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Logan • In a nomadic profession where moving from job to job every few years is more of a requirement than an option, Tim Duryea is the exception.

He moves around as much as the Aggie Bull statue on the Utah State campus.

He doesn't care if the grass might be greener because he rarely looks on the other side of the fence.

Duryea is an in-the-moment basketball coach who prefers to focus on the task at hand — not the pursuit of his next job.

In the 27 years since breaking into the business as a graduate assistant at Colorado State, Duryea has made three moves. He went from CSU to North Texas, from North Texas to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College and from Hutchinson to Utah State.

He has coached in Logan since 2001, although his 15th season will certainly be his most challenging.

On March 30, Aggie athletic director Scott Barnes ended a two-month search for Stew Morrill's successor by promoting Duryea, who had been the associate head coach since 2008.

Duryea was not exactly the front-runner during the excruciating process.

"It was a little surreal," he said. "We've all been here long enough that we haven't thought much about needing to find jobs. Then, all of a sudden, it was like, "Are we going to have to look for a job? What are we going to do next year?' … It was a tense time."

Barnes discussed the Utah State job with a handful of candidates, including Utah assistant Tommy Connor and Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood.

In the end, however, Duryea was hired.

"For awhile, it wasn't certain that would happen," Morrill said. "But the bottom line is it did happen and, at the press conference, I congratulated Scott Barnes on his hire."

According to Morrill, Duryea is a perfect fit for Utah State, which finished 18-13 last season, including a surprising 11-7 in the Mountain West Conference.

"Tim deserved it," Morrill said. "… He was the best guy for the job. He understands Utah State and recruiting kids to Logan, Utah and the the Mountain West. He knows the numerous ways you have to uncover kids here. He has a total understanding of the job. To me, that makes him the guy with the best chance of having success."

At his retirement press conference, Morrill spoke proudly about succeeding without cheating, which "… believe it or not is going on a little bit" in college basketball. But he believes Duryea has the character to continue his legacy.

"If you have 100 people get to know Tim, 99 percent of them would say, 'He's a heck of a guy — a salt-of-the-earth guy,'" Morrill said. "He's very humble but very strong basketball-wise in believing what he wants."

Said Aggie assistant Chris Jones: "Tim is the best. Just a good guy. Honest. Caring. Trustworthy. He always tries to do the right thing. ... He's a guy you can always go talk to, knowing you will get a good result."

A Kansas native, Duryea graduated from North Texas after starting his college career at Texas-Pan American, where he caught the coaching bug from Lon Kruger, now at Oklahoma.

"I just really respected the way he coached and, at that point, I decided this would be something I'd really like to do," Duryea said.

Duryea left North Texas with a business degree, thinking he might teach and coach at the high-school level. But he quickly got a job as a graduate assistant at Colorado State.

"I got lucky," Duryea said. "I got in and somehow stayed in. … I've always been a basketball junkie and I knew I wanted to be involved in the game somehow."

While interviewing at Colorado State, Duryea met his future wife, Angie. He was walking the concourse at Moby Arena with athletic department staff member Gary Ozzello when she jogged up to them. Ozzello stopped the All-American volleyball player and introduced her to Duryea.

Alas, Angie had just signed a contract to play professionally in France and was leaving town. Duryea didn't see her again for months. When he did, the unplanned reunion came at a local restaurant, after a CSU basketball game.

"She had gotten out of her contract and was going to finish her degree," Duryea said. "… When she walked in that night, I said, 'I remember her.'"

Six months later, the new couple was engaged. They are now the parents of 19-year-old twins — one girl and one boy — and a 12-year-old daughter.

Duryea brought his young family to Logan in the summer of 2001, when he was hired by Morrill. He joined a staff that already included future Division I head coaches Randy Rahe (Weber State) and Don Verlin (Idaho).

"Randy was the one who knew Tim the best and I had a great deal of trust in Randy," Morrill said. "That's what got him on campus. But once we got him here, he fit right in.

"He was what I like in assistants. There was no question about loyalty. He was immediately part of the team. But he also stood up for what he thought. He was just a polished guy ready for the opportunity."

Remembering the move to Utah State, Duryea smiled.

"When we came here, Angie wondered about the schools and those type of things," he said. "I told her, 'Don't worry about it. We'll be here five or six years and we'll be moving somewhere else. But it hasn't turned out that way."

Duryea credits Morrill for preparing him to be a head coach. From his former boss, he learned organizational skills and a common sense approach to the job.

"If we had a bad loss," Duryea said, "we were never in the gym the next day at 5 a.m, doing anything rash. He was able to see the long term and not be reactionary. That was a great lesson because, as a coach, there's a lot of emotion involved."

Said Morrill: "Tim was with me a long time. He had numerous opportunities to leave but, to the benefit of the program, he chose to stay. So I'm thrilled he has been rewarded for his loyalty." —

Tim Duryea file

Hometown » Medicine Lodge, Kan.

Birth date » Nov. 16, 1964

High school » Denton (Texas)

College » Texas-Pan American, North Texas State (1988)

Career » Assistant at Colorado State (1988-90), North Texas (1993-97) and Hutchinson Community College (1997-99). … Head coach at Hutchinson (2000-01). … Assistant at Utah State (2002-15). … Coached in eight NCAA Tournaments, including six with the Aggies. … Coached seven conference championship teams, including six at Utah State.