Category: Utah Jazz Blog

Rick Majerus, the jovial college basketball coach who led Utah to the 1998 NCAA final and had only one losing season in 25 years with four schools, died Saturday. He was 64.

Utah industrialist Jon Huntsman, the coach’s longtime friend, confirmed in a statement released through The Salt Lake Tribune that Majerus died of heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital. The coach had been hospitalized there for several months.

Players remembered Majerus as a coach who was exacting and perhaps a bit unorthodox at times, but always fair.

“It was a unique experience, I’ll tell you that, and I loved every minute of it,” said Saint Louis guard Kyle Cassity, who was mostly a backup on last season’s 26-win team after starting for Majerus earlier in his college career.

— Reported by the Associated Press

The Utah Jazz say forward Marvin Williams will not play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night because of a concussion.

The Jazz say Williams is also doubtful to play Saturday against Houston after he didn’t pass an exam following his concussion suffered in a game Wednesday night against New Orleans.

— Reported by the Associated Press

After pulling a no-show in the first half, the Utah Jazz’s defense arrived in time to help them stay perfect at home.

Backup power forward Derrick Favors hit three clutch free throws down the stretch, and center Al Jefferson scored 28 points as the Utah Jazz rallied to beat the Denver Nuggets 105-103 Monday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

But it was Utah’s defense down the stretch that sealed its sixth straight home win.

Jazz wings Randy Foye and DeMarre Carroll prevented Denver guard Ty Lawson from getting off a game-tying attempt in the final 3.6 seconds, and time ran out on the Nuggets.

“I knew they were going to try and get it to Ty Lawson or Gallo (Danilo Gallinari),” Carroll said. “When I saw Ty drive, I’ve been playing against him all summer, I knew he was going to try and make something happen and go to the goal. I just tried to collapse. He saw me and time ran out.”

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Mo Williams remained in a walking boot Monday, as he missed his second consecutive game with a right foot injury he suffered in Friday’s 104-102 win over Sacramento.

The Jazz point guard, as of Monday, had not resumed basketball activities, but said he targeted Wednesday’s game at New Orleans for his return.

“It’s mostly the twisting and turning aspect of it,” Williams said.

The veteran landed awkwardly on his foot defending a 3-pointer by Sacramento’s Aaron Brooks in the first quarter Friday. He returned to the game in the second quarter but played less than two minutes. He did not dress for the Jazz’s loss at Sacramento on Saturday.

— Reported by Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey announced today that the team has assigned rookie guard Kevin Murphy to its NBA Development League (D-League) affiliate, the Reno Bighorns.  He is expected to be in uniform for the Bighorns’ season opener against the Santa Cruz Warriors on November 30 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev.

Selected by the Jazz in the second round (47th overall selection) of the 2012 NBA Draft, the 6-6, 185-pound Murphy played four seasons at Tennessee Tech, where he averaged 15.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.  Murphy averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior and finished his career as the Golden Eagles’ second all-time leading scorer (2,019 points).

Murphy becomes the sixth player in Jazz history to be assigned to the D-League, and the first since current Jazz teammate Jeremy Evans was in March 2011.