There are three Power 5 jobs currently open this off-season, with one of them being Utah. The Utes are down to their final three choices, and could be making an announcement in the near future.
Utah seems to be winding down their coaching search, after the position became open when Anthony Levrets was let go March 8.
The Utes are down to their three final candidates for their open vacancy, per sources. The finalists are Hawaii head coach Laura Beeman, Fresno State head coach Jaime White and Pacific head coach Lynne Roberts.
Beeman, the 2015 Big West Conference Coach of the Year, is coming off another successful year at Hawaii, in which the ‘Bows finished 23-9 and another WNIT appearance. In her three years at the helm, Beeman has led Hawaii to three consecutive WNIT appearances.
White, who is her first year at Fresno State, coached at Utah in 2001-03 as an assistant. But those aren’t her only ties to the state, as she’s originally from Utah, and played collegiately at Utah Valley and Southern Utah. White also received her Masters at Utah State.
This season, the Bulldogs finished with a 23-10 record and a second round appearance in the WNIT. With her many connections to the state of Utah, White’s linking to this job makes sense.
And the last finalist, Roberts, just finished her ninth season with Pacific. She was named Big West Coach of the Year in 2013. Roberts also led Pacific to their fourth straight postseason appearance, a program-best.
Utah does have a contingency plan if these candidates fall through, but it doesn’t look like that will be the case.
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