That would be Good.
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I guess you can say my excitement level is higher with AJ as the head coach, and Iāve also had some times when Iāve been bored at work. As Iāve been following the news for the rebuild of the team, Iāve been putting together a google sheet to help me visualize what our team may look like, and thought Iād share it with you here. Included stats are only based on their most recent year of college ball, if applicable. Itās nice to see that on paper we should be a much better free throw shooting team compared to the last season, but Iād love to see a true point guard and true center added to the roster.
| 2025-26 Roster | Year | Position | Height | Weight | PPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RBG | APG | STL | BLK | HS | Transfer | Most recent School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence Brown | Jr | CG | 6-3 | 175 | 20.6 | 44.8% | 29.6% | 75.9% | 5.6 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 0.4 | NR | 4* | Fairleigh Dickinson |
| Elijah Moore | So | SG | 6-4 | 176 | 5.2 | 39.1% | 31.5% | 75.0% | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4* | 4* | Syracuse |
| Jahki Howard | So | SF | 6-6 | 185 | 4.2 | 53.6% | 40.9% | 66.7% | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4* | 4* | Auburn |
| Keanu Dawes | Jr | PF | 6-9 | 220 | 8.3 | 61.4% | 34.3% | 75.6% | 6.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4* | 4* | Utah |
| James Okonkwo | Sr | F/C | 6-8 | 240 | 6.9 | 58.1% | 0.0% | 67.0% | 7.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 3* | NR | Akron |
| Ibi Traore | RS Fr | F/C | 6-9 | 220 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3* | - | Utah |
| Kendyl Sanders | Fr | SF | 6-7 | 180 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3* | - | IMG Academy |
| Alvin Jackson III | So | SG | 6-5 | 190 | 6.2 | 41.0% | 31.4% | 70.2% | 2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | NR | NR | SLCC |
| **Official visits | Year | Position | Height | Weight | PPG | FG % | 3P% | FT% | RBG | APG | STL | BLK | HS | Transfer | Most recent School |
| Tyler Betsey | So | F | 6-8 | 225 | 3.3 | 35.7% | 35.7% | 53.8% | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.1 | 4* | 4* | Cinncinati |
| Kelvin Odih | Fr | SG | 6-4 | 190 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4* | - | So Cal Acadamy |
| **2024 signees-mission | Year | Position | Height | Weight | PPG | FG % | 3P% | FT% | RBG | APG | STL | BLK | HS | Transfer | Most recent School |
| Jaxon Johnson | - | PF | 6-8 | 195 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4* | - | Alta |
| David Katoa | - | SG | 6-4 | 170 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3* | - | Utah Prep |
8 Likes
We need a PG or 2 and a center or 2.
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The roster so far and my attempts at guessing roles.
Terrence Brown - JR - combo guard. Averaged 21 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, at FD. Will either start or be the 6th man. Shooting needs to improve, but gets to the line a lot!
Alvin Jackson III - FR - 2/3. Nothing really stands out about his one year at slcc. 6 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal on .410/,314/.70 shooting splits. It was his first year post mission, so who knows. Depth/development piece.
Don McHenry - SR - combo guard. Likely starter. 17 points, 3 boards, 2 assists. Inconsistent shooter, but has his moments.
Elijah Moore - Soph - 2/3. Maybe a starter. Hopefully, his shooting percentages go up with more experience.
Keanu Dawes - JR - forward. We saw dawes get time at the 3, 4 and 5 this last year, sometimes out of necessity. I think he will be the starting 4 and have a big role. Hopefully his outside shooting keeps developing, even if he doesnt use it much, to expand his game.
Jahki Howard - Soph. Wing. - This kid seems due to breakout. Could easily see him starting at the 3.
James Okonkwo - SR - Post. A nice depth piece that just rebounds the heck out of the ball.
Kendyl Sanders - FR - Wing. Depth/development piece.
Ibi Traore - FR - Center/PF. Could have cracked the rotation this last year if not for injury. Will be interesting to see what he can do once healthy.
Seydou Traore - JR - Forward, probably sees time at the 3 and 4, looking forward to seeing what he can do.
Would love to see us add some size and just overall depth but I like these pieces a lot so far.
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point guard?
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A few random observations.
First, shooting percentages donāt mean what they used to mean. If a kid shoots 40 percent from the field but his staple is 3s and he shoots 30% from 3, thatās not so bad. 30% from 3 is like 45% from 2, which for a player who lives on the perimeter is not terrible.
Second, we keep seeing most of the team exit by transfer, which used to be catastrophic, but now, with NIL, the program just goes shopping for a new team.
Third, once again, the program has assembled a competitive team, at least on paper. This is a team that could make the Big Dance, depending on chemistry, luck, and, most important, coaching. In college basketball, coaching is the big X factor. It means everything.
