So you’re a college football fan. Perhaps you’re a die hard Ute. Perhaps it’s BYU ‘till you die.

Either way, everything’s about to change… It’s about to change forever, and for the better.

If you’re a Ute, you’ve been tracking the new Pac-12 TV deal, counting your BCS money, and dreaming of a schedule that contains week in and week out intrigue against some of the best teams in college football. For close to a decade, you’ve felt like you belonged along side, not looking up to, the biggest and brightest the sport has to offer.

You’ve stood by and watched your team, when given the chance, prove to the country they are elite. The term “Mid-Major” doesn’t apply to you. Two BCS bowl wins and two undefeated seasons have validated that.

If you bleed blue, the days of hanging your hat on the 1984 National Championship have worn thin. Yes, it happened, yes, it was a wonderful accomplishment, but we’re talking 27 years ago. It’s time to move on; it’s time to move up. So after watching your proverbial “little brother” get invited to the “cool kids” lunch table, did you stand idly by and watch? Oh no… you reacted. And reacted in a major way.

You’ve spent the summer dreaming about an 8-year partnership with ESPN, the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports”. You’ve deleted “The Mtn” Network from your favorites list on the cable box. You’ve dreamed of Jake Heaps and his offensive cohorts slicing and dicing through opponents’ defense, restoring the national glory of yesteryear in front of a worldwide audience.

You remember week two last season?

Of course you don’t.

Utah cruised to a ho-hum 38-10 victory over a hapless UNLV Rebel team. BYU, on the other hand, was embarrassed by the Falcons of Air Force, to the tune of an old-fashioned butt whoopin’, 35-14. While one team walked away with the win and the other was humiliated, both games could be very easily explained by one common, single phrase:

Yawn.

Located in Austin, TX, Joe Jamail Field seats north of 100,000 people. It houses the University of Texas, who have won 850 games, 4 National Championships (claimed), 32 Conference Championships, and currently have 57 former players playing in the NFL. Names like Earl Campbell, Bobby Layne and Tommy Nobis are proud UT Alumni. 314 Longhorns have been drafted by NFL teams; 43 in the first round. Two Heisman Trophy winners have donned the orange and white, and 53 consensus All-Americans have called UT their home. Football tradition runs deep in Austin, where winning isn’t hoped for… it’s expected.

BYU visits Austin on September 10th to battle the Longhorns during week two of the college football season. Air Force who?

Located in Los Angeles, CA, The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum seats north of 92,000 fans. It houses the Trojans of The University of Southern California, the most successful team over the past decade of college football. They have won 761 games, 11 National Championships (claimed), 38 Conference Championships, and have 52 former players playing in the NFL. Names like O.J. Simpson, Ronnie Lott, Lynn Swan and Marcus Allen are proud Trojan Men. 472 Trojan’s have been drafted by NFL teams (162 of whom have played in a Pro Bowl), more than any other school in CFB history. 74 Trojans selected in the first-round is also an NCAA record. Perhaps most shocking of all, only TWO Superbowls have been played in the history of the NFL without a USC player participating. Six Heisman Trophy winners have donned the cardinal and gold, while 78 consensus All-Americans have called USC home. USC, simply put, is college football royalty.

Utah pays a visit to the Coliseum on September 10th to battle the Trojans during week two of the College Football season. Who is this “UNLV” you speak of?

Yeah yeah, Utah’s next game is it’s most important, focus on what’s in front of you, blah blah blah. Montana State will provide a temporary appetizer for Ute fans, while the tasty main course awaits in L.A. the following week.

And while Ole Miss is an SEC team, they shouldn’t provide much of a challenge for the juggernaut Cougar offense. BYU fans should sit back and enjoy a small preview, while the major motion picture is in store the following week in Austin.

Yes, you know that everything is about to change in this state concerning the two programs and college football in general. Yes you’ve spent the summer dreaming of things to come: quality T.V. coverage, big-time opponents, national exposure, overflowing pocketbooks… finally a chance at the big time. Yes, it’s coming.

And it’s gonna smack you square in the face on September 10th.

July 20th’s Barbacoa “HOT or NOT?” candidate was Hope Solo. You voted. She’s:

Hope Amelia Solo was born July 30, 1981. She’s an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for the magicJack of Women’s Professional Soccer. She is the current starting goalkeeper for the United States women’s national soccer team.

Hope Solo has played soccer with the Three-Rivers Soccer Club in the Tri-Cities. As a forward at Richland High School, Solo scored 109 goals, leading her team to three consecutive league titles from 1996–1998 and a state championship in her senior year. She was twice named a Parade All American. At the University of Washington, Solo switched to the goalkeeper position and was the team’s all-time leader in shutouts, saves, and goals-against average (GAA). She was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection and a three-time NSCAA All-American.

July 6th’s Barbacoa “HOT or NOT?” candidate was Susan Sarandon. You voted. She’s:

Susan Sarandon was born October 4, 1946. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her work. She is also noted for her social and political activism for a variety of liberal causes.

In 1969, Sarandon went to a casting call for the motion-picture Joe, with her then-husband Chris Sarandon. Although he did not get a part, she was cast in a major role of a disaffected teen, who disappears into the seedy underworld. (The film was released in 1970). Between the years 1970 and 1972, Sarandon played Patrice Kahlman on the short-lived soap opera A World Apart, and on Search for Tomorrow, in the role of Sarah Fairbanks. She appeared in Fleur bleue (The Apprentice) (1971) and also appeared in Lady Liberty (1971), by Mario Monicelli, opposite Sophia Loren.

In 1974, she co-starred in The Front Page, with the comedy duo Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and Lovin’ Molly with Anthony Perkins. She appeared in the cult favorite musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). That same year, she starred in The Great Waldo Pepper, opposite Robert Redford. In 1978, Sarandon played the mother of a child prostitute, who was played by Brooke Shields, in Pretty Baby.

Her most controversial film appearance was in The Hunger in 1983, a modern vampire story in which she had a lesbian sex scene with Catherine Deneuve. The film was a critical and commercial flop but gained a cult following. Sarandon played one of the leads in the 1987 dark comedy/fantasy film The Witches of Eastwick, opposite Jack Nicholson. Sarandon starred in the 1988 film Bull Durham, which became a huge commercial and critical success. In 1989, she co-starred with Marlon Brando in A Dry White Season.

Sarandon has received five Academy Award nominations, for best actress, in Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) and The Client (1994). In 1995, she won the award for her performance in Dead Man Walking.

In 1994, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.

Additional performances in film include Little Women (1994), Compromising Positions, Stepmom (1998), Anywhere but Here (1999), Cradle Will Rock (1999), The Banger Sisters (2002), Shall We Dance (2004), Alfie (2004), Romance & Cigarettes (2005), Elizabethtown (2005) and Enchanted (2007).

Sarandon has appeared in two episodes of The Simpsons, one as herself (“Bart Has Two Mommies”) and another as a ballet teacher, “Homer vs. Patty and Selma”. She has made appearances on comedies such as Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, Mad TV, Saturday Night Live, Chappelle’s Show, 30 Rock, and Rescue Me.

Sarandon has contributed the narration to some two dozen documentary films, many of which dealt with social and political issues; in addition, she has served as the presenter on many installments of the PBS documentary series, Independent Lens. In 2007, she hosted and presented Mythos, a series of lectures by the late American mythology professor Joseph Campbell.

Sarandon joined the cast of the adaptation of The Lovely Bones, opposite Rachel Weisz, and appeared with her daughter, Eva Amurri, in Middle of Nowhere; both of the movies were filmed in 2007.

In June 2010, Sarandon joined the cast of new HBO pilot The Miraculous Year. She will play the role of Patty Atwood, a Broadway director/choreographer.

So the 2011 NBA Draft is officially in the books.

Meh.

I don’t hate what the Jazz did tonight by drafting Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, but to be honest, I don’t love it, either.

Maybe Kanter turns out to be the next Al Horford, the NBA player many Draft experts favorably compare him to. Or maybe he turns out to be the next big European stiff to generate an inordinate amount of hype, only to fail to live up to the lofty expectations. The examples of this dynamic are far too many to name in this space. Only time will tell who and what Kanter becomes.

