Coach finds success after jumping to rival

Victoria Sun

Thursday, March 7, 2002 | 10:04 a.m.

Three years ago, Brigham Young women's basketball coach Jeff Judkins committed treason in the eyes of many Utah basketball fans.

It was then that he decided to leave his job as an assistant coach at his alma mater, where he starred for four seasons and sat on the bench for 10, to accept another challenge at a most unlikely school -- rival BYU.

Even though Judkins left to join the BYU women's coaching staff, not the men's, let's just say the folks in Salt Lake City didn't exactly throw him a congratulatory party.

"It was hard, I'm not going to lie," Judkins said after his third-seeded Cougars beat No. 6 Wyoming 82-69 in the first round of the women's Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday afternoon. "A lot of people thought I was a traitor. A lot of people thought, 'why is he doing that?'

"The bottom line is, I wanted to be a head coach and the opportunities were there for me. It's been a good move for me.

"I have learned a lot from (Utah) coach Rick (Majerus). I've waited for this opportunity for a long time."

If the Cougars (20-8, 10-4 MWC) continue playing the way they have, Judkins and his team will be partying all the way into the women's NCAA Tournament bracket.

BYU's third victory over Wyoming this season was its 10th win in 12 games.

Based on its non-conference schedule and overall record, Judkins is confident his team can write its own ticket to the big dance by beating second-seeded New Mexico on Friday.

"I told them that we've got to win two, maybe one," Judkins said. "It depends on what Las Vegas does. I think if we beat New Mexico, that makes 11 wins out of 13 and we have a great chance.

"I honestly believe three teams in our league should make it."

BYU has made it to the finals of the conference tournament the last two years. During both of those years Judkins sat a couple seats down from where he sits today, as he began his BYU stint as an assistant under Trent Shippen. Now Shippen serves as one of Judkins' assistants.

The first-year head coach is enjoying every moment of what this month means to college basketball players and coaches.

"For a coach, it's a dream, because this is what it's all about," Judkins said. "I love this time. This is my favorite month, this and October (when practice begins)."

To prepare his players for this final stretch of the season, he relied on his experience as a college player and his five years in the NBA.

Judkins said he took it easy on his players early in the year and gave them five days off for Christmas so that they would be revved up for the post-season.

He conceded that the time off at Christmas cost the team a 28-point home loss to Arkansas, but he believes it was worth it.

"I've been on teams before where you get in a situation and you're tired," Judkins said. "You want the season to end. I think our team's not tired. I think our team is ready for this.

"I told them three weeks ago when we had a meeting that if we play well the next three weeks, we're going to go to the tournament, you're going to be happy, things are going to be great. If we don't, it's going to be a bad season.

"That's how it always works. That's the way basketball is, you put all of your eggs in one basket. But it's fun."