This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Logan • For three months, Tim Duryea rode an emotional roller coaster into an obscured future.

On Monday, the fog lifted.

Duryea, an assistant at Utah State for 14 years, was promoted to head basketball coach by athletic director Scott Barnes during a news conference at the Wayne Estes Center.

Duryea replaces Stew Morrill, who announced in January that he would retire at the end of the season.

Morrill's decision created the opening Barnes eventually filled with Duryea, but not until what he called a "thorough national search" that left everyone from players, fans and the eventual new coach anxiously waiting for the other gym shoe to drop.

"I'm honored to be your coach," Duryea told Utah State supporters who attended the announcement. "This is home for us and we love it here. … It's a feel-good place."

"Tim understands what it means to be an Aggie and what it takes to move our program to the next level," Barnes said. "His vision, dedication and passion for leading our program could not be overlooked."

When Barnes began his search, Duryea seemed like a long shot to get the job, despite Morrill's public support.

As the hunt for a replacement continued, the list of candidates grew. It included University of Utah assistant coach Tommy Conner, Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood and ex-Arizona State coach Herb Sendek, who was fired by the Sun Devils last week.

In the end, however, Barnes handed the keys to the program to the Aggies' longtime assistant.

"First and foremost, I wanted a partner — somebody that shared my vision for what our men's basketball program could be," Barnes said. "We certainly have that somebody — someone who understands the unique attributes [of Utah State] and how to position this program to win a Mountain West championship."

In Morrill's final season, the Aggies finished 18-13 overall and 11-7 in the conference. They had been picked 10th in preseason polls.

"When you think about continuity, it becomes a very important element," Barnes said. "You don't have to look too far — our football program — to see that has worked very, very well. [But] if you don't have the right leadership, that continuity means very little. In this case, we had the right leadership at the right time."

Duryea, a Kansas native who graduated from North Texas State, acknowledged the extended search was emotionally draining.

For weeks, he did not know if he would get the Utah State job, if he would be retained by a new head coach or whether he would be working somewhere else next fall.

"It gets a little stressful … for everybody involved," he said. "You don't know what the next step is. You know what you want that step to be, but you really don't know."

Duryea was nearly overcome by his emotions while thanking Morrill, who hired him after they talked at a Logan diner in the summer of 2001.

"Almost 15 years ago, we shook hands and [he] made me an Aggie," Duryea said. "Time flies."

After a long pause, he added, "Coach took me on the ride of my life. [He] has 402 wins at Utah State and I've been lucky and fortunate to be part of 331 of them. That has really been a great experience."

Duryea's staff will include holdover assistants Chris Jones and Tarvish Felton. Jones was a candidate for the head coaching job at Utah Valley, which is going to BYU assistant Mark Pope.

"I wish the season started tomorrow," Duryea said. —

About Tim Duryea

Hometown • Medicine Lodge, Kan.

Birthday • Nov. 16, 1964

High school • Denton (Texas)

College • 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.