Ray Giacoletti out from under Rick Majerus' shadow, leads Utah Utes to Top 25 NCAA

The ANNOTICO Report

Rick Majerus, the self-described "fat guy" achieved icon status in Salt
Lake City while leading the Utes to their most successful era, so new coach
Ray Giacoletti (pronounced jack-oh-LET-ee) had large shoes to fill.

In 15 seasons under Majerus, Utah had 323 victories, 10 regular-season
conference champions and 10 NCAA tournament berths. The Utes had four
appearances in the Sweet 16, one Elite Eight, one Final Four and played in
the 1998 national-title game.No Utah coach, ever, matched Majerus' record
of sustained excellence.

Majerus retired from Utah in the middle of the 2003-04 season to tend to
his health. He joined ESPN as a TV analyst, and in December accepted the
USC coaching position, which he resigned after five days and returned to
ESPN.

Utah's Athletic Director Chris Hill pursued Lon Kruger and Trent Johnson
before offering the position to Giacoletti, 42, who coached four seasons at
Eastern Washington and led the Eagles to their first NCAA tournament
appearance in 2004, and was named the 2003-04 Big Sky Conference coach of
the year.

In Giacoletti's first year, the Utes are ranked 21st, and are 18-3 overall
and 6-0 in the Mountain West Conference. After a rocky early adjustment
period, they went 5-3, The Utes then won 13 in a row, lead the nation in
field-goal shooting at 53.9% and limit opponents to an average of 57.5
points, the seventh-lowest total.

Giacoletti has gained supporters as much for his low-key approach to
handling of the team, as much as the Utes' success, and his style has been
a welcomed change of pace for athletic administrators who had grown weary
of the high-maintenance Majerus

"Coach Jack is real positive, and the guys have really taken a liking to
him. He just keeps building confidence and trust between every player on
the team, and his even-handed temperament is a definite plus says standout
sophomore center Andrew Bogut. "It was hard to understand why Coach
Majerus would be so tough on the guys".

Bogut, a 7-foot native of Australia, has emerged as the nation's most
dominant post player, and was not happy with Majerus.

Giacoletti convinced Bogut to stay, despite his not being a "name" coach.

Giacoletti also persuaded senior guard Marc Jackson to rejoin the team.
Jackson, second-team all-conference as a sophomore, left the program last
season rather than play for Majerus. He is second on the Utes in scoring
average (11.2) and shares the team lead in assists at 3.6.

Now keep in mind that early in the season, of their 3 losses, one was to #
13 ranked Washinton, by only 7 points, and another to #14 Arizona by 5
points.

News Update: Utah beat San Diego tonight, 61-41, and the Utes extend their
streak to 14 in a row, and improve to 19-3.

Giacoletti has already made it a "Miracle" season. Can he make it a
Cinderella season. See the Utes 2005 Schedule below.

ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Giacoletti Has Kept Utah Going in Right Direction
Los Angeles Times
By Jason Reid
February 3, 2005

It figured Rick Majerus would still cast a big shadow over Utah because,
well, Majerus' shadow is big everywhere.

One-liners aside, though, the self-described "fat guy" achieved icon status
in Salt Lake City while leading the Utes to their most successful era, so
Ray Giacoletti (pronounced jack-oh-LET-ee) had large shoes to fill.

They fit just fine.

Utah has maintained high standards under its first-year coach, who embraced
the school's tradition-rich past while doing his own thing.

The Utes are rolling after an awkward early adjustment period, and
Giacoletti's handling of the team has prompted many on campus to reconsider
their views about high-profile coaches.

Giacoletti has gained supporters as much for his low-key approach as the
Utes' success, and his style has been a welcomed change of pace for
athletic administrators who had grown weary of the high-maintenance Majerus.

Majerus used to set the tone at Utah, but now it's Giacoletti's way.

"He's been awesome. Just awesome," standout sophomore center Andrew Bogut
said. "Coach Jack is real positive, and the guys have really taken a liking
to him.

"He just keeps building confidence and trust between every player on the
team. Obviously, Coach Majerus is a great coach. But we've still got a
great coach here."

The numbers support Bogut's opinion.

