The Dixie Rotary Bowl

The City of St.George and the good folks at Dixie College have announced this week that the Dixie Rotary Bowl will be held again this year after much debate about its status following the move to Division II status.

I have mixed feelings about this to be sure. On the one hand, I am happy to see the city and the community retain an institution that has served them well and provided an opportunity for the student-athletes to experience a bowl environment. I am also pleased to see the volunteers honored in this way, but I also think the idea of a bowl game that always includes the home team is counterintuitive. First, what if Dixie is atrocious? Should they be allowed a chance at the post season if they haven't really earned it? And along those same lines, my understanding is that Division II football does have a playoff system, so, what message does it send to the myriad of other D-II teams that Dixie has a bowl game? I think it is a great concept, but if the game has no meaning to the kids or the programs, why should the volunteers donate their time and energies to a meaningless game?

All of that being said, I have to suggest that I am less than impressed with the scheduling as well. I don't have a problem with Dixie playing teams on the road, but playing three teams both away and at home? It feels like overkill. Yes, the NAU game was a feather in the cap, but it means nothing when the Rebels get killed 59-0 in the game. I feel like the scheduling was an afterthought to this administration. They were so interested in getting a coach (at the last moment) that they totally skipped putting together a schedule with any interest for the home fans. I hope it gets better for the basketball kids.

NFL Draft-Day 1, The Problem with the MWC

So its the NFL Draft and I am anxiously awaiting to see what happens to my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins. They did what was expected of them and went free safety. Dr. Z of Sports Illustrated was all over that one. What was unexpected for me, however, was the dearth of Mountain West Conference players drafted on Day 1. How many you ask? Two. Yep, for all the huffing and puffing that we ought to be in the BCS, we have only to look at our programs to see why we get no support nationally.

I know, I know, last year we had a banner year and a lot of the Utah guys went pretty high and the Cougs and CSU have routinely put guys high in the draft, but this year the MWC had exactly two. An offensive lineman from New Mexico and an ILB from San Diego State. To make matters worse, the kid from New Mexico graded out to a 4th or 5th round pick and everyone was surprised he went that high. Look, the MWC clamors for attention, but ultimately the individual talent in the league is just not that impressive. TCU and Utah, the top two teams in the league placed less guys in the first three rounds than Weber State or Northwestern State.

I want to say the talent is there, cause the Utes thumped on Georgia Tech and the Cougs held their own with the Cal Bears in the bowl games, but the draft says no. It is frustrating, too, knowing that several guys like Ngata and Litui actually showed interest in the Cougs before going to PAC-10 schools. I am hopeful it gets better, but can anyone blame Urban for leaving Utah after seeing whats happening in the MWC. I don't think so.

Better luck on Day 2.

The Utah Jazz-A Season of Frustration

Well, the Jazz are cooked and this season will likely be forgotten by most Jazz fans in a quick two days or so. That being said, Jazz fans are the eternal optimists for the most part and will soon look to the draft with great delight hoping to find another Karl Malone or John Stockton. While that is highly unlikely, there are a few guys out there that could make the team a playoff contender. I will now give my two cents on the State of the Jazz.

Without the injury debacle with Carlos Boozer for most of the season and the early season injury to AK-47, the Jazz would probably be in the playoffs and looking at a first round defeat at the hands of the Suns or the Spurs. Let's get real, Jazz fans, the Jazz wouldn't have won a playoff series this year even with a totally healthy roster for the whole year.

Jazz strengths:

They are long. Both Kirilenko and Okur are very long players (meaning they cover a lot of ground defensively) and Boozer is a long defensive player as well.

They are a very good interior passing team. Milt Palacio, Keith McLeod, and Deron Williams can all get in the lane and dish and the bigs are all adept passers and catchers.

When they play with energy, they get a lot of hustle baskets. Jerry Sloan gets frustrated with the lack of effort they sometimes display, but, by and large, this team is a good energy team. Matt Harpring and Kirilenko can always generate some offense by being active.

