Should it have been Verlin instead of Morrill?

This is a debate that probably has an answer similar to what is the sound of one hand clapping because the choice cannot be quantified -- should Don Verlin have been chosen as the WAC Coach of the Year or is the selection of Stew Morrill the appropriate one?

Each of us has an opinion and it is probably based -- at least to some degree -- on who we are as individuals. Do you root most of the time for the upstarts? Or do you believe staying at on near the top is just as difficult a thing to do as surprising opposing teams and fans?

Numbers-wise, Utah State went 14-2 with Idaho posting a 9-7 record - a five game differential. In the 2007-2008 season, USU went 12-4 while the Vandals finished 5-11 under a different head coach.

Stew Morrill certainly had an advantage with Gary Wilkinson, Tai Wesley and Tyler Newbold, a very solid three fifths of the starting lineup returning. However, do note that only Wilkinson earned ALL-WAC honors last season. Plus, it's not like Morrill simply rolled out the ball, said 'have at it' and all was well in Logan. Finding a new point guard was critical and Jared Quayle -- a junior college transfer newcomer from a small Wyoming college -- stepped into the role fairly quickly and earned ALL-WAC honors. Coaching, the finding of Quayle and the development effort put into him -- along with his effort -- did the job. Stavon and Pooh Williams, while role players, also performed better this season -- another nod to the coaching of the pair and their own hard work.

Don Verlin inherited a true mess, lacking players, minus the talent necessary to compete and having to kick his best returning player off the team. Luckily, he had Mac Hopson -- the engine of the Vandals -- coming off a transfer redshirt season. It's also worth highlighting that the top five scorers for Idaho in league play were all newcomers: Hopson, Kashif Watson, Marvin Jefferson and Brandon Wiley. Verlin and his staff deserve enormous credit for finding competitive talent on such a short notice and then melding the group into a team whose players are a sum-better-than-its-parts group. Plus, Verlin and Company had but one real WAC-level big man -- that being Marvin Jefferson.

Our final take: based on all of the above, the voting should have resulted in Morrill and Verlin being named Co-Coaches of the Year in the WAC -- at the very least. In case that is too close to be a cop-out, then we'll go with...Don Verlin doing the best WAC coaching job in 2008-2009. He did more with less even if it cannot be fully quantified.

*** It's also interesting to note that Greg Graham won the WAC Coach of the Year honors last season when Boise State finished in a tie with New Mexico State, Nevada and Utah State.