Disclaimer: BYU fans, Boise State fans, other Ute bashers, THIS IS NOT a post about basketball because I am giving up on the Football team. Quite the contrary. College Basketball officially begins this weekend, and I am VERY excited about this years basketball team at Utah.
I can't help myself. After reading the various basketball posts on this board over the past few days, I am getting very VERY excited for Basketball to begin. I feel, along with New York and many others, that this years team may be a very very good team. Without a doubt, there are many question marks to be answered--which will determine just how good this Ute team is--and so here are my best shots.
1. PG - I feel that this is going to be the biggest key for the Utes success this year. Possible candidates to replace the best Ute PG ever are Gary Colbert, Trent Whiting and Tony Harvey. I really don't feel that Harvey is that effective as a 1 and will be able to get a lot of minutes at the 2 where he can get out and run the floor, create off the dribble in the half court offense, and be an effective defender with his 6'6" frame. That leaves 2. Having never seen either Whiting or Colbert play, it is difficult to really have any idea who will be the better player. However, I have read quite a lot on both players (Basketball is my true sports passion, and the Utes are it in my book) to have a good idea of what to expect out of both. I feel that Trent Whiting will be the early starter, based on the fact that he hasn't had to sit out of major basketball competition for a year as has Colbert. Whiting was a JC All American who was HIGHLY recruited by many. He was ranked as high as the # 2 overall JC prospect in the nation last year. He is very quick, athletic, can run the floor well, is a very good passer and can shot the three very well. He is listed at 6'1" and 180, which is smaller than the 6'3" 175 fram on Gary Colbert. I see Trent as the starter until just before the MWC season begins. Colbert, by the Louisville game, will have had enough time to shake the cob webs of sitting out last year to take over the major minutes at the point spot. Gary is supposed to be VERY quick, VERY athletic, a GREAT passer who sees the court well, and most importantly, in the words of Rick Majerus, "a tenacious defender." Colbert was Inland Valley POY his senior year, the second Ute to win that prestigious SoCal award behind Keith Van Horn. Colbert may not ever bey Andre Miller, but he will be a VERY good PG at Utah in his time. Between the 2, Utah will have more depth at PG than they have EVER had under Majerus. Grade: A-
2. Nate Althoff: Nate needs to come in and be a solid contribUTEr night in and night out for the Utes to be successful (at the level we hope to see them). With Hanno, Alex, the PG's, Harvey and Jacobson providing the main scoring punch, Nate doesn't need to be a 18 PPG guy, but he DOES need to average close to double figures rebounds and be a force defensively in the paint. Without a true backup, he also needs to be relatively foul free and injury free. If Nate goes down, the Utes may be in trouble in the post. Grade: B+
3. Nick Jacobson/Jeff Johnsen/Phil Cullen - The unknown three. Will Jacobson be the shooting threat that he has been pubed to be? Not only has New York, NoDak, the various articles from Minnesota/North Dakota papers pubbed Jacobson, but Majerus himself called Jac "a better pure shooter than Keith Van Horn", and Van Horn is the only guy that Majerus ever called a 10 shooter on he 1-10 scale. Jacobson will likely see 10-15 minutes a game, especially in situations where Utah is facing a zone, which will happen a lot early on. Jeff Johnsen has been reported by many to be in GREAT physical condition (unlike Alex Jensen when he returned from his mission). A major factor in his conditioning will be that he returned from his mission very early in the spring, which has given him ample time to get himself physically ready. Jeff is a multi talented guy who will not only bring great size (6'6" 195 lb) to the small forward spot, but will bring a GREAT defender and a guy who can get out and run the floor, with great ability to drive to the hoop hard and finish well. He was a KEY contribUTEr to the Utah win over Stanford to reach the Elite Eight 3 years ago after Van Horn had fouled out. Also, don't forget that Jeff is the ONLY player in Utah prep basketball history to be named Mr. Basketball 2 years in a row. Phil Cullen is a guy with great outside range and an ability to score down low, but clearly needed to put on weight. If he has improved his body over the break, he could be ready to be a major contribUTEr to this years team. He proved last year that he is capable of making a big shot, but needs to be more consistant this year. If 2 of these 3 guys, or even better yet, all 3 of them play up to their potential, the Utes will be Final Four bound. Grade: B+
4. Hanno Mottola - Will Hanno become the star will all know he can be? Hanno has the ability to become the next Lotto player for Utah and the first ever MWC POY. He, however, needs to show more consistancy than last year, and needs to be a rebounding force. If he rebounds better and is aggressive in the low post, he could be a 20 ppg, 8 rebounds per game type of guy. He should be. Grade: A
5. Alex Jensen - Alex will contribUTE. He needs to remain out of foul trouble and provide the quality minUTES at the 3 which will be required of him. He will be counted on to be the defensive stopper, but will also be counted on to hit the open shot. Hopefully, he will be less unselfish while still continuing to be a great assist man. Grade: A
Overall, I really, honestly fell that this Ute team could be the best team of the 90's at Utah. It has the depth needed to win enough games to get a high seed (the major key to a long NCAA run) and then make that long run in the Tourney. I think that anything less than the Elite Eight this year would be a disapointment in my eyes.
Can't wait to Oct. 26 when I can see this year Runnin' Utes!!!!
Utes Rule
p.s. Sorry for the length of this message. I had to cut myself short. I LOVE UTE BASKETBALL.
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