Jim Boylen has been the Runnin’ Utes’ head coach for a little over a month. Already he is sending an important message to his players.
Boylen excused freshman Daniel Deane from the U men’s basketball team Tuesday after Deane failed to reach the scholastic expectations his new head coach implemented.
“Daniel was given an opportunity over the past six weeks to elevate his conduct to the standards we put forth. He chose to not do that, and we were left with no choice but to release him,” Boylen said. “We’re trying to establish a standard of excellence that we feel is necessary to build a major college men’s basketball program.”
Deane was one of the most highly recruited players the Utes had on the roster during the 2006-2007 season. While attending high school at Judge Memorial he lead the Bulldogs to a Class 3A State Championship during the 2005-2006 season. Deane was named the Gatorade Utah Player of the Year that season, as well as Utah’s Mr. Basketball by the Deseret Morning News. College basketball powerhouses such as Kansas, Stanford and Gonzaga all sought Deane’s basketball services, but the 6- foot-8 forward chose to stay close to home.
Despite seeing limited action in his freshman season — yielding 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in less than 13 minutes per game — Deane made a name for himself as a hard-nosed player that never ceased to hustle on the floor. But that didn’t prevent Boylen from holding Deane accountable in the classroom.
“From day one, I made the players in this program aware of what was going to be expected of them both on and off the court,” Boylen said. “We do all we can to help our student-athletes succeed academically, and we feel that it is our job to hold them accountable for earning a college degree. Daniel did not buy into that philosophy.”
It’s not that Deane necessarily has a poor track record inside the classroom. He graduated from Judge Memorial with honors while carrying a 3.75 GPA.
Deane could not be reached for comment.
Despite the change in the team’s landscape during Boylen’s first month as head of the Runnin’ Utes, Utah Athletic Director Chris Hill supported his newest head coach’s decision.
“When we hired Jim, he was very forthright about the way he is going to run his program,” Hill said. “I support his philosophy of doing things the right way, and stand by his decision.”
Deane’s departure leaves Boylen with a scholarship vacancy, which he can fill immediately.