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Men's Basketball
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Utes Host BYU on Saturday
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
January 4, 1999
UTAH (10-4) VS. BRIGHAM YOUNG (5-7)
Saturday, Jan. 9-7:35 p.m.
Huntsman Center (15,000)
Salt Lake City
PROBABLE UTE STARTERS
F-50 Alex Jensen (6-7, 215, Jr) 10.8 6.9, 3.8
F-13 Hanno Mottola (6-10, 240, Jr) 14.8, 6.4
C-52 Nate Althoff (6-11, 245, So) 5.2, 3.5
G-32 Jeremy Killion (6-0, 197, Jr) 9.9, 2.5
G-24 Andre Miller (6-2, 203, Sr) 16.2, 6.2, 5.6
OFF THE BENCH
F-40 Phil Cullen (6-9, 200, Fr) 5.1, 3.4
G-4 Adam Sharp (6-2, 184, Fr) 2.9, 1.6
F/G-5 Tony Harvey (6-5, 188, Jr) 8.6, 3.6, 3.6
F-20 Brad Crockett (6-4, 208, Fr) 0.8, 0.6
F-41 Tyson Johnston (6-10, 233, Fr) 0.6, 0.8
G-11 Ben Heusser (5-11, 177, Fr) 0.3, 0.4
QUICKLY: The Utes set a new home winning streak record of 28 straight games (fifth longest in the nation) with their 74-49 victory over Ripon College Saturday night in the Huntsman Center ... the win sends the Utes into WAC play with a 10-4 pre-season record ... Utah starts WAC play against BYU, Saturday, Jan. 9 at 7:35 p.m. in the Huntsman Center ... the game will be broadcast on K-news radio (570) and televised on KJZZ-TV, channel 14 (channel 3 on cable).
NINE UTES MAKE HONOR ROLL: Nine Ute basketball players (seven on scholarship) were named to the Academic Honor Roll for their performance in the classroom fall semester. Scholarship players making the list with at least a 3.0 GPA are HANNO MOTTOLA (3.82 GPA), ADAM SHARP (3.46 GPA), SHANE WILLIS (3.29 GPA), JEREMY KILLION (3.21) PHIL CULLEN (3.05 GPA), GARY COLBERT (3.07 GPA) and BRAD CROCKETT (3.00 GPA). Two walk-on players SID KROMMENHOEK (3.93 GPA) and ZAC DALTON (3.34 GPA) also made the list. Ute coach RICK MAJERUS has had 95 players make the honor roll during his tenure at Utah.
MAJERUS' MARK: Ute coach RICK MAJERUS is in his 10th season at the helm of the Runnin' Utes. Majerus has a 220-63 (.777) mark as Ute coach, the best record of any coach in the modern era of Utah basketball. He is in his 14th year as a major college head coach and has a 319-115 career record. His .735 career winning percentage ranks him seventh in the country among active coaches and 21st all-time. Majerus has won six WAC titles and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the "Sweet 16" four times, the "Elite Eight" twice and the "Final Four" once.
UTES AMONG THE TOP TEAMS IN THE 90'S: The Runnin' Utes have been one of the most successful college basketball teams in this decade. Under coach RICK MAJERUS the Utes have posted a 232-75 record for a .756 winning percentage in the 1990's. Going into the season Utah was ranked 8th in the nation in winning percentage and 9th in total victories during the decade.
ANDRE TIME: ANDRE MILLER leads the Ute attack this season. The 6-2, senior guard was a non-qualifier as a freshman but became one of the first athletes to take advantage of a new NCAA rule allowing non-qualifiers an extra year of eligibility if they graduated in four years. Miller received his degree in sociology last June and the Utes are the better for it this season. Andre had an outstanding NCAA Tournament. He was named the MVP of the West Region after the Utes knocked off defending champion Arizona 76-51. In that game Miller became the first player since Magic Johnson to hit for a triple double when he scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and passed for 13 assists. He also was named to the "Final Four" all-Tournament team as the Utes made it to the NCAA Championship game. For the six NCAA games Andre averaged 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Currently Andre is leading the Utes in scoring averaging 16.2 points per game. He is also averaging 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the season. Miller is averaging 5.6 assists to 3.1 turnovers per game.
ANDRE HONORS: ANDRE MILLER is a top 30 candidate for the Wooden Award and a candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year Award. He was also named to most pre-season All-American teams including garnering first team honors on the Associated Press and Playboy Magazine pre-season teams. He is rated by most pre-season publications as one of the top two point guards in the nation. This year he has been named to the all-tournament team at the Maui Invitational and the MVP of the Great Eight Tournament as well as WAC Player of the Week for his games against Rhode Island and Long Beach State when he scored 57 points in the two games.
