The Runnin’ Utes have a slate of new faces on the team, and with it there have been some growing pains. The team had a perfect record in the opening weeks of the 2016-17 season, albeit it was against lesser known opponents. Then Butler paid a visit to Salt Lake City as a part of a home and home series — Utah will take a trip to Butler next season — and the loss was a lesson well learned.
In that game the Utes turned the ball over 17 times, and that accounted for 23 Butler points. And as head coach Larry Krystkowiak always mentions, “You can’t defend turnovers,” and it was the team’s first real test.
“It was a little bit like a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Krystkowiak said. “We didn’t really give ourselves a chance to execute our offense, because we turned the ball over. Credit goes to Butler, but they’re not quite that good.”
The Utes lost 68-59, and as Krystkowiak mentioned, he doesn’t think Butler did a whole lot to throw the Utes off their game. Utah just beat itself in the end, but they still respect what Butler was able to bring to the court.
Looking ahead to the tail end of December, the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, and the beginning Pac-12 play, the Utes will be adding a few players to the mix, players like Utah State transfer David Collette and SMU transfer Sedrick Barefield. And admittedly, with the poor offensive showings early in the season, Krystkowiak says he does think about how the team will fare with those two on the court — but typically it’s only a thought that crosses his mind as he is about to call it a night.
However, those growing pains might still be there since those players will still need time to get adjusted to the Utah offense when it is in full competition and it’s no longer just scrimmaging against itself in practices.
Junior Kyle Kuzma and senior Lorenzo Bonam are the only two starters to return to the team from last season, and Kuzma has been doing his best to try and show the newcomers the ropes of the program. But he knows there is plenty more to be done — plenty of more things to tweak.
“I just try and lead guys and show them what needs to be done,” Kuzma said. “I know I’m not perfect, but I just try to help them from what I’ve learned. We each just got to come into practice everyday and lock in — that’s’ one thing we need to get better at. We need to focus on little things.”
One thing that seems to be missing from this year’s team is a post presence. Undoubtedly there was going to a be a lack thereof with the departure of former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl, and the Utes are still hoping Jayce Johnson can fill that hole, maybe not to a perfect “T,” but well enough to get the job done. And so far he has resembled Poeltl in one aspect — he tends to get into foul trouble.
The redshirt freshman got whistled for two early fouls against Butler not even 10 minutes into the first half, and he eventually fouled out of that game — the first game he started for the Runnin’ Utes — with about four minutes left to play.
But while there are a few things Johnson could work on along with the rest of the team, Krystkowiak thinks Johnson is easy to coach, and he will make whatever needed improvements to help the team in the long run.
“He’s a team guy, and he’s got some work to do from an offensive point of view, but in a month’s time he’s come so far,” Krystkowiak said. “The game’s slowed down for him, and he’s got a bright future.”
Pac-12 play for the Utes starts on Jan. 1 with a home game against the Colorado Buffaloes. And before the start of the spring semester the team will travel to Arizona to face the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday Jan. 5, and they will then play the ASU Sun Devils on Saturday Jan. 7.
And as the Utes try to find their footing, Krystkowiak is going to shoulder a lot of that responsibility.
“Right now it just seems like there is a little bit of uncertainty with what it is we’re trying to do, and that starts with me,” Krystkowiak said. “In order for you to learn anything, not just basketball, you got to have some setbacks, you got to have a little wake up call and have some cold water splashed in your face.”
@kbrenneisen