Maybe Alec Burks works hard over the next few years to develop a reliable jump shot to accompany his undeniable length and athleticism. Maybe he’s not just a freak athlete with incredible ability who can, potentially, evolve into the consistent perimeter scoring threat the Jazz have lacked since the days of Jeff Hornacek. Only time will tell who and what Burks becomes.

But what time won’t tell is the fact that the Jazz had the golden opportunity to move up in the draft to clearly upgrade their point guard position, and they chickened out at the last minute. Yes, Devin Harris is a nice player. It’s not liked the dude suddenly became horrible overnight. But he’s 28 years old with 2 years left on his contract, and chances are the Jazz aren’t locking him up long term at the age of 30 when his deal expires.

The Jazz had a chance in this years draft to bring in a young point guard in the form of Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, or yes, even local pop icon James Taft Fredette (you may know him as Jimmer). And no matter what the home team tells you this week, not matter how hard the local radio and print personalities with ties to the Jazz franchise try to convince you they had no choice but to stand on the sidelines and watch as all three point guards were snatched before the Jazz had an opportunity to pounce, know this:

They’re lying to you.

The Jazz were dangling this years #12 pick and next years top-7 protected pick (via Golden State) in hopes of moving up ahead of Sacramento in order to draft Fredette, or possibly Brandon Knight (who fell to #8 in the lap of the fortunate Detroit Pistons). The deal was on the table, and the Jazz backed down.

What’s the rationale? We are only left to speculate.

There are reports that the Jazz front office was incredibly spilt on the Jimmer conundrum. Perhaps in the end, a few strong voices won out, and the Jimmer fans in the Jazz front office were silenced by the Jimmer detractors. Or perhaps they knew Jimmer would be snatched up at #10 by Sacramento, therefore alleviating the Jazz of any pressure at #12, allowing them to always and forever fall back on the excuse that he wasn’t available to them this year for all the folks clamoring to see Jimmer in a Jazz jersey for this season, and seasons to come.

Fact is, he was available, should the Jazz have really wanted him.

Did the basketball minds in the front office overrule the business minds, who potentially looked at Jimmer as an instant bottom-line booster?

Perhaps.

Or did the Jazz simply revert back to their old-school mind set, one that lacks creativity and aggressiveness, and strictly sticks to the status quo?

Perhaps.

Truth is, we will never know for sure. But I can tell you, the Jazz had ample opportunities to move up in the draft and select Brandon Knight, Jimmer Fredette or Kemba Walker. Perhaps the asking price from teams in the proverbial catbird seat was too high in the end. Again, we’ll never know.

Here’s what we do know: This is an evolving and changing league. The best teams; the teams with a legitimate shot at winning a title (or the teams that were legitimate contenders this season) are built around a dominating perimeter attack. That’s not an opinion; it’s just the bottom line.

Go ahead and name a team you believe to be in the top five of NBA championship contenders next season. Then name their big men. Then go ahead and name their perimeter players. You’ll see what I mean.

This is a game dominated by players who have the ability to attack the rim from the perimeter, knock down the open three, and beat their men off the dribble at will. This is a game dominated by athletic wings who can score in a myriad of ways. The days of dominating bigs have past us by long, long ago. Your big men need to be adequate, nothing more, nothing less.

Not to say there isn’t a place for size in the NBA. There is. And there always will be. But the Jazz already have a trio of acceptable bigs, all under the age of 26. Al Jefferson, for all of his block-to-block laziness on defense, is only 26 years old and is probably one of the top-five offensive pivots in the NBA. Paul Millsap is a perfect 6th man, even though he won’t admit it, and is a proven 16 pt, 8 rbs per night player, at the ripe old age of 25. And the crown jewel on the Jazz roster right now is Derrick Favors, a 19-year-old do-it-all wonder kid, who has the potential to evolve into an all-star caliber big. Add Memo Okur into the mix next season for 15-20 minutes a game, and it’s tough to see where the minutes for Kanter come from.

The Burks pick could signal the end of the C.J. Miles experiment, which is fine by me. C.J. seems like a great kid, but he’s simply too inconsistent and streaky to be counted on for an extended period of time. He’s the 11th or 12th man on your team, best-case scenario. And Raja Bell was a fine player before he died this season. Really, all you have on the wing is young Gordon Hayward, who did show signs of promise down the stretch last season. Which is why the Burks pick makes sense to me. I’m excited to see what he brings to the table.

