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Show ,, : 1 : AmmicDmECim Ute athletic director guides By Loren Jorgensen Chronicle Assistant Sports Editor To some, "student athlete" is a contradiction in terms. But Chris Hill, the University of Utah's athletic director, said he feels "student" and "athlete" aren't mutually exclusive. After all, Hill was an example of a true student-athlet- e himself. The New Jersey native lettered for three of the years and was the basketball while team an Rutgers He a earned undergraduate. bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1972 from Rutgers, and later received a master's of education (1974) and Ph.D in educational administration (1982) from the U. in Obviously, education , is important to Hill personally, but he also calls it a "priority" for the athletes on the nine men's and eight women's teams he directs at theU. "Many of our athletes have done really well academically," Hill said, citing numerous Utes who have grade point averages above 3.0. Hill said he feels other athletes who may not get many "As" and "Bs" are just as successful in the classroom. "Sometimes you have to take athletes that don't have the potential to be "A" students, but that can be good students and can earn a college degree. That's a success point, too. A grade point average doesn't always tell exactly how someone is doing academically. They may take a class that is a little advanced for them, but as long as they do their best, it's all we can ask." But academics aren't the only concern for Hill. Winning athletic contests is also important. "The kids have to do well academically, but you do have to wi;i as well, especially in the revenue sports (football, basketball, gymnatics and women's basketball)," Hill said. "You have to have both (academics and winning) to be a successful program. One without the other is no good." Hill has had a long association , Since Hill was named Utah's other problems. One of the major had successful athletic programs. During his tenure, Utah has won conference titles in men's tennis, golf and swimming and women's gymnastics, basketball and Softball. Utah's ski team won a national championship in 1988. But everything hasn't been rosy for Hill and Utah athletics during the past two years. Hill has had to cope with the stresses of player drug busts, budgeting woes and the hiring and firing of coaches, among following last year's basketball season was firing Coach Lynn A' " :- - with the U. dating back to the Hill was named the executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Utah (1981-85prior to becoming the development director for the Ute athletic department in 1985. ' Archibald and subsequently hiring Rick Majerus for the position. After firing Archibald, Hill was praised by some and chastised by other Ute ), Chris Hill Overall, Hill believes the U. athletic program is heading in the right direction. If he had to give the entire athletic department a letter grade, he says he'd give it a "B." "But I'm a hard grader," Hill says. "My approach would be that we're never going to be an We always need to keep A "Dealing with changes in coaching is challenging," Hill understated. "But those things have to be done sometimes." . When Hill held a national search working and working to get better. I don't know if I'd ever be to find a new basketball mentor, winning wasn't the only concern he wanted the new coach to have. "A lot of coaches have good winning records, but I think the guy I was looking for was someone who had a sincere interest in the academic success of his players. I mean, a kid has to meet you half way, but a coach can do a lot to 661 don't want a lot of hype, that's the most devastating thing." fans. guide a player academically." In Majerus, Hill said he feels he's found the right man. Another challenging aspect of Hill's job includes dealing with crisis situations, such as the recent arrests of three Ute football players and a former player on drugrelated charges. In those situations it's the other players Hill feels most sorry for. "Something like that (drug arrests) hurts the good kids in the ) y teaching math and coaching program," Hill said. "The large majority of the kids in our program are good people, and now Utah athletics nas been tainted and decisions Hill had to make satisfied." "We do have some very, very good programs," Hill continued:. "Our women's gymnastics, men's women's basketball, been have and swimming skiing iust excellent. Overall. I'd sav we're doing fairly well and I think we have the potential to be excellent. Of all the schools in the WAC, I think we have some of the best potential to be good in all sports and I'll say that to BYU fans. We have the best school, we have one of the best cities to live in and we have some of the best tradition. I guess I feel the future is bright because of what I see us motivate, encourage and help 1973-7- 4 basketball at Granger High for four Hill returned to years (1975-79- ), the U. and became an assistant coach to Jerry Pimm from 1979-81.- " , - becoming." Both ' and athletically academically, no doubt. New Coaches i I just want something I can count on.99 M Rick Majerus The Ute basketball team will be headed by the coach record with the best win-los- s Some long distance companies promise you the moon, but what you really want is dependable, service. That's just what you'll get when you choose AT&T Long Distance Service, at a cost that's a lot less than you think. You can expect low long distance rates, operator assistance, clear connections and immediate credit for wrong numbers. And the assurance that virtually all of your calls will go through the first time. That's the genius of the AT&T Worldwide Intelligent Network. .When it's time to choose, forget the gimmicks and make the intelligent choice AT&T. If you'd like to know more about our products or services, like International Calling and the AT&T Card, high-qualit- y . 24-ho- call us at 1800 222-030- in Division I last year. Majerus comes to the U. from Ball State, where he led the Cardinals to a 29-- 3 record. He was named the national Coach-of-the-Ye- ar by Hoop Scoop magazine. In two seasons at Ball State, Majerus had a record of .: 56-35- Prior to taking the head coaching job at Ball State, the Wisconsin native was the Marquette's head coach for three years and an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. His overall collegiate coaching mark is 99-52. Jo Evans Ute Softball will Lady feature the return of Jo Evans to the U., but this time as a coach, not player. Evans, Carolina-ClasGreg Rilcy University of North s C sports programs into the future A.D. two years ago, the Utes have basketball season when he served as a graduate assistant to then Ute Coach Bill Foster. After " P30 starter who was a four-yea- r for the Utes from 1978-8Ute Coach replaces long-tim- e 2, of 1989 Norma Carr. The right choice. Evans has spent the past four years as the Colorado State head coach. At CSU, Evans led her teams to a 91 67 record, including a 37-1- 4 mark last season. She was named HCAC the past two seasons. Coach-of-the-Ye- ar . |