Utah basketball is already a man down before the season begins.
That news came out just minutes before reporters met with first-year head coach Alex Jensen following the team’s first official practice Monday, as a school release announced that transfer forward Babacar Faye suffered a left leg injury last Friday and would be out for the season.
“You know, really unfortunate with Baba getting hurt and being out for the year, (it) hurts us as a team. The worst part is because he’s the person that he is,” Jensen said.
“I told our guys everybody’s going to have to play a larger role. The old cliche, which is true, that it provides opportunities for other guys. We just have to pivot. He’ll be sorely missed, but that’s something as a staff and a team, as we’re new, that’s kind of the fun part of it is finding out different combinations and roles for the guys.”
What Babacar Faye’s injury means for Utah
Faye, who transferred to Utah from Western Kentucky this offseason, was expected to provide valuable depth on the frontcourt for a Runnin’ Utes program that has 12 new players on the 15-man roster.
This is the second straight year that Faye, a Senegal native, suffered a season-ending injury.
He averaged 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds for Western Kentucky last season before getting injured 10 games into the year. Faye started every game he played for the Hilltoppers during the 2024-25 campaign.
In the frontcourt, the Utes return junior Keanu Dawes, as well as redshirt Ibi Traore, who missed last year with his own season-ending injury.
In addition to Faye, Utah added four other players to their frontcourt from the transfer portal, including Jahki Howard (from Auburn), Seydou Traore (Iowa), James Okonkwo (Akron) and Josh Hayes (Northwest Florida State).
The Utes also signed freshman forward Kendyl Sanders, who played last season at IMG Academy.
The loss of Faye will tighten up the rotation even before the season begins, particularly at center, where the 6-foot-8 Faye’s length and scoring ability would have been invaluable.
It’s likely to means more minutes at the 5 for the veteran Okonkwo, along with Ibi Traore, and perhaps even Dawes when the Utes want to go small ball.
Okonkwo said the focus will be on staying together and getting better as a team.
“Obviously we have less people. It means more of us (are) gonna have to pull more weight, get more minutes on the court. Yeah, it’s just a learning curve, and I think we’ll get there,” he said.
What does it mean for Babacar Faye’s future?
Faye, a fifth-year transfer, would seemingly have a redshirt year to utilize if he chooses to do so.
He played two years at College of Charleston before transferring and playing two years for Western Kentucky, and never utilized a redshirt season in that time.
Those details will get sorted out later, though. For now, the focus is on recovery for Faye.
“Even though he’s out for the rest of the year, the good news is that he’ll be able to make a full recovery,” Jensen said. “And again, right now, we’re just worried about … the next couple days, getting through the surgery, and those conversations will come, I’m sure.”
Takeaways from the first official day of practice
Thanks to NCAA regulations, the Utes have been able to get some work together over the summer.
NCAA bylaws allow players to participate in up to eight hours of weight training, skill instruction and development per week while enrolled in summer school, according to The Athletic, giving a team that’s full of fresh new faces a chance to get a feel for each other.
Now, with 42 days until the season opener (Nov. 3 against San Jose State), NCAA rules allow for Utah to start official practice, which gives them up to 20 hours per week together in workouts.
“It’s the first day of practice, but we’ve been practicing for a while,” Jensen said. “It’s a little bit longer, but I think what we wanted to do today was go back to our core values, the things we want that we have 100% control over that we can do every day. You know, play hard, rebound, talk.
“I think, being the first year, (also) get a feel for each other as teammates and coaches and just as a group, so the more time we can spend together, the better.”
There’s a lot to be sorted out between now and the season opener, from rotations to the type of offense the Utes will run with the personnel they have.
“I think that’ll evolve as we spend more time together,” Jensen said.
For the players, Monday’s practice meant another step closer toward the start of the season.
“It just means the stuff’s about to get real real fast,” Okonkwo said. “We’re playing in a month, so we’re just gonna try and smooth out all the edges that we can and just keep getting better as a team. Sky’s the limit.”
Guard Elijah “Choppa” Moore echoed those sentiments.
“Yeah, same thing pretty much, just making sure that we clean up all the pieces and get everything together before season starts,” he said.