Salt Lake’s a special place, a special town. They understand basketball. So it doesn’t surprise me. They’ve got the right guy in there in Larry. – UCLA coach Steve Alford
SAN FRANCISCO — Utah’s rise to prominence last season doesn’t surprise Pac-12 colleagues of head coach Larry Krystkowiak. The Utes have earned plenty of respect for what they’ve accomplished over his first four seasons at the helm.
“He’s done an unbelievable job of developing the players that are in the program, recruiting new players into the program and building it to the point it is today,” said Colorado coach Tad Boyle, who added that Krystkowiak has resurrected Utah’s great basketball tradition and winning that fans grew accustomed to under Rick Majerus.
The Utes, who were picked to finish third in this year’s Pac-12 preseason media poll, are coming off a 26-9 campaign that ended with an appearance in the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16.
UCLA coach Steve Alford noted that he has a unique perspective on Utah’s move from a 6-25 team in 2011-12 to last season’s success. Alford got to know a lot about the Utes during his tenure at New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference.
“So I know how difficult it was to play at Utah and just what Utah basketball has always been,” he said. “I think Utah basketball has always been a very, very good program.”
Alford acknowledged that the program might have dipped a little bit in making the transition and that kind of thing to the Pac-12. He added that isn’t easy.
However, Alford credits Krystkowiak with coming in and doing a phenomenal job building on some tradition culture and establishing his own.
The result doesn’t surprise Alford because of the program’s fan base and facilities, including the new practice complex.
“Salt Lake’s a special place, a special town. They understand basketball,” he continued. “So it doesn’t surprise me. They’ve got the right guy in there in Larry.”
Krystkowiak, whose opening remarks at Thursday’s Pac-12 Media Day including the statement that he wanted “everybody to know I feel like the luckiest coach alive being with our program,” is building something others want to emulate.
“No question about it. We all know to build and put programs together and you’ve got to do it from the inside out,” said Ernie Kent, who is entering his second season at Washington State. “You’ve got to make a great foundation with your younger players. We’re doing it the exact same way.”
Prior to taking the job with the Cougars, Kent worked as an analyst for the Pac-12 Networks. He was able to attend Utah practices and see how the Utes operate.
“They built it the right way,” Kent said. “They taught their players the game and it’s just paying great dividends from them right now — doing it the right way, piece by piece.”
Oregon State’s Wayne Tinkle, who noted that he’s known Krystkowiak forever having played and coached with him at Montana, isn’t shocked by Utah’s rise.
“Knowing the way he goes about his business and all the things that they have there, it’s no surprise that he’s got that going the way he has,” Tinkle said.
Although Tinkle points out that he and Krystkowiak have different personalities and coach differently, there is a lot of common ground.
“We have a lot of the same philosophies,” Tinkle said. “So I hope by year four we can be doing the things that he’s doing for sure.”
Like Tinkle, California’s Cuonzo Martin is entering his second season in the Pac-12. He, too, is impressed with what Krystkowiak and his staff have done at Utah.
“They have a great coach. Larry does a great job. So I’m not surprised,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter of time when you get your personnel in place and the current guys you have on staff have them understand what you’re trying to do as a program. Not surprised at all.”
Martin explained that it’s hard work to put all the pieces in place. What Krystkowiak has done is exhausting and time-consuming.
“But it’s all worth it in the end,” Martin said. “He’s done a great job building that program back to a level where it was when Coach Majerus was there.”
The journey is what Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins likes to look at when examining success. He said the journey that Krystkowiak has taken Utah on is something players like Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge will never forget.
“There’s always a process,” Dawkins said. “But you know what? He believed in his team, they believed in him and they’ve accomplished some really good things together.”
Email: dirk@desnews.com
Twitter: @DirkFacer