JimBob
01-01-2008, 09:09 AM
Sutton's team loses road game
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
1/1/2008
OREM, Utah -- Eddie Sutton will have to continue his quest for 800 victories somewhere besides Utah.
The former Oklahoma State coach went 0-for-Utah in his first two games as the new head basketball coach at the University of San Francisco and he can blame Danny Ainge's family tree for the latest loss.
Ryan Toolson, a nephew of the former BYU and NBA guard, scored 31 points Monday night and led Utah Valley State to a 73-61 triumph over USF.
The loss kept Sutton stuck on 798 career wins and dropped the Dons, 4-10 with five straight losses, to 0-8 in road games.
The second game of Sutton's comeback tour was witnessed by about 300 fans who opted to celebrate a chunk of New Year's Eve at McKay Center.
They were treated to a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing to "Smooth Criminal" at halftime and, as a bonus, got a firsthand look at the smooth shooting stroke of Toolson, who was 10-of-17 from the field and 7-of-12 from 3-point range.
"I went up to him after the game and congratulated him," Sutton said. "I told him, you know, you are one of the finest shooters that a team of mine has ever had to face. You give him any daylight, and I'm telling you, he has really got a wonderful stroke."
One of the reasons Sutton came out of retirement is because he wants to become only the fifth coach in men's Division I basketball history to earn 800 wins.
He was beaten in his USF debut by Ogden, Utah-based Weber State, and the quest for 800 will continue with a Saturday home game against a Holy Cross squad with a 7-3 record.
Sutton made a bit of history Monday despite the defeat. He said he has never had a team force only six turnovers and commit 21.
But that's what happened and it should let Sutton know plenty about the state of the USF program.
"It is going to be a growing experience for these guys," Sutton said, adding that improvement should take place because he inherited "nice young men" who are willing to listen. "One of the players told one of the assistant coaches that has been here that he had learned more basketball in two days than he had learned in a long time."
Sutton, as he has done the past several days, said this is the toughest challenge he has undertaken.
"If we had any bad hombres, it wouldn't be any fun. But they want to be a good team and they want to be good players, so when you have a team that has got that attitude, it's a lot of fun as a coach to watch them grow and get better."
USF athletic director Debra Gore-Mann said Sutton and his players are still in the "feeling-each-other-out mode." Sutton didn't meet his new team until Thursday and didn't know all their names until the second game.
Asked before the Utah Valley State game what the 71-year-old Sutton can bring to the USF program, Gore-Mann answered the question with a question.
"Where do you even start?" she said. "He definitely brings a grounded, fundamental basketball passion. He just, in everything he does, it's about the basketball and the life lessons he teaches you and the character lessons he teaches you. And he just really cares about the young people, and I think that's where he and I connected immediately."
Sutton agreed to be USF's interim coach for the remainder of the season because fourth-year head coach Jessie Evans was granted a leave of absence Dec. 26.
But, when the changes were announced, Gore-Mann seemed to leave the door open for Sutton to remain on board.
Asked Monday if Sutton will come back next season, Gore-Mann said, "I really have no idea. I would just even say my expectations are not even in the win-loss column. My expectations are really to help us through an interim period where a coach is on a leave. We'll sort through that as we get there."
Gore-Mann said Sutton sometimes says he is just sticking around for the interim. "And the next day he says, 'You never know.' "
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
1/1/2008
OREM, Utah -- Eddie Sutton will have to continue his quest for 800 victories somewhere besides Utah.
The former Oklahoma State coach went 0-for-Utah in his first two games as the new head basketball coach at the University of San Francisco and he can blame Danny Ainge's family tree for the latest loss.
Ryan Toolson, a nephew of the former BYU and NBA guard, scored 31 points Monday night and led Utah Valley State to a 73-61 triumph over USF.
The loss kept Sutton stuck on 798 career wins and dropped the Dons, 4-10 with five straight losses, to 0-8 in road games.
The second game of Sutton's comeback tour was witnessed by about 300 fans who opted to celebrate a chunk of New Year's Eve at McKay Center.
They were treated to a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing to "Smooth Criminal" at halftime and, as a bonus, got a firsthand look at the smooth shooting stroke of Toolson, who was 10-of-17 from the field and 7-of-12 from 3-point range.
"I went up to him after the game and congratulated him," Sutton said. "I told him, you know, you are one of the finest shooters that a team of mine has ever had to face. You give him any daylight, and I'm telling you, he has really got a wonderful stroke."
One of the reasons Sutton came out of retirement is because he wants to become only the fifth coach in men's Division I basketball history to earn 800 wins.
He was beaten in his USF debut by Ogden, Utah-based Weber State, and the quest for 800 will continue with a Saturday home game against a Holy Cross squad with a 7-3 record.
Sutton made a bit of history Monday despite the defeat. He said he has never had a team force only six turnovers and commit 21.
But that's what happened and it should let Sutton know plenty about the state of the USF program.
"It is going to be a growing experience for these guys," Sutton said, adding that improvement should take place because he inherited "nice young men" who are willing to listen. "One of the players told one of the assistant coaches that has been here that he had learned more basketball in two days than he had learned in a long time."
Sutton, as he has done the past several days, said this is the toughest challenge he has undertaken.
"If we had any bad hombres, it wouldn't be any fun. But they want to be a good team and they want to be good players, so when you have a team that has got that attitude, it's a lot of fun as a coach to watch them grow and get better."
USF athletic director Debra Gore-Mann said Sutton and his players are still in the "feeling-each-other-out mode." Sutton didn't meet his new team until Thursday and didn't know all their names until the second game.
Asked before the Utah Valley State game what the 71-year-old Sutton can bring to the USF program, Gore-Mann answered the question with a question.
"Where do you even start?" she said. "He definitely brings a grounded, fundamental basketball passion. He just, in everything he does, it's about the basketball and the life lessons he teaches you and the character lessons he teaches you. And he just really cares about the young people, and I think that's where he and I connected immediately."
Sutton agreed to be USF's interim coach for the remainder of the season because fourth-year head coach Jessie Evans was granted a leave of absence Dec. 26.
But, when the changes were announced, Gore-Mann seemed to leave the door open for Sutton to remain on board.
Asked Monday if Sutton will come back next season, Gore-Mann said, "I really have no idea. I would just even say my expectations are not even in the win-loss column. My expectations are really to help us through an interim period where a coach is on a leave. We'll sort through that as we get there."
Gore-Mann said Sutton sometimes says he is just sticking around for the interim. "And the next day he says, 'You never know.' "