UTES DOWN RIPON: Utah ended the pre-season with a 74-49 victory over Ripon College of Wisconsin Saturday in the Huntsman Center. Five Utes scored in double figures led by ANDRE MILLER with 16 points. JEREMY KILLION netted 14 points while HANNO MOTTOLA picked up 11 points. ALEX JENSEN put together a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. TONY HARVEY, starting his first game because of a concussion to NATE ALTHOFF, also scored 10 points. The Utes out rebounded Ripon 41-16 and had an excellent night from the free throw line hitting 90 percent of their shots (18-20).
UTES LOOK TO DEFEND WAC CROWN: The Utes go into the 1999 Western Athletic Conference season with four straight WAC (or WAC Division) titles under their belts (1995-98). Utah also won conference crowns in 1993 and 1991. All total, the Utes have won six conference titles in the decade of the 1990's under RICK MAJERUS. During that time Utah has posted a 107-30 (.781) conference record ... Utah will compete in the Pacific Division of the WAC this season. Other teams in the division are BYU, New Mexico, UTEP, San Diego State, Hawai'i, Fresno State and San Jose State. UTE WAC TITLES IN THE 90'S (WAC RECORD): 1990-91: (15-1) 1992-93: (15-3) 1994-95: (15-3) 1995-96: (15-3) 1996-97: (15-1) 1997-98: (12-2)
UTE SORE SPOTS: NATE ALTHOFF missed the Ripon game with a mild concussion suffered against High Point but is listed as probable for BYU ... JEREMY KILLION sprained his right ankle in the Ripon game but is also listed as probable for BYU.
A LOOK AT THE COUGARS: BYU is 5-7 this season ... they are coming off a 61-59 win over Utah State last Saturday in Provo ... BYU has had two one point losses this season, losing at Washington State 70-69 and falling to California at home 71-70 ... the Cougars also lost to Arizona in Provo 78-74 ... Cougar coach Steve Cleveland is 14-28 in his second year in Provo.
SERIES RECORD VS. BYU: BYU leads in the series 113-109 ... first meeting between the two schools took place in 1909 with BYU winning 32-9 in Provo ... first Ute win came in 1913, a 49-31 victory in Provo. The Utes also picked up their first win in Salt Lake that same year (29-26 in overtime) ... Utah has won last seven games in a row. Last year Utah won 71-61 in Provo and 83-68 in Salt Lake ... BYU's last win was a 64-57 victory Jan. 3, 1995 in Provo ... BYU's last win in Salt Lake was a 64-62 victory. Jan. 8, 1994 ... RICK MAJERUS is 11-8 against BYU in his career at Utah. PROBABLE COUGAR STARTERS: F-42 Nathan Cooper (6-5, 205, So) 11.8, 5.7 F-15 Mekeli Wesley (6-9, 240, So) 7.7, 3.7 C-55 Bret Jepsen (6-11, 250, Jr) 6.8, 6.6 G-13 Michael Vranes (6-3, 190, Fr) 12,3, 3.8 G-3 Mark Bigelow (6-6, 190, Fr) 15.8, 7.0, 2.6
RICK'S REMARKS: "We are still trying to integrate young players and still trying to rebuild. Andre (Miller) is moving forward with his game and Al (Jensen) is playing very competitively. We respect BYU. We tried to recruit a number of those players. We understand our good they are. We know they have a good talent level, are well coached and are very fundamentally sound. (Mark) Bigelow has been called the next (Danny) Ainge and that's true and (Mekeli) Wesley gave us all we could handle last season and he will be nothing but better this year.
UTE NOTES: 10 pre-season wins is tied for the second most pre-season games won under RICK MAJERUS. The 1991-92 Utes also won 10 pre-season games. The 1997-98 and 1990-91 teams both won 11 pre-season games ... the Utes are improving their free throw shooting. They are 22-25 from the line in the last two games and are now shooting .729 as a team on the season ... top individual foul shooter is HANNO MOTTOLA who is 34-38 this year for .895 percent.
UTE PLAYER UPDATES
#24 ANDRE MILLER, G (6-2, 203, SR. LOS ANGELES, CALIF.)-Candidate for Wooden and Naismith Awards ... named first team pre-season All-American ... serves as team captain ... is now Utes career steals leader ... is also in 16th place on career scoring chart and second place on career assist list ... opened season with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in win over Azusa Pacific ... 18 points and 7 boards in Utah State game ... 24 points in win over Arizona State in Maui ... had 15 points and a season-high 12 assists in Ute win over Michigan ... went 9-10 from free throw line in that game ... 28 points in Great Eight loss to Rhode Island ... also had 6 steals to tie career-high and set Great Eight single-game record ... career-high 29 points in win at Long Beach ... named to Maui Invitational All-Tournament team and MVP of the Great Eight ... named WAC Player of the Week for games against Rhode Island and Long Beach State ... 19 points in win over Weber State ... 5 steals in that game broke career steals mark ... had 14 points and passed for 8 assists against Loyola Marymount ... season-high 8 rebounds vs. Saint Francis ... 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Ripon ... leads Utes in scoring (16.2), assists (5.6) and steals (2.4) ... averaging 5.6 assists to 3.1 turnovers per game.
