On March 31, the U hired its first men’s basketball coach in 13 seasons. Rick Majerus had led Utah to 10 NCAA tournament appearances and a Final Four berth before retiring due to health concerns midway through last season. When the need for a new coach arose, Athletic Director Chris Hill hired a little-known coach from Eastern Washington University.
Meet Ray.
Coach Ray Giacoletti isn’t concerned about past coaching regimes or having to replace an icon. He just wants to play his brand of basketball.
“When I got here, I saw a sign that said, ‘University of Utah Running Utes.’ I want this team to live up to that,” said Giacoletti, referring to the up-tempo style of play that he teaches. “We aren’t going to run just for the sake of running. It all starts with playing pressing defense and getting breaks off of missed shots and turnovers.”
This should come as a relief to Ute fans who are concerned that the change in coaching could bring an end to the stifling defense that has become the calling card for Utah basketball.
So how did a kid from North Dakota go from playing at NAIA Minot State to coaching at a school only a few years removed from finishing second in the nation?
Giacoletti is not simply interested in basketball-he is impassioned about basketball. “I knew I wanted to be a coach when I was a junior in college,” Giacoletti said. “I went to basketball camp every summer. I met as many coaches as I could and just tried to learn as much as possible.”
After his playing days were over in 1984, Giacoletti started off his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Western Illinois, where he received his master’s degree in sports administration.
The young coach made stops at several small schools and had a stint as a coach and personnel director for the World Basketball League’s Fresno Flames. In 1993, Giacoletti got his first big break as an assistant to Bob Bender at the University of Washington.
After four years in Seattle, Giacoletti received his first head coaching assignment at North Dakota State, where he stayed three seasons. In 2000, he was hired as head coach of the Eastern Washington Eagles.
To some it may seem like quite the jump from tiny Cheney, Wash., (population 8,800) to Salt Lake City, but Giacoletti approaches the new experience comfortably. “When you get in the weight room or in practice, it’s all the same,” said Giacoletti, who seems to have a knack for adaptation.
However, the coach does note some things that have been a bit of a surprise. “The demands of my time in the way of speaking and appearances have been quite heavy,” Giacoletti said. And the booster support at the U compared with Eastern Washington? “It’s amazing,” he said with a laugh.
Giacoletti plans on getting used to these new changes and then some. When asked if success will entice him to leave for a higher-profile job, the coach is very quick and firm with his reply. “We want to make Utah our home.”
Giacoletti also isn’t ready to assume he will be able to just relax and let the years roll by at Utah. He recalls Bender, who was fired after nine years at Washington in 2002. “He took over a program with eight straight losing seasons. He took them to four straight NCAA tournaments and a couple of NITs. Two down years and he was gone. You just never know.”
What Giacoletti does know is that the team he has coming back this year has the potential to be very good. “We want to win the conference title. Playing in the postseason is something special,” he said. The coach doesn’t venture any guesses on how far the Utes could go in the tournament. “You have to simplify your goals. At Eastern we were runner-up in the conference tournament three times. We just stepped back and focused on winning the tournament first and then thinking about the NCAAs. That year we won it,” he said.
Giacoletti admits that a school like Utah has an advantage over smaller universities like Eastern Washington in the talent level they attract. Several young players on the Ute roster have caught the coach’s eye.
“[Andrew] Bogut is great. To have a big player that scores like he does is a big plus,” said Giacoletti, referring to the returning MWC freshman of the year. Besides the big Aussie, Giacoletti expects big things from two other sophomores.
“Justin Hawkins is a great wing player. He’s athletic, works hard in the weight room and is a good team guy,” Giacoletti said. Hawkins, a 6-foot, 5-inch small forward, figures to get lots of time in the new coach’s up-tempo scheme.
Another player who figures to get plenty of opportunity is second-year forward Jonas Langvad. “Jonas will surprise some people,” Giacoletti said. “He shoots well for his size (6 feet, 9 inches, 230 lbs.) and can handle the ball well around the basket.” With heavily touted redshirt freshman Stefan Zimmerman leaving the program and junior center Chris Jackson having a history of injuries, Langvad figures to be in the mix at the power forward and center spots.
Giacoletti’s first major move as coach was also his first controversial move. Point guard Marc Jackson was brought back onto the team after quitting a year earlier. “You ask any coach in the west two years ago what player they would want on their team and they would say Marc Jackson. He’s an impact competitor,” he said. Giacoletti sees no problems with Jackson getting back in the good graces with his teammates. “He’s fitting right in.” The 2002-03 MWC Sixth Man of the Year will start the year as a primary backup to point guard Tim Drisdom.
“We’ve had some good things go our way so far.” Always to the point, Ray Giacoletti looks back on his short time in Utah fondly. Utah fans hope that several years from now they will look back on Giacoletti’s career with the same fondness.
Giacoletti’s Year-By-Year Record
Year School Overall Pct. Conf. Finish League
1997-98 North Dakota State 18-9 .667 9-9 5th-T North Central 1998-99 North Dakota State 14-13 .519 8-10 5th-T North Central 1999-00 North Dakota State 16-11 .593 9-9 6th North Central 2000-01 Eastern Washington 17-11 .607 11-5 2nd Big Sky 2001-02 Eastern Washington 17-13 .567 10-4 2nd Big Sky 2002-03 Eastern Washington 18-13 .581 9-5 2nd Big Sky 2003-04 Eastern Washington 17-13 .567 11-3 1st Big Sky
Differences in style 2003-2004
Eastern Washington Utah under Giacoletti under MajerusPoints Per Game 70.1 64.7Opponents PPG. 67.8 57.4Field Goal Pct. .475 .471Opponents FG Pct. .465 .414Turnovers Per Game 15.1 14.03 Opponents TO PG 15.7 10.6
2004-2005 Projected Roster
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. 2 Marc Jackson G 6-1 182 Sr. 3 Jermaine Calvin G 5-8 170 Fr. 4 Andrew Bogut F/C 7-0 242 So. 5 Justin Hawkins F 6-5 217 So. 10 Casey Iverson G 6-1 190 Jr. 11 Tim Drisdom G 6-3 214 Jr. 13 Richard Chaney G/F 6-4 193 Jr. 20 Bryant Markson F 6-6 197 Jr. 30 Chris Jackson C 6-11 247 Jr. 32 Jake Schmidt F 6-8 260 Fr. 50 Luke Nevill C 7-0 240 Fr. 51 Jonas Langvad F 6-9 220 So.