Stew Morrill’s voice is shot, an occupational hazard of coaching over the din of a packed arena.
“It’s hard (for a visitor) to come in here and win when you’ve got 10,000 on top of you like we had last night,” Morrill nearly whispered this past week, a day after Utah State’s 10,270 sellout in its home finale. “Everyone thought I was crazy when I went to Utah State. But I knew it was a good job, and if you worked hard you can win.”
Morrill left Colorado State in 1998 following a 20-9 season and a brief NIT stop. Since then, he has taken Utah State to five NCAA Tournaments and has nine consecutive 20-plus-win seasons.
Colorado’s neighbor might be similar in size and geography, but the Beehive State schools bust the myth that you need a strong urban recruiting base to have success.
Since Utah’s Final Four appearance in 1998, the Utes, BYU, Utah State and Weber State have combined for 19 NCAA Tournament bids. During that same period, Colorado, CSU and Air Force have combined for four. Similar patterns go back to the early 1980s.
It’s not good basketball water flowing west from the Continental Divide and the bad stuff draining east to the Front Range. All four Division I coaches in Utah point to an exceptional basketball culture in helping their programs rise above their neighbors’.
“There’s a tradition here; it’s the state sport,” first-year Utah coach Jim Boylen said, “and it carries into everything else.”
As soon as they are old enough to dribble, youngsters start playing — at home, in churches, in leagues. The strong grassroots foundation helps the quality of play at the high school level, as well as fan interest.
While the state’s Division I teams fill in with junior-college transfers, out-of-state recruits and a few international players, there’s a homegrown nucleus on every college roster in Utah.
Weber State coach Randy Rahe — who was an assistant at Utah, Utah State and CSU — said “you get highly skilled players here who can really shoot, have a great feel for the game.”
Rahe was on the Utah staff when Australian Andrew Bogut took the Utes to the 2005 Sweet 16. Utah’s catalyst that season was a hard-nosed guard and local product, Mark Jackson.
“He was as much of a key as Bogut,” Rahe said.
While BYU is unique with its affiliation to the Mormon Church, Cougars coach David Rose said, “There’s a tradition and when we get in a home, parents can relate.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
