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LOGAN — Utah State has been the proving ground of many a great basketball coach over the years.
The names are storied and successful, yet on the night of a Mountain West Conference game that featured two men who’ve coached Utah State, Stew Morrill proved once again why he may be the best of them all.
The Aggies found a way to crawl past a talented Colorado State program, beating the Rams 57-50 inside the Spectrum to move to 2-2 in conference play.
With former Aggies coach Larry Eustachy on the other side of the court with Colorado State, Utah State fans got a great chance to see their past and present, and without a doubt, Morrill is the better man to have at this point.
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Eustachy helped resurrect the Aggies' program, guiding Utah State to an NCAA tournament after a 10-year absence from the Big Dance. He proved once again that it was possible to win and win big in Logan, and laid the foundation for Morrill to build upon.
However, Morrill has built a monument on that foundation, leading the Aggies to eight NCAA tournament appearances, seven conference regular season championships and a winning percentage that is the fourth-best in the country since Morrill took over.
Indeed, Morrill is the man that Utah State wanted and needed. He understands the needs of Utah recruits, yet also understands how to identify with out-of-state students and junior college transfers. If anything, Morrill is the ultimate ringleader, understanding how to assimilate various groups of people into the environment that is Logan.
Since leaving Colorado State to come to Utah State, Morrill has experienced nothing but love and adoration from students and fans, yet for a while, it looked as if Eustachy would have the last laugh.
After leaving Utah State for Iowa State in 1998, Eustachy took the Cyclones to an Elite Eight in 2000 and appeared to have the team on the verge of annual contention. However, because of a series of off-court incidents, Eustachy almost had to reinvent himself to stay relevant. He’s climbed back to the top after a long fall.
Morrill’s consistency and relative lack of issue at Utah State sets him apart, but what he does with his roster really tells of his success. This season, Utah State played without its highest scorer, Jarred Shaw, for five games, yet the Aggies went 4-1 in those games. And Shaw is quickly moving back to his pre-suspension form as he scored a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Aggies.
The ability to bring together a team that has a constantly changing cast of characters shows a coach who understands how to win and who to win with. Yet it demonstrates a consistency that has become the envy of nearly every coach in Utah.
In his time at Utah State, Eustachy won 65 percent; Morrill has won 74 percent. The numbers may seem similar, but their coaching careers have not been. Morrill is the better fit for Utah State, and he proved it against his predecessor on Wednesday.