They can rebound.

Jazz Weaknesses:

They can't defend the perimeter. Despite their team quickness (which can be very good), they cannot seem to get to shooters on the perimeter(opponents made 180 more threes than them). This is terribly evident when they play the top teams in the West(i.e. San Antonio, Phoenix, and Dallas).

They can't shoot the three with any consistency (33% to 37% for opponents). Yes, Deron Williams got better, but Okur struggled at times and Andrei was atrocious this year.

They are a limited scoring team. They just don't have enough shooters in the half court set to be really dangerous in the playoffs should they ever get there.

What to do:

Well, with the free agents available this summer I'd suggest the Jazz get themselves into position to be aggressive next year and the year after. Outside of Al Harrington and Keith Van Horn and a lot of costly point guards like Sam Cassell and Jason Terry the cupboard is very thin this year. Chances are the Jazz will be pretty quiet this summer but they could clean some cap space by releasing Ostertag and reworking a deal with Harpring. Outside of that, they can look to the draft.

With a draft pick somewhere between 12 and 15 it is likely to be a guy that is a.) undersized or b.) limited offensively or defensively or c.) has character questions. With that in mind, who could help.

They have been rumored to be looking at a guy like Ronnie Brewer from Arkansas. A good shooter with NBA range and a really great defender. At 6'7" tall, he would be an athlete the Jazz don't really have. In that same area of the draft, guys like Rajon Rondo, Marvin Williams of UConn and Sheldon Williams of Duke all show up on the board. I am not sure any of those guys really fit the mold of the Jazz right now. They don't need a PG and Sheldon Williams is a lot like Carlos Boozer (Boozer was drafted in this same range).

A few flyers that might be intriguing to the Jazz might be J.J. Redick. He has the range and he would be a very fit considering the Jazz need shooters desperately. Another guy that has been bantered about could be Richard Roby of Colorado. He is a prototypical 2 in the NBA but he has motivation problems and Jerry Sloan may be hesitant to want him.

All things being the same, I would like a slasher like Brewer with some athleticism to boot. Another guy to be aware of is Tiago Splitter of Brazil. He has been rumored to be NBA ready and he would give the Jazz another body in the middle who is not named Ostertag. That would be nice.

Let the speculation begin.

Big Phil is the Master

So I watched the Master's yesterday and had the privilege of watching Phil dismantle nearly everyone in the field. My only disappointment came when Phil bogeyed the 18th to nix me out of the Master's pool at work. I had 8-under as my final victor's score.

A couple of observations about the contest. Utahn Mike Weir finally had an acceptable showing in a major tourney. Chad Campbell, a UNLV graduate, played well nearly all four days and had an acceptable showing. The biggest news is that Big Phil may actually be our closest neighbor in a very short time. I know Jay Don Blake is from St. George, but his game hasn't been much to look at in recent memory, so the fact that a couple of local developers are wining and dining the soft-paunched one to get him to design a course for them is big news. Now it's not a done deal but the scuttlebutt is that Big Phil will get a winter house with all the trimmings for he and his family (his wife is from the Salt Lake area).

I don't know when and if this will really happen but my sources are pretty reliable and they are optimistic that Phil might consider it if the house is thrown in in the deal. Regardless, we here in Southern Utah should embrace him as our own. Well done, Phil. Congrats.

The Final Two

So I watched last night's two National Semifinals for spots in the National Championship and I was impressed by both winning performances. I thought the kids for Florida came out with the attitude that they would not get upset and played like it throughout. The guard play for them was particularly impressive. Taureen Green is a total game plan wrecker 'cause he can get in the lane and kick (which is Billy Donovan's philosophy) and he can spot up on the perimeter when the bigs get the ball on the blocks or at the free throw line extended.

