This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Park City • The Park City boys' basketball players won't have any sliver of doubt regarding the knowledge of their new coach because, after all, it's not every day that preps are able to claim they're being taught by a former NBA champion.
Former University of Utah standout and 10-year NBA veteran Michael Doleac has been hired as the next coach of the Miners, The Salt Lake Tribune confirmed.
"Aside from just the basketball knowledge and experience, he's got a sincere desire to teach basketball to youth players," said Park City athletic director Jamie Sheetz. "You don't see former NBA players wind up coaching a lot of high school basketball, so it's pretty cool to have someone of that caliber."
Doleac, at 6-foot-11, averaged 11.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 131 career games at Utah. He finished with 1,519 points and 886 rebounds in four seasons from 1994-98.
Doleac was selected No. 12 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1998 NBA draft after helping the Utes advance to the national championship where they lost to Kentucky.
He spent 10 years in the league, retiring in 2008, and played for a total of six teams, including winning an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006.
Doleac spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Park City, with last season his first year on the bench on a full-time basis. He also serves as a part-time physics teacher at the school.
"He's got a heart of a teacher," Sheetz said. "He cares about [the kids] learning fundamentals. It's about learning the game and how to play it and having fun doing it. That's neat to see."
Doleac replaces Caleb Fine, who stepped down after leading the Miners to a 69-88 overall record in seven seasons, including 1-21 in 2015-16, to allocate more time to his family.
"I think we're in a tad-bit of a down cycle in terms of the kids we have coming out to play basketball," Sheetz said. "I think Mike is making a concerted effort to really push down into the youth program to get some of those younger kids involved. I think it'll make a difference."
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