This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Wednesday's announcement of a new contract for Utah basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak means he has signed two lucrative, long-term deals in the past 51 weeks.
Just imagine what may have happened if he had produced a better record than Jim Boylen.
Actually, there's no comparing Krystkowiak's 68-63 record to his predecessor's 69-60 mark, considering the school's move to the Pac-12 and the state of the program he inherited. He's very deserving of a contract that will pay him an annual average of $2.4 million — which is not beyond his market value, especially as of 2022-23.
Having taken the Utes to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual champion Duke, Krystkowiak claims Utah's only two NCAA Tournament victories in the past 10 seasons. He had to completely rebuild the program after some combination of Boylen's recruiting efforts and player defections left him with practically nothing. It's fair to throw out Krystkowiak's 6-25 initial season, which would make his record 62-38 — including 26-9 this past season.
The Utes have gone 27-27 in the Pac-12 over three seasons, including a 13-5 mark that gave them a tie for second place in 2014-15.
There's no guarantee that Krystkowiak will stay through the duration of the contract in 2023, but he definitely should feel rewarded for his efforts. Ute fans have responded to his work by coming back to the Huntsman Center. Utah's average attendance topped 12,000 this past season, the highest since 2000-01. And athletic director Chris Hill deserves credit for stepping up with another contract offer.
Krystkowiak's program should have some staying power. The shape of his 2015-16 roster hinges largely on whether or not freshman center Jakob Poeltl enters the NBA Draft, but the coaching staff's level of recruiting should sustain the Utes in the coming years, regardless.
Krystkowiak has brought in good people, not just good players, and he has established a defensive culture that should persist. He has succeeded in restoring the pride and tradition of Ute basketball, and the opening of Utah's new practice facility this summer can only help in recruiting.
Twitter: @tribkurt