Last week, the Pac-12 handpicked a select group of men’s basketball players within the conference to form an all-star team that will be sent to China in August to compete against some of China’s best basketball teams.

While Utah is well-represented with Jordan Loveridge, Jeremy Olsen and Brandon Taylor included on the roster, the big story here is who the conference chose to lead this squad overseas — Utah’s Larry Krystkowiak.

Ever since Coach K entered the program in Salt Lake City, the Runnin’ Utes have done nothing but improve. The season before Krystkowiak took over, Utah compiled two consecutive losing seasons,  causing Ute fans to lose faith in the once-storied program.

In Krystkowiak’s first season, things got worse before getting better. On top of hiring a new coach, Utah athletics had just made its move into the Pac-12, providing the Runnin’ Utes with top-level talent to compete against. That first season under Coach K’s watch ended with a 6-25 record, including a 3-15 record in conference play.

The second year in the Krystkowiak era saw some improvement as Utah was able to improve its record to 15-18 and turn a few heads in the Pac-12 Tournament by making it to the semifinals. Last season was Coach K’s third and most successful. The Utes posted a winning record, 21-12, and saw some close games with some of the conference’s elite teams, such as Arizona and UCLA.

The rise of the program has been seen by Utah fans and people living in the state but has seemingly gone unnoticed elsewhere. This is why the choice of Krystkowiak to lead this Pac-12 all-star team is impressive. There are big-name Pac-12 coaches out there — Sean Miller, Steve Alford and Dana Altman, to name a few — yet Coach K was chosen.

Looking at the big picture, this is colossal for the U’s program. Not only are some of the players being recognized for their performances for the Utes, but Coach K is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

Coach K and the Runnin’ Utes have adapted to the Pac-12 life better than any other Utah sport. Sure, you have the highly successful programs, such as gymnastics and skiing, but those teams were used to competing against the best teams in the nation long before the conference change.

In just three short years, the Utes have grown immensely, and personally, I’m excited to see just how far Krystkowiak can take this team.