Locked On Women’s Basketball: Gavin Petersen has Utah Utes contending for Big 12 title

First, the two discussed what Petersen’s transition into the head coaching role was like. From his point of view, focusing on getting through the games that would be played almost immediately after the switch was announced was the first priority.

“It’s been really busy, a lot … coming at you,” Petersen said. “I think the biggest blessing in disguise was that first week of the change, we had two games at home right away, then we went to the Cayman Islands for two games there, and then we came back for two more games. So it really was okay, ‘let’s just get everybody involved,’ in terms of our coaching staff. We were [an associate head coach] short for a few weeks, like, okay … let’s get all on the same page. There’s not much that’s going to change, if at all, a little nuances here and there. And then let’s just get through these games, pour into our kids and get them ready to take on the opponents at hand. And that we were able to do that kind of got some momentum built. And then we were able to add somebody into that coaching vacancy position. Now I feel like we’re kind of settling in, and we’re getting into our normal routine, if you can say that, as we enter Big 12 play.”

---

Order ‘Becoming Caitlin Clark’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, just announced his latest book. It captures both the historic nature of Caitlin Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible. Interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder, C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and so many others were vital to the process.

If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar.” Click the link below to preorder and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.

---

Petersen then talked about how he got involved with the sport, and the various people that made coaching

“Yeah, it was in graduate school, after I graduated from from Hawaii Pacific University, I still wanted to be around the game. Some of my best friends were on the Rainbow Wahine basketball team at the University of Hawaii. And back then, a lot of times in the summer, players went home, they went back to the continental U.S., went back to Australia, wherever they were from. And so they recruited me to play a lot of pickup ball with them over the course of the summer. And it was [immediate], I was drawn to the game in terms of the fundamental aspect of it, the commitment that these young women had in getting themselves better. And so at that point, I was like, ‘You know what? Being in a program like the University of Hawaii, there’s only one show in town. I’m not sure if I could ever get a break there. I would love to learn as much as I can, and I will move and go where the job takes me.'”

“I got to work for Vince Goo the all time winningest coach there at the University of Hawaii. He gave me a chance. Started out as a manager, became kind of like a graduate assistant with more responsibility on my plate, and I was able to break in there when one of the assistant coaches, Jon Newlee, took the head coaching job at Idaho State,” Petersen continued. “I bring all those names up because those are the kind of cornerstone pieces or people in my coaching career, because when Vince Goo finally retired, it’s Jon Newlee who hires me over at Idaho State University, and I go with him … So those are the people I owe a lot to in my early coaching career. And you know, … I love what I do, so I was going to go wherever the job took me.”

---

Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.

Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.

---

As for how the Utes’ players have made the transition between coaches, Petersen says leaning into their foundational principles has helped the team pass early challenges with flying colors.

“I would be lying if I said [I wasn’t surprised by the team’s early success],” Petersen said. “I mean, it’s been seamless, but I knew we’d be tested … like our culture, our foundation, our core principles, those are all intact, but when a change like this occurs, nobody really knows what is going to happen, how it’s going to play out, where our players and their minds are at. So we really poured into our players, and I told them from the start, I’m going to lean on you as much as I hope you lean on each other, and we’ve gotta do it together. We’re in this together. … So it’s like, ‘Alright, let’s go and let’s attack what’s in front of us.’ … the wins and losses, to be brutally honest, I’ve never given it that much thought, because it’s always that one and all mentality, we want to win the next one. I can’t even tell you what our record is. I know we’ve lost twice. That’s kind of how I operate in my mind. … we always say we need to celebrate a little bit more in terms of some of the big accomplishments … I need to celebrate [what] our seniors are accomplishing, because I’m not going to get coaching them again. So those are the little things that make sure we’re enjoying our journey together, and the big picture will take care of itself. And this crew you touched on it, but it’s because of their experience and because of their connectivity that we’re able to do some of these remarkable things and have the record, being able to get the attention that I think this team deserves, and finally be ranked. So I think that’s a credit to our senior leadership on our team”

Tune in to hear more from Petersen about Utah’s ongoing Big 12 conference season, early lessons from becoming a head coach, and more. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!