The 21st-ranked Utes are 18-3 overall and 6-0 in the Mountain West
Conference. They've won 13 in a row, lead the nation in field-goal shooting
at 53.9% and limit opponents to an average of 57.5 points, the
seventh-lowest total.

Players are particularly upbeat about Giacoletti's fast-paced offense,
which provides greater freedom than that of his predecessor, and his
even-handed temperament.

The Utes operate in a more open environment than they did previously, and
Giacoletti has vowed to let them have fun unless someone breaks his first
rule: Get the ball to Bogut.

The 7-foot native of Australia has emerged as the nation's most dominant
post player in only his second season, which might be his last as an
amateur.

European professional leagues courted Bogut, 20, even before his breakout
performance with the Australian Olympic team last summer in Athens.

He would be a probable NBA lottery pick after this season, and some talent
evaluators have suggested Bogut could be the No. 1 overall selection
because of his rare combination of size, passing skills and footwork.

With Bogut the focus of Giacoletti's system and the other players
cooperating, the Utes aren't the same bunch that started 5-3, including a
26-point loss to Utah State.

Mountain West coaches say Utah is without peer in the conference, and
Giacoletti has received high marks for convincing the Utes that a new way
could work too.

Now, that's how to follow an icon.

"I knew what Coach Majerus had done here, he's got a great legacy, and Utah
basketball has a great history of tradition," Giacoletti said. "I knew all
of those things, but I am who I am, and our staff is who we are. We're
going to work hard, do the best we can and let the chips fall where they
may at the end.

"If that's good enough, great. If not, then we did everything we could.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, so we can't be worried
about how somebody else did it or how things were done in the past. We're
trying to do the best we can right now."

Giacoletti got the chance because others weren't as interested.

Athletic Director Chris Hill pursued Lon Kruger and Trent Johnson before
offering the position to Giacoletti, 42, who went 69-50 in four seasons at
Eastern Washington and led the Eagles to their first NCAA tournament
appearance in 2004.

Giacoletti, the 2003-04 Big Sky Conference coach of the year, was eager to
take a bigger step, and following Majerus qualified.

The Utes won the 1944 NCAA title and participated in the 1961 and '66 Final
Fours. No Utah coach, however, matched Majerus' record of sustained
excellence.

Utah was 15-5 when Majerus left the program last season. Kerry Rupp, an
assistant for three years, became the interim coach and led the Utes to a
9-4 record, losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Boston
College. Rupp is in his first season as the associate head coach at Indiana.

The presence of Bogut was among the appealing aspects of the job to
Giacoletti, but Bogut considered not returning to Utah.

Last season's Mountain West freshman of the year, who attended Utah because
of Majerus' reputation for developing big men, was uncomfortable with
Majerus' intense approach in practice.

Bogut returned home to Melbourne after the season and considered signing a
professional contract. Then he outperformed older and more experienced
players in the 2004 Athens Olympics, having averaged 14.8 points and 8.8
rebounds.

Persuading Bogut to return for his sophomore year was the top item on
Giacoletti's to-do list after he was introduced as the Utes' new coach
March 31.

Giacoletti instructed his staff to learn about Bogut as a person, but not
to pressure him about a decision. In April, Giacoletti visited Bogut's
parents in Melbourne and delivered the most important recruiting pitch of
his career.

The Boguts apparently liked what they heard.

Andrew has thrived in Giacoletti's system, increasing his scoring average
from 12.5 points as a freshman to a conference-best 20 points this season.

He leads the nation in rebounding at 12 per game, and his total of 14 games
with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds is first on that list. Bogut also
is fourth in the nation in field-goal shooting at 64.9%.

"We're pretty fortunate to be able to coach a guy like Andrew Bogut in our
first year," Giacoletti said. "Our team is better, and others are better on
the team, because he gets touches every trip down the floor.

"He not only scores the basketball, but he's probably as good a passer for
a big man as there is in the country. Once the team finally realized that,
first and foremost, we had to get Andrew touches, it really started to come
together."

Bogut acknowledged he was better suited to Giacoletti's style, on and off
the court.

