Practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes. But not all athletes would necessarily agree. However, with the Runnin’ Utes, a more energized practice will hopefully lead to a higher chance of success on the court.
Last week, the Utes came out flat against Oregon and eventually lost by 18 points. Against Oregon State, the team had another low-energy start and trailed by 14 points at one point. While Utah eventually came back to win the game, the players and coaches know they need to have a lot more energy on the road this week.
Jakob Poeltl thinks the Utes were fortunate they were able to completely change their attitudes during halftime against the Beavers. However, he understands it won’t be so easy for Utah later down the road.
“We dodged a bullet because we played with more intensity in the second half, but we got to figure out a way to get off to a better start in those types of games,” Poeltl said.
Head coach Larry Krystkowiak could tell there was something off with his team last week. He hoped his team would be able to flip the switch come game time. When that didn’t happen, he knew he needed his team to come more prepared, and he needed someone to step up and lead the team.
Since Brandon Taylor is a senior, he feels like he should shoulder that responsibility. This week, he could tell there was a different tone in the gym and hopes it will translate to the court.
“Today in practice we weren’t lackadaisical,” Taylor said. “From the start of practice, the energy was there, and as soon as Coach K came out, we were ready to do our drills, and the energy was there.”
The team has been working on rebounding, defense and adding more energy to whatever the players are working on. They are also focusing on playing more as a team rather than focusing on something each individual could be working on.
Taylor thinks the team will be able to handle the offense against both the Huskies and the Cougars, so he has been working more on what he can do to help the Utes stop whatever offense they might be facing on the other end of the court.
“Just being locked down defensively, that’s my only focus right now,” Taylor said.
Poeltl and the other bigs have been working on pushing each other harder in practice so they will be ready to expect anything either one of the Washington teams might throw at them. Whether it be a zone defense, man-to-man, or even a double-team, he thinks he’ll be able to handle anything.
Regarding the slow starts, Poeltl is sure of what exactly the Utes need to do to clean up their play.
“Us bigs got to go hard against each other to make us better so we can be prepared in the game,” Poeltl said. “Most of the time it’s a mindset type thing. As a team you got to be all together, dialed in, and on the same page and play with energy, especially on the defensive end.”
Although the players are being more business-like in practice, they are still being their usual selves — they just have that new refined mindset Poeltl’s looking for.
They still have the same goals they set at the beginning of the season. Even though the path to achieve them may be a bit more difficult, Taylor is confident they can end up on top when everything’s said and done.
“There’s a different tone, and it’s serious even though everyone’s being everyone,” Taylor said. “We want to finish at the top in this Pac-12. Utah basketball wants to finish. We want to win, we want to cut down nets, we want to be first — that’s our goal.”
@kbrenneisen