Rick Majerus takes great pride in making academics a priority with his players, but what impact is it having?
According to the coach, since he arrived at Utah four-plus seasons ago, all of his players who have completed their eligibility have graduated, with three notable exceptions: Walter Watts, Jimmy Soto and Paul Afeaki.Soto, say Ute officials, is attending school now and needs one more semester to complete his degree. He would have graduated already, says Majerus, if he had not toured with the NIT all-star team and later pursued a professional basketball career in Puerto Rico.
"You've got to let them mess around with this basketball stuff," says Majerus. "Those are chances they have only right now. Soto will try to play in Australia (in the future)."
Ditto for Afeaki, who needs two credits for graduation, says Majerus. Afeaki, who played in the Continental Basketball Association, missed school to pursue a short-lived pro career. He has not returned to school.
Watts still needs another year of school to complete his degree. He played in the CBA for a year, then spent another year on injured reserve with the L.A. Raiders football team. He was cut this year and has yet to return to school.
"I called his dad a week ago," says Majerus. "I want to get him back here to finish school."
Such problems aside, Utah's graduation rate for basketball players has improved dramatically since Majerus took over the program, say Ute officials. "I feel very confident that if a player completes his eligibility with us he will graduate, and that was not the case before," says athletic director Chris Hill. "I feel like if they don't graduate now, it's their own fault."
SUPER FROSH DEUX: Keith Van Horn, the skinny 6-foot-9 freshman, has been a star performer so far this season, but Ute coaches say they have another one just like him waiting in the wings: Ben Melmeth, a slightly built 6-10 freshman from Judge Memorial High and Australia who's redshirting the season.
"Melmeth is every bit as good as Van Horn," says Majerus "Could he help us this year? Yes. But this redshirt is the best thing for him. I'd redshirt Van Horn in a second, but he doesn't want to. Melmeth would be worth four or five wins (this year). But I'm not trying to win the next game. I'm trying to do what's best for the kids and the program."
Says assistant coach Jeff Judkins, "Ben Melmeth is playing real well now, but he needs to get stronger and learn the game. It's more important that he do that. It's very tempting (to play him now), especially with Ed Johnson's situation (Johnson is suspended). But Rick does what's best for the player and the team."
MORMON RECRUITING COUP: Since coming to Utah in 1989, one of Rick Majerus' biggest frustrations has been his inability to sign local (read: Mormon) recruits. They all wound up at BYU.
"Every one of BYU's players, I wanted," says Majerus. "Jared Miller. Shane Knight. Bradley. Cuff. Larson. I tried to get all of the players they have down there now except the Reids."
Given his past recruiting failures, Majerus considers it a great victory to have signed two local Mormon players this fall - 6-foot-9, 200-pound Alex Jensen of Viewmont, and 6-8, 205-pound Greg Barratt of Olympus.
"When you got these kids, you walk out of there with a little bounce in your step," says Majerus. "People don't realize the significance of us signing those kids."
Jensen, who narrowed his final choices to BYU, Arizona State and Utah, says he finally chose the Utes because "they wanted me more. That was the bottom line. They went after me harder."
Barratt, who says BYU made a late effort to recruit him, signed with Utah because "I wanted to stay home, and the other schools outside of Utah don't listen to your (church) mission. I wasn't guaranteed anything (regarding his status after serving a mission)."
Both Barrett and Jensen plan to pursue church missions after their freshman years at Utah.
THE NEXT GENERATION: With the signing of three freshmen - Van Horn, Carroll and Melmeth - plus transfers Ma Jian and Doug Chapman, Judkins calls this year's recruiting class, "the best crop of kids we've had (under Majerus). And three of them are freshmen, which means they'll be around a while."
The Utes are in the process of completing another good recruiting year. They already have signed Barratt, Jensen and Mike Doleac (a 6-10, 230-pound prep from Portland who also signed with Utah this fall), and they expect to sign two more in the spring.