Wherever Jeff Betts has played, whether it's been Fort Lauderdale, Portland or Utah, he's been regarded as one of the most exciting players to watch.
His creativity was one of the big reasons why Utah acquired Betts a year ago, but that was only the half of it. The Freezz announced he would be a player-coach after deciding not to pick up the option on coach Dave Poggi's contract after the team's inaugural season in 1999.
All season Utah management raved about Betts, and the decision was only reiterated Tuesday when he was named the WISL Coach of the Year.
"We have been more than pleased with the effort that Jeff put in this season," said Utah president Tim Mouser in a press release statement. "Jeff did everything we asked him and did it in an outstanding manner. He gave Utah soccer fans an exciting product — all with a team younger and less experienced than most of the other power teams in the league."
In his first-ever year as a coach, Betts guided the Freezz to a 15-9 record, good enough for third place. The Freezz were eventually eliminated from the playoffs by Dallas in the semifinals.
Aside for improving a defense that surrendered a ton of shots last year, one of Betts' greatest assets has been his teaching. The Freezz had quite a few young players on the team, and he was never afraid to insert them into a game at a crucial time.
It gave those young players like Scott Jones and Jake Atkin confidence, and in turn they became key contributors.
Aside from his coaching accomplishments, Betts also had a solid year as a player. He finished with 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points. That total was 10th in the WISL.
E-MAIL: jedward@desnews.com