Editor’s note: Over the last month, The Athletic has spoken with more than 30 women’s college basketball coaches about an array of topics from name, image and likeness to athletic directors to X’s and O’s. These coaches, who hail from power conferences and high mid-majors, were granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly without fear of retribution from their own programs or the NCAA. Throughout the week, we’ve shared coaches’ thoughts on the most pressing issues in their sport. Though not every response is included, answers represent all opinions expressed.
This installment of our anonymous coaches survey series focuses on three areas — a sleeping giant program, the best athletic director for women’s hoops and whether coaches believe conferences will exist in a decade.
Which program is a sleeping giant?
It’s not too much of a surprise that coaches recognized Utah as a program to keep an eye on. The surprising part is that anyone considers the Utes as “sleeping” after this season. But as coaches thought about the long-term prospects for programs, the Utes’ recent achievements under Lynne Roberts hints to sustained success in Salt Lake City.
Utah earned a share of the Pac 12 regular-season title with Stanford — a program first since joining the…
