Here's my impressions of "The Night..."

The no-shows: Cullen and Althoff

3pt contest: Burgess won this. He had a little help from his kid. Godfread and Jacobson actually looked the best. Jacobson's release is a thing of beauty.

Dunks: IMO a dead heat between Burge and Britt. Both can do it nasty. Spivey and Bean weren't consistent enough to get the crowd up, and they didn't rattle the rim like Britt or show the creativity of Burgess.

The game: Overall, I thought it was more energetic than last year. For the most part, I'd say that's due to better floor generals handling the ball. Yet there were very few fast breaks. Typical of Majerus' teams, the defense is far ahead of the offense at this point in the year. The shooting was poor as well.

Guards: For sure, we have better ball handlers in the backcourt than we did last year. Both Spivey and Bradley are penetrators and can make good decisions. Spivey has terrific court vision. Bradley has the midrange game. Bradley was the leading scorer overall, but had most of his points in the second scrimmage when Spivey wasn't guarding him. Spivey started out the first game with a nice post entry pass, then he "thread the needle" several times, but seemed to wear down at the end. Jackson didn't give me Heusser/McTavish flashbacks, but also didn't do much to stand out. He didn't finish his drives and neglected to dish when he should have. Jacobson looked fluid coming off of screens and shooting, but couldn't hit anything after the first 10 minutes. He's also a decent passer and ball handler.

Wings: If Britton really does have missionary rust, he's going to be wonderful. Both Johnsens were all over the place (i.e. they're in form). Jeff looks more under control this year, while Britton is in that "trying to make up for lost time" mode that Jeff was in last year. Trace Caton was nice and I think he might steal a bunch of Nick's PT because he can do a lot of the same things. We should all have such problems as Majerus has trying to find PT for his four swingmen.

Bigs: Burge showed us that he can score anywhere on the court, yet he spent a bit too much time outside. His shooting is wildly inconsistent. He'll swish an outside shot, then boink the next one off the front of the rim. Puzey looked very good. I think he got the most rebounds. He was a lot more effective than the other young guys we have. I don't know whether to worry or feel good, but he had a dribble drive where he was just pushing Burgess down the lane. Lance Allred has the best physique on the team (well, maybe except for Spivey), but was probably the worst player out there. He got a lot of fouls, he was out of sync with his team's offense and showed bad hands throughout the night starting with the dunk contest. I hope I can chalk this up to nerves. He is always wound up so tight. Somebody needs to help this guy relax and let the game come to him, because he has the body, unlike most of the other bigs. Koford was a pleasant surprise. He can pass, he can shoot. On the other hand, he's not an athlete, and he's not Puzey-tough, though he and Burgess were banging around pretty good for a while. Honestly I really didn't notice Godfread out there. Is that good or bad?

The scorers: Bradley, Burgess, Puzey (?!), Koford (??? yowsa!)
The shooters: Jacobson, Bradley
The glass eaters: Puzey, B. Johnsen
The hard-ass defenders: Spivey, Caton, Puzey
The handlers: Spivey, Bradley, Jackson, Jacobson, Johnsen and Johnsen
The dishers: Spivey
The injuries: J. Johnsen (wrist - shooting hand, and *no* I don't know how badly but he didn't look to be in too much pain)

Summary: This team is vastly improved, athletically speaking. It is also more skilled. Finally, this team has more depth than any in recent memory. What is lacking? Leadership and intangibles. And perhaps most importantly, this team lacks both a go to guy and reliable outside shooter. If these things emerge during the season, the Utes could win the conference outright. At the present time, this conference looks like a five horse race.

As I sat watching the Utes tonight, I thought back to the many other similar nights attended in the past when I wondered how in the world the utes were ever going to field a team capable of playing. The Utes look like a basketball team. Here is my player by player review.

Britton: Won the slam contest with some very athletic moves. Can handle the ball like a guard. Goes to the hoop with finesse and power. Can hit the mid-range j if given the space. If he is healthy, Britton will be one of the best players to ever wear a Ute uniform.

Jeff: Solid and heady as ever. Has good hands and plays tough defense. Looked much more comfortable with the ball than last year.

Burgess: Won the 3 pt. contest. I think most of us expect too much from him. He looked like he was pressing. He moves well, but did not dominate like I thought he would. His outside shot left him during the scrimmage. Burgess will be a very good player if he lets the game come too him. If he forces it, he will become frustrated, and so will the coaches and fans.

Bradley: Quick hands and feet. Can take it to the hole and can hit the j. We are going to love this guy.