The roster still lacks a proven consistent perimeter shooting threat, and I wouldn’t hate seeing a Tyson Chandler like acquisition, a strictly defensive-minded center who only cares about doing the dirty work. But overall, there is certainly reason for optimism with this young group, and the evolutionary process over the next few years should be entertaining the witness. Perhaps one day, five years down the road or so, we will all look back on this day as the beginning of the next great era of Utah Jazz basketball.

Or, we will look back on this day as a golden opportunity, which slipped through the cracks, as the Jazz passed up the chance to draft a hometown hero in Jimmer Fredette and pair of point guards with great upside in Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker.

Only time will tell.

June 15th’s Barbacoa “HOT or NOT?” candidate was Portia di Rossi. You voted. She’s:

Portia Lee James DeGeneres (born Amanda Lee Rogers on 31 January 1973), is known professionally as Portia de Rossi. She is best known for her roles as lawyer Nelle Porter on the television series Ally McBeal and Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the sitcom Arrested Development. She also portrayed Veronica Palmer on the ABC sitcom Better Off Ted.

Her first significant role was playing a young and impressionable model in the Australian 1994 film Sirens. Soon afterwards she moved to Los Angeles and had guest roles on several TV shows, and a permanent role in Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher, before landing a role in the film Scream 2. During this time in the United States, de Rossi worked diligently to replace her native Australian accent with her current General American one.

She attracted international attention when she joined the main cast of the Ally McBeal TV series in 1998 playing lawyer Nell Porter. She remained with the show until its end in 2002. In 2001, she starred in Who Is Cletis Tout? with Christian Slater.

From 2003–2006, de Rossi starred as Lindsay Bluth Fünke on Fox Television’s critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning series Arrested Development.

She also portrayed John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, in the made for TV movie America’s Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story in 2003. In 2005 she portrayed a fortune-teller named Zela in the Wes Craven thriller Cursed. From 2007–2008, de Rossi appeared in Nip/Tuck’s fifth season as Julia McNamara’s girlfriend Olivia Lord.

From 2009–2010, de Rossi played Veronica Palmer on the ABC show Better Off Ted, in which she plays a high strung, hypersexual and controlling character. De Rossi will reprise her role as Lindsay Bluth Fünke in 2012′s film adaptation of Arrested Development.

She ranked 69th in Stuff’s 100 Sexiest Women, 31 in Femme Fatales’ Sexiest Women of 2003 list, 24 in Maxim’s 100 Sexiest Women List in 2004, and in late 2006, the magazine Blender listed her as one of the hottest women of film and TV. In May 2007, she was featured as one of 100 Most Beautiful in a People magazine special edition. TV Guide included her and Ellen DeGeneres in their Power A-List couples in 2007.

Major League Soccer is a bit like your little brother. You know, the one who was constantly pulling at your pant leg while growing up, screaming “play with me! play with me!”, or “hey, watch what I can do! I know you aren’t used to me being very good at this, but really, now I’m awesome! PLAY WITH ME!!!”

Well, little brother is starting to grow up. MLS IS getting better, and is quantifiably gaining ground and attention here in the United States.

But today (and reported first yesterday on ESPN 700 Radio) the MLS “Disciplinary Committee” (haha) sent a horribly wrong message to all of its players, cowardly handing down a cake-walk three game suspension (four games including the automatic one-game suspension due to Red Card) and a $1,250 fine ($1,500 including the automatic $250 for Red Card) to Chivas USA FW Marcos Mondaini for his incredibly reckless challenge on RSL MF Javier Morales, which snapped the left ankle of the RSL playmaker in half, all but ending his season.

We can only hope that Javier is back to his normal self sooner rather than later, but according to his attending surgeon Dr. Drew Cooper, Javier probably won’t even be able to resume base-level training for four-five months. October seems like the earliest we could expect #11 back on the pitch for RSL.

But the man who is responsible for changing the course of RSL’s season, and removing one of, if not the best and most creative midfielders in all of MLS for the bulk of 2011?

