On March 26, 2007, head coach Jim Boylen undertook a major construction project. Tuesday night was the unofficial open house.
The Runnin’ Utes invited their neighbors over and treated them like guests. Utah was cordial and introduced folks such as Lee Cummard, Jimmer Fredette and Jonathan Tavernari to all of their friends. The Utes ensured they had enough seats for everyone, served punch (technically Powerade) and then did a masterful job of showing off all the new additions and refurbishments.
The most impressive thing about Utah’s open house wasn’t the 94-88 overtime result. It was everything that went into that finish.
You see, when Boylen took over the Utes, there was much more that had gone into the project than simply bringing in his furniture and spit&-shining the hardwood floors. What was once a comfortable, high-market home in a flourishing neighborhood had gone from upscale middle class to the ghetto in just a few short years.
The structure damage from Rick Majerus lighting small fires in the living room had to be mended. The plumbing, electrical and landscape projects that Ray Giacoletti neglected for three years had to be attended to. The yearlong house party Giacoletti threw back in ’04 still needed to be cleaned up. Plain and simple, the house no longer looked how it did in its glory days in the mid-’90s. So Chris Hill drew up a few floor plans and put Boylen to work.
The first thing he did was exterminate the pest problem. Poor grades were eradicated. Lack of class attendance was no longer tolerated. Boylen then cleared the debris (namely Daniel Deane) and focused on the foundation. Utah’s defense was no longer easier to penetrate than the U.S.-Canadian border. The support beams were reinforced, so a six-point deficit or a stiff breeze would no longer cripple the house. No crack in the crown molding was neglected, no squeak in the floor ignored. Slowly but steadily, Boylen made a house of cards into a suitable home. He turned a fixer-upper into a housing-market contender.
And Boylen did all of this while living every second in the house and making the most of what he inherited.
With the help of his assistant coaches, he’s helped Luke Nevill kick some bad habits and polish his god-given ability to become a legitimate Player of the Year candidate in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Boylen helped turn erratic point guard Tyler Kepkay into a poised, self-confident floor general. He’s trusted the intuition of guys such as Luka Drca and Carlon Brown and left them to flourish in their own ways. He straightened out Shaun Green and Lawrence Borha into class A defenders and even better students. The project is far from finished, but the house has begun to shape into livable standards. The Utes beat Oregon, LSU and a ranked Gonzaga team8212;proof that protecting their home is no longer just a pipe dream, but a reality.
But back to that little unofficial open house party for a minute.
One of the hardest things about playing conference opponents is that there are no secrets. Just once through the Mountain West Confrence carousel and teams were hip to what Boylen and his boys were doing. This time around, his team is just doing what it wants to do, better. Boylen wanted to beat BYU. You saw it on his face last year in Provo when his team barely fell to the Cougars on the road.
It was even clearer when Kepkay was busy sinking the final two free throws of Tuesday’s win.
“Kepkay, make these. Bring this home,” Boylen said.
When Kepkay made the first free throw, Boylen high-fived Drca. His first win over his new home’s neighbor and archrival was in hand. The Utes won in every way that prevented them from winning big close games a year ago. The players were mentally tough down the stretch. They got second chances on offense to break the will of their opponent and found guys who make big shots, namely Nevill and Kepkay.
The win was sweet, but not just because it was against BYU. It was a chance when more than a few of the team’s close friends came to root for the team against a common enemy. An open house is a chance to show new changes and additions, but it’s also a chance to make new impressions. Those chances became realities on Tuesday.
Tyler CobbMembers of the MUSS read copies of The Daily Utah Chronicle during the introduction of BYU?s starting lineup.