The Alumni Thread

[UtahsMrSports]

Here is a spot for updates on Runnin' Utes of the past.....

Some great news for Andre Miller here.......http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/wp/2014/06/28/andre-miller-will-be-back-with-wizards-trevor-booker-might-not/

Looks like Jason Washburn will be playing for the Utah Jazz in the upcoming Las Vegas summer league.

[hostile]

Billy McGill passed away at the age of 74. My dad played with Billy for 2 years. Sad to see him go.

[Mormon Red Death]

Billy McGill passed away at the age of 74. My dad played with Billy for 2 years. Sad to see him go.

My dad had a good friend on the team and they played pool a couple times at the Student Union with McGill. BTW here is a great article about McGill from Bill Walton (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2003/story?id=1549466).

[Mormon Red Death]

the jump hook in action


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLhwaBQTtM4&list=PLrcYpx7Kz8DsQc4Ly9r29xcy P8iP_rJhU

[Rocker Ute]

One of my business partners was friends with McGill during his time at the U. His fraternity was supposed to make sure that Billy remained eligible (he struggled quite a bit academically) and friendships came from there. We were chatting about his death yesterday and he told me how he could pick up just about any sport in an instant and beat anyone. He said they'd play pool with him, his main buddy would point out the shot he should take and he'd nail it, or ping pong or just about anything else. Give him a minute and he'd master and beat just about anyone.

Some of you may remember a few years back they had Billy back at the JMHC, gave him the mike and he alluded to his hardships and that he was looking for work. I think everybody in the stadium felt sheepish about that, hard to believe such a sensational athlete could fall on hard times. By today's standards he certainly would have made some decent money in his few years in the NBA to keep him out of what he went through. I remember wishing when that happened that some boosters would pool some money and give him a job and have him just go around and be at U events.

Rest in Peace, Billy.

[Applejack]

Here's a nice blog post about Senioritis' all-time favorite Ute, Jason Washburn:

http://www.blocku.com/2014/5/14/5717146/washburn-a-cornerstone-of-runnin-utes-rebirth

[LA Ute]

I guess this goes here. It's from a public TV station in Milwaukee:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO0sOtJqThY


Guest Rick Majerus, long-time college basketball coach and ABC/ESPN sports analyst, talks with host Jim Peck. Majerus joined Coach Al McGuire's staff as an assistant coach at Marquette University in the 1970s. He was also assistant coach to Hank Raymonds; and, in 1983, Majerus succeeded Raymonds as head coach at Marquette. His career includes more than 30 years of coaching college basketball. In 1989, Majerus became head coach at the University of Utah, where he led the Running Utes to unprecedented success over the next 15 years. In 1998, the Utes played in the NCAA championship, becoming the national runner-up, when Kentucky won. (Originally aired Nov. 21, 2005.) Mr. Majerus passed away December 1, 2012.

[Damage U]

Thanks for posting that LA. I watched it yesterday and it brought back a lot of fun memories. Up until seeing this I always thought the Utes were the losers of the '98 championship game. Now I know them as the national runners-up.

[LA Ute]

Thanks for posting that LA. I watched it yesterday and it brought back a lot of fun memories. Up until seeing this I always thought the Utes were the losers of the '98 championship game. Now I know them as the national runners-up.

Yeah, its fun to relive the Majerus years. It was a golden time, mostly. He did remind me of how tired I got of him criticizing the State of Utah. He always made it sound much worse than it really is ("The middle of nowhere?" Really, Rick?) and a coach should be selling the environment he's recruiting to.

[U-Ute]

I forgot how fun an interview with Rick was. Ask one question, 5 minute answer... ask another question, 5 minute answer. And yet you never tired to hear his answers.

What a complicated and interesting man.

[chrisrenrut]

I forgot how fun an interview with Rick was. Ask one question, 5 minute answer... ask another question, 5 minute answer. And yet you never tired to hear his answers.

What a complicated and interesting man.

Marcroft's "questions" were the best for Majerus, because they were really just statements that Majerus would ignore, and just talk about what he wanted to.

Marcroft- "So you held them to under 60 points!"

majerus- "Yeah. Looking at the stat sheet, we held them to 35% shooting, and just 28% from 3. We ran a bastardized line up for most of the second half due to foul trouble. Our o-fense needs some work, but that is probably my fault for practicing them for 3 hours this afternoon before the game. I'm going to go back to the hotel, order some food, and dream of Cindy Crawford"

[Eddie]

Yeah, its fun to relive the Majerus years. It was a golden time, mostly. He did remind me of how tired I got of him criticizing the State of Utah. He always made it sound much worse than it really is ("The middle of nowhere?" Really, Rick?) and a coach should be selling the environment he's recruiting to.

To me I always thought this had more to do with his general self-deprecating humor than with a real dislike for the state of Utah. But I don't know, maybe he really did see it as the middle of nowhere and hate it. I just tend to think of Rick as a big story teller, and downplaying Utah was part of his story to keep it interesting. Call it artistic license.

[LA Ute]

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