Mondaini will be back in early June. June 4th, to be exact, as Chivas takes on Portland.

Bush league.

Javier’s devastating injury now makes a trio of horrific setbacks for three of Major League Soccer’s best and most electrifying players. Steve Zakuani of Seattle and David Ferreira of FC Dallas are also expected to miss serious time with injuries resulting from blatantly brutal tackles.

The Mondaini challenge has drawn comparisons to that of Brian Mullan. The Colrado Rapids MF was suspended 10 games and docked $5,000 after he sent Zakuani sprawling to the turf on Apil 28th with a challenge only an axe murderer could love. To be clear, I thought the Mullan punishment was soft. Making the Mondaini penalty borderline comical.

When you’re a league making progress, on the verge of gaining the respect you’ve been begging for over the last 15 years, jumping up and down screaming, “watch me play! look at me! no really, I’m better than you think I am! give me a chance!” then it might be a decent idea to ensure that the few players you do have that novice soccer fans can enjoy and appreciate stay protected and on the field. Major League Soccer and the gentleman who took the short bus to the Disciplinary Committee meetings had a chance to do that this week.

And they failed. They failed miserably.

May 11th’s Barbacoa “HOT or NOT?” candidate was Taylor Cole. You voted. She’s:

Taylor Quinn Cole was born April 29, 1984. She was born in Arlington, Texas. Cole attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School where she traveled with the Junior Olympics volleyball squad. It was also in high school she got her start as a model. Cole later moved to New York to further her modeling career. She has appeared in commercials and advertisements for Crest toothpaste, Old Spice, and Dooney & Bourke handbags.

Though Cole has mainly focused on acting, she is still signed to Los Angeles modeling agency Nous Models Management.

After visiting her mother, Deborah Quinn, and stepdad, actor Shawn Christian, Cole landed an audition for the now-defunct WB show Summerland. She won the role of Erika Spalding in 2004, relocating to Los Angeles to film the series.

Cole also appeared in Ryan Cabrera’s True music video and Papa Roach’s video for “Scars”. She also guest starred in the The WB show Supernatural episode titled “Provenance”, where she played Sarah Blake, an art collector. She has also been seen playing guest roles in the CBS’ show NUMB3RS. Cole has also appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Bianca. Taylor stars as Desiree in the horror remake, April Fool’s Day. Cole had a part in the film 12 Rounds, produced by WWE films and starring John Cena.

In December 2008, Cole appeared as Private Rachel Mills in the Heroes webisode series, The Recruit, and subsequently joined the main series in a recurring capacity playing the same character as of the start of 2009. She stars also alongside Tiffany Shepis in The Violent Kind.

She played the role of “Hot Neighbor” in the short-lived TV show Secret Girlfriend in 2009.

In April 2010, she guest starred in the NCIS episode “Guilty Pleasure” as DC escort Charlotte Cook.

Since September 2010, she has starred in The Event as Vicky Roberts, an assassin for a covert organization.

April 20th’s Barbacoa “HOT or NOT?” candidate was Lauren Conrad. You voted. She’s:

Lauren Katherine Conrad was born February 1, 1986. She is known for her starring role on the MTV reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off series, The Hills, which at one point followed her personal and professional life as she pursued a career in the fashion industry.

I’m sure when some of you realize this is a soccer column, a Real Salt Lake soccer column, you’ll probably retreat from whence you came. Which is fine. I get it.

See, the thing is, I don’t now (nor will I ever) try to force this sport on people. I also can’t blame anyone for finding soccer uninteresting, unappealing, or even boring, because up until 6 years ago, I did too.

Learning and understanding the intricacies of any new sport takes serious time, and serious attention. I’m under no illusion that most people who have already formed an opinion on soccer (educated or otherwise) will suddenly have a change of heart and dedicate the proper amount of investment needed to look beyond the goals to uncover the intricate details that makes soccer at the very least fascinating, and at the very most, brilliant. Yes, brilliant.

We operate in a sporting culture here in America that demands immediate satisfaction. The slam-dunk, the deep three, the hard hit, the 80 yard bomb, the home run, the diving catch. We need to be satisfied, and we need to be satisfied quickly.

