Rick Majerus memorial thread

[mpfunk]

I did a half assed search and didn't find a Rick Majerus thread. I probably just missed and am going to be lazy and start a new one.

A fantastic tribute to Rick Majerus here from a reporter that knew him.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-great-sports-leaders-i-ve-known/article_ac7eae87-012b-5422-b12a-a2e806960f67.html

RICK MAJERUS: I just wish I would have spent more time with the late St. Louis U. basketball coach. We had a lot in common: mood swings, prone to too many emotional highs and lows, the curse of a lifelong battle with obesity, and an ironic personality trait of being harder on ourselves than any strangers could be. We shared a love of politics, film, books, newspapers, world events. During our enjoyable dinners the one thing we never talked about much was basketball. But make no mistake, Majerus was a basketball genius. I thought I knew the game until hearing Rick deliver a lecture on every aspect of the "Triangle and Two" defense. Maybe that's why we had so many deep discussions about the meaning of life; if we talked hoops I couldn't hang with him. Rick was an enigma, and I didn't understand why he did certain things — like going out of his way to alienate someone in the media for no good reason, or banning the team's broadcasters from flying on the SLU chartered flight. But I'm also an enigma, and that's why I connected with Majerus so well. If he was your friend, he would do anything for you, 24 hours a day. Just amazingly kind and generous in ways that wasn't always visible to the public. There was also a sadness about Rick. When he moved to St. Louis, I was driving him around one night, showing him various city neighborhoods. And he asked to see my house, so we drove there and parked in front. He didn't want to go inside; he just wanted to stare at it, and he began talking about the choices he made in his life. He had one brief marriage, and no children, and lived in a hotel. But part of Rick longed for that family life, and the old house on a tree-lined street. So he sat in my SUV, and stared at my home, then turned and told me that I was very blessed, and that I should always be devoted to my wife, and I should never put my job before family. As we drove away from my house, Majerus said, "I think I'll buy a house like that, this is really a nice neighborhood." And we both knew it would never happen. Rick was a tormented man, but this internal conflict also produced a sensitive soul that wanted to do whatever he could to ease another person's pain. The term "one of a kind" is overused, but Rick Majerus was definitely one of a kind, and I'll never know anyone like him again. What I learned: everything, really. More than I can adequately explain.

[LA Ute]

Thanks for that, MP. I love it.


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[Damage U]

Keith Van Horn was tweeting out Majerus quotes last night. Very funny stuff.

Check out @Coach_Keith44's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Coach_Keith44/status/649786662843580417?s=09
F-ing Doleac thinks a pick and roll is still done with his thumb and forefinger. -Rick Majerus

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Keith Van Horn was tweeting out Majerus quotes last night. Very funny stuff.

Check out @Coach_Keith44's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Coach_Keith44/status/649786662843580417?s=09
F-ing Doleac thinks a pick and roll is still done with his thumb and forefinger. -Rick Majerus

Yeah. These were comedy gold over the weekend.


"Carroll, why don't you transfer to Cal and let the good times f-ing roll. And while your at it take Van Horn with you." -Rick Majerus

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Not a Majerus, but KVH is plenty quotable himself.


I know all you Mormons would rather be reading Majerus quotes than listening to my man Monson talk at the Lds conf.

[Two Utes]

Yeah. These were comedy gold over the weekend.

Wow. Sorry to rain on people's parades about Big Rick, but it's not acceptable to treat kids as subhuman like Rick did.

He won games. A lot of them.

Nevertheless, I will not pay tribute to a man who treated other human beings the way he did.

[SeattleUte]

Wow. Sorry to rain on people's parades about Big Rick, but it's not acceptable to treat kids as subhuman like Rick did.

He won games. A lot of them.

Nevertheless, I will not pay tribute to a man who treated other human beings the way he did.

What a wuss.

[chrisrenrut]

Wow. Sorry to rain on people's parades about Big Rick, but it's not acceptable to treat kids as subhuman like Rick did.

He won games. A lot of them.

Nevertheless, I will not pay tribute to a man who treated other human beings the way he did.

