With the Utah basketball program in shambles when Larry Krystkowiak took over as head coach two seasons ago, it was understood that the rebuilding process would take time.
At one point this year, there was uncertainty with just how much improvement had occurred after the debacle of last season. As one of the best defensive teams in the Pac-12, the Runnin’ Utes had stayed close with some of the conference’s top squads such as Arizona and UCLA, yet they struggled against lower tier teams such as Oregon State and Washington State. With just two regular season conference games remaining, Utah still hadn’t surpassed its win total from last year’s conference slate.
Then suddenly, Utah (15-18) surprised just about everyone in the conference by reeling off victories in four consecutive games, including two at the Pac-12 Tournament last week, before ending its season with a loss to Oregon in the tournament semifinals.
Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said Monday at his final press conference of the season the way his team ended the season will bring momentum to the activities of the offseason.
“I just think about being real proud of the kids and the fact that they stuck to it,” Krystkowiak said. “To know that we won four out of five games going down the stretch against some pretty good teams, I think generates a little bit of feel-good as we move forward.”
Even so, Krystkowiak said he isn’t entirely satisfied with how the season went. The narrow losses to the Bruins and the Wildcats along with other close calls still eat at him months after the fact. It is in those moments he reminds himself that returning the program to national prominence won’t happen overnight.
“As much as I want to be excited about moving forward, I’m going to take a period of time and kind of beat myself up a little bit for some of the things that could’ve gone our way,” Krystkowiak said. “The reality of winning four out of five games going down the stretch, when you start beating yourself up, I think you can pinch yourself and go ‘OK, let’s keep it in perspective.’”
With the season complete, a great deal of attention will be turned to the continuous process of upgrading the roster. Utah will need to replace three starters next year, as shooting guard Jarred DuBois, small forward Cedric Martin and center Jason Washburn will be graduating.
The Utes will also need to find more scorers. Utah had to rely on its defense as the offense often stumbled. Krystkowiak continually stressed the importance of playing hard on both ends of the floor and felt his team was most successful when it learned how to execute on offense.
Additionally, Krystkowiak pointed to the need for more size and athleticism at all positions. The Utes’ backcourt was very small and Martin stands just six feet four inches tall at small forward. Up front, Utah had problems throughout the year when going up against teams with athletic big men such as Oregon and Stanford.
“We’re just going to have to make some upgrades along the way,” Krystkowiak said. “That’s the nature of recruiting. We have to get involved [with] some higher-level kids in order to compete.”