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The pros and cons of potential Utah basketball coaching candidates

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The pros and cons of potential Utah basketball coaching candidates


The Craig Smith era at Utah is over.

Mark Harlan, the program’s athletic director, announced the decision to part ways with Smith on Monday afternoon following the Runnin’ Utes loss to UCF last weekend.

Smith was closing in on his fourth year as the program’s head coach. He had led Utah to a 15-12 overall record and a 7-9 record in the Big 12 this season. Before losing to the Knights, Utah was coming off back-to-back wins over Kansas and Kansas State in Salt Lake City.

“After evaluating our program under Craig’s leadership, I believe a change is needed to get us to where we want to go,” Harlan said in a statement. “The time is now to begin that process, and we will surround Coach [Josh] Eilert, the staff and our student-athletes with support as they continue with their season.

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“We have greater aspirations for our men’s basketball program, both within the Big 12 Conference and nationally, and our expectation is to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament.”

A national search for Utah’s next head coach has begun, as the Utes look to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

Here’s a look at some potential candidates — and their strengths and weaknesses:

Alex Jensen, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Alex Jensen, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) as the Utah Jazz host the Sacramento Kings, NBA basketball in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 12, 2022.

Pro: He’s a former Ute player, and he has a plethora of coaching experiences. He’s been the G League Coach of the Year, turned Rudy Gobert into a multiple Defensive Player of the Year winner, and helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024. He’s coached and played at the collegiate and professional level both overseas and in the United States. Jensen also understands the pride associated with Utah’s men’s basketball program. There’s a good chance his hire would invigorate boosters and, in turn, lead to more NIL money for the basketball program.

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Con: In the pros, Jensen can focus exclusively on basketball. Making the move to the college ranks would mean juggling recruiting, fundraising and a host of other asks. Is he interested in that lifestyle change?

Andre Miller, Grand Rapids Gold head coach

(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Utah’s Andre Miller walks up the court dejected as Kentucky takes control of the 1998 championship game in San Antonio, Texas. Kentucky players Saul Smith (11) and Steve Masiello (4)

Pro: Like Jensen, Andre Miller understands the fan base’s nostalgia for the Runnin’ Utes and the love that it takes to compete at a high level. The former Utah guard was an integral piece of Utah’s 1998 Final Four run with Rick Majerus. He’d be a perfect candidate to add a spark of energy to Utah’s basketball program.

Con: Like Jensen, Miller lacks collegiate head coaching experience and would have to adapt to the new business model of college athletics. Players want to get paid and building a culture is nearly impossible with the advent of the transfer portal.

Richard Pitino, New Mexico head coach

FILE – Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino watches from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa in this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo. As coach Richard Pitino starts a pivotal eighth year at Minnesota, the Gophers will again try to bounce back from a bad season after finishing in 12th place in the Big Ten in 2019-20. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

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Pro: Richard Pitino has helped rebuild New Mexico’s basketball program this season. The Lobos are currently atop the Mountain West and are vying for their second consecutive berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Con: Hiring another Mountain West head coach might be a hard sell for Utah’s boosters, especially since Smith came from Utah State four seasons ago.

Johnnie Bryant, associate head coach Cleveland Cavaliers

(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz assistant coach Johnnie Bryant watches during the game at Vivint Smart Home Arena Friday, January 19, 2018.

Pro: Like Jensen and Miller, Johnnie Bryant is a former Ute and would add a bit of nostalgia to the program. Bryant is also a tenured NBA assistant with stops with the Utah Jazz (2014-20), New York Knicks (2020-24) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2024-now). If it isn’t with Utah, Bryant seems bound to be a head coach somewhere soon.

Con: Outside of his time with the Runnin’ Utes, Bryant doesn’t have any college coaching experience. With the changing landscape of NIL, the transfer portal and more, it would be an adjustment for Bryant to make as a first-time college coach.

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Josh Eilert, current Utah interim head coach

FILE – West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker, left, and interim NCAA college basketball coach Josh Eilert answer questions during a news conference, June 26, 2023, in Morgantown, W.Va. Eilert took over for the 2023-24 season after coach Bob Huggins was arrested on a drunken driving charge and the university says he subsequently resigned. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten, File)

Pro: Josh Eilert has a plethora of Big 12 experience and will now have served as an interim head coach at two spots. It’s only a matter of time before he becomes a head coach somewhere in college basketball.

Con: Eilert is a holdover from Smith’s latest staff. If the Runnin’ Utes are looking for a completely fresh start, that means he and the rest of the remaining assistants are likely gone after the 2025 season.

Other names to watch

Steve Wojciechowski — Currently the coach of the Salt Lake City Stars, Wojciechowski spent seven seasons as the head coach of Marquette, compiling a 128-95 record and making the NCAA tournament twice.

Bryce Drew — He has 13 seasons of head coaching experience at the college level. At Grand Canyon, he’s put together four straight 20-win seasons. “There is a benefit to hiring someone who’s been a high-major coach before, and who has recruited at that level; don’t forget that Drew brought Darius Garland and Aaron Nesmith to Nashville,” The Athletic wrote of Drew’s potential fit at Utah.

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Eric Olsen — UC San Diego already has 24 wins this season, including an impressive victory on the road at Utah State. As The Athletic said, “The 44-year-old is the rare coach young enough to still make multiple moves but experienced enough to be patient about the best fit. Is this it? Olsen is an Alabama native whose entire coaching career has come in San Diego, and the lack of Utah ties is notable compared with other candidates.”



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Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon

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Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon


A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.

He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.

MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche

In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.

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“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.

A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.

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911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas

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911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas


CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.

LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.

Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.

The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.

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MORE | Murder-Suicide

Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.

10:33 a.m. — Call 1

After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.

Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.

“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”

11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3

As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.

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“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”

11:26 a.m. — Call 4

Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.

“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”

She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.

Police indicated officers were on the way.

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2:26 p.m. — Call 5

Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.

Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.

“They found a note on the door.”

2:35 p.m. — Call 6

Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.

“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”

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A dispatcher responded:

“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”

2:36 p.m. — Call 7

Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:

“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”

2:39 p.m. — Call 8

Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.

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“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”

He repeats the details he knows for the second time.

3:13 p.m. — Call 9

Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.

“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”

Dispatch responded:

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“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”

4:05 p.m. — Call 10

More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.

“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”

The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.

Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.

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The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.

5:23 p.m. — Call 11

Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.

“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”

She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.

Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference

Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.

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The investigation remains ongoing.

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Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing

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Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing


AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”

Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.

“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.

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Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.

“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.

2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:

  • Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
  • Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
  • Does it support a ban from classrooms?

Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.

“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.

MORE | Utah State Legislature:

Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.

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“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.

“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.

The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.

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