Chris Hines' three lifts Utah to shocking victory over New Mexico in The Pit

by JazzyUte on Feb 20, 2011 4:06 PM MST in Basketball

This was a pleasant surprise!

Chris Hines Game Winner vs. UNM at The Pit (Fixed Audio) (via ak1knight)

Now comes the tough part - using this win as a bridge to future success. The Utes have been here before and reverted back to their old play. Will this time be different? Has the team finally broken through? More importantly, has Jim Boylen saved his job?

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I still think

Boylen is gone.

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by Jeremy Mauss on Feb 20, 2011 4:45 PM MST reply actions

Me too...

But if he wins out and can climb above .500, I think he should be brought back. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen.

by JazzyUte on Feb 20, 2011 5:15 PM MST up reply actions

I am on the fence if he should go or not.

1) He has the $2 million buyout clause.
2) Utah doesn’t have extra money to spare.
3) Boylen was allowed to reload at the beginning of this season. Let him finish what he started.
4) Don’t turn the Utah head coaching job into a coaching carousel that nobody wants.

I agree that so far the results are not satisfactory. I agree with whatever Chris Hill decides.

Smug self-righteous judgment of others does not make you classy. Going out of your way to call people classless does not make you even classier.

by daedalus17 on Feb 21, 2011 5:01 PM MST up reply actions

Here's hopin'

I’m interested to see how we finish because to me it seems like this may have turned a corner. After the last three game winning streak I didn’t feel like they had really turned a corner so I was not surprised that the losing streak reimmerged. The last three games though, including the BYU loss have been different. The offense has been less chaotic and the fundamentals have been better. I still don’t think boylen is a great coach but it seems this team and coaching staff has actually made some real progress lately. Lets hope….

so there

by Steamboat Billy on Feb 20, 2011 5:06 PM MST via mobile reply actions

I missed it...

why wasn’t Clyburn playing yesterday?

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by UtesFan89 on Feb 20, 2011 5:07 PM MST reply actions

Hurt foot. He should be back next game.

so there

by Steamboat Billy on Feb 20, 2011 5:08 PM MST via mobile up reply actions

Thanks

Ah okay, so nothing too bad (I hope). That’s good.

RIP Nick Adenhart. 4/9/09
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by UtesFan89 on Feb 20, 2011 5:14 PM MST up reply actions

Jim Boylen is a nice guy...

And we all either like him or want to like him. He’s got good experience but has trouble teaching that to his athletes. As they gain experience I see this team getting a lot better and I think he’s back next year. I personally like the guy, but I can’t take another year of the Utes getting their asses handed to them.

by Classless Ute on Feb 20, 2011 10:17 PM MST via mobile reply actions

I think it'll depend on where Utah finishes...

If Boylen finishes below .500, he won’t return. If he finishes above .500, he will return.

If he finishes at .500 – well that’s going to be tricky.

by JazzyUte on Feb 20, 2011 11:57 PM MST up reply actions

Come on Guys!

Please don’t let one lucky shot cloud your judgement. We looked absolutely awful on the final possesion and ended up with a horrible shot that happened to go in. I’ll be shocked if this means much as far as a turning point for the season.

by willlouty on Feb 20, 2011 11:07 PM MST reply actions

I'm inclined to agree...

Remember when Giacoletti knocked off #11 Air Force in Salt Lake City late in his final season here? I wondered here on Block U if that was worthy of saving his career and, in the end, it wasn’t.

Now I’m not comparing Boylen to Giacoletti, but the season is more than just one game.

by JazzyUte on Feb 20, 2011 11:56 PM MST up reply actions

I think there's a difference

they didn’t get blown out down in the pit. either way, that’s progress. If we finish above .500 I don’t really see how Chris Hill could fire Boylen. At the beginning of the year, with only 5 returning players, did anyone really think a season at or around .500 with a decent showing in the MWC tournament would be a failure?

by applesanchez on Feb 21, 2011 8:59 AM MST up reply actions

I agree if Utah finishes above .500 that Boylen returns...

But how likely is that? They need to win OUT and win the first two rounds of the MWC Tournament to finish above .500. That’s how dire their situation is.

Remember, they already have 15 losses. They can automatically add another loss in the conference tournament (I don’t think they win that), so they’re working on a 16-loss season at least.

Now does a 16-16 record get Boylen a second year? Possible.