#13 HANNO MOTTOLA, F (6-10, 240, JR. HELSINKI, FINLAND)-Led Utes in scoring with 16 points in opening win over Azusa Pacific ... 12 points, 8 rebounds in Utah State game ... led Utes in scoring in Indiana game with 17 points ... top Ute scorer and rebounder in Michigan win with 21 points and 6 rebounds ... 13 points against Rhode Island ... career-high 12 rebounds vs. Long Beach State ... 17 points in Weber win ... career-high 28 points in Texas game ... 16 points, 8 rebounds vs. Loyola Marymount ... 14 points, 10 rebounds vs. Wake Forest ... is 34-38 (.895) from the free throw line for the season ... averaging 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game ... made fall semester honor roll with 3.82 GPA.
#50 ALEX JENSEN, F (6-7, 215, JR. CENTERVILLE, UTAH)-Hit for 14 points in first game against Azusa Pacific ... went 6-8 from the field in that game ... had 11 points and 7 boards in USU game ... career-high 8 assists vs. Weber State ... passed for 7 assists against Azusa Pacific and Arizona State ... had 9 points in Ute win over Michigan ... 15 points and 10 rebounds in win at Long Beach ... 15 points and 8 boards in Weber win ... 11 points 7 rebounds and 4 steals vs. Texas ... 12 points 4 assists, 6 boards vs. Loyola Marymount ... season-highs in points (16) and rebounds (12) vs. Saint Francis ... 8 boards and 6 assists vs. High Point ... 10 points, 11 boards vs. Ripon ... three-double-doubles in points and rebounds this season ... averaging 10.8 points and 6.9 boards per game ... also averaging 3.8 assists per game.
#32 JEREMY KILLION, G (6-0, 197, JR. SAN DIEGO, CALIF.)-Started first game of college career against Azusa Pacific ... hit for 10 points and 3 rebounds in that game ... 4 points, 4 assists, 3 steals vs. Utah State ... 7 points, 6 rebounds in Indiana game ... career-high 18 points against Michigan on 6-12 shooting from three-point range ... 13 points against Weber State ... 11 points against Texas ... tied career-high with 18 points vs. Loyola Marymount ... went 5-6 from three-point range in that game ... third best three-point shooting percentage (.833) in Ute history ... 13 points against High Point ... 14 points vs. Ripon ... averaging 9.9 points per game ... made fall semester honor roll with 3.21 GPA.
#52 NATE ALTHOFF, C (6-11, 245, SO. DELANO, MINN.)-Suffered broken index finger in pre-season drills ... first game back was Azusa Pacific where he scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds ... first start against Arizona State ... had 3 points and 4 rebounds ... had 6 rebounds and career-high 4 blocks against Indiana ... had 6 points against Michigan ... 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals in Long Beach win ... 7 points and 5 rebounds vs. Weber State ... career-high 13 points in win over Loyola Marymount ... 5 blocks vs. Saint Francis is tied for second most in a game in Ute history ... 7 points against Wake Forest ... missed Ripon game with mild concussion ... top Ute field goal shooter (.565) ... averaging 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
#40 PHIL CULLEN, F (6-9, 200, FR. CHELAN, WASH.)-Started first game of college career against Azusa Pacific ... scored 10 points and had 6 rebounds and 3 steals in that game ... 4 points, 3 rebounds vs. USU ... 4 rebounds vs. Arizona State and Indiana ... career-high 7 rebounds in win at Long Beach ... career-high 14 points in Weber State win ... 5 blocks vs. Loyola Marymount ties for second most in a game in school history ... 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks vs. High Point ... 7 points, 5 rebounds vs. Ripon ... averaging 5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game ... made fall semester honor roll with 3.05 GPA.
#4 ADAM SHARP, G (6-2, 184, FR. SALT LAKE CITY)-Redshirt freshman ... hit for 4 points and 4 rebounds in first college game against Azusa Pacific ... 5 points and 4 rebounds in Arizona State win ... 3 steals and played excellent defense against Indiana ... had great defensive game against Michigan with 3 steals ... played well in Rhode Island game with career-high 7 points ... also had 4 rebounds in the game ... 5 points vs. Loyola Marymount ... 4 points, 3 assists vs. Saint Francis ... 5 points vs. High Point ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals vs. Ripon ... averaging 2.9 points per game ... made fall semester honor roll with 3.46 GPA.