I see what you are saying, and I don't think anyone is thinking of awarding Rick any posthumous humanitarian awards.

But if the kids he treated as sub-human joke about it, I see no problem laughing along with it.

[Two Utes]

What a wuss.

You're right. If I were like you, lived in Seattle and my kids played the violin and piano and/or went to writing competitions, I'd probably call others a wuss for not liking subhuman abuse of 20 year old college basketball players.

Oh, and he was breaking the rules constantly with his length of practices. But he did win and win big.

[Two Utes]

I see what you are saying, and I don't think anyone is thinking of awarding Rick any post-humous humanitarian awards.

But if the kids he treated as sub-human joke about it, I see no problem laughing along with it.

It is actually funny now. Fairly well adjusted adults regularly joke about some of the things they had to put up with from mildly abusive parents. Red Mormon Ute regularly jokes about the perceived abuse he took from his older brother.

[Mormon Red Death]

It is actually funny now. Fairly well adjusted adults regularly joke about some of the things they had to put up with from mildly abusive parents. Red Mormon Ute regularly jokes about the perceived abuse he took from his older brother.
Older brothers are tyrants and I won't be part of talking well of someone who regularly treated his siblings as sub human

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[Two Utes]

Older brothers are tyrants and I won't be part of talking well of someone who regularly treated his siblings as sub human

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Wuss.

[NorthwestUteFan]

You're right. If I were like you, lived in Seattle and my kids played the violin and piano and/or went to writing competitions, I'd probably call others a wuss for not liking subhuman abuse of 20 year old college basketball players.

Oh, and he was breaking the rules constantly with his length of practices. But he did win and win big.

If your kids played football you would laugh at the tame, wacky shenanigans the basketball team endured.

[Two Utes]

If your kids played football you would laugh at the tame, wacky shenanigans the basketball team endured.

No I wouldn't. And my kids did and do play football. And, trust me, they've been yelled at by the best of the best.

But no one has ever called them an f'ing cunt, or a disgrace to cripples everywhere.

-after thinking about this further, this is like having a conversation with people about Adolph Rupp in the 1960s and them defending him about his prevailing attitudes about basketball players.

Bottom line is, Majerus has made his bed. Sooner or later you will all come around to agreeing with me on this.

[NorthwestUteFan]

No I wouldn't. And my kids did and do play football. And, trust me, they've been yelled at by the best of the best.

But no one has ever called them an f'ing cunt, or a disgrace to cripples everywhere.

They've never been coached by a former Drill Sergeant. There are 18 year-old kids enduring far worse in Basic.

[SeattleUte]

If your kids played football you would laugh at the tame, wacky shenanigans the basketball team endured.

lol so true.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

No I wouldn't. And my kids did and do play football. And, trust me, they've been yelled at by the best of the best.

But no one has ever called them an f'ing cunt, or a disgrace to cripples everywhere.

-after thinking about this further, this is like having a conversation with people about Adolph Rupp in the 1960s and them defending him about his prevailing attitudes about basketball players.

Bottom line is, Majerus has made his bed. Sooner or later you will all come around to agreeing with me on this.

I don't appreciate your language.


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[NorthwestUteFan]

Rick Majerus was a highly complicated person , and nothing about him was black and white. We can allow him his complexity, while simultaneously celebrating him.

You are fully welcome to start a Criticism of Rick Majerus thread, as most of us will have something to add to that thread as well.

[LA Ute]

Complex man. His complexity caught up with him at Utah, and later in his life.

He demanded excellence, his generosity was legendary, and those who worked most closely with him loved him and were devoted to him. That's not a bad epitaph right there.


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[Applejack]

This is the Rick Majerus Memorial thread! If you want to spit on the best coach in Utah history, do it in your own thread!

[UtahsMrSports]

Ill never forget Rick Majerus basketball camp 2000. He showed up for about a half hour late in the week, sat on an 8 year old for having a poor defensive stance, and then went on his way. Alex Austin (brother of former Jazz player Ike Austin) threw a folding chair at me because I wasn't playing the way he wanted me to. I was always terrible at basketball, but it was then that I realized that that was a blessing because to succeed at this game meant having to deal with buffoons like Majerus and Austin.

