Majerus' teaching, preaching earns trip to Final Four

Posted: Sat April 11, 1998 at 11:00 AM ET

Majerus: "There's only one thing we can be in this tournament, and that's the hardest-playing team in it"    (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY (CNN/SI) -- Rick Majerus had never been to the Final Four as a head coach, yet the NCAA championship round promised to be something of a philosophical homecoming for him.

That's because, Majerus insisted, Utah's ticket to next Saturday's national semifinals matchup in San Antonio with North Carolina was paid for with the only currency he respects: hard work.

Other teams have superb athletes, pure shooters and fleet-footed playmakers. But Majerus -- college basketball's quintessential blue-collar coach -- said he is happy with his band of overachievers.

"There's only one thing we can be in this tournament, and that's the hardest-playing team in it," said Majerus, at 50 completing his ninth season stalking and sweating along Utah's courtside in his trademark sweater.

The work ethic, Majerus-style, is scrambling, no-quarter-given defense, and, on offense, sharp passing and precise floor spacing. It was showcased as Utah (29-3) upset defending champion Arizona 76-51 Saturday in Anaheim, California.

"I give our kids all the credit. They played hard, and that's No. 1," Majerus said. "I like our team and its frame of mind."

As for the coach, the day after arguably one of Utah's biggest basketball triumphs left little time for celebration. Besides wading through the 116 telephone messages waiting for him at his University Park apartment, Majerus watched some North Carolina game film.

"I don't know what else to say except, hey, they're Carolina -- it doesn't make any difference, it's like Dean Smith is still there, and he is, because if Dean was a '1' then Bill Guthridge is '1-A'," Majerus said.

Smith retired last October, leaving the Tar Heels to 60-year-old rookie coach Guthridge. Carolina (34-3) hardly seemed to skip a beat, though; Saturday's 75-64 win over Connecticut sent the Tar Heels to their fifth Final Four this decade.

"They have tremendous quickness, the best athletic quickness in the tourney," Majerus said.

But remember, this is the same coach who saw the same qualities in Arizona, going so far as to crown the Wildcats' Mike Bibby as the best point guard in the playoffs. Majerus rated his own point guard, Miller, as second-best.

On Sunday, he laughed when asked if that still was his assessment of Miller, who tallied a triple-double -- 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists -- while Bibby settled for seven points.

"We'll see. He's a work in progress. But I'll tell you what -- he's on the come," Majerus said. "Andre's still got work to do and he knows that."

Majerus is considered one of the game's finest strategic minds, but he snorts at such suggestions, downplaying his own role in the Utes' success.

He will concede only this much, that "each year you become a little bit more familiar with the territory and become a better coach."

Then, Majerus steers the discussion back to his team.

"When the season started, in half the publications in America we weren't listed in the top 35, let alone top 25. And no one picked us for the Final Four," the coach recalled.

"But we're here, and we played our way here. You can't politic your way here."