Jim Boylen has made his mark on the Runnin’ Utes program, and now he’s being rewarded for it.
And not with a Mountain West Conference Championship.
Boylen was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 17 Coach of the Year on Thursday. The honor was voted on by his coaching peers in college basketball.
Everyone knows what Boylen has done for the program8212;the MWC Tournament win, a share of the regular-season title and Utah’s first berth into the NCAA tournament in four years.
What people might not know is what he is doing now to further the budding program.
Coming in contact with Boylen has been a near impossibility lately because the 43-year-old Michigan native is always on the road recruiting new players and preaching his program.
He did not comment on the award that he received.
During the past two years, Boylen has turned the Runnin’ Utes back into a winning program.
He has accumulated a 45-25 overall record as head coach of the Utes, including a 19-13 mark in the MWC. His first season with Utah, he snapped a two-year run of losing records, with an 18-15 effort in 2007-2008. This past season, the Utes finished with a 24-10 record overall and were just shy of capturing an MWC regular season title all to themselves.
It seemed that what he was most proud of this season was the fact that he helped the seniors leave as winners. Shaun Green and Lawrence Borha were on the verge of leaving as two of three players to graduate from the U with a losing record in basketball.
He is proud of the fact that those two can graduate victorious.
If Boylen keeps it up, more prestigious coaching awards have the potential to pile up on his trophy case for years to come. Some think he was snubbed of the MWC Coach of the Year award this season, but it wasn’t a bother to the third-year head coach and it most likely won’t be long till he snags one of those too.
Boylen is the fifth coach at Utah to receive the NABC District 17 Coach of the Year Award, joining Ray Giacoletti (2005), Rick Majerus (1991, ’93, ’96, ’97, ’99), Jerry Pimm (1976, ’77, ’81), Bill Foster (1974) and Jack Gardner (1970).