SALT LAKE CITY — When Utah joined the Pac-12 it was almost exclusively for its football program. The basketball history and previous success was nice to tout as a talking point, but it was far from being a viable asset in a top conference.
Despite the excitement surrounding Utah's newfound conference, Utah basketball was an eyesore with a new coach that was fired a few years before as a head coach in the NBA. Couple that with the program's six-win season its first year in the Pac-12 and basketball had seemingly little promise or outlook.
Larry Krystkowiak, though, persevered and changed the culture surrounding Utah basketball.