Fourth, obviously, Utahās NIL isnāt completely inadequate. The Auburn and Syrcuse transfers cost money. All these guys had multiple offers. Utah had to bid for them.
Fifth, no, we donāt have the best freshman in the nation like BYU or even the couple of additional freshman hotshots it has added, but plenty of teams have assembled a firmament like BYU and flamed out like a firework. Trust me, Iāve followed Georgetown and Washington for years and they have had multiple top 5-10 classes with nothing but failure. Actually, a couple of our transfers were last year like BYUās second and third best this year, which goes to show you how uncertain freshman ratings are. See BYUās last yearās hotshots, particularly Catchings. With luck and great coaching, Utah can surpass BYU and compete in the Big 12.
Sixth, teams like U Conn, Villanova, Houston, Florida have thrived not on having the very best recruiting classes, but on continuity notwithstanding the new NIL regime, and coaching. Itās crucial that this revolving door end at Utah. Which is why ones and dones can be a curse. Very few coaches make it to the summit with ones and dones as a staple.
Seventh, it seems to me that the big winners in NIL are, first, of course, the blue blood programs, and second, the second tier programs like Utah and BYU who have resources to bid for players, many of whom are trying to move upmarket from smaller schools and the rest mostly were hotshot recruits and havenāt worked out, at least so far. The Fairleigh Dickinsons of the world are screwed. Weāre going to see fewer if any true Cinderella runs in the Big Dance.
Eighth, Money is fungible, so brand and coaching name recognition mean less. Coaching still matters the most, though.
Ninth, it seem to me that for years weāve had teams that overall were more talented than the old Majerus teams. Theyāve done a lot worse. Coaching is an obvious explanation. But competition is another. The past two yearsā teams might have won 25 games had they been in the old WAC or MWC.
Tenth, with international talent and ever increasing population it seems that college basketball talent has not decreased overall. No, the Larry Birds arenāt going to be around for four years. But there are plenty of really good players. (I wonder if concerned still disagrees with this.)
Eleventh, is it possible we already have a point guard? Weāve got plenty of combo guards with experience and strong potential, at least on paper.
Twelfth, we saw in the NC game this year that good coaching means defense first. This was Smithās failure. Defense takes work, itās tedious, itās hard. Itās not fun. Iām sure thatās as true for coaches as players.
8 Likes
Absolutely I disagree with this. It is better than it has been for the last 15 years or so, but still not close to what it once was. Otherwise an excellent analysis. Hope you are right about the importance of coaching and I hope AJ is a better coach than anyone we have had since Maj.
2 Likes
I have a prediction about BYU and its newfound ability and willingness to pay for top talent. I could be wrong, but I think itās only a matter of time until BYU brings in a collection of talented players who donāt want to live the Honor Code. Crap will happen, and there will be some kind of a major scandal or incident that will bring embarrassment to the school. Itāll happen.
10 Likes
Iām sure they will blame a Ute at that party for snitching ā¦
5 Likes
That was impressive, you have more observations than the team has players!
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New commit:
5th year senior who was having a nice year before he suffered an injury that didnt heal quick enough. Had 16 points, 6 boards, 2 steals and a block against mark poop and kentucky.
4 scholarships left. Id really love to see us add 2 guys who are legitimate centers and another ball handling guard, but I think we have some nice pieces so far.
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Havenāt heard much on the recruiting front lately. Any thoughts?
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Decent looking update here:
What Utah basketball still needs to add at guard and along the wing ā Deseret News
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Two new additions to Jensenās Staff:
Victoria Sun as director of operations https://utahutes.com/news/2025/5/28/victoria-sun-named-mens-basketball-director-of-operations
Erick Schork as director of sports performance
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I guess our hope that Andre Miller join the staff isnāt going to come to fruition.
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Maybe if some big donors step up and tempt him with a ton of NIL money that would convince him.
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If they arenāt going to sign anymore players I donāt know why they didnāt try harder to keep more players form last season. They beat BYU because of Ericksonās heroics. Iām sure they could use him. Little showed signs of the huge potential he supposedly had when he originally signed with Baylor. Now Erickson is at Hawaii and Little is at UC Santa Barbara. We could use them if we canāt get anyone else whoās better. Where is Sharavjamts? Iām not sure about just kissing him off either,
These are guards and wing players weāre still short on.
From what I heard AJ contracted Andre but Andre didnāt want to make the time commitment to being a full time assistant. I donāt know if thatās true because his current job is also a heavy time commitment. I would imagine AJ would love having Andre on the staff.
Based on who we brought in, Little and Erickson would be 4th and 5th in the guard rotation respectively.
5 Likes