Spivey: Looks like an athlete. Plays hard and tough. Handles the ball well. Did not take an outside shot, but made some very nice passes.

Caton: Looks like he hasn't missed a practice. Strong and tough. Good outside shooter. Played very good defense on Britton.

Puzey: Charlie hustle. Always seems to be able to get to the rebound. Somehow finds a way to get the ball into the hoop.

Allred: Works hard, but lacks moves with his back to the basket. Does not handle the ball very well. Room to improve and the attitude to do so.

Jacobson: Good instincts, but just a step slow in getting his shot up. It looks like he is rushing his shot and thereby missing.

Godfread: Where do we get all these guys who look alike? Godfread will benefit tremendously from a redshirt year.

Koford: Not the total klutz I expected. I actually think he can help the team. He looks like he is working hard and actually has pretty decent hands and a decent shot.

Jackson: Hard nosed kid didn't back down a bit. Bradley's quickness gave him a hard time when he was handling the ball.

Cullen and Althoff had classes and did not attend. Cullen also sprained ankle at practice.

All-in-all, I am very encouraged.

Scrimmage; Red v. White, 2 15 min. halves and first 15 minutes with Spivey v Bradley, Britt v Chris etc. A little sloppy but couldn't help getting over the fact that it was the tough Utah defense against against the "still getting settled" Utah offense. Bradley is FAST and outplayed Spivey for the most part. Lots of tall bodies out there and good hustle for the most part. Marcroft pointed out that they already had a full practice today and they did look a little tired.

2nd half, red starters Spivey, Bradley, Britt, Chris and I think Puzey, (sorry, my 6 yr. old had to go if you know what I mean) Looked pretty good again against a pretty good man to man D and when I left with 5 min. to go, Bradley had 17 points in both halves combined and definitely was the surprise for me. Spivey and Bradley both penetrated ala Andre and Spivey definitely has the body. Burgess looked nicely bulked up and Britt looks pretty good for a guy who had two years off however he has bird legs that are a little funny.

Puzey looked pretty good as did Jacobsen and J Johnson. Caton OK and Koford is better than I thought but sort of reminds me of Althoff in his Freshman year. Speaking of which, Nate was not there as he had a class according to a guy in the stands who looked like he knew his stuff. All in all, a little rough around the edges but if these guys gel, LOOKOUT!

Majerus was there behind the table and looked very calm even when guys fell down etc. Wouldn't be surprised if we lose a couple early but by January we should be in good form. Just my 2 cents and will look forward to others' opinions.

P. S. Britt won the slam dunk by a hair over Burgess but probably really a tie. Missed the 3 point contest due to the 6 year old. On the bright side he wants to come to a regular game this year. Yeah!!
GO UTES!

OK, here are my observations:

It was a little rough around the edges, but that's par for the course with an early and fun event like this.

As we expected, this is a deep, deep team. There will be some interesting developments regarding playing time.

Projected starters (compliments of my son):

Althoff (he wasn't there). He will be pushed by Allred, though.

Burgess - no question

Britton Johnsen - possibly Jeff Johnsen (this could be the other way around at times for defensive reasons)

Kevin Bradley - again, possibly Jeff Johnsen or Trace Caton

Spivey - no question (BTW, it's pronounced SPY-Vee, not SPIVV-ee)

The offense was ragged, not the motion we will see after Majerus whips them into shape.

Individual reports:

Marc Jackson - Scrappy and tough. Looks like McTavish. Just kidding! This kid held his own against the likes of Spivey and Bradley. When this kid's number is called we won't have to cringe. He is listed at 6'0" but didn't look that big. He's got a strong body and is quick enough to hold his own and looks like a heady player. Played OK on D and didn't make many mistakes.

Kevin Bradley - LOTS of quicks here. He can shoot, he can penetrate and he can play the D. He knows his hoops and plays in control.

Travis Spivey - This guy is the real deal. He looks like a leader and he is RIPPED. My son asked if he lifts weights. Strong, quick, can handle the ball very well, can penetrate and very tough on the defensive end. He didn't shoot outside that I recall, and that is a question mark with him. We do have some real shooters on this team though, so I don't see that as a problem.

Cameron Koford - The tallest guy out there, listed at 7'0" on the sheet. He was OK but I don't expect to see him next year, we are too deep at that position.

Nick Jacobson - He has a quick release on his shots. He looked OK, but he will be pressed with the depth at his position. He seemed to rush his shot a bit. I think in real game situations he will have a little better looks at the hoop and I expect him to put down the shots.

