A person close to Boylen confirmed the move to The Associated Press today, requesting anonymity because the hiring was not expected to be announced until Tuesday. Utah officials would not confirm the hiring.

Boylen's hiring first was reported Monday on The Salt Lake Tribune's Web site.

It will be the first head coaching job for Boylen, who has been an assistant to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo the past two seasons after 13 years as an NBA assistant — including 11 years with the Houston Rockets and stints with Golden State and Milwaukee.

Boylen will replace Ray Giacoletti, who resigned after three seasons and took a job as an assistant at Gonzaga. The Utes went 11-19 last season.

Boylen began his coaching career at Michigan State as a graduate assistant to Jud Heathcote in 1987. Twenty years later, he is getting his first job as a head coach at a program has struggled badly in the last two years. Utah was in the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament two years ago, but has gone 25-34 the past two seasons.