SALT LAKE CITY – We’ve heard it before, but this may be the year Utah really puts the “Runnin’” back in the Runnin’ Utes basketball team.
The Utes have come a long way under coach Larry Krystkowiak from his first year when his team ranked an abysmal 339th in the nation in scoring out of 344 teams at 55.5 points per game. Two seasons ago, the Utes ranked 53rd in scoring at 78.8 points per game, before falling back to 179th last year at 73.5 ppg.
This year, with a nearly new team that includes nine newcomers, the Utes are aiming to push the ball more and score more in transition than with set plays as in past years.
We’ll be able to score more in transition because we’ve got some guys who can get out and run and push the ball a little bit. – Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak
“I think overall we have a team where we can keep things a little bit simpler,” Krystkowiak said. “We’ll be able to score more off our defense and we’ll be able to score more in transition because we’ve got some guys who can get out and run and push the ball a little bit.”
Krystkowiak explained that in some past seasons when his teams weren’t quite as athletic, that it was more important to execute and make sure all five players were in the right place at the right time to get shots off
“Right now it’s been pretty simple,” Krystkowiak said. “We can afford to have less play calls and then you’ll have less confusion.”
The Utes return players who can run such as Sedrick Barefield, Donnie Tillman and Parker Van Dyke and have added athletic players such as guard Charles Jones, a two-time NJCAA all-American at College of Southern Idaho, guard Vante Hendrix, who was impressive in practice as a redshirt last year, freshman forward Timmy Allen from Arizona and Both Gach, a freshman forward from Minnesota.
"We’ve got a couple of really talented offensive players on our team and a couple of really talented defensive players," Krystkowiak said. "As a coach, it’s always nice to have a little versatility."
IN PERSPECTIVE: Krystkowiak weighed in on the death of U. track athlete Lauren McCluskey, saying it was hard on his team, which took Tuesday’s practice off as a result. He said his players are close to the track team because they use the same weight-room facilities.
“It’s just so sad,” he said. “It’s like when we lost Jon Huntsman . . . You have to keep their memory alive and their legacy alive and we need to get creative so their spirit stays very much alive on this campus.”
He also was touched by the outpouring of support from other athletes and other schools.
“Whether it’s Donovan Mitchell last night and his gesture, or people at BYU wearing red . . . when bad things happen, it brings people together,” he said. “You’d never think BYU fans would ever wear red or vice versa and then something like this happens and it puts it all in perspective to realize what we do in athletics is still just a game.”
UTE NOTES: Junior Jayce Johnson, who is expected to be the starting center this season and has been out of action for the last three weeks with a broken foot, is “out of his boot and pain-free” according to Krystkowiak and will be re-evaluated next week . . . The Utes, who have played teams schools such as Colorado, Wyoming and Texas A&M in recent years, will play at Saint Mary’s Saturday in their annual “secret scrimmage” after hosting the Gaels last year . . . Utah’s first game will be Thursday, an exhibition against College of Idaho, before the official opener the following Thursday against Maine.