Among the first things fans will probably notice Tuesday at the "Night with the Utes" basketball team previews at the Huntsman Center is the muscle definition in the arms of 6-foot-8, 208-pound power forward Shaun Green.
"I've been working hard in the weight room trying to put on some weight. That's what the coaches wanted me to do," said the sophomore from Salt Lake's Olympus High. "That's what I needed to compete with the big guys."
He also honed footwork at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital program. "I think I've gotten — not a lot quicker — but I think I've gotten a little bit quicker," Green said, adding, "The biggest difference is just the one year of experience I have. I know how to guard bigger guys now, and I can use smarts over strength."
Green said fans should quickly see differences in this edition of coach Ray Giacoletti's team Tuesday. "I think they'll notice that we're going to try to play a lot quicker, a lot more up and down, and that we have a lot more speed and ability at every position. We have the six guys returning that kind of bring the leadership and know what to expect, and then we have six freshmen that are ready to play; they're all really good."
"Night with the Utes" begins at 7 and will introduce Giacoletti's men's and Elaine Elliott's women's teams and feature them in separate scrimmages, a men's dunk contest and head-to-head 3-point shooting contest.
Elliott's team is coming off an NCAA Elite Eight appearance but has lost seniors Kim Smith, Shona Thorburn and the nation's top 3-point shooter, Julie Larsen. Elliott is starting her 24th year with the Utes.
Giacoletti's team has reached a milestone: It's completely his team entering his third season, with no holdover players from the Rick Majerus era.
"Right, wrong or indifferent, it feels like it's our team," Giacoletti said, indicating he's extra eager to get under way. "The guys we've recruited have our same beliefs and philosophies. It's been an easy adjustment with these guys, getting them to buy in with what we need to do academically, getting a bond with each other, create a family."
Impressive freshmen along with veterans who've made noticeable offseason improvements and returning injury redshirt Misha Radojevic have made for spirited practices because there's strong competition everywhere.
Giacoletti said Tuesday's crowd should see "hopefully, our enthusiasm and effort at the defensive end of the floor. Hopefully we'll push the ball more than we did the first two years because we have more depth to do that, and we need to find a way to get easy baskets — it's so hard to score in a halfcourt set now. We have the depth to sustain pressure 94 feet."
He doesn't want a gambling defense but one that gets the ball out of the main ballhandler's hands to "force them into a situation they're not comfortable with."
With so many freshmen, even though Frenchman Kim Tillie and Australian Stephen Weigh have two years of international experience each, and Daniel Deane, son of former Ute Greg Deane, has his dad's toughness, Giacoletti mentions Utah's youth and inexperience. "But with that, you have great enthusiasm and energy."
And with improved depth, "We don't have to throw them to the wolves like we did last year," Giacoletti said.
The Ute men, 6-10 last season in the Mountain West Conference, 14-15 overall, have their first preseason game at home Nov. 3 with a Canadian team. The women, 12-4 and second in the MWC last season with a 26-6 overall mark, open their exhibition season Nov. 4 with Albertson College in the Huntsman.
E-mail: lham@desnews.com