Soccer doesn’t work that way.

The only element of soccer that quenches our never-ending instant gratification sports thirst is goals. And sometimes, teams can go several matches at a time without finding the back of the net. If you don’t learn to appreciate a well-struck ball that just glances off the wrong side of the woodwork, the perfectly weighted and timed ball, met on the other side by an instinctive, intuitive run that leads to a near scoring opportunity, or the well-timed tackle to stop an opponents potential attack, you most likely will always find soccer about as entertaining as a Nickelback concert.

But we also live in an ever-changing world, and our National sporting interests are no different. Remember when baseball was “America’s Pastime?”

Love it or hate it, soccer is quantifiably gaining serious ground in this country, and MLS is trending up in it’s popularity. Some people in our business choose to ignore the undeniable and rapid growth of the sport in America, which is fine. It only makes them look out of touch.

Is it the NBA or the NFL? No. Is it closer than you think? Absolutely. It’s still considered to be somewhat of a niche sport, but it’s a growing niche, with a support group who’s voice continues to grow louder with each passing year.

In America, we demand the best. And we also demand to be the best. A perfect example of this is the healthy ratings ESPN receives for its coverage of EPL and UEFA Champions League soccer. Comparatively, MLS ratings on ESPN are rather pedestrian. But the news for MLS isn’t all that bad, because it does indicate a solid overall interest for soccer in this country… but not just any soccer, the best soccer.

Which is why the recent run of play from Real Salt Lake could be a small, but very significant step in the evolution of MLS from what could now be considered (to use a baseball analogy) “Triple A” soccer to a league that is on-par with the best anywhere in the world.

I’m not necessarily referring to the CONCACAF finals, which RSL recently advanced to after dispatching Saprissa in the semi-finals. Nor am I even referring to the incredible results, undefeated streaks or trophies linked to Real Salt Lake. And even though an appearance in the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan would be a huge step, I’m not referring to that either.

More than anything else, I am referring to the ascetically pleasing style of play implemented by Jason Kreis, and executed brilliantly on the pitch by his players. And the rest of MLS would be well served to stand up and start paying attention.

When you watch the “Superclubs” around the world (Man U, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc.) it’s hard not to be entertained, even if soccer isn’t your cup of tea. They play with great skill, maintain incredible possession, contain remarkable touch and timing as individuals, and operate as a complete unit with a clear understanding of what they want to accomplish as a team.

What I just described above is exactly the style and form we’ve seen from Real Salt Lake to start the 2011 calendar year, both in CONCACAF and MLS league play.

As I’ve followed and studied this league since RSL’s inception in 2005, I’ve never seen a team as cohesive, as complete and (to my point) as entertaining as Real Salt Lake currently is. Yes, their achievements in the results area have been spectacular, even historic, but the manner in which they have been able to garner the positive outcomes to their matches is what to me has been the most startling, and the most exciting.

If you didn’t know RSL played in MLS and witnessed first hand their possession orientated, quick passing fast paced attack, mixed with a brick wall of a back four and a ‘Kepper with cat-like reflexes as the last line of defense, you would think Real Salt Lake was a club straight out of Europe.

Go ahead and laugh if you’d like, roll your eyes as much as you want, but what I’m telling you is the truth. And this team plays in your backyard; represents your state. It’s something to be proud of, no matter what your opinion of soccer is.

MLS as a league would be well served to start watching and taking serious notes when RSL takes the pitch. Again, results aside, entertainment is what the fans want, and what American sports fans need. MLS is gaining traction and popularity, but if it ever wants to move into the mainstream, the league as a whole needs to stop focusing on gimmicks and over-priced, over-the-hill imports, and start to encourage a more attractive and exciting style of soccer from their clubs.

For an example, they need look no further than Rio Tinto Stadium.

On March 12, Dr. Chris Hill and the University of Utah parted ways with Men’s Head Basketball Coach Jim Boylen after back-to-back losing seasons and a tumultuous end to an era that began with much promise.

Today is April 1st, also known as April Fools Day.

Utah still doesn’t have a head coach.

April fools!

Or not.

Utah’s pending move to the Pac-12 and historical pedigree of basketball success should, I repeat, should make this a very attractive job for many a potential candidates.

