Dana Altman: Another One Who Got Away

Way back seven years ago after Rick Majerus faked a heart attack and we got a season of Kerry Rupp, after every other coach in the nation turned us down, we hired Ray Giacolletti.  But there was a guy who was interested in the job, but he understood what it would be like to follow someone like Majerus, how there wasn’t a ton of talent in the pipeline beyond the one season Andrew Bogut would stay and how our fans were going to kill anyone that wasn’t Rick Majerus.  That guy was Dana Altman.

Because Dana understood all too well what it would be to take the Utah job, he wanted some assurances he’d get a real chance at this so he asked for a 10 year deal.  Chris Hill said no and we moved on.

With hindsight being 20/20 and seeing what he’s doing at Oregon, and considering how we’ve treated our coaches, it’s hard not to wish we’d simply given Coach Altman his long term deal and let things fall how they may.

For those who don’t know Altman spent four years at Kansas St. and then moved onto Creighton after KSU was having KU envy and delusions of grandeur.  Altman spend 16 years at Creighton, never missing post-season play or finishing lower than 4th after his 3rd year, and made 7 NCAA appearances.

When I suggested Dana Altman is a guy we should look at both when we hired, I was told by many Utah fans who claim to know basketball, the same ones who say Boylen somehow won the conference without an offensive system and that six wins was pure genius, that Altman wasn’t a good coach.  Of course Altman might have done something to offend Utah High School Basketball Coaches who have the sensitivity of 12 year old girls and then all would have been lost.  We’d have fired him for not winning in his third year and still be paying his buyout.  But I digress..

I happened to go to Omaha during Altman’s final year at Creighton and it looked like the fans were turning on him a bit.  I guessed then he was ready to move and after Oregon made their hoops coaching search look like a monkey humping a football, they found a guy to take the job in Dana Altman.

All he’s done since then is win the CBI last season.  This season he has Oregon at 20-8, 11-5 in the Pac-12 and on the edge of a NCAA berth.  And the recruiting is looking OUT OF SIGHT.

So when Utah is in Eugene on Saturday, look at Oregon and think, we could be in year 8 of that guy instead of having bought out two coaches, and in a six win season.