I'm only posting this here, although some of my thoughts are in response to things I've read on the Cougar board the past couple of days.

Meads
I have no inside info on this, but my personal read on his decision to wait until after his mission to sign an LOI is this: He probably wants to play for Utah, but he wants to see if Majerus is still there in three years and/or if the Utah program is still competing at a national level. As I understand the situation, he has narrowed his choices to Utah and Stanford. I doubt Stanford or Montgomery are going anywhere in three years so I don't see what he has to gain by waiting to sign with them, i.e., he must be waiting to see what happens at Utah. I'm not sure where BYU fits into this. I understand that Meads has made it clear that he does not want to play with Pinnegar in college. I guess BYU may have a chance if Pinnegar transfers. Maybe Meads is waiting to see if Jud gets the head job at BYU in three years. Whatever he's thinking, I don't think this spells doom for the Utes.

Dawes
I don't see what the big deal is. If the guy doesn't want to play for Majerus I don't think we Ute fans should take it personally. Yes, he has great potential and I would love to see him in a Ute uniform, but I think its better for all concerned if he doesn't have any interest in playing for Majerus to be upfront about it now. Maybe Majerus would help him develop as a player better than most, but there's no sense in the guy spending four years in misery if he already knows Majerus' style is not for him.

By the same token, Dawes' comments in the Tribune today do not suddenly make Majerus a bad recruiter because of his "yelling." Maybe he's not for everyone, but he has proven he develops players as well as anyone in the business and he wins with the guys he gets. If missing out on recruits that don't want to be yelled at is the price we pay for the program we currently have, I'll take that deal every time.

The NIT
I hate whining fans - but I'm about to become one. If you take a look at those brackets its clear who the NIT wants in New York - and it ain't the Utes. The Utes should be good next year, and Kentucky probably won't be the team they have been, but its still going to be a pretty tall order to go into Rupp Arena and get a win. If by some miracle the NIT lets that game happen in the JHC, the Utes chances are better, but I don't see that happening. This sucks because if the Utes could make it to the Garden, they would be guarunteed two great games. At least we'll have that Cardinal Stritch game to look forward to.

The state of Utah vs. BYU basketball
This is mostly in response to posts on the BYU board. I'm not quite seeing where some BYU fans are getting this idea that BYU basketball will be blowing Utah basketball away in a few short years. "On paper" Utah appears to be stocked for the next 4 years (with or without Majerus) and BYU won't really have anyone to write home about until Pinnegar, Bobick, Bigelow, and perhaps Dawes are all on the floor at the same time. That is at least three years away.

Further, for as long as Majerus stays, I'll take Utah basketball over BYU basketball any day.

Of course, anything could happen. Majerus took a WAC 6th place team to a 30-4 reccord the next year. Its possible that Cleveland could do something simliar, even though "on paper" his team sucks for the next three years. I'm not going to take the position that BYU will never again have a good team.

But I don't know where this idea of an impending Utah collapse is coming from. As I said before, the Utes are stocked for the foreseeable future, also many "national" recruits are now listing Utah as a place they are considering. Even if Majerus leaves soon, (and I really don't think he will with all of the talent that he will have), I'm sure Chris Hill will hire a good replacement. At the level the program is at now, Utah would have to be a step up for a lot of really good coaches out there.

Ok that's enough.

On the BYU board there were a few messages that mentioned that BYU would be the front runner if Meads went on a mission. The only reason this is the case, I can think of, is that a mission experience will bring you closer to that 'true school' or whatever that propoganda may be. Meads will not end up at BYU, he is too good and would find an equally good experience, if not better, at another school...whether that be Utah, Stanford or some other school of his choice.

The state of the BYU Utah rivalry is definitely entering a new dimension as Utah is now getting its fair share of recognition from the national media. THe LDS factor has always been a big draw for BYU from national LDS recruits. But the ability that Majerus has had to recruit potentially good player and now nationally recognized players is putting the rivalry is a new sphere. So long as the Utes can continue to perform in league play and in the NCAA's they will always be able to be on the lists of the national recruits and hopefully landing their share in the process.

It doesn't hurt to also have a coach who has a reputation of developing certain types of players...i.e. John Thompson at Georgetown and centers, etc. Majerus does have that reputation as a developer of big-man talent, as at the end of next year he will have sent 2 power fowards, and a center to the NBA. The fact that Miller graduated and was a lottery pick, Harvey turned his game around mid-season and Colbert could pull off a Miller, would signal to potential academically troubled kids that Majerus could help them not only graduate, but get into the NBA. Finally, with the play of Jensen and if he gets into the NBA, that would give the LDS players hope that if they choose Utah over BYU then they would have a better chance at making it to the NBA. This would especially help if Britton could make the jump to the NBA as well. THat would be a big advantage the Utes have over the Y. This would continue of course unless the Y gets their act back together.

Insert 2 cents

Utah is slowly but surely elevating its' entire visibility. Some programs are not even close to others yet a dramatic move towards upgrading is paying dividends already.

While BYU will always be the natural prime target, due to proximity there is a distinct effort, I think for the first time to elevate to a national stage.

BYU has an excellent football program, I cannot deny this. Yet they have not really done a lot of things to reinforce what they laid a foundation for in 84.(Even then it is questionable if they really could have beat Oklahoma that year.)

Utah with basketball is self explained. Yet the new Rice Eccles makes a statement well beyond its' beauty. It is not huge but it will hold 50,000 people. Yes there have been a good many empty seats..that will change... You can feel a palpable difference on how Utah is viewed even from 2500 miles away. There is something building. A momentum. Chris Hill has made it his business to change the perception of the Utes.Majerus did his part. It will take time but it is happening.

BYU has a number of quality things to offer yet none of them ever seem to translate across the country.

Within the next few years we will see a dramatic shift in the Utes athletic programs as a whole. Upwards and not downwards. THis shift will also include the priorities of who we want as competition.

While BYU fans view seems to end in Utah, the Utes are starting to look beyond their natural confines. There is life outside of the fixed Mountain West region which has been the limits for 100 years.

The Utes and BYU will always be a natural but Utah's real challenge and playground has the potential to be the nation.

I would love to see that... My thoughts only but I feel a distict change in the last few years. Exciting............. It will happen!

I completely agree with you, DC.
I have no doubt that Chris Hill has somewhere in his desk, a wish list of coaches he would love to have, if Majerus bolts anytime soon. I can't imagine him hiring from within, nor could I see him going to Juddy offering him a 'welcome home'. Without being over-zealous, Utah has way too much stature as a national power to go after someone with little or no coaching experience, let alone modest success. Only Arizona and UCLA (and the Bruins have lost their luster lately) are more respected west of the Rockies.
A guy I like (as well as everyone else) is the coach at Gonzaga, although it looks like he might be staying there for awhile. Another coach who I feel would fit in here is Mike Montgomery at Stanford. He's in a nice situation right now, but Utah could possibly be a step up, considering he would be replacing Majuerus.

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