Secondly, UCLA's Ben Howland outcoached John Brady. Brady had to think UCLA would slow the pace down and work the clock against the supremely athletic LSU kids, but he told Farmar, Collison, and Afflalo to push the ball on the break and then back it out or take the easy shot. The effect was that both Thomas and Davis both got winded and never truly got in the game. The on-ball pressure from the UCLA guards also disrupted any rhythm LSU hoped to establish and they turned the ball over the entire first half.

I am surprised at Howland's game plan and adaptability (although they still had the pace below the 60-pt. level that is so important for them) because as Northern Arizona's head coach he had his guys bombing threes the entire time. He is obviously a little better coach than I ever imagined. Now if we could trick him into returning to Utah.

The Coaching Carousel

Ron Haun, huh?

The story goes that Greg Croshaw was fired (ahem, let go) due to academic standards that were not addressed and the College felt that they needed to go a different direction. Then Dexter Irvin goes out and hires Haun. A good fit? I'm not sure.

Haun is a Dixie alumnus and will be dedicated to the College and the community. That much I feel comfortable in saying. He knows the ropes when it comes to recruiting in this state and in this area. That is attested to by his success at Ricks/BYU-Idaho. He can coach at a junior college level. Again, that is attested to by his record at Ricks.

My question is whether he can coach at this level and whether the hire was motivated by the College's desire to distance itself from any impropriety. Try this on for size. Following the defection by Jeff Kidder (I am glad he's gone to be honest), the College goes and hires a good guy in Coach Judkins. He's about as milquetoast as they get. Then they go and hire an ex-Ricks coach to replace Croshaw. I'm not saying Haun is milquetoast, but he was on Ron McBride's staff last year. Need I say more?

I am hoping for the best with Haun, but I hope they keep Jeff Schroeder and the other coaches that have worked this spring with the kids, because otherwise the transition is going to be a long and hard one, both for the College and the athletes.

On a totally unrelated topic. Would the Dixie Athletic Department please publish a schedule on their website for next year. Please.

A Shout-out for Joe Beutler

It's not like swimming is the end-all, be-all sport around these parts, and that is just fine, but local swimmer, Joe Beutler, is the end-all, be-all swimmer around these parts and Southern Utah should take note. A double gold medalist at the recent 3-A State Championship in Provo and 3-A State Swimmer of the Year, Joe one-upped his accomplishments a week or so ago at the Western Sectional meet in Phoenix, Arizona by setting a state mark in the 1650 yard freestyle event and the 1000 yard freestyle event. In the latter event, Joe qualified for Nationals. No, not Nationals for his age-group (he's 15) but Nationals for every age group. He is one of the top distance swimmers in the entire United States and will have the opportunity to get some valuable experience at that level in the Nationals this weekend in Federal Way, Washington.

Joe is a freshman at Snow Canyon Middle School and should be making waves for years to come. Here at the SUSBlog, we wish you the best and will be following your progress.

The Final Four

I wonder if the George Mason run is the most amazing thing to ever happen in team sports. Think about it. It is the equivalent of Utah State beating USC in football, my Dad beating Tiger in a round of golf, and the Clippers winning anything of significance.

I am not saying it is unprecedented. LSU had a similar run from the 11 seed back in 1986 but this is so much more impressive. First, LSU had the advantage of a lot of conference money being sifted into its program from the Kentucky's and Alabama's of the SEC. George Mason hardly sees any such money. Second, LSU is a school with a huge fan base and a subsequently large talent pool to recruit from. George Mason is a commuter school in the shadows of Georgetown and George Washington. And lastly, LSU had a schedule that prepared it for the tournament rigours. Nothing against Hofstra and UNC-Wilmington, but that was pretty much it in the CAA.

I think the other thing that endears them so much is their unbridled enthusiasm for the whole thing. They are genuinely blown away by the accomplishment and rightly so. I don't expect them to win in the Final Four (Florida is just too balanced and athletic to expect an underdog victory), but I expect them to be classy and exciting, and maybe, just maybe, they'll shock me yet again. I can't wait.