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LOGAN — After 17 seasons coaching in Cache Valley, Utah State head coach Stew Morrill is calling it a career.
USU announced in an on-campus press conference Friday that Morrill, a Provo native, will retire at the end of the 2014-15 season. Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes and USU president Stan Albrecht will conduct a national coaching search to find his replacement in the coming months.
"This is my decision," Morrill said. "I had a few years left on my contract, and I went to Scott about a month ago. It's just time. It's the right time. Who gets to stay for 17 years any more at one place? What a wonderful thing it has been for me and my family."
The university also announced that Morrill will be the speaker at Utah State's commencement exercises in May.
"Stew Morrill is synonymous with Utah State Basketball and will go down in Aggie history as the greatest coach to ever walk up and down the sidelines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum," said Barnes in a statement. "Stew has given 100 percent in making USU basketball and so many student-athletes into the best they could be, and we're very appreciative of his 17 years of service and dedication to Utah State University.
"It is never easy when a coach and a person who has built a program to greatness retires, but I am proud to have worked with him. We will miss him and I wish him nothing but the best in the next phase of his life, whistle free."
Morrill, 62, led the Aggies to a 393-194 mark after taking over as head coach in 1999 following successful stints at Montana and Colorado State. He spent 39 years in coaching, including the past 27 years as the top boss in Div. I basketball.
More importantly, though, was how they did it, the legendary coach said.
"We ran a basketball program the right way, in my mind. I've got peace with that," Morrill said. "We graduated our players at a high level, we didn't cheat, believe it or not, and we won enough games to keep working. I'm proud of that, and I feel good about it."
Utah State returned only four lettermen from its 2013-14 squad that finished 18-14 and 7-11 in its first season in the Mountain West. The Aggies are 9-6 in 2014-15, including a 2-1 mark in Mountain West play.
Sophomore Jalen Moore was the Aggies' top returning player, averaging 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds as a freshman. Sean Harris was the only returning senior from the team, and JoJo McGlaston and Viko Noma'aea had limited experience at Utah State but have been thrust into the veteran roles rather quickly.
Morrill’s Aggie teams have advanced to postseason play 14 times, including nine NCAA tournament appearances (1-8). Morrill has made 10 NCAA tournament appearances in his career spanning stops at Montana, Colorado State and Utah State.
The Aggies flew overnight from last night's loss to Fresno State back to Logan, and Morrill gave his team the morning off before Saturday's home game against New Mexico. He planned on telling his team about his retirement when they came in at noon — but found that the players already knew thanks to social media.
"This is a good group I am finishing with," Morrill said. "They're trying hard, we're young, and we're inexperienced. But I'm pleased to be finishing with this group of kids. We're going to have fun, play hard, and see what we can do."
Above all else, Morrill stressed that he is not being forced out by anyone, and he regrets the midseason announcement. If he had his way, he joked, the school would've sent a release for his retirement so he could only worry about basketball practice this afternoon.
"Nobody's mad at anybody," Morrill added. "No matter what anybody says, I'm not mad at them. They've treated me awesome. This whole process, my career; I don't think they are mad at me, either, if you listen to them. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise."
Prior to Morrill's arrival in Logan, Utah State had one NCAA tournament appearance in its previous 10 seasons.
His teams also amassed seven conference championships or co-championships in 17 years at the institution. Morrill won seven of his eight conference championships as a head coach at Utah State.
Morrill began his collegiate playing career at Ricks Junior College, in Rexburg, Idaho, where he was an All-American in 1972 before transferring to Gonzaga. He graduated in 1974.
He played one year of professional basketball in France in 1975 before returning to coach at his alma mater under Adrian Buoncristiani from 1975-1978.
Under Morrill, Utah State has 12 of the top 13 finishes in school history, including a record-setting 30 wins in 2009 and 2011. He guided the Aggies through three different conferences, going 193-73 as a member of the Big West until 2005, the Western Athletic Conference until 2013 and the past two seasons in the Mountain West.
The Aggies fortified their home fortress at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill with a 243-29 record at home, including a 117-18 record in league play.
Morrill won WAC Coach of the Year honors three straight seasons in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and took home the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award from CollegeInsider.com in 2011. He earned coach of the year five times in 16 seasons at Utah State, and also earned Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 1991 during his final season at Montana.
Morrill and his wife Vicki have four grown children and five grandchildren.
"This allows the university to move forward," Morrill said. "It allows some time for my assistant coaches to look at some things. They've been unbelievable. And I thought it made sense for the players, too, to adjust and all that."
Contributing: Jeremiah Jensen
