Aware or not, Krystkowiak has been the catalyst in digging the once-proud Utah program out of a pit deeper and darker than it had ever been in, lifting it to be a respectable force in a major conference.
SALT LAKE CITY—Larry Krystkowiak reached the milestone of one hundred wins at the University of Utah when the Utes (5-1) beat the Montana State Bobcats (5-3), 92-84. He is the fifth coach at Utah to achieve the mark, joining the ranks of Vadal Peterson (385), Jack Gardner (339), Jerry Pimm (173), and Rick Majerus (323).
“I was never really aware of any of that stuff,” said Krystkowiak. “We’ve talked about it always being about we and not me, and it probably should happen when you’re going on your sixth year.”
Aware or not, Krystkowiak has been the catalyst in digging the once-proud Utah program out of a pit deeper and darker than it had ever been in, lifting it to be a respectable force in a major conference.
Asked about his most memorable wins among his first 100 at the U., Krystkowiak noted the win against Duke at Madison Square Garden was particularly special.
“And I noticed that was number 77, and seven’s been my lucky number since I was a little kid,” Krystkowiak continued. “So I thought that was apropos, that it was fitting that 77 was one that I’ll always remember.” He also labeled all NCAA Tournament wins as “majors” that are especially meaningful.
“It means a lot,” said forward Kyle Kuzma of his coach’s milestone. “It’s just great for Coach K to restore the program and bring it back to what it used to be. I am just happy I was here for a lot of it. Hopefully we can get more wins.”
Kuzma was a force in the 100th win, falling just one assist shy of a triple-double. He had 16 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, but did his darnedest to get that last assist. Near the end of the game, fully aware of needing one statistic to reach the rare triple-double, and with a comfortable point cushion, Kuzma rocketed an inbound pass across the court to try for a quick score, which bounced off his teammate’s hands and back to the Bobcats.
Kuzma realized he looked desperate in that moment. “Pretty obviously I threw a 94-foot pass that was a turnover, so I tried that and it didn’t happen,” he said.
Krystkowiak wasn’t aware of Kuzma approaching the triple mark, and he wasn’t happy upon finding out about his junior forward’s individual side goal. Still, Krystkowiak acknowledged, “it’s a heck of a game. Forget if you have nine assists or eleven assists, I’m pleased with his performance.”
In all, six Utes finished in double-digit scoring, led by freshman guard Devon Daniels, who hunted his way to the basket for layups. JoJo Zamora, using a similar tactic, finished with 15. Tyler Rawson added 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.
The Utes will look to clean up turnovers and lock down the defensive end of the floor when the Utah Valley Wolverines bring a red-hot offense into the Huntsman Center on Tuesday night. Tipoff will be at 6:00 with pregame at 4:00 on ESPN 700.
Larry Krystkowiak Postgame Press Conference:
Kyle Kuzma and Tyler Rawson Postgame Press Conference:
Highlights
1st Half:
2nd Half:
