The Utah Basketball Rebuild Project Thread: 2013 and after

[SoCalPat]

I wanted to compare this year's non con to teh 2013-2014 non con which has been much lampooned. So here it is......

http://utahutes.com/schedule.aspx?pa...l&schedule=112

First of all.............Geoducks! I will never forget the mighty Geoducks! (pronounced "gooey-ducks" for those who forgot)

Second, did we fall asleep at the wheel with Idaho State?

Anyway, I think we can (and will) get to the tournament this year but we gotta go better than 9-9 in conference. This schedule doesn't leave much room for error as far as tourney entrance goes. But in a "rebuilding" year with some major depth concerns until fall semester is over, I get it. I don't love it, and I still think we could have and should have done better, but I get it.

Much better than 9-9. In 2013-14, Arizona and UCLA went 1-2 in league, followed by a five-way tie for third at 10-8. Four of those teams made the tournament. The team that didn't -- Cal -- had the No. 36 SOS (to Utah's 88), and was 63rd in RPI to Utah's 82.

The 2013-14 team had 18 regular season D-1 wins, plus one in Vegas. So did that year's Cal team. I don't think one more win was what was lacking. Cal was a higher NIT seed (2, to Utah's 5). One more win wouldn't have guaranteed either team got in, but two likely would have. Let's say we need 21 D-1 wins. Utah gets there with an 8-2 non-con, an 11-7 mark in league play and two wins in Vegas.

[snafu]

What Bill Riley thinks:

The State of Utah Basketball

Interesting thoughts from Bill. He seems to disagree with the prevailing wisdom from this board that Kuzma can't play the 3. He has Kuzma starting at the 3 spot.

[UtahsMrSports]

http://espn700sports.com/interviews/...coach-7-12-16/

Good interview with Larry. Refers to the Brekkott transfer as "confusing". Actually some decent insight.

[LA Ute]

http://espn700sports.com/interviews/...coach-7-12-16/

Good interview with Larry. Refers to the Brekkott transfer as "confusing". Actually some decent insight.

Just listened to it. Highly recommended. His comments about the schedule are interesting and made me feel better.

[DrumNFeather]

Just listened to it. Highly recommended. His comments about the schedule are interesting and made me feel better.

Agree. Larry gets a bit indignant about things...but I like that about him.

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[LA Ute]

Agree. Larry gets a bit indignant about things...but I like that about him.

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So, how are you enjoying the mountain time zone?

[DrumNFeather]

So, how are you enjoying the mountain time zone?

It's an adjustment to be sure.

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[UtahsMrSports]

Just listened to it. Highly recommended. His comments about the schedule are interesting and made me feel better.

Also, ive been critical of bill for his wrubellian softballs in the past with larry. This interview was almost entirely "people are concerned, discuss!"

[UBlender]

http://espn700sports.com/interviews/...coach-7-12-16/

Good interview with Larry. Refers to the Brekkott transfer as "confusing". Actually some decent insight.

One of the highlights is Larry referring to Ogbe's injury as the "pubic bone".

Very interesting to basically hear him say that Isaiah Wright wanted to be guaranteed a starting spot, which Larry wouldn't do and that he was confused by Chapman's thinking.

It's too bad they forgot Mawien when discussing the transfers. It would have been interesting to hear Larry's comment. Having a local kid who is one the top recruits in the state that year come in, redshirt and then leave without playing isn't a good look. It looks like a pretty egregious miss on evaluation or something.

The part where they discussed Jakob 2.0 Jokl was very interesting. Larry has never seen him play?!?! The fact that they signed him under those circumstances doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. It makes it seem like they had a lot of transfers, missed on all the guys they wanted and then just took a flyer on a guy they know little about and will hope for the best.

Also in the Jokl part, Larry praised Jakob 2.0 for getting all of his paperwork done and turned in quickly to get admitted to the U. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I felt like this was Larry's discreet way of telling us that Baruti did not do the same and that is why he didn't sign. It's a strange thing to talk about in an interview so I think there was a reason he brought it up.

#PubicBone

[DrumNFeather]

One of the highlights is Larry referring to Ogbe's injury as the "pubic bone".

Very interesting to basically hear him say that Isaiah Wright wanted to be guaranteed a starting spot, which Larry wouldn't do and that he was confused by Chapman's thinking.

It's too bad they forgot Mawien when discussing the transfers. It would have been interesting to hear Larry's comment. Having a local kid who is one the top recruits in the state that year come in, redshirt and then leave without playing isn't a good look. It looks like a pretty egregious miss on evaluation or something.

The part where they discussed Jakob 2.0 Jokl was very interesting. Larry has never seen him play?!?! The fact that they signed him under those circumstances doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. It makes it seem like they had a lot of transfers, missed on all the guys they wanted and then just took a flyer on a guy they know little about and will hope for the best.

Also in the Jokl part, Larry praised Jakob 2.0 for getting all of his paperwork done and turned in quickly to get admitted to the U. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I felt like this was Larry's discreet way of telling us that Baruti did not do the same and that is why he didn't sign. It's a strange thing to talk about in an interview so I think there was a reason he brought it up.

