A person couldn't turn around without bumping into history, past and present, Saturday at the Huntsman Center.
On one hand, there were the 100 or so former Utes, present for a halftime ceremony honoring the program's greatest players of the last century. Then there were the 2008 Utes, who nearly became history in their own right — and not in a good way.
That can happen when you fall behind 11-0 and commit six turnovers in as many minutes.
In the end, though, it was a day to appreciate. Not so much the Utes' sloppy-but-workmanlike 72-66 win over San Diego State, as the return of the school's legends. Tom Chambers? Yes, he was right behind the bench in the VIP seats. Same with Danny Vranes, Keith Van Horn, Mike Newlin and Mike Doleac, to name a few. Even former No. 1 draft pick Andrew Bogut materialized unexpectedly.
The Utes certainly could've used any or all of them.
Billy McGill is 68 and still might have beat the '08 Utes to their spots in the early going.
This from the program that a couple of years ago was rated by Street & Smith's magazine the 11th best in NCAA history.
"I think Utah belongs there," said Jerry Chambers, who led his team to the Final Four in 1966. "A lot of guys who came to the University of Utah had great high school careers and were highly recruited guys, so yeah, I think it belongs there. I think it's respected."
Speaking of respect, that four-game win streak is Utah's longest of the season.
It's never too soon to start building momentum for the next BYU game, which happens to be Wednesday in Provo.
Chambers, of course, wasn't just there as one of many former players. He was on the list of 16 greatest of all time. No surprise there. The man scored a record 143 points in a four-game NCAA tourney. He went on to win the Most Valuable Player award.
All of which makes it fairly ironic he didn't get so much as a cursory mention in the 2006 film "Glory Road," the story of how tiny Texas Western won the national title with an all-black starting lineup. Utah wasn't even an afterthought, even though the Miners had to beat the Utes — then known as the Redskins — in the semifinals to get there. And even though Utah started three black players, including Chambers, and had five African-Americans on its team.
"We would have won it all if George Fisher hadn't broken his leg," said Chambers. "They would have talked about how Utah changed basketball."
When Chambers came along, college basketball was only beginning to change. It's true Texas Western (now UTEP) made history by winning the tourney. But other teams were integrating quickly, too.
For his part, Chambers says he loved his experience at Utah. Raised in Washington, D.C., he first attended Trinidad (Colo.) Junior College, where he played alongside Richard Tate. When larger schools began recruiting them, Tate of Denver told Chambers he knew about Utah and that they should attend.
Chambers didn't know much about the place, but he was up for an adventure.
Next thing you know, they were trying to demystify the Salt Lake grid system and learn how to pronounce Tooele.
In the process, said Chambers, he learned about life. Friends and family gaped when he told them he was going to Utah.
"They were like, 'Where?"' he said.
But several fortuitous things happened. First, he thrived as a player. He hadn't even considered the possibility of a pro career until late in his senior year. But his big tournament showing led to being picked seventh in the NBA Draft.
Then there was the social aspect. At mostly-white Utah, he made numerous friends, including some in the dorms who introduced him to Bob Dylan's music.
"I had never heard of him until then," he said.
Meanwhile, he added, "I introduced them to Motown."
His final year was naturally the best. Utah went from a 3-7 WAC record in '65 to 7-3, winning the conference before moving into the post-season. It was his favorite year in basketball.
"I came back that year with a purpose," he said.
That purpose being to take Utah to the Final Four.
Thus, when approached a few months ago about a reunion in February, he was all in favor. A trip on the Nostalgia Express? The chance to see his old teammates, back in the town where they were almost famous?
"It was a great experience coming here," he said. "I learned a lot and met a lot of great people."
Would he do it again, same way?
"Oh, yeah," continued Chambers, who is now sports director at the Pan-Pacific Recreation Complex in Los Angeles. "No doubt about it. I wouldn't change it for the world."
In fact, had Texas Western not intervened, he and his teammates might have changed the world themselves.
E-mail: rock@desnews.com