Like a lot of Utah Jazz fans, BYU basketball coach Mark Pope was a bit surprised when Gail Miller announced Wednesday that she was selling the NBA franchise to local tech titan Ryan Smith and his wife, Ashley.
But Pope, who is entering his second season as the Cougars’ head coach next month, did not have to Google Smith’s name to learn more about him.
Pope and his wife, Lee Anne, are close friends with the Smiths and live in the same neighborhood in Orem.