In the aftermath of the U athletics department canceling next year’s men’s basketball game against BYU, head coach Larry Krystkowiak is sticking to his guns and is 100 percent certain that calling off next year’s game is in everyone’s best interests.
As a coach, Krystkowiak believes he should never put his players in harm’s way. He considers playing the Cougars an opposition to that belief. He also thinks he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t raise any concern about some of the recent events.
In the days after Nick Emery threw a punch at Brandon Taylor, some people said Taylor was asking for it. Krystkowiak spoke with Taylor about the incident, however, and Taylor said he was just trying to play ball. Krystkowiak trusts him, completely. Krystkowiak also talked about his predicament with the entire Ute squad, and the players are all on-board. No one is going to be too sad about not playing BYU next season.
“I’ve talked to our seniors to find out what their thoughts are on it, and it would take something special for someone to stand up and disagree,” Krystkowiak said. “We’re not going to let them down because we’re not playing BYU.”
Some questioned Krystkowiak about his timing — more specifically, why he didn’t do it sooner if he had noticed things kept escalating year after year. The fact of the matter is that he hoped it would get better on its own. He hoped both coaches would be able to keep their players’ emotions in check.
This season’s incident was the last straw.
Krystkowiak struggled coming to this decision. He loves rivalry games. He’s played in plenty of them himself and thinks they are a vital part of college basketball. Earlier in the season, he mentioned how it’s a shame so many rivalries are being extinguished because of league change-ups.
He’s also always carried an eye-for-an-eye mentality, being involved in his fair share of scuffles as a player. But Krystkowiak says he never threw an unwarranted punch, and a lot of what he sees on the court, he would say, is unnecessary. By halting the rivalry, he is also protecting himself from what he might do if another situation arises.
“I’m not describing BYU as dirty players,” Krystkowiak said. “I’m saying the nature of the rivalry elevates everybody’s emotions. I’m not interested in backing down. There’s part of this where I’m protecting myself from myself.”
Krystkowiak will put up with a lot, even vandalism, to a certain extent. However, with the new concussion protocols, he will not risk his players getting injured.
“Jordan Loveridge’s car door gets damaged and eggs get thrown at it — I don’t really have a problem with that because I know it comes with the territory,” Krystkowiak said. “We’re talking about the potential [of injury].”
In the end he feels that canceling the game was the best decision, and he’s not alone. U President David Pershing and athletics director Chris Hill came to the same conclusion with him.
Pershing even met with BYU President Kevin Worthen to express their concerns, and both agree that the games need to be an enjoyable experience for not only the fans, but the players. Hill is now working on coming up with a solution that will ensure the safety of those playing the game.
“During the next few weeks, I will create a working group of faculty, staff, students and fans to assist in identifying changes that can be made to ensure future athletic contests are exciting and respectful for all,” Pershing said.
The long-time rivalry has not been ended — it’s only been put on pause. The Utes will revisit playing BYU at some point next season, but one thing that Hill is warming up to is possibly playing the game at a neutral location. When it really comes down to it, he will always support Krystkowiak when he feels his coach is right.
“I’m not going to be blind to what boosters have to say or to what fans have to say,” Hill said. “But at the end of the day, if I feel like I’m making a decision that’s in our best interest, then I make it.”
Krystkowiak will no longer tolerate some of the on-court actions that have been going on in recent years and does not really know what one game off can actually do. However, he sees that something is broken and will do everything he can to make a difference, no matter who does or does not agree with him.
“I’m not saying a year off is going to change it,” Krystkowiak said. “I just know what I can control. I’m hopeful that it can.”
@kbrenneisen