Utah is set to hire Michigan State assistant Jim Boylen.
A person close to Boylen confirmed the move Monday, requesting anonymity because the hiring wasn’t expected to be announced until 3 p.m. today.
It will be the first head coaching job for Boylen, who has been an assistant to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo the past two seasons after 13 years as an NBA assistant – including 11 years with the Houston Rockets and stints with Golden State and Milwaukee.
Boylen called a former boss, former Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich, with the news Monday.
“I believe in this guy. He’s always done a great job,” Tomjanovich said.
Tomjanovich said he talked to Utah athletic director Chris Hill and gave a glowing recommendation for Boylen, who joined the Rockets as the team’s video coordinator in 1992.
“He’s one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever been around,” he said.
Boylen will replace Ray Giacoletti, who resigned after three seasons and took a job as an assistant at Gonzaga. The Utes went 11-19 last season.
Arkansas: Stan Heath was fired after losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Arkansas (21-14) lost 77-60 to Southern California in the first round.
Heath’s record with the Razorbacks was 82-71, but he went 31-49 in Southeastern Conference play.
Athletic director Frank Broyles, who is retiring at the end of the year, said the search for a replacement will begin immediately. Speculation has centered on Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie, but Arkansas said it won’t comment publicly on potential candidates.
Memphis: John Calipari, who guided the Tigers to the NCAA regional final for the second straight season, received a contract extension through 2012. He is 181-63 in seven seasons at Memphis.
Liberty: Ritchie McKay was hired as coach after his dismissal last month at New Mexico. The former Colorado State coach succeeds Randy Dunton, whose contract was not renewed. Dunton had a 66-85 record at Liberty.
North Dakota State: Assistant coach Saul Phillips was promoted to succeed Tim Miles, who has been hired as the coach at CSU.
Binghamton: Georgetown assistant Kevin Broadus will become the school’s second basketball coach since the Bearcats began playing at the Division I level in 2001. He replaces Al Walker, who was reassigned to an administrative position within the athletic department.
Awards: Freshmen Kevin Durant of Texas and Greg Oden of Ohio State were voted to The Associated Press’ All-America team, the first members of their class so honored since Chris Jackson was selected in 1989. Also on the team are seniors Alando Tucker of Wisconsin and Acie Law IV of Texas A&M and junior Arron Afflalo of UCLA.
Durant’s 72 first-team votes gave him 360 points. Tucker received 64 first-team votes and 344 points, followed by Law (59, 320 points), Afflalo (52, 304), and Oden (34, 263).
Nevada senior Nick Fazekas headlines the second team. The graduate of Ralston Valley High School was joined by senior Jared Dudley of Boston College, juniors Chris Lofton of Tennessee and Joakim Noah of Florida and sophomore Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina.
The third team has seniors Aaron Brooks of Oregon, Al Thornton of Florida State and Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh and juniors Jeff Green of Georgetown and Al Horford of Florida.
North Carolina: Jason Ray, a student who performed as UNC’s ram mascot Rameses for three seasons, died three days after being struck from behind by a car while walking on a highway shoulder before an NCAA Tournament game. He was 21.
