During Wednesday’s practice, sophomore Brandon Taylor let everyone know he was about to head home. He screamed, “Yes, sir!” so loudly it may have reached his native land of Los Angeles.
Taylor, along with teammates Delon Wright and Dakarai Tucker, will have themselves a homecoming this weekend when Utah travels west for showdowns with USC and UCLA.
“I’m excited, but we still got a mission to accomplish,” Taylor said. “It’s all fun and games going back home in front of family, but we still got business to take care of.”
For the three Golden State natives, this will be the first time playing in their home city since beginning their college careers. The Utes didn’t make the trip to the city of angels last season, and junior college transfer Delon Wright said his College of San Francisco team never made a trip down south.
“The focus should be simple — the team, rather than having an ax to grind,” said head coach Larry Krystkowiak. “I don’t think I’ll have to calm those three players down or rev them up. Hopefully they enjoy the moment playing in front of family and friends.”
Taylor said he is not concerned about playing with excess intensity but acknowledged it will be a unique experience.
“I’m not really worried about anything, but these people haven’t seen me play since high school,” he said. “For me to be on the college floor, it will be special.”
Earlier this season, the Utes defeated both the Trojans and Bruins in the confines of the Huntsman Center. Beating those squads on the road, however, may prove to be more of a challenge, as Utah is winless away from Salt Lake City this season.
“I don’t really know anything specific that needs to be done [to win on the road],” Wright said. “I know we have to do a lot of little things, and those will add up to a victory.”
In their last two losses, the Utes were dominated on the boards, something they seemed to have fixed in their recent wins against Washington and Washington State. The task will be greater against the two L.A. schools, as both schools are bigger and will offer much more resistance down low than the perimeter-heavy Washington teams.
“Everything is important,” Krystkowiak said. “We rebounded well last week, but that needs to be more consistent. We just need to make plays while remaining poised and mature.”
In addition to its first road victory, Utah will also be looking for a game full of strong effort. The Utes have been competitive in all of their losses, and with stronger finishes, they may finally get over the hump.
“It’s not so much of must win, it’s more of a must we have to play hard,” Taylor said. “We know we can compete against anyone when we play hard, when we play our game. This is a must-play-hard trip.”
Taylor has been shooting lights out the last three games. He attributes that to a change in mindset, and he is confident the hot streak will continue.
“I don’t like to speak with the future, but I’m going to keep having fun,” Taylor said. “It got to a point where I was thinking too much, which I shouldn’t be thinking about at all. These last few games, I have been having fun. Yeah, you’re going to make mistakes, and it’s not perfect, but I have just been doing what I do best and having fun with it.”
Utah and USC will tip off at 8:30 p.m. tonight.
[email protected]