April fools!

UNLV Head Coach Lon Kruger was contacted.

Kruger’s response: Thanks, but no thanks.

St. Mary’s Head Coach Randy Bennett (yes, THAT St. Mary’s, of the juggernaut West Coach Conference) was contacted. Bennett’s response: Thanks, but no thanks.

Other coaches rumored, and I repeat, rumored to be in the running are former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski, and Wesminister coach (and former Ute PG) Tommy Connor. But the man thought to be the front runner for the gig, and the man who, as of today, is everyone’s best guess to be the next charged with the reclamation of glory past for the Runnin’ Utes is current New Jersey Nets assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak.

Krysto is a good man who overachieved as a player during a 10-year NBA career that included a brief stop here in Salt Lake City with the Utah Jazz in 1992. An undersized power forward with limited to no athleticism, Krysto made a name for himself in the Association for being willing to do the hard things. Set screens, defend, hit the glass, and ensure night in and night out he left everything on the floor. He was a second-round pick who averaged 8.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg throughout his NBA journey, which included 6 different stops over the course of a decade.

Over-achieving players often times make some of the most successful head coaches. Krysto spent time as an assistant at Montana and Old Dominion before taking over as the head coach of the Idaho Stampede of the now defunct CBA.

His big break and probably his most impressive resume “gem” is that of taking over as head coach of his alma mater, the University of Montana in 2004. He took the Grizzlies to consecutive NCAA appearances, and finished his two-year stint with a 42-20 record.

After Montana’s memorable upset over heavily favored Nevada in the NCAA tournament in 2006, Krysto was considered a hot commodity in the coaching community. He signed a 4-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly worth $2 million per year.

He lasted 100 games after posting a 31-69 record.

So that, in a nutshell, is the man expected to be named as the next head basketball coach up on the hill.

April fools?

Nope.

Maybe Krystkowiak is the right guy for the job. Maybe he’s not. Only time will tell. But what this coaching search has revealed is that the Ute job is a far cry from what it once was. Just being real.

We’re talking about a basketball program ranked 12th all-time in wins among division 1 schools.

We’re talking about a program that has 26 NCAA tournament appearances to its name; good for 16th all-time, and 3rd all-time in the Western United States, trailing only UCLA and Arizona.

Among those 26 tourney births are 15 Sweet 16’s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours, one national runner-up and one national championship. Ute basketball isn’t about advancing to the tournament; it’s about advancing to the tournament and winning games.

We’re talking about a program whose 10 outright conference championships and 28 overall conference championships is good for 5th all-time in NCAA history.

We’re talking about a program which counts among its alumni Arnie Ferrin, Billy McGill, Tom Chambers, Danny Vranes, Mike Doleac, Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller and Andrew Bogut. Utah basketball is known for turning college basketball players into professional multi-millionaires.

We’re talking about a program that boasts three coaches who won 300 games or more during their career:

Vadal Peterson (385 wins, national title).

Jack Gardner (339 wins, fast-paced style of play was the birth of “Runnin Utes”).

Rick Majerus (323 wins, 10 conference titles, 11 NCAA births).

Over the last decade, Utah basketball has seen a steady decline in fan attendance and participation. But losing has only been a small part of it. From the “did you know” category, Utah has won 5 conference championships in the last 10 years (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 an 2008). Coach Giac and Coach Boylen came out of the gates with a bang, but both were fired after back-to-back losing seasons, something that hadn’t happened on the hill since 1984.

I understand that losing and an empty arena is grounds for termination in college hoops, but there’s also part of me that wonders if a bit more patience would not only have benefited the program and the coaches, but perhaps would be helpful now, when any potential head coaching candidate would be will within the scope of common sense if they looked at the quick trigger firings as a source of concern when signing on the dotted line.

So yes, University of Utah has a rich basketball tradition of winning. Yes, the University of Utah has a rich basketball tradition of paving the path for young players from college hoops to bags of money on the next level. Yes, the University of Utah has a rich tradition of employing some of the finest coaches in the country.

And yes, coaches around the country still view the Utah job as an elite and can’t refuse opportunity.

April fools.