by Dana Greene

We won't know if Jim Boylen was the right choice to become the next University of Utah head basketball coach for a couple years. But we can take a guess, can't we? I'm guessing he is the right man for the job. My primary reasoning for this conclusion is simple: Boylen knows talent.

Having spent the last two seasons as the top assistant at Michigan State, Boylen helped recruit a caliber of athlete the Utes were only able to dream about when Ray Giacoletti was the coach. And before his work with the Spartans, Boylen coached in the NBA for 11 seasons. The man worked with the likes of Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen and Yao Ming. I'm not saying Boylen will be able to bring those kinds of players to Utah, but when he goes into a kid's living room and can roll off those names, it sure makes playing for the Utes look pretty enticing.

Any coach will tell you, players play and coaches coach. If a coach can't bring in a certain level of athlete, it doesn't matter how good of a coach he is. Giacolleti was a good enough coach, but he wasn't able to bring in championship level players. Boylen coached in one of the best programs and with one of the best head coaches the NCAA has to offer. He knows what it takes to make it to the NBA...he's been to the show. So he should be able to upgrade the caliber of player the Utes have been able to get the past few years. His job depends on it.