This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Talk about a role change. For many years, Elaine Elliott's role has been making opposing teams as uncomfortable as possible in the Huntsman Center. But this weekend, her duty is making them feel right at home on her floor.
Burned out and in need of a life away from the gym, Elliott agreed to take a year of absence and leave the Utah women's program in the hands of trusted assistant Anthony Levrets rather than stepping away from the game altogether.
Elliott still might decide the retired life is best for her rather than a return to coaching, and she acknowledged she needs to make that decision soon.
"Everyone needs to know," she said. "When the season is really done, we'll go back, rethink this and decide if we want to go back to where we were or move forward."
Obviously, Levrets hasn't managed to deconstruct in a season what it took Elliott a career to build, because he coached the Utes to the MWC tournament title. The reward for the surprising run was the right to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, starting with a matchup against Notre Dame.
The funny thing is, the Utes weren't supposed to be here, not after they went into the conference tournament as a fifth seed. As for Elliott, the plan all along was for her to be present, serving as a liaison for the visiting teams.
"I'm the face of the program after 30 years, so they can't get rid of me too easily," she joked.
She'll be just another face in the stands this weekend though, joining in group cheers rather than barking out plays. Of course, she still might do that as well. Old habits die hard you know, and coaching has been a part of Elliott's life for so long that she wasn't sure what to do with all her free time when she first stepped away.
She managed to fill all those hours quite well, taking family trips, hiking, biking and remodeling her home.
"I'm living in a mess right now," she said.
Meanwhile, everything is nice and neat up on the hill, where the Utes hope they can continue their streak of upsets and beat the Irish. Elliott, speaking as both a fan and a coach, believes the Utes can muster the will and skill to win.
No one should count out the Utes, she said, noting the way they plugged away in the MWC after preseason All-MWC pick Taryn Wicijowski suffered a season-ending knee injury in November and for their MWC tournament run. The Utes were the lowest seed to ever win the tournament.
"The resiliency this team is showing is unparalleled," she said. "I'm not sure how many teams could do what they have done, but even when they were struggling and playing .500 ball, they were still playing for each other and the staff.
"They're a big underdog," she added. "But they were a big underdog last weekend too. They've proven they belong on the floor and all that matters is going to compete and compete hard. I'll be proud of them regardless of how they do."
While she'll be at the tournament in an official capacity, Elliott hopes to complete her duties in time to watch Utah's game from the stands.
"I'm going to be there as a fan and be as loud as I can be," Elliott said.
She'll be loud on the present, even if she remains silent on her future.