Jones' departure for USU is a head-scratcher

I’ll have to admit to being surprised when I heard Monday afternoon that Chris Jones was leaving Utah to become an assistant basketball coach at Utah State. I had seen Jones in the Ute office a couple of days earlier and there was no indication he was thinking about moving.
The question I have, as do many others, is why would Jones, a former Ute player, leave Utah for Utah State? Didn’t Randy Rahe do just the opposite four years ago when he joined Ray Giacoletti’s staff after being with Stew Morrill for more than a decade? Isn’t a job in the Mountain West Conference better than one in the WAC? Wouldn’t you rather live in Salt Lake than Logan (nothing against Logan, but man it’s cold there in the winter)?
When I talked to Jones Monday afternoon, I questioned him about some of these factors and he kept saying, “I understand,” but he insisted his reasons for going were sincere. He wanted to expand his coaching horizon and work with Morrill, someone he’s known and admired for years.
He said It wasn’t about the money — he was making $75,000 at Utah and his salary at USU won’t be much different. It wasn’t because Jim Boylen wanted him gone. The two had a good relationship and Jones was a good recruiter for the Utes. It wasn’t because Jones didn’t like Boylen. He enjoyed working with Boylen and had nothing but great things to say about him.
There may be some hidden reasons for the move, but we’ll just have to take Jones at his word, that he wanted a change and an opportunity to learn and grow as a coach, which may help him become a head coach someday.
Good luck, Chris.