SALT LAKE CITY -- Jerry Pimm said Tuesday he is leaving the head basketball coaching job at the University of Utah for the gold fields of California and the vacancy at Cal-Santa Barbara.
'I hope I can make Santa Barbara's basketball program into a great one. It's a gold mine just waiting to be worked,' Pimm said. 'It's a tremendous challenge, but no job is easy.'
Ute athletic director Arnie Ferrin immediately named chief assistant coach Lynn Archibald to succeed Pimm at Utah. Archibald was hired by Pimm one year ago following five years as head coach at Idaho State.
Pimm said, 'This is a happy day. I feel good about it. This is an opportunity I couldn't pass up professionally. It has great possibilities for me, tremendous possibilities.'
He succeeds firedcoach Ed DeLacy at Santa Barbara. Pimm had a 173-86 won-lost record at Utah, leading the Utes to the Western Athletic Conference basketball crown in 1977 and a share of the WAC title in 1981 and 1983.
Santa Barbara officials reportedly guaranteed Pimm a 5-year contract in an effort to end seven consecutive losing seasons for the Pacific Coast Athletic Association member.
Pimm had only one losing season at Utah, 11-17 in 1982. The Utes were only 13-13 this past year before winning their last three regular-season games to tie for the WAC title and claim the league's NCAA berth based on their records against co-champions Brigham Young and Texas-El paso.
Pimm said he was not under any major pressure at Utah and that he was leaving 'for a lot of personal reasons, and because I wanted a change. The pressure I put on myself was far greater than anyone else put on me. I don't like to lose.'
Pimm called both the Utah and Santa Barbara basketball programs 'outstanding'and said he was flying to California later Tuesday to begin his new venture.
'They (Santa Barbara) want a winning basketball program, and they're willing to commit the money, time and effort to make it successful,' he said.
Pimm said a long-time friend, heart surgeon Jim Murray of Santa Barbara, called him April 2 about the Gaucho opening. He said Murray worked as an intermediary to set up the final negotiations.
Pimm said he hopes to remain in coaching for 'another 8-to-10 years and then retire. Chronologically I'm 45, but coaching has made me 90 mentally.'
Archibald, 38, joined Pimm's staff last spring after he was fired as head coach at Idaho State. He had a 66-66 record in five years at ISU.
The new Ute coach was an assistant at USC, Nevada-Las Vegas and Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo before going to Pocatello, Idaho. The Logan, Utah, native played his collegiate basketball at Fresno State.
Ferrin said, 'We want to thank Jerry for a lifetime here and warn Lynn that he has a tough act to follow. We feel he (Archibald) can step in and fulfill and continue what Jerry has been trying to do at Utah.'
And Pimm said he hopes Archibald will carry on the 'tradition of Utah's basketball program. Lynn is a qualified, excellent coach. And all four of the recruits who have said they would come to Utah next fall are committed to their decisions.'
Archibald says he plans to keep the motion offense Pimm used at Utah, but said next year the Utes will have a more 'fast-tempo game with a man-to-man pressure defense.'
