This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It stemmed mostly from feeling burned after having enthusiastically greeted the arrivals of former coaches Ray Giacoletti and Jim Boylen. The result was I gave Larry Krystkowiak only a lukewarm welcome upon his hiring as the University of Utah's basketball coach in 2011, figuring that his background in the Big Sky Conference and the NBA made him basically a composite character of the previous two coaches, who failed.
Krystkowiak clearly has risen above that level of endorsement. Assured of at least a .500 record in Pac-12 play in his third season, he has rebuilt the program sooner than just about anyone could have expected, with a couple of disclaimers: The conference's level of basketball is such that becoming respectable is much easier than in football, for example. And in basketball, one or two players can make a big impact, so a quicker recovery is more reasonable.
Just the same, you could have made a lot of money in the spring of 2011 by betting that Krystkowiak would go .500 in a Pac-12 season sooner than Kyle Whittingham.
And if the Utes beat Stanford on Saturday to finish 10-8 in the conference, Krystkowiak will be 18-36 in three Pac-12 seasons — the same percentage (.333) as Whittingham's 9-18 record.
That's amazing, even factoring in Whittingham's higher degree of difficulty, amid quarterbacking injuries and tough competition.
Both teams could have won more conference games in 2013-14, with a series of tough losses and missed opportunities. Yet Krystkowiak's Utes potentially can tie for third place with another victory, and that would be a remarkable achievement. Arizona's Sean Miller is the likely Pac-12 Coach of the Year, but Krystkowiak and Colorado's Tad Boyle are in strong contention.
And the Utes will have as good of a chance as any team — even Arizona, their possible quarterfinal opponent — of winning the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas next week.
Twitter: @tribkurt