Trace Caton - I forgot how good this kid is. Very smart on the floor, strong, great D and can really knock down a shot. He will get a lot of PT this year. He was one of the pleasant surprises out there.

Britton Johnsen - Another pleasant surprise. He looks more ready than I expected. He also seems to have calmed down since we last saw him. I think he will let the game come to him more now. He made some sweet moves to the hoop and will present some real match-up problems for other teams with his size and quickness. He is going to be better sooner that we thought. Look out, this guy is going to really rock this year!

Jon Godfread - He looked good, better than I expected. Like a junior Doleac. With a year under his belt (assuming redshirt), he will be ready to contribute by next year.

Chris Burgess - Guess who won the 3 point contest? And he followed it up by knocking down a handful of 3's in the scrimmage. This guy is the real deal as well. I pity the team that has to match up against Burgess and Britton this year. He is all over the floor and he is a real competitor. He will be so much better at the 4 than the 5 he played at DOOK. He can really move for a big guy and has strength and an outside shot (YES!) to go with it. Look out!!!

Jeff Johnsen - Jeff looked AWESOME out there. An improved shot, a keen sense of awareness and, best of all, he was totally in control. He was, in my opinion, the best news of the night. His size, body, shooting, quickness and nose for the game were awesome. We have found a replacement for Alex!

Phil Cullen - No show.

Lance Allred - He is going to really push Althoff. I look for him to surpass Nate by January. He is as tall, not quite as heavy but a great body, quicker and best of all he has the intensity we have always hoped for from Nate. With experience, we need not worry about depth at the 5.

Mike Puzey - Mike is not ready to roll over and give in to the depth of this team. He seemed to push a little too hard at times, shooting perhaps when he shouldn't have, but he was the same guy, scrappy and not about to give an inch on a thing. At all.

Nate Althoff - No show

What a dream for a head coach. So many options. We are three deep at every position, and not just three deep, three quality players deep. There was not a player out there who would make me cringe when he stepped onto the floor. Of course, I may change my mind on some of these during the season, but OMIGOD, to have such problems...

Depth Chart:

5 - Althoff, Allred, Koford
4 - Burgess, Cullen, Allred, Puzey
3 - Britton, Jeff, Caton
2 - Bradley, Jeff, Caton, Jacobson
1 - Spivey, Bradley, Jackson

Damn, I'm pumped!

Side note: Spivey and Bradley are two guys who have a feel for where each other are on the floor. That's one reason why I see them starting - or at least playing - together at the same time. Not to mention the quickness and athleticism, although Jeff Johnsen is by no means giving up anything on athleticism.

The night started with the Three Point contest. Several guys shot very well in the first round. The championship came down to 2 unlikely players....Chris Burgess and Jon Godfread, aka Mike Doleac Jr. Burgess won, but it was close. I was VERY impressed with Godfread. He has GREAT touch for a big bodied 6'11" guy who not only physically looks like Doleac, but the way he plays does too. I was also impressed by Nick Jacobson (he made 9 three pointers in the first round) and Kevin Bradley (who also made 9). Both have a very soft shot with great rotation.

The dunk contest was next. Not surprisingly, it came down to Chris Burgess and Britton Johnsen. Both made nice dunks in the first round, but the best were in the finals. Also not surprisingly, Burgess turned to the throw the ball in the air, tear off the shirt and dunk it in dunk, but Britton's dunk was far cooler. He threw it in the air, caught it in mid air and did a nice windmill dunk. He also made a sweet 360 dunk after that. He was the clear winner. The dude is tall, long and can really sky.

The scrimmage came next. The first 15 minUTES paired 2 evenly matched teams. Bradley and Spivey went head to head and it was entertaining. They are both very competitive and very athletic. BY FAR, the best player of the new comers was Kevin Bradley. HE WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE. He can shoot from outside, can drive and score, can create his own shot, made several VERY NICE passes and played solid D. The second 15 minUTES had what I though might have been the starting five (if you replace Mike Puzey with Nate Althoff who wasn't there due to a class). It consisted of Travis Spivey, Kevin Bradley, Britton Johnsen, Chris Burgess and Mike Puzey. They pretty much outplayed the other team of Marc Jackson, Nick Jacobson, Trace Caton, Lance Allred and Cam Koford.
My Player by Player break down:

Chris Burgess - He is a very underrated outside shooter. He displayed it in the three point contest and also in the scrimmages. He hit several outside jumpers, but was most impressive on the inside. He got a few rebounds and put backs. He is going to be a force. On one possession, he blocked Cam Koford 2 consecutive times and made it look easy. He also has a nice jump hook that will be very tough to defend.
Travis Spivey - Travis has a GREAT build, is very quick and athletic. He also has a great court vision and is a good passer. On the second possession of the scrimmage, he made a great one handed pass to a wide open Lance Allred who dunked it home for a 3 point play. He is not that great an outside threat, but he will do a much better job running the team than anyone Utah had last year. His d was impressive. He also had a GREAT dunk in the dunk contest.