Still, Majerus did so much for the program. If I have to pick, Ill take Jack Gardner, but man, big Rick could get every last ounce of production out of people.

[FountainOfUte]

Still, Majerus did so much for the program. If I have to pick, Ill take Jack Gardner, but man, big Rick could get every last ounce of production out of people.

I know it's still early, but I can see Krystkowiak becoming a Runnin' Ute coach that we talk about with the same awe and respect as Gardner and Majerus. To me, the only factor in this equation is how long he decides to stay here. If he plants his roots until the end of his career, he'll be a legend here. I have no idea how that vision lines up with his own goals in life. There are blue-er blood collegiate programs he would thrive annually in (imagine what he'd do taking over for the real Coach K when he retires soon), and succeeding as an NBA coach is still the pinnacle of success in the basketball coaching field. I could see him taking one more whack at that.

Anyway, back to Majerus. Rick (and to a lesser extent, Coach Mac) were where my real Ute fanhood began. I was a fan before they arrived, but they both opened my eyes to what Ute athletics could be.

[Rocker Ute]

I know it's still early, but I can see Krystkowiak becoming a Runnin' Ute coach that we talk about with the same awe and respect as Gardner and Majerus. To me, the only factor in this equation is how long he decides to stay here. If he plants his roots until the end of his career, he'll be a legend here. I have no idea how that vision lines up with his own goals in life. There are blue-er blood collegiate programs he would thrive annually in (imagine what he'd do taking over for the real Coach K when he retires soon), and succeeding as an NBA coach is still the pinnacle of success in the basketball coaching field. I could see him taking one more whack at that.

Anyway, back to Majerus. Rick (and to a lesser extent, Coach Mac) were where my real Ute fanhood began. I was a fan before they arrived, but they both opened my eyes to what Ute athletics could be.

This post is pure Ute homerism, I'll just say that out of the gate about what I'm about to say. I fully acknowledge the same sort of things were said about Urban Meyer and anyone else we desperately wished was a long-term part of the program. That being said...

One of the things that has impressed me the most about Kodiak and his crew is their commitment to culture and only recruiting kids who not only have talent, but fit the model and are good people. They seem to really care and enjoy developing kids into great basketball players and working with the people they want to work with. The professional basketball setting doesn't allow for any of that. You are managing high talented egos and trying to coerce them into playing like a team. I tend to believe that he is happy here, his family seems to like it and I think they also like the thought of some stability in life. I don't think that Kodiak is your average college coach in a deep desire to move on up, particularly if he believes he can reach the pinnacle at the U.

One telling story is when he was hired here, Chris Hill offered him a salary mentioning it was about average for PAC12 coaches. Krystkowiak came back the next day asking for nominally more saying, "My wife thinks I'm slightly above average..." That tells me a lot about him and who he is.

Finally, we have all of the elements in place to create a team that could go all the way now. We have superior facilities, he is rebuilding the tradition and we have the right conference affiliation. Yes you have the challenges that will likely be there for a while longer about perceptions of life in Utah, but that can be overcome. If you can succeed in basketball in Indiana, Kansas or Kentucky you can succeed in Utah.

I tend to think that he'll be here for a while and won't be entertaining all offers that come along like Majerus did. I think he'll be up there with Jack Gardner when it is all said and done.

[mUUser]

44 rattles off a half dozen Majerus quotes on his Twitter account. Priceless......

https://twitter.com/Coach_Keith44?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Ese rp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


Perhaps my favorite Majerus story is after he recruited two-time Mr. Basketball Jeff Johnsen, who had a green light to do whatever he wanted in HS, on his first day of practice, he comes down the court, pulls up and drains a three. Majerus storms the court and goes berserk. Says "your only effing job this year is to feed the effing ball to Keith effing Van Horn." I don't know for certain if the story is true, but, it certainly rings true. Welcome to Utah basketball.