I just don’t see that as likely. I think we’re still looking at a 17 or 18 loss season.

by JazzyUte on Feb 21, 2011 2:09 PM MST up reply actions

second year = another year.

by JazzyUte on Feb 21, 2011 2:09 PM MST up reply actions

+1

…it felt like when the Three Stooges catch a criminal, purely by accident. I’m pretty sure I heard a “WOOB, WOOB, WOOB, WOOB”…as Hines dribbled in a circle before he heaved up the shot.

If anything, the fact that the offense was so awful even with 15 seconds to set something up should be further proof that Boylen isn’t cut out for the job.

by Middy_U on Feb 21, 2011 9:36 AM MST up reply actions

Lucky/Ugly shot or not, It was awesome.

I watched it over and over. Plus it was the cap on a great come-from-behind win.

I was happy that they had the drive to come back after getting down late in the game.

Smug self-righteous judgment of others does not make you classy. Going out of your way to call people classless does not make you even classier.

by daedalus17 on Feb 21, 2011 5:07 PM MST up reply actions

Don't get me wrong...

I don’t think Boylen is the guy and I don’t think this team is looking great but i do think they are looking better. The offensive scheme has been tweaked these last 3 games and it has helped. I’m not near as frustrated watching them play now as I was earlier. There is some progress…. and hey, I’ll take it…

so there

by Steamboat Billy on Feb 21, 2011 10:54 AM MST reply actions

Right

IF we get rid of Boylen, we better have a clear, solid, and tested plan going forward, not a fire for fire’s sake. I lean toward one more year.

"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours." -Yogi Berra

by SLC_Bruin on Feb 22, 2011 11:52 AM MST up reply actions

Firing just for the sake of firing is just as bad as bringing Boylen back just for the sake of bringing him back...

Especially when you consider bringing Boylen back next year just won’t be for another year. If Hill brings him back, he’s going to have to commit to two years because you can’t have a lame duck head coach for an entire season. It will kill recruiting.

Add the fact Utah basketball is going to lose a lot of its talent next year and the situation is going to be far more dire if Boylen fails than it will be this year. No one is going to want to take the job if again if there is a dearth of talent and a failed recruiting plan since no one wanted to sign with Boylen knowing he wouldn’t be back in a year.

Then we’re faced with not only the potential of THREE straight losing seasons, but getting a coach who is exactly in the same mold as Boylen. If not worse. Maybe we can only hire a BYU assistant.

So the option would be to bring Boylen back for a sixth year, which would probably be a losing season anyway.

Imagine attendance and fan excitement after that string.

So no, I don’t believe your scenario is any better for the program than firing Boylen after this year. In fact, I’d wager we have a lot more to lose – especially since I’ve heard Hill has some really good coaches lined up to replace Boylen if he’s gone after this season.

I doubt those coaches would take over the job a year from now with the team replacing a great deal of its talent and no solid recruits coming in to help bridge the gap there. Not an ideal situation at all.

by JazzyUte on Feb 22, 2011 1:30 PM MST up reply actions

True

Very valid points, and I am especially glad that “Hill has some really good coaches lined up to replace Boylen if he’s gone after this season.” That makes me much more comfortable.

The Pac-12 transition may help (in bigger potential hires), but I am worried, since the league is overall young (1-2, UA and UCLA are both very young; most schools besides UW are also quite young and could be better next year) and on an upswing from a very low spell last year.

"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours." -Yogi Berra

by SLC_Bruin on Feb 22, 2011 3:04 PM MST up reply actions

Always nice to win at the Pit

Especially in our last visit there for the foreseeable future. However, my heart sank as they start running the weave with 15 seconds left in the game. That has to be the dumbest offensive set I’ve ever seen – and it’s a Boylen staple. What does it accomplish? Gets the guard wide open from 30 feet away I guess. How about some back cuts or off the ball screens to open up our two 7 footers for an easy bucket? Something? Oh okay, the usual leave it up to a guard to create his own shot against good D, oh great, he fumbled it to half court with 5 seconds left, another fumbled final play for Boyl… YES!!

I do hope this gives the team some much needed confidence and they finish strong, but I just don’t see it happening. I don’t see how Boylen stays around next year, as much as I want him to succeed, but then again, who is out there to replace him? No need to toss him out unless there is better blood waiting.

by Thlete on Feb 21, 2011 1:19 PM MST reply actions