Nick Jacobson - Nick has a very soft shot. He really stroked it well in the three point contest and made some nice shots in the scrimmages. He is going to be a good scorer. He even made some noticeable, nice defensive plays.

Kevin Bradley - BY FAR, the most pleasant surprise of the night. He has a very nice shot out to three range. He also (especially for a 6'1" guard) has a great ability to drive and finish (against some big timber inside for the Utes). He is VERY ATHLETIC and was the high scorer with over 20 points in the 2 scrimmages. He will get a LOT of PT.

Britton Johnsen - Wasn't spectacular, but made several good plays. Forced a 5 second call on GREAT defense and made several very athletic plays offensively. Didn't look all that rusty for a RM.

Nate Althoff and Phil Cullen were both in school.

Lance Allred - This dude has a GREAT body. He is listed as 6'10 240 and I believe every bit of the 240. He played physical. He didn't make many of his shot attempts, but he may have been tired. He looked tired to me. I know the Utes normally practice hard before these events.

Jeff Johnsen - This guy is going to be tough to keep off the floor. He is just a solid all around player. Hit a 3, played in your face defense and made several nice assists.

Cam Koford - LONG! The guy is very long and may be used for a few minutes a game as a defensive threat. Not much offensively.

Marc Jackson - I don't see Marc getting more than 2-3 minUTE a game, if that. He is not bad, but he will take some time.

Jon Godfread - As mentioned above, he reminds me a lot of Mike Doleac only he seems a little more athletic and fluid than Mike was, especially as a freshman. He will probably red shirt, but will be a good one.

Trace Caton - This guy will be a defensive stopper who can hit the open three. Sound familiar? He is in the mold of Drew Hansen.

Mike Puzey - This guy was the second biggest surprise. He was VERY active and looked like a guy who was in his second year after a mission. He looked to be in great shape and will be used for valuable back up minutes for Burgess.

Overall, I was VERY impressed this night. There is a ton of talent, depth, speed, outside shooting and athleticism. Being realistic, there is still a lot of learning to be done and I am sure a lot of getting used to playing together. The outlook definitely looks GREAT!

Go Utes

Utes Rule

Once again, it was a fun night. Nice to see the Utes playing basketball.

Majerus's speech was even shorter than last year. He seems to be losing inspiration.

3 point contest -- won by Chris Burgess's junior partner. I don't have the exact count, but everyone in my row agreed the kid made at least half of Burgess's three pointers for him.

Dunk contest -- Britton Johnsen. I've never seen so many missed dunks in my life. It got embarrassing after awhile. But, Britton didn't back into it -- he was flying up there and jamming.

Scrimmage -- as usual, a tough affair. Tired players who know the offense inside and out guarding each other for all they are worth. The best combination came in the second scrimmage, when Spivey, Bradley, Britton, Puzey and Burgess played together. Although, the play where Puzey gets the ball on the right wing and tries to feed the post didn't work, no matter how many times they tried it.

Player analysis:

Marc Jackson -- looked pretty good. Didn't do a whole lot, but wasn't overmatched by anybody out there.

Kevin Bradley -- we'll have to give Rebelx his due -- this guy looked great. Very quick, with a nice scorer's mentality. He hit from outside, and hit some nice pull-ups in the lane. Also, I counted 4 swishes on 4 foul shots.

Travis Spivey -- looked solid. Didn't do anything spectacular, didn't do anything awful. Had some nice rebounds.

Cam Koford -- looked pretty good. Certainly not a stiff. Very tall, hit a couple turnarounds. I didn't see him block a shot, but I missed the first couple minutes while getting popcorn for my boys.

Nick Jacobson -- had a big wrap on his right hamstring. Rushed his outside shots and missed most of them. Nice lefty lay-up (just like last year). Had one awesome pull-up shot over a couple big guys that just missed, but it was great to see him get the shot off with nice touch over a couple huge guys.

