For more than a month, Ute basketball fans have known that Rick Majerus and his staff were going to sign three new players during this spring's signing period.
The only thing they didn't know were Majerus' opinions about each of the new players, since he was prohibited from commenting on the players until after they signed official letters of intent.
With the three players, Marc Jackson, Travis Spivey and Kevin Bradley, signing their letters of intent during the past week, Majerus can finally speak.
Since the Utes' season ended in an NCAA loss to eventual champion Michigan State, Majerus has spent much of the past month away from Utah, recruiting for next year, participating in charity events and fulfilling speaking engagements. He talked about the three newest recruits from Los Angeles, where he participated in a charity golf event earlier this week.
The most highly touted and controversial recruit is Spivey, who starred for Salt Lake Community College this past year after previously playing a year for Georgia Tech, where he started most of the season. He briefly went to Iowa State, where he got in trouble with the law and was charged with statutory rape. Before committing to Utah, Spivey had to meet with and get the green light from University President Bernie Machen and U. athletic director Chris Hill.
"My No. 1 goal is for him to have a good life and a positive experience here," said Majerus. "He's made a mistake and he's worked his way through it. Everyone's made mistakes. Who's not to forgive? I'm not concerned about his conduct. I think he's a high-character guy. My bigger concern is his academics."
Majerus said it will take Spivey time to learn the Utes' system because "the toughest thing is come in as a juco or a freshman and try to play the point." Still, he has high hopes for Spivey, who will compete with Gary Colbert for the starting job next season.
"He's very athletic, has toughness and has a chance to be a wonderful defender," said Majerus.
Bradley is a 6-foot guard from Compton CC who will likely play both the point guard and off-guard positions.
"He's a good athlete with quickness on the perimeter and the ability to defend off the dribble," said Majerus. "He's a good outside shooter, not great, who can make things happen. He can play the one or the two. He can be a good defender, but the problem with a lot of these guys is they haven't put a priority on defense."
Jackson was the leading scorer in the state this year while leading Olympus to a region championship.
"Most of all, I like his competitiveness," said Majerus. "He does whatever it takes for a team to win. He'll probably be a combo guard (point and shooting). He has a good upside to him. He wants to be a Ute."
Majerus said Jackson is planning to go on an LDS mission and most likely wouldn't play at Utah next year, although he wouldn't rule it out.
The Ute coach also confirmed he's through recruiting for next year with a full roster of scholarship players already. Perhaps one player from this year's team won't be back because of medical reasons.
Britton Johnsen and Trace Caton are returning from missions this summer, and Chris Burgess and Nick Jacobson will be coming off redshirt years. Majerus also said he hopes Jon Carlisle can play for Utah but is unlikely to play next year because of health problems he encountered on his mission.
As was reported Friday, Majerus said he is in no rush to find a replacement for former assistant coach Donny Daniels, who was named head coach at Cal State Fullerton Thursday.
"I'll take my time — I'll see who might be interested," said Majerus. "I've got two or three guys in mind, but the chances are I won't do anything until June 1 or maybe July 1."