[Two Utes]

Ill never forget Rick Majerus basketball camp 2000. He showed up for about a half hour late in the week, sat on an 8 year old for having a poor defensive stance, and then went on his way. Alex Austin (brother of former Jazz player Ike Austin) threw a folding chair at me because I wasn't playing the way he wanted me to. I was always terrible at basketball, but it was then that I realized that that was a blessing because to succeed at this game meant having to deal with buffoons like Majerus and Austin.


Still, Majerus did so much for the program. If I have to pick, Ill take Jack Gardner, but man, big Rick could get every last ounce of production out of people.


Alex Austin is still coaching youth teams and yelling at kids with no point behind the yelling. There's no instruction in the yelling, no encouragement, no nothing. There is no point to it whatsoever. I can't believe parents watch and do nothing.

Majerus was an abusive genius. Most of the time there was a point to his abuse. Other times, he was just a scared, insecure dickhead who lashed out at those under his control.

I had a kid who went through this process. he never faced anybody close to as bad as Majerus and he would have never played for anybody like Austin, but he had his share of complete nutballs, throwing things in the locker room, calling him up at midnight and yelling at him etc etc. It certainly was a journey and for whatever reason basketball attracts those types of individuals.

And, it's a memorial thread. You take the good with the bad. If this were a Bobby Knight or Adolph Rupp memorial thread, you would have to take the good with the bad.

Van Horn was clearly scarred by Majerus. His tweets are solid evidence of that.

[U-Ute]

44 rattles off a half dozen Majerus quotes on his Twitter account. Priceless......

https://twitter.com/Coach_Keith44?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Ese rp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


Perhaps my favorite Majerus story is after he recruited two-time Mr. Basketball Jeff Johnsen, who had a green light to do whatever he wanted in HS, on his first day of practice, he comes down the court, pulls up and drains a three. Majerus storms the court and goes berserk. Says "your only effing job this year is to feed the effing ball to Keith effing Van Horn." I don't know for certain if the story is true, but, it certainly rings true. Welcome to Utah basketball.

I heard Britton Johnson recount that story on the radio.

The way he put it was Majerus stopped practice after Jeff Johnson took a 3 and says "Jeff. I don't want you to shoot. Let me introduce you to Mr. effing All American Keith Van Horn. Your job is to get *him* the effing ball."

[Rocker Ute]

This post is pure Ute homerism, I'll just say that out of the gate about what I'm about to say. I fully acknowledge the same sort of things were said about Urban Meyer and anyone else we desperately wished was a long-term part of the program. That being said...

One of the things that has impressed me the most about Kodiak and his crew is their commitment to culture and only recruiting kids who not only have talent, but fit the model and are good people. They seem to really care and enjoy developing kids into great basketball players and working with the people they want to work with. The professional basketball setting doesn't allow for any of that. You are managing high talented egos and trying to coerce them into playing like a team. I tend to believe that he is happy here, his family seems to like it and I think they also like the thought of some stability in life. I don't think that Kodiak is your average college coach in a deep desire to move on up, particularly if he believes he can reach the pinnacle at the U.

One telling story is when he was hired here, Chris Hill offered him a salary mentioning it was about average for PAC12 coaches. Krystkowiak came back the next day asking for nominally more saying, "My wife thinks I'm slightly above average..." That tells me a lot about him and who he is.

Finally, we have all of the elements in place to create a team that could go all the way now. We have superior facilities, he is rebuilding the tradition and we have the right conference affiliation. Yes you have the challenges that will likely be there for a while longer about perceptions of life in Utah, but that can be overcome. If you can succeed in basketball in Indiana, Kansas or Kentucky you can succeed in Utah.

I tend to think that he'll be here for a while and won't be entertaining all offers that come along like Majerus did. I think he'll be up there with Jack Gardner when it is all said and done.

The bump of this thread showed me this post again and compels me to say that I've toned down this feeling a notch or two.

[mUUser]

I heard Britton Johnson recount that story on the radio.

The way he put it was Majerus stopped practice after Jeff Johnson took a 3 and says "Jeff. I don't want you to shoot. Let me introduce you to Mr. effing All American Keith Van Horn. Your job is to get *him* the effing ball."

Awesome. thank you.