The Utah women’s basketball team officially closed the book on 2015-2016 last Wednesday following its loss to Oregon in the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. The Utes doubled their win total from last year, finishing the season 18-15 overall.
All season long, first-year head coach Lynne Roberts has preached process.
“Its difficult because we work in an outcome-based industry,” Roberts said. “But I’ve done this long enough to know that that can start to get you in trouble.”
Following the injury-plagued 2014-2015 campaign, expectations for Utah were low. They were picked to finish just one spot ahead of last year, good for 11th in the Pac-12.
Instead, Roberts and her staff had the Utes in peak physical shape by the time the season started, and when it did, Utah rolled through non-conference play, earning an 8-3 record and remaining undefeated on the Huntsman Center floor all the way through late January. As Pac-12 play began, Utah continued to turn heads, going 2-0 in the opening weekend of conference play, beating Washington and Washington State.
Utah’s highest point in the season came the following week as it hit the road for a four-game away stand. The Utes split their victories, going 2-2 in that road stretch, with victories against then-No. 21 Cal and Arizona.
Utah earned votes in the AP Top 25 rankings following its impressive week.
“Its been a very emotional season, but its also been one of the most exciting years of basketball I’ve had,” said junior forward Paige Crozon. “When we came back at Cal and beat [the Golden Bears] … I was like, ‘We are a really, really good team.'”
Utah returned to Salt Lake City 4-2 in Pac 12 play, 12-5 on the season. With a five-game homestand before them, the Utes were in position to make some serious noise. But a disappointing loss to now-No. 6 Oregon State, which lost just four games all season, sent Utah into a rut, losing three games in a row.
The hot start to the season may have damned Utah in some ways, as it shuffled with its conference counterparts to find a footing in the strongest conference in the nation. When Roberts preached process early on, explaining the emphasis that would be put on game-to-game improvement and effort as opposed to outcome, it was easy to assume she meant losses.
But Roberts was speaking of wins as well, careful not to let the decision of any one 40-minute contest, win or loss, define her group or the foundation they were laying for long-term success.
The Utes now officially greet the offseason, one that stands in stark comparison to last year’s. Following 2014-2015, many Utes were still rehabilitating injuries. Emily Potter, Katie Kuklok and Crozon all missed much of that season due to health, and last summer was more about getting healthy than anything else. Similarly, Roberts had her staff place an emphasis on conditioning, understanding that a few months was hardly enough time to establish any serious Xs and Os philosophy.
This summer, the Utes will continue their conditioning work so that they can take advantage of Utah’s built-in altitude advantage in the winter. But where the Utes spent time last year rehabbing and getting to know the new coaching staff, this year will be spent building on the success of their season, refining their game and adding nuances to their play.
In short, Utah discovered its identity this season and tasted success. Under Roberts, that will prove to make for a dangerous combination next season.
@WestinJay