Morrill business as usual while Utah State celebrates coach's final regular-season game

Morrill business as usual while Utah State celebrates coach's final regular-season game

(Ravell Call/Deseret News)


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LOGAN — There’s a lot of symmetry in Stew Morrill’s final regular-season home game as head coach of Utah State men’s basketball.

The Aggies will host Colorado State on Saturday night, the same night the athletic department will host a tribute to Aggie great Wayne Estes on the 50th anniversary of his tragic death. Morrill came to Utah State after seven seasons in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the man he replaced — former Aggie coach Larry Eustachy — now leads the Rams, who are ranked third in the Mountain West Conference with a 12-5 league record.

But Morrill has always tried to keep the focus on his players, rather than his upcoming retirement.

"I hope I can keep my emotions in check; if I look at my wife I won't be able to so I'll probably try to avoid that," Morrill told the media Friday with his usual self-deprecating humor. "Once the game starts I think that part will hopefully be over and you'll be focused on the game. Our players need to focus on Colorado State because that is where their attention needs to be in order for us to have any opportunity to compete. They need to try and win that basketball game for themselves and not for (lone senior Sean Harris), not for me, but for themselves and hopefully they will."

For his players, even those who will celebrate their final regular-season game at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, the night is different. Sixth-year senior forward Sean Harris will be recognized Saturday even as more than 50 former Aggies converge on campus to honor their coach. But the senior big man already celebrated last year before the NCAA granted him a sixth season of eligibility following two serious knee injuries for the junior college transfer.

“(Morrill's) been a top-notch coach at Utah State in his time,” said Harris, who started last year’s senior night. “Even in his 10 years as a Division I coach, there haven’t been many coaches better than him. For me, I’ve only been here for three years; he’s been here for 17.”

Current University of Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak played for Stew Morrill at Montana when Morrill was an assistant coach there. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)
Current University of Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak played for Stew Morrill at Montana when Morrill was an assistant coach there. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)

Morrill’s legacy at Utah State includes 17 straight winning seasons, including 12 of the top 13 seasons in program history. The graduate of Gonzaga, Ricks College and Provo High School led the Aggies to 13 straight postseason tournament appearances, including eight NCAA tournament bids with a shocking upset over Ohio State in 2001.

Before Morrill’s arrival in Logan, Utah State had gained one NCAA tournament appearance in its 10 previous seasons. Morrill won eight total conference championships, including seven at Utah State with four straight Western Athletic Conference titles from 2008 to 2011. He also coached championship teams in the Big West and Big Sky conferences before eventually making the jump to the Mountain West.

“He deserves the happy retirement, especially for someone who has put in the hard work his whole life,” Harris said of his coach. “He’s done it right, hasn’t cheated, broken the rules or bent the rules. It’s awesome to see him go out on such a good note.”

After his playing career at Ricks College and Gonzaga, Morrill coached for 13 years at Montana, including as the head coach of the NCAA tournament-qualifying Grizzlies in 1991.

While an assistant at Montana, he coached current Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak, who remembered fondly his tutelage under Morrill.

“Stew was a guy that spent a lot of time with me in the post and teaching me post moves,” Krystkowiak said. “He really enforced playing hard. He was a relentless, really nasty bugger himself as a player.

“He didn’t like to lose, and I didn’t like to lose.”

During the current Ute coach’s sophomore season, his sister contracted leukemia, and Krystkowiak was charged with taking her in for treatments. During a team luncheon, Morrill saw his post player struggling, and he approached him in the back room to offer condolences.

Stew Morrill Retires

“He’s one of the best human beings there is,” Krystkowiak said. “There’s nothing flashy about Stew. He’s not concerned much about what’s in the outside world. But the people that are close to him — his teams, coaches and obviously his family — it’s the definition of family.

“There are certain memories I have of him doing the right thing and cut of the right cloth. I’ve always felt like he’s had my back and I hope that he knows I’ve always had his as well.”

Morrill coached at Colorado State from 1991 to 1998, accumulating a 121-86 record and leading the Rams to two NIT appearances. He took over for Eustachy before the 1998-99 season and led the Aggies to uncharacteristic success almost immediately with a 16-0 finish in Big West play in just his second season.

Morrill’s final season at Utah State may be his finest coaching job. He took a team with no seniors on the active roster (before Harris’ reinstated eligibility), no returning starters from 2013-14, and picked to finish 10th out of 11 teams and turned it into an 18-11 team that will finish no worse than sixth place in the regular season.

The Aggies’ current record under Morrill currently sits at 402-153, including 248-31 at the Spectrum. Utah State has only lost 20 conference home games in the Stew Morrill era.

Hopefully the team can bring that win total just a little higher, Harris said.

“We just want to keep getting better and see what he can do in his last year,” he said. “I wanted to get to the tournament and make some noise, see where we can go as well, and have a fun time.”

Contributing: Josh Furlong

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