2011 Utah Utes Basketball

Written by Jack Jones - Google +

2010-11 Results

Overall: 13-18
Conference: 6-10 (t-6th, Mountain West)

Roster

Seniors

David Foster
Josh Watkins

Juniors

Glen Dean
Aaron Dotson
Dijon Farr
Chris Haines
Cedric Martin
Kyle Perkins
Jason Washburn

Sophomores

Javon Dawson
Corbin Green
Alexander Ricketts

Freshmen

George Matthews
Alex Mortensen
Anthony Odunsi
Kareem Storey
Blake Wilkinson

Head Coach

Larry Krystkowiak

Key Losses

Utah parted company with their coach, Jim Boylen, at the end of a disappointing 2010-11 season and he was quickly followed by six key contributors from last season, only one of whom (forward Jay Watkins) was a senior. Incoming coach Larry Krystkowiak has picked up 11 newcomers, including two four-year transfers, guards Glen Dean and Aaron Dotson, who must sit out the required redshirt season.

The loss of Will Clyburn, a former Iowa junior college standout and the Utes’ leading returning scorer, will be the biggest blow.

Krystkowiak suffered another setback when losing mission returnee Drew Sharp to BYU when Utah compliance officials admitted there was a loophole in Sharp’s Utah signing that allowed him to be recruited elsewhere.

Utah would also have preferred to retain the services of wing J.J. O’Brien, after he averaged 6.4 points and 5.5 rebounds last year, but he opted to stay in the Mountain West and transferred to San Diego State.

Schedule

Date	Opponent / Event
11/4/2011	vs. Adams State (exhibition)
11/14/2011	vs. San Diego Christian College
11/16/2011	@ Boise State
11/19/2011	vs. Montana State
Battle 4 Atlantis
11/24/2011	vs. Harvard
11/25/2011	Florida State/UMass
11/26/2011	TBD
Regular Season
12/3/2011	@ Fresno State
12/7/2011	vs. Cal State Fullerton
12/10/2011	vs. BYU
12/16/2011	vs. Idaho State
12/19/2011	vs. Portland
12/22/2011	@ Weber State
12/31/2011	@ Colorado
1/5/2012	vs. Washington State
1/7/2012	vs. Washington
1/12/2012	@ Stanford
1/14/2012	@ California
1/19/2012	vs. Arizona
1/21/2012	vs. Arizona State
1/26/2012	@ UCLA
1/28/2012	@ USC
2/2/2012	vs. Oregon
2/4/2012	vs. Oregon State
2/9/2012	@ Arizona State
2/11/2012	@ Arizona
2/18/2012	vs. Colorado
2/23/2012	vs. California
2/25/2012	vs. Stanford
3/1/2012	@ Oregon State
3/3/2012	@ Oregon
Pac-12 Tournament
3/7/2012	TBD
3/8/2012	TBD
3/9/2012	TBD
3/10/2012	TBD

2011-12 Preview

New coach Larry Krystkowiak knows he has a big task on his hands rebuilding after the spring departures. Krystkowiak has been back and forth between college, D-League, and NBA coaching, having himself been a player at Montana who went on to play in the NBA and abroad.

Utah will need a lot of screening offensively, enough rebounding to cut down opponents’ second shots and a strong, mobile defense. Krystkowiak has already stated that playing some man-to-man will be their starting point with a handful of zone and some changing defenses.

Utah have an interesting four-man core of returnees. They are 6-0 point guard Josh Watkins (14.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg), 6-1 shooter Chris Hines (4.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, .369 3PT), 7-3 senior David Foster (2.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and 7-0 junior Jason Washburn (6.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg).

The Utes seldom played both Foster and Washburn together last season, though Krystkowiak has not ruled out the possibility this season.

Foster tied for sixth nationally in blocks per game, and finished with 99 rejections. Washburn blocked one shot per game but was a more efficient scorer, making 61.8 percent of his field goals and hitting 71.7 percent from the line. If the two big men work as a combination, they could give Utah something to revolve its offense around.

Watkins had 104 turnovers to his 109 assists and shot only 26.7 percent from three-point range, though he’s capable of driving to the basket. He must be step up on that performance this season.

Utah’s other option at the point is 6-0 freshman Kareem Storey (12.5 ppg, 8.5 apg), who endured a roundabout high school career before accepting an offer from Krystkowiak last spring. He showed leadership qualities at Princeton Day Academy aligned with great potential at point guard and attracted the attention of Colorado State assistant coach DeMarlo Slocum, who left to join Krystkowiak.

Hines averaged only 17.7 minutes a game last season, making 37 percent of his 84 three-point attempts. He could get more action this year while junior Cedric Martin could be ready to help at shooting guard, especially on the defensive end. He’s a good scorer with excellent distribution.

Anthony Odunsi is a 6-3 combo guard who was originally committed to Iowa State but was released from his letter-of-intent in the spring and could be useful addition to the team.

Utah managed to retain 6-7 forward George Matthews who spurned an opportunity to play last season at West Virginia, instead opting for a fifth year at Westwind Prep. He then committed to Utah, influenced by the fact that Utah was heading into the Pac-12, giving him the chance to play against home state teams Arizona and Arizona State.

Matthews will have the chance to play at small forward. He possesses the ability to score from different ranges and is a capable finisher inside.

Utah also has a couple of junior college transfers who can fill the forward spots. Javon Dawson is a 6-7, 260-pound force while 6-6 junior Dijon Farr (9.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg.) is a slender shooter who can play the wing or create mismatches at power forward.

Corbin Green, a 6-5 sophomore, will also get a shot at playing time on the wing as a walk-on.

More Pac 12 Basketball Predictions

Washington Huskies	Oregon Ducks	California Golden Bears
Arizona Wildcats	Colorado Buffaloes	UCLA Bruins
Stanford Cardinal	Oregon State Beavers	Washington State Cougars
Arizona State Sun Devils	Utah Utes	USC Trojans

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