Post by mhbruin on May 7, 2022 9:24:35 GMT -8
CHANGES
David Jenkins Jr will not longer be transferring to Illinois. He is going one state further east to Purdue.
===================
Next are the 11th place Utah Utes. In a rare moment of clarity or luck, I picked them to finish 11th last season.
This Coach Smith replaced the other Coach K, and 8 players transferred out. Coach Craig Smith was left with 4 returning scholarship players and not much talent. He tried to put together a team in a hurry. It wasn't a rousing success, but they did manage to win 4 conference games. They were the third-best team in Utah.
They looked like a well-coached team without a lot of talent. Could an 11th-place finish be over-achieving?
This season could look similar, but they are returning a more experienced nucleus.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
After transferring from Utah to Minnesota and transferring back to Utah, Gach appears to be done with college basketball. Just for symmetry, I would like to have seen him transfer back to Minnesota.
TRANSFERRING OUT
Losing 4 players to transfer seems like an improvement over last year, when 8 players left through the portal.
David Jenkins transferred in from UNLV, played one season and is now transferring out. Dušan Mahorčič transferred in from Illinois State, played one season, and is transferring again. He'll be able to say he played in three time zones. Some people are born to wander. I guess they will have to ask the NCAA for a waiver or sit out a year.
Last season, Riley Batten and Lahat Thioune put their names into the portal and then decided to return to Utah. They won't be returning this year.
RETURNING
Utah returns 6 rotation players, 5 of whom started games last season. I wouldn't get too excited about the starts. 11 players started games for them last season. I think Coach Smith was looking for a good starting lineup.
They return 5 of their top 7 scorers, including their leading scorer. They return their top 3 rebounders. They return 3 of their top 4 assist leaders.
This may look like a pretty good group to build around, until you look at the shooting percentages. Last season they ranked #255 in effective FG%. This is not a good shooting group.
(#62 class, #7 in Pac-12)
The incoming freshmen are not exactly a group of household names. Keita could one of those athletic bigs like Efe Abogidi.
A story about Keba Keita
Tarlac isn't even listed by 247. According to Balkan Prospects, the 19-year-old hails from Belgrade and is a former teammate of Utah guard Lazar Stefanovic, When you are getting your information from Balkan Prospects, you are dealing with an obscure prospect.
Mike Saunder's name may remind us of former UCLA player Mike Sanders, but the spelling should tell you they are not related. He was a 34% 4-point shooter last season for the Bearcats, with a 1.0 A/TO ratio.
Ben Carlson played in every game last season for the Badgers, but didn't get a lot of PT. He was playing behind some really good players, and he only shot 33% from the field.
In sprite of being a 4-star recruit out of HS, Gavin Baxter was used sparingly in Provo. It is hard to believe he will be a big factor for the Utes this year, but he gives them some experience and depth.
CONCLUSION
Craig Smith is an excellent basketball coach. In their five seasons in the Mountain West before he arrived, Utah State had never finished higher than 4th, and they had not been to the NCAA tournament since 2011. In three seasons after Coach Smith took over, they finished 1st, 2nd, and 2nd, and gave San Diego State a run for their money.
He arrived in Salt Lake City to find a roster as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. They returned four rotation players, and there was not much returning talent. They brought in bodies through the portal, but not a lot of talent.
This season seems like they will have more experience, and are bringing in some transfers who may have potential.
I expect Utah to finish higher than 11th, but still in the bottom half of the league.
David Jenkins Jr will not longer be transferring to Illinois. He is going one state further east to Purdue.
===================
Next are the 11th place Utah Utes. In a rare moment of clarity or luck, I picked them to finish 11th last season.
This Coach Smith replaced the other Coach K, and 8 players transferred out. Coach Craig Smith was left with 4 returning scholarship players and not much talent. He tried to put together a team in a hurry. It wasn't a rousing success, but they did manage to win 4 conference games. They were the third-best team in Utah.
They looked like a well-coached team without a lot of talent. Could an 11th-place finish be over-achieving?
This season could look similar, but they are returning a more experienced nucleus.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Both Gach | 30 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
After transferring from Utah to Minnesota and transferring back to Utah, Gach appears to be done with college basketball. Just for symmetry, I would like to have seen him transfer back to Minnesota.
TRANSFERRING OUT
Losing 4 players to transfer seems like an improvement over last year, when 8 players left through the portal.
