It's probably no secret that I've been in Boylen's corner since I first learned he was a candidate from the job. While he lacks experience as a head coach, that isn't an issue with me because I think it's an overrated asset. Ray Giacoletti was coming off the most successful stint in Eastern Washington history, but that failed to translate over to Utah.
What Jim Boylen brings is a resume that far overqualified him for the head coaching job. There's a reason he was the highest paid assistant in the NCAA and why Texas A&M a few years ago made a hard push at him before eventually hiring UTEP's Billy Gillespie. Boylen brings the experience of being an NBA coach, while also having the knowledge of recruiting and working with college athletes. That's an invaluable commodity, especially for a program like Utah.
Boylen is a disciplined coach that will bring a disciplined offense and defense to Utah. He'll push his players to achieve far greater potential than what was expected out of them, because Boylen himself was an overachiever. As a player at Maine he was named First Team All-North Atlantic Conference. That's the kind of quality he will instill into his players and I for one welcome it.
He's also tough, but understands -- like Urban Meyer -- you need a balance between being tough and a mentor-type figure. That's something that was lacking under Giacoletti and I believe it will automatically bring instant results. But what impresses me the most about Boylen is the fact he's a big man's coach. He coached Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming, so he understands the importance of having physical, strong centers and as he told the Deseret News Tuesday, "We need to toughen Nevill up." You're right Coach, and you are just the man to do it.
Welcome to Utah, Coach Boylen, I hope you have great success.