Trace Caton -- still a physical specimen. Played decent ball, but was matched up against Britton a lot in the second half of the scrimmage, which was tough.

Britton Johnsen -- AWESOME to see Britton back on the court. He looked very quick, and except for constantly stretching his right hamstring/knee, he didn't look to be hurt at all. Once again, he was taking guys off the dribble and dishing off when challenged by help D in the lane. Looked great.

Jon Godfread -- didn't play all that much. Has a nice stroke -- good form. I think he's got to redshirt just because of numbers.

Chris Burgess -- a tremendous athlete and a hard worker. Gets off his feet very fast to block shots and get rebounds. Looked out of place playing the class Utah 4 spot -- trying to pop out for top of key or wing jumpers. That is not his game. When Majerus says "He is what he is" I guess he means a big, great athlete, but not a natural ballplayer. Won the three point contest mostly because of the kid he picked out of the crowd. Will make a great inside player, but will struggle on the perimeter.

Jeff Johnsen -- didn't get to do a lot tonight. Looked very good. His hustle plays don't show up much in a format like this.

Phil Cullen -- did not participate, was at class.

Lance Allred -- this guy is big and strong. Looked very rugged out there and played hard. Rough around the edges though, and needs to develop a post game.

Mike Puzey -- I said coming in he was my favorite Ute, and he didn't let me down. Rebounds and defense and hustle, and even scoring were all there. He looked more muscular than last year, and was second to Bradley in scoring on the night. I would guess he was near the top in rebounds as well. Looked great. Let's just not use him on the wing to make passes.

Nate Althoff -- did not participate, was at class.

Overall -- there is a long way to go. There is a ton of size, but someone(s) is going to have to show consistent outside scoring to ease things up on the inside. Bradley and Britton are very quick. It's hard to judge the offense from these evenings, because everyone is tired and as I said, they know the offense the other team is running. The big men can play as aggressively as they want, because there are lots of bodies and fouls behind them.

I'm excited to see the team evolve and develop an identity. Good health to all Utes.

What a night!

First, I finagled (sp?) a seat on the court to snap photos (which I've offered to the Webmonkey for use on this site). I got some great pictures of the scrimmage and A LOT of bad ones.

My son was chosen to shoot in the 3 point contest. Much has been said about the participation of kids in that contest on this board, and about how it may lessen the excitement level. I'll say this...the contest doesn't matter. It's all in good fun and intended to be entertainment. But those kids will never forget the experience, and to me that justifies their involvement. You should have seen my kid's face as he showed the photos to his friends tonight at his birthday party. Priceless.

I got a chance to speak with Coach Majerus for several minutes.

He knows who I am. I fax & email him scouting reports, invite him to dinner when I'm in Salt Lake, and the like (Yes, I am a passionate fan, bordering on lunacy. A freak if you will). He rarely responds, nor do I expect him to. But I just can't not try to help Rick in some small way, though he obviously doesn't need it.

I told Coach that "my wife is sure that you fear for your life" because of my persistent contact. He stopped and looked at me and said "it's an honor to have fans like you. And I sincerely mean that." A very nice thing to say from a guy who gets hammered for being a sourpuss, gruff old guy. He's a good man, folks. He tries to do what's best for his student athletes, the university, and with the resources he's got. I respect Coach Majerus a great deal. We need to really savor his impact on our program while he's still here.

While on the sideline, I was sitting with the players and observed a couple of things.

During the slam dunk, Burgess commented while watching Britton that "I just don't have the hops that guy has." I think Chris is impressed by Britton's athleticism. So was I.

Britton was asking the players what he should do for his slam dunk. He asked about a "little windmill number." They all enthusiastically said "yes!" He looked great.

Lance Allred was frustrated during the scrimmage. Super competitive guy. I think he'll help motivate this team.

I was really impressed with three guys: Britton, Bradley, and Caton.

Trace has a nice shot. He makes good decisions. He's a smart player.

Bradley had moves that absolutely blew me away. He could juke, and fake, and drive the lane surrounded by the tall timber with ease. He was fearless. I think Spivey will be the play maker, but Bradley's skills are outrageous. What a pick up!

And Britton doesn't look to me like he's missed a step. He has a nice touch. and for a big man, he can really move up the court quickly. That kid's going to be something very special.

Another memorable evening for my family and I. It's well worth the airfare and hotel. My kids talk about it all year. And it's fun for them to watch the team on the tube and say "hey, I remember him. He was really nice."

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