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
| Riley Battin | 31 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | Cal Baptist |
| David Jenkins Jr | 31 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 1 | Purdue |
| Dušan Mahorčič | 13 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 1 | NC State |
| Lahat Thioune | 28 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | UCF |
David Jenkins transferred in from UNLV, played one season and is now transferring out. Dušan Mahorčič transferred in from Illinois State, played one season, and is transferring again. He'll be able to say he played in three time zones. Some people are born to wander. I guess they will have to ask the NCAA for a waiver or sit out a year.
Last season, Riley Batten and Lahat Thioune put their names into the portal and then decided to return to Utah. They won't be returning this year.
RETURNING
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | FG% | 3Pt% | Assists | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Branden Carlson | 24 | 23 | 26 | 13 | 1 | 51% | 31% | 6 | Jr | 4 | 102 |
| Marco Anthony | 28 | 27 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 41% | 35% | 2 | Sr 5 | 3 | 244 |
| Rollie Worster | 31 | 30 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 40% | 33% | 1 | So | Unranked | |
| Lazar Stefanovic | 31 | 18 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 36% | 31% | 1 | Fr | Unranked | |
| Gabe Madsen | 25 | 10 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 39% | 39% | 1 | So | 3 | 209 |
| Jaxon Brenchley | 27 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 46% | 14% | 1 | Jr | 3 | 376 |
Utah returns 6 rotation players, 5 of whom started games last season. I wouldn't get too excited about the starts. 11 players started games for them last season. I think Coach Smith was looking for a good starting lineup.
They return 5 of their top 7 scorers, including their leading scorer. They return their top 3 rebounders. They return 3 of their top 4 assist leaders.
This may look like a pretty good group to build around, until you look at the shooting percentages. Last season they ranked #255 in effective FG%. This is not a good shooting group.
RECRUITS
(#62 class, #7 in Pac-12)
| Player | Size | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Keba Keita | 6-9 225 | C | 3 | 158 | Washington, UNLV, Utah Tech |
| Wilguens Exacte Jr. | 6-5 200 | SG | Unranked | East Carolina, George Mason, Colorado State | |
| Luka Tarlac | 6-8 | Unranked |
The incoming freshmen are not exactly a group of household names. Keita could one of those athletic bigs like Efe Abogidi.
A story about Keba Keita
Tarlac isn't even listed by 247. According to Balkan Prospects, the 19-year-old hails from Belgrade and is a former teammate of Utah guard Lazar Stefanovic, When you are getting your information from Balkan Prospects, you are dealing with an obscure prospect.
TRANSFERRING IN
Coach Smith was known for getting transfers to build his roster at Utah State. He hasn't matched last season's haul of 7 transfers, but the quality may be a bit higher.
He has brought in two players who were highly-rated out of HS, but who were disappointments at their previous school.
He has brought in two players who were highly-rated out of HS, but who were disappointments at their previous school.
| Player | Size | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Mike Saunders, Jr. | 6-0 185 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 3 | Cincinnati | So | 3 | 240 |
| Ben Carlson | 6-9 220 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Wisconsin | So | 4 | 107 |
| Gavin Baxter | 6-9 228 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | BYU | Sr 5 | 4 | 100 |
Mike Saunder's name may remind us of former UCLA player Mike Sanders, but the spelling should tell you they are not related. He was a 34% 4-point shooter last season for the Bearcats, with a 1.0 A/TO ratio.
Ben Carlson played in every game last season for the Badgers, but didn't get a lot of PT. He was playing behind some really good players, and he only shot 33% from the field.
In sprite of being a 4-star recruit out of HS, Gavin Baxter was used sparingly in Provo. It is hard to believe he will be a big factor for the Utes this year, but he gives them some experience and depth.
CONCLUSION
Craig Smith is an excellent basketball coach. In their five seasons in the Mountain West before he arrived, Utah State had never finished higher than 4th, and they had not been to the NCAA tournament since 2011. In three seasons after Coach Smith took over, they finished 1st, 2nd, and 2nd, and gave San Diego State a run for their money.
He arrived in Salt Lake City to find a roster as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. They returned four rotation players, and there was not much returning talent. They brought in bodies through the portal, but not a lot of talent.
This season seems like they will have more experience, and are bringing in some transfers who may have potential.
I expect Utah to finish higher than 11th, but still in the bottom half of the league.