Recent Success Has Set the Bar High in Cedar City
22 years. Yes, 22 years since Southern Utah has won a conference basketball tournament.
Do you remember? Fred House and the Thunderbirds won 25 games, got some revenge on Valparaiso to win the Mid-Continent Conference championship and take Southern Utah to its first-ever NCAA Tournament.
That accomplishment happened on March 7, 2001.
Since that time, at least until Todd Simon took over in 2016-17, Southern Utah had just one winning season. The T-Birds finished 16-14 in 2006-07. However, the T-Birds had a losing conference record over that time period, too.
And in his first season in Cedar City, Simon continued the trend with just six wins.
One winning season over an 18-year stretch. That is quite an impressive streak to break.
After leading SUU to 13 and 17 wins in his second and third year, Todd Simon then turned on the gas for the T-Birds. SUU had its first winning season in 18 years with a 17-15 finish in 2019-20. The following year, Southern Utah picked up its first 20-win season since 2000-01 and first-ever Big Sky regular season title.
Two more 20-plus win seasons were the icing on the cake, some might say. Unfortunately, the T-Birds couldn’t get over the hump and get to the NCAA Tournament. In Simon’s final season in Cedar City, the T-Birds came up short in the WAC championship game against Grand Canyon.
Simon left Bowling Green, taking Jason Spurgin with him as well as assistants Bryce Martin and German Srulovich. Associate head coach Flynn Clayman left for High Point. And the majority of the roster was either out of eligibility or transferred.
Tevian Jones is vying for an NBA spot. Dee Barnes is still trying to figure out eligibility. Drake Allen transferred to Utah Valley. Jason Spurgin transferred to Bowling Green to join Simon. Maizen Fausett ran out of eligibility and Harrison Butler signed a pro contract.
Five starters gone. Four members of the 1,000-point club gone. Members of one of the greatest runs in Southern Utah men’s basketball history gone.
The past four years in Cedar City have set the bar high in terms of winning ball games.
Can that trend continue?
First year head coach Rob Jeter has his work cut out for him.
Cedar City is no easy place to recruit. Travel issues are a pain. You either have to pay an arm and a leg to fly out of St. George. Or you have to make the two hour drive to Las Vegas.
The location is challenging, too. It’s not a big city. Resources aren’t necessarily great. There is no practice facility.
Recruiting will be based on relationships. NIL money is limited in Cedar City. For many coaches, it might be a bit overwhelming.
However, coming from Western Illinois in Macomb, Illinois, in the middle of nowhere, Jeter has some experience dealing with a challenging place to recruit.
Jeter already has transfers from UC Irvine, UTEP, Idaho, and some JUCO transfers as well as a couple of freshman guards.
Will that equate into immediate success? It remains to be seen.
What doesn’t remain to be seen is the bar for success has been set extremely high. The game plan to win games in Cedar City has been shown.
Can Rob Jeter and company continue the winning ways?
Whoa... If you put it that way, I can see SUU struggling this season. They have an uphill battle but might surprise some people.