DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Ray Giacoletti watched with pride as the Utah team he had constructed reached the 2009 NCAA tournament.

He was never given the chance to see what he could do with those Utes.

Giacoletti's lone high-profile head coaching job ended after just three seasons in 2007, as he resigned following back-to-back losing seasons. But Giacoletti saw Utah's run two years later - it included 24 wins and a Mountain West conference title - as proof that his vision for building a program could work.