"Sometimes it was hard to understand why Coach Majerus would be so tough on
the guys," he said. "I guess if you're going to make it to the NBA or in
life after basketball you're going to need that, and Coach Jack points out
mistakes too, but he gives you a little more freedom than Coach Majerus.

"I feel more comfortable now. Coach Jack is real positive about everything,
and that's the way he treats you. You know he's going to show you respect
because you work hard. If you miss a shot now, you don't have to be afraid
you're coming out."

Rupp, last season's interim coach, expected Bogut and the Utes to improve.

"That team is very good, and Bogut is a great big [man]," said Rupp, who
has broad responsibilities with the Hoosiers.

"When they told me, 'Hey, you're not in the mix for the job,' I just looked
at it as change would be good, and that there would be another opportunity
for me. But I knew they would be very good this year."

In addition to re-recruiting Bogut, Giacoletti also persuaded senior guard
Marc Jackson to rejoin the team.

Jackson, second-team all-conference as a sophomore, left the program last
season rather than play for Majerus. He is second on the Utes in scoring
average (11.2) and shares the team lead in assists at 3.6.

"I'm happy with how Ray has approached the whole program," said Hill, the
athletic director.

"The way he's put the team together, how he's recruited, how he's handled
everything, he's just done really well."

*
A Ute From Down Under

Utah's return to national prominence is due in no small part to its
Australian center, Andrew Bogut, whose inside game is among the best in the
country.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/
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2004-2005 Schedule

Day Date Opponent Location Rank Outcome/Time
Sat 11/06/2004 Carroll College (Exb.) Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 86-62
Sat 11/13/2004 Western State College (Exb.) Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 87-48
Fri 11/19/2004 Stony Brook Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 72-63
Thu 11/25/2004 Washington (Great Alaska Shootout) Anchorage, Alaska # 13
L, 78-71
Fri 11/26/2004 High Point (Great Alaska Shootout) Anchorage, Alaska   W,
78-69
Sat 11/27/2004 Furman (Great Alaska Shootout) Anchorage, Alaska   W, 62-50
Tue 11/30/2004 Southern Utah Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 65-45
Sat 12/04/2004 Utah St Logan, Utah L, 71-45
Wed 12/08/2004 Montana-Western Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 98-63
Sat 12/11/2004 Arizona Tucson, Ariz. # 14 L, 67-62
Fri 12/17/2004 Northern Colorado Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 81-66
Mon 12/20/2004 Coppin State Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 66-37
Wed 12/22/2004 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Calif.   W, 92-76
Tue 12/28/2004 Weber St Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 51-40
Thu 12/30/2004 Colorado Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 80-48
Mon 01/03/2005 LSU Salt Lake City, Utah W, 69-55
Wed 01/05/2005 Whitworth Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 81-60
Mon 01/10/2005 UNLV Salt Lake City, Utah W, 70-52
Sat 01/15/2005 Wyoming Laramie, Wyo. W, 74-49
Mon 01/17/2005 Colorado St Fort Collins, Colo. W, 75-52
Sat 01/22/2005 New Mexico Salt Lake City, Utah W, 69-58
Mon 01/24/2005 Air Force Salt Lake City, Utah   W, 63-51
Mon 01/31/2005 BYU Provo, Utah W, 72-58
Sat 02/05/2005 San Diego St San Diego, Calif. W, 61-41
Mon 02/07/2005 UNLV Las, Vegas, Nev. 7:30 PM (PST)
Sat 02/12/2005 Colorado St Salt Lake City, Utah 7:00 PM
Mon 02/14/2005 Wyoming Salt Lake City, Utah   7:00 PM
Sat 02/19/2005 Air Force Colorado Springs, Colo. 1:00 PM
Mon 02/21/2005 New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M. 7:00 PM
Sat 02/26/2005 BYU Salt Lake City, Utah 1:00 PM
Sat 03/05/2005 San Diego St Salt Lake City, Utah 1:00 PM
Thu 03/10/2005 TBA (MWC Quarterfinals) Denver, Colo. TBA
Fri 03/11/2005 TBA (MWC Semifinals) Denver, Colo. TBA
Sat 03/12/2005 TBA (MWC Championship) Denver, Colo. 8:00 PM