#5 TONY HARVEY, F (6-5, 188, JR. CARSON, CALIF.)-Played first major college game against Loyola Marymount after serving nine game suspension ... had 5 assists and 3 steals in first outing and played good defense ... career-high 15 points and 7 rebounds in Saint Francis win ... 7 points and career-high 6 assists in Wake Forest win ... 9 points vs. High Point ... first start against Ripon ... had 10 points, 5 rebounds in that game ... averaging 8.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
#20 BRAD CROCKETT, F (6-4, 208, FR. CENTERVILLE, UTAH)-Played 14 minutes in first college game against Azusa Pacific ... 2 points against Arizona State ... played good defense vs. Indiana ... did excellent defensive job in Rhode Island game ... had 2 points and played good defense against Weber State ... career-high 4 points vs. Loyola Marymount ... made fall semester honor roll with 3.00 GPA.
#41 TYSON JOHNSTON, F (6-10, 233, FR. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COL.)-Had 2 points and 3 rebounds in first college game against Azusa Pacific ... had 2 rebounds, 1 block in USU game ... 2 points vs. Ripon ... played in 12 games this season.
#11 BEN HEUSSER, G (5-11, 177, FR. PRESTON, IDAHO)-Played 11 minutes in first college game against Azusa Pacific ... 2 points, 2 assists vs. High Point ... played in 8 games this season.
RADIO: The BYU game will be broadcast live on K-news (570 AM) radio and the Utah Sports Network. Stations on the network are KOAL (Price), KVEC (Vernal), KSVC (Richfield), KSGI (St. George), KUTA (Blanding) and KSHP (Las Vegas). BILL MARCROFT will call the play-by-play with JEFF JONAS adding color commentary. BRAD STONE handles pre and post game and halftime duties.
TV: The BYU game will be televised live on KJZZ-TV, CHANNEL 14 (channel 3 on cable). STEVE BROWN will call the play-by-play with FRANK LAYDEN handling color commentary.
UTES IN THE HUNTSMAN CENTER: The Utes have won 28 straight games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to the 1996-97 season. That is currently the 5th longest home winning streak in the country. It is also a new Ute record for the most consecutive games won in the Huntsman Center. Last year the Utes were 13-0 in the JMHC. Last loss in the building was to Wake Forest (70-59) on Dec. 31, 1996. The Utes signed three players during the early signing period. They are:
LANCE ALLRED, F/C (6-10, 220, SALT LAKE CITY/EAST HIGH SCHOOL): Averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game as a junior ... shot 68.5 percent from the field ... 39 blocked shots ... academic honor roll.
CHRIS HUBER, G (6-1, 188, GARLAND, UTAH/BEAR RIVER HIGH SCHOOL): Started since freshman year ... averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 steals and 5.0 assists a game for his career ... shot 40 percent from three-point range ... first team all-state two years ... academic honor roll ... 3.8 GPA.
NICK JACOBSEN, F (6-5, 188, ROSEVILLE, MINN./ROSEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL): Played three years at Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota before moving to Minnesota ... all-time leading scorer with 1,598 points in Shanley High School ... as a junior averaged 30.7 points per game ... shot 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range ... all-state two years ... MVP of state tournament two years ... Shanley won state championship two straight years .... academic honor roll ... 4.0 GPA.
ANDRE ON CAREER SCORING CHART: ANDRE MILLER is ranked 16th on the Ute career scoring chart with 1,325 points. He needs 76 points to pass JERRY CHAMBERS, 1964-66, 1400 points) to move into the 15th spot on the list.
ANDRE'S ASSISTS: Miller is in second place on the career assist list with 613. Current Utah radio color man JEFF JONAS (1974-77) is the Utes' career assist leader with 736 during his career.
ANDRE'S STEALS: Miller is the Ute career steals leader with 204 career thefts. He set the new record against Weber State.
MAJERUS RADIO SHOW: The weekly Rick Majerus radio show can be heard every Tuesday night from 6:05 -7:00 p.m. on KALL RADIO (910). BRAD STONE is the host.
MAJERUS TV SHOW: The weekly Rick Majerus television show can be seen every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. on KJZZ-TV, channel 14 (channel 3 on cable).
UP NEXT: The Utes continue WAC play as they travel to San Diego to face San Diego State in a Jan. 16 game. The SDSU game will be televised live on KJZZ-TV. They then move on to Hawaii to face the Rainbows in a Monday, Jan. 18 contest which will be seen as part of the ESPN Big Monday package. The Hawaii game will tipoff at 10 p.m. in Salt Lake.
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