#PubicBone

Yeah...Ogbe had to hear that and think: "Thanks for that, coach."

[sancho]

It's an adjustment to be sure.

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What? I missed it? I was planning on helping you move. Oh well, next time. Anytime you want to catch a game at Chez Sancho, let me know. I don't have HD, and I have 5 little kids, but other than that, the atmosphere is perfect.

[justaute]

Utah appears to have offered this guy. Patrick Savoy Jr.

https://twitter.com/PremierBall/stat...15184826540032

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKeTiBwla-I

[sancho]

Utah appears to have offered this guy. Patric Savoy Jr.

https://twitter.com/PremierBall/stat...15184826540032

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKeTiBwla-I

Savoy special!

[SoCalPat]

Utah appears to have offered this guy. Patrick Savoy Jr.

https://twitter.com/PremierBall/stat...15184826540032

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKeTiBwla-I

Son of a former UNLV player. Great percentage from 3. I think guys who prep in Vegas who don't go to Findlay can slide under the radar because so much attention is paid to those guys, and as a result, players who play at other schools are viewed as lesser products. That doesn't mean they still can't be good players for high major D-1 programs.

[Applejack]

Is that Steve's son? Interesting name, if so

[Diehard Ute]

Is that Steve's son? Interesting name, if so

Don't believe so based on his name, SCP's post and his statements in some articles that his dream is to follow in his dad's NBA footsteps.


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[SoCalPat]

Don't believe so based on his name, SCP's post and his statements in some articles that his dream is to follow in his dad's NBA footsteps.


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His dad's NBA footsteps consisted solely of being in the Miami Heat's training camp. His post-playing footsteps included being busted for a cocaine buy in Vegas about 3 years ago.

[Diehard Ute]

His dad's NBA footsteps consisted solely of being in the Miami Heat's training camp. His post-playing footsteps included being busted for a cocaine buy in Vegas about 3 years ago.

Better than my dads NBA footsteps.


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[justaute]

Two more offers have been made. Jordan Nwora and Jacob Epperson.

http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/utah

[LA Ute]

Two more offers have been made. Jordan Nwora and Jacob Epperson.

http://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/utah

Both bigs. One of them an Aussie. Interesting.

[Rocker Ute]

Aussie bigs... Anyone have an idea of how involved/uninvolved Andrew Bogut is with the Utes? One thing I'd love to know in all programs is about former player involvement.


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[chrisrenrut]

Aussie bigs... Anyone have an idea of how involved/uninvolved Andrew Bogut is with the Utes? One thing I'd love to know in all programs is about former player involvement.


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I saw a picture tweeted from Australia of Bogut together with Bonham. Bonham is with the PAC 12 All Star team playing down there. I guess the point is that Bogut at least recognizes one of the current players from our team, so there is that.

[UtahsMrSports]

I saw a picture tweeted from Australia of Bogut together with Bonham. Bonham is with the PAC 12 All Star team playing down there. I guess the point is that Bogut at least recognizes one of the current players from our team, so there is that.

He seems to pay pretty close attention, as he will usually tweet out best wishes or congratulations to both the football and basketball teams when they are about to play in or just won a big game.

[LA Ute]

Which PAC-12 arenas are the most difficult to play in? ESPN has ranked them. Arizona is #1. We're #4:

4. Utah Utes: Jon M. Huntsman Center, opened in 1969
The downside of having a 15,000-seat gym is that you can pack in 13,000 people and still have a noticeable number of unoccupied seats. So it is at the Huntsman Center, which averaged 12,997 fans at home games in 2015-16 -- 24th-most in the country -- and still rarely boasted a sellout. Even so, the successes of sixth-year coach Larry Krystkowiak's tenure have done wonders for the atmosphere, and Utah fans require minimal encouragement in the first place.
Fun fact: Then known as the Special Events Center, it hosted the 1979 Final Four, the one where Larry Bird and Magic Johnson more or less changed the face of college basketball forever -- back when Final Fours were staged in actual basketball gyms.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/17192636/pac-12-venues-ranked-according-difficulty

[LA Ute]

This is just an interesting reminder of how far we have come in six years (and somewhat painful to watch).

[Moose]

This is just an interesting reminder of how far we have come in six years (and somewhat painful to watch).

Comrade Crimson would prefer believe that the basketball program was better during that period than it is now.

[NorthwestUteFan]

I watched the 1998 game vs UNC tonight. I loved those days. Love him or hate him, Rick Majerus was the smartest coach in the building wherever he went.

[Applejack]

This is just an interesting reminder of how far we have come in six years (and somewhat painful to watch).

GTFO with that stuff. What are you, a BYU troll now?

[SeattleUte]

GTFO with that stuff. What are you, a BYU troll now?

HIs ideological purity has always been suspect.

[LA Ute]

HIs ideological purity has always been suspect.

What? You're a closet Boylen fan? I am shocked. Shocked!