC tournament that year too. That's something your cougs couldn't do even with Jimmer. I will give it the cougs credit for winning 3 more NCAA tournament games than the Utes in the last few years. Too bad they have only won 3 tourney games over the past 30 years or so.

Good to see Watkins has stayed at the U to get his degree.

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"The program is a train wreck and has been for almost a decade."
-Duckhunter

Over the past decade, the Utes have had a 3-4 record in the NCAA tournament, a sweet sixteen finish, and the #1 draft pick in the NBA.

BYU's record in the NCAA over the past decade is 3-7, with a sweet sixteen finish and the #10 NBA pick. Look for them to make it 3-8 this year.

Certainly the Ute program is a train wreck the past three seasons, but to argue that it's been that way for a decade is a stretch, even for you Duckhunter.

Mike what is a "PAC-12 caliber player" this year? Have you watched the PAC-12 this year? To use your terminology, Utah's team has few PAC-12 caliber players this year and yet they have won more in the PAC-12, than in their non-league schedule. Maybe, your media bias eyes should see this conference, this year is no conference of champions and a conference in which just about any college player could play and do pretty well.

TheSportsAuthority, I'm not arguing that Henderson was an absolute head case and deserved to be ejected for making contact to the head area of another player, but even soccer officials will card an over-the-top flopping player, and Emery made a World Cup-quality play.

QP and StG

Get over your BYU hatred.

NOBODY could flop as fast as Jackson hit the deck after getting smacked square in the nose by Henderson's backhand.

Try it on yourselves sometime and see how you react.

No flopping was necessary. Throwing a punch, even a backhanded smack to the face, is cause enough for an ejection even if Jackson hadn't hit the floor.

MiP

Sorry, but you need to work on those math skills.

Over the past decade (2003 to 2012):

BYU: 236-91(72%) overall, 114-40(74%) conference, 3-7 NCAA, NINE 20+ win seasons, 5 conference championships

Utah: 173-142(55%) overall, 77-77(50%) conference, 3-4 NCAA, FOUR 20+ win seasons, FIVE losing seasons, 3 conference championships

btw, only four NCAA tournament losses, means Utah has only played in four NCAA tournaments in the last decade, only one NCAA tournament in the last seven years.

Utah's basketball program has been a trainwreck since Majerus left, and nothing we've seen this year suggests that's going to change anytime soon.

"NOBODY could flop as fast as Jackson hit the deck after getting smacked square in the nose by Henderson's backhand."

...unless it was premeditated. Haha, how many times do I have to say "Henderson was an absolute head case and deserved to be ejected" before it is actually understood? Just as mind-boggling is how many people still cling passionately to the idea that it was not an overdramatic reaction to contact. I have several blue-wearing friends that I can joke about the incidence with, and obviously NevadaCoug has a rational grasp on it as well. There's no "BYU hatred" involved, just calling it for what it is.

So did the Administration get antsy and unnecessarily blow up their program like BYU did to Roger Reid? It takes years to recover.

Had Utah stayed in the MWC they'd be at the bottom of league!!! PAC 12 Basketball is horrid and Boylen should take credit for ruining a program that "once was"!!!

And I'm not even a Ute fan!!

@Mip

Ok,"the last decade" was stretching it out by a couple of years. How about 'the last 7 years'? Does that make you feel better?

I consider the Crowton years at BYU to be a "trainwreck" and that included a 12 win season, a Doak Walker award winner, and top 25 ranking. You see one year of decent surrounded by multiple years of futility does not change anything.

Maybe a couple of wins more but that would have been it. Coach Boylen is a nice guy that college coaching was not his strong point. Utah needed a change to end up being successful. He can think about one more year but it would've ended up the same. He recruited the wrong kids in many cases. Discipline was not going to happen. I wish him well. I think Utah is getting back on track and will continue to support the team by buying tickets and attending the games. The most disappointing thing this year for me was the lack of student support at the games. The MUSS support for basketball was a joke! I guess the MUSS support is only for winning teams.

Some players are redshirting to play at "Division I schools a step or two below the Pac-12"? In basketball that is really bad. The Pac-12 hasn't had any good basketball teams in a couple of years since UCLA was a powerhouse. According to Bracketology, there may be three Pac-12 teams in the tournament and field seedings no higher than a #9 spot. Not only does the Pac-12 have no ranked teams, Pac-12 teams have only managed three votes combined (in each poll). If we take the makeup off the pig, the Pac-12 really isn't much of a conference.

Just thinking about Boylen on the sidelines makes my stomach turn. Grabbing the microphone at the end of a game, "We're trying hard guys, we are getting better." Duckhunter, you want to talk trainwreck? See next to Crowton's name, Jim Boylen.

Another year at the U for Boylen would have meant another year of ruining a once proud program.

Krystko has the team back on the road to success - likely a long road - but one worth following.