Even though he returns eight of his 10 top players - including four starters, one of whom is preseason all-American Keith Van Horn - from a 28-6 team that won the Western Athletic Conference title and made the NCAA final 32, Utah coach Rick Majerus doesn't want to hear that he has a top-10 team this year.
Majerus will grudgingly acknowledge that his team could be pretty good by the end of the season, but right now his team is in a bit of disarray as it prepares for its season opener Saturday against No. 2 Kansas."I really don't know what our team looks like," said Majerus. "We're just going to have to play with what we have."
Four players who figure to be a major part of the Utes this year, have either missed time or will have to miss games in the early part of the season because of suspensions or injuries.
Brandon Jessie, the team's second-leading scorer and all-WAC performer a year ago, was informed by the NCAA Tuesday he will have to sit out the first seven games of the season as punishment for alleged connections to a sports agent.
Ben Melmeth, the starter at center all of last season, must miss the first three games as a consequence for dropping a class and not having enough hours last winter quarter.
Ben Caton, a JC transfer from Ricks College and a potential starter, broke his cheekbone and missed a lot of fall practice and didn't play in two exhibition games. As of Wednesday, Majerus wasn't sure when Caton would be ready to play.
Reserve center Doug Chapman is also questionable for the season opener because of an illness in his family.
Then there's Andre Miller, who sat out with a sprained ankle for part of the fall but should be 100 percent by Saturday.
Based on last year's surprise success, prognosticators have high expectations for the Utes in '95-'96. Two preseason rankings (Street & Smith and Sport) put the Utes fourth, while most others put them at least in the top 15. The first Associated Press poll ranked the Utes 10th, and they moved up to eighth this week without even playing a game.
"I guess I'd rather have high expectations than low expectations," said Majerus. But he basically thinks the top-10 predictions for his squad are ridiculous.
"We have a nice club, but I don't even know if we can win our league," he says. "I don't know how you can realistically pick us that high. (The prognosticators) are guys who don't have cable TV or guys I ate with or something."
The success of the Ute team begins with Van Horn, the 6-9 junior from Diamond Bar, Calif. Last year he averaged 21.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He shot 54.5 percent from the field, 38.6 from 3-point range and 85.6 from the foul line and was a ruanaway choice as WAC MVP.
"Keith has gotten a lot stronger and hopefully he can become acquainted with the defensive end of the court," said Majerus.
Terry Preston, who started all 34 games last year, will run the team at the point guard position, but he may see his playing time cut as the season goes along by Miller, the hearlded guard from Los Angeles, who sat out last year because of Prop 42.
Mark Rydalch, who was a big part of the Utes' late-season success and the winner of the WAC's 6th-man award, will split time between the off-guard and point guard positions.
Michael Doleac, last year's backup center, will move into the starting spot as an 18-year-old sophomore. The 6-11 Doleac was the team's third leading scorer last year and he'll be counted on for more rebounds this year.
Melmeth, when he returns, will play backup center and also play with Van Horn and Doleac on what will be an imposing front line.
One player lost in the shuffle who may see a lot of playing time while Jessie is out is sophomore Drew Hansen. He only averaged 1.3 points last year, but in the Utes' two exhibition games this year, scored 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Even though the Utes return so many key players from last year, Majerus says the Utes will miss Alex Jensen more than anyone realizes. Jensen went on an LDS mission to London after last season.
"The kid was big time," said Majerus of Jensen. "He was our best rebounder, our best passer, our best defender and our best decision-maker. I cried more when Alex left my life than any girl I ever dated."
One player recruited to make up for the loss of Jensen is Will Carlton, a scrappy 6-9 forward from Kentucky who will see a lot of time off the bench.
After playing Kansas, the Utes travel to Austin to play Texas Wednesday before returning for their home opner Friday against Lewis-Clark.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1995-96 U. schedule
Nov. 25 Kansas (at Kansas City)
Nov. 29 at Texas
Dec. 1 Lewis-Clark
Dec. 4 Drake
Dec. 6 at Weber State
Dec. 9 Utah State
Dec. 15 St. Thomas
Dec. 21 at Wake Forest
Dec. 23 USC
Dec. 27 Cal-Fullerton
Jan. 2 BYU
Jan. 8 Fresno State
Jan. 10 Air Force
Jan. 13 at Hawaii
Jan. 15 at San Diego State
Jan. 18 Colorodo State
Jan. 20 Wyoming
Jan. 25 at UTEP
Jan. 27 at New Mexico
Feb. 1 UTEP
Feb. 3 New Mexico
Feb. 10 at Colorado State
Feb. 12 at Wyoming
Feb. 15 Hawaii
Feb. 17 San Diego State
Feb. 22 at Fresno State
Feb. 24 at Air Force
Mar. 2 at BYU
Mar. 6-9 WAC Tournament