Ute Men's Basketball Game Notes
11/3/2000 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2000
SALT LAKE CITY -
Exhibition Game #2
Utah Utes vs. Team Reebok Nov. 8 - 7:07 p.m. (MST) - Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) - Salt Lake City
Game Data
Utah plays the final of its two exhibition games, hosting Team Reebok on Wednesday at 7:07 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000).Scouting Team Reebok
Comprised of former college players, Team Reebok opens its exhibition tour against San Francisco on Tuesday night before playing Utah. Among the players on the team are Marquiz Watkins, who played at Vanderbilt, and Dave Ferguson, formerly of Saint Louis.The Croatian team scheduled to play Utah didn't even make it across the water. The team experienced problems acquiring visas and will not make their tour of the U.S. Chris Spencer of Worldwide Basketball, Inc., who had lined-up the Croatian team, put together Team Reebok as a replacement.
Utes Fall To EA Sports California All-Stars
Utah dropped its exhibition season opener to the EA Sports California All-Stars, 88-81, on Thursday night at the Huntsman Center.Four Utes scored in double figures, including 14 points from junior college transfer guard Kevin Bradley, who went 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Redshirt freshman Nick Jacobson, after making all four shots in the first half, shot 5-of-7 for the game and 2-of-4 from 3-point range to get 12 points. Britton Johnsen, in his first game back from a Mormon mission, had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior center Nate Althoff had 10 points, eight boards and two blocked shots. Junior Jeff Johnsen contributed a game-high six assists.
Debuting at No. 16 in the USA Today/ESPN preseason poll earlier in the day, Utah looked all the part of a Top 25 team in the first half. The Utes hit their first six shots and 13 of their initial 17 attempts to surge to a 31-14 lead midway through the first half. However, the All-Stars, comprised of former college players, chipped away at Utah's lead, closing to within 10 points (37-27) with 4:26 left in the first half and 44-39 at halftime.
Former UCLA star Kris Johnson, who finished with a game-high 27 points, made a three-pointer with 11:51 to play to give EA Sports its first lead at 55-54. Utah came back to tie it at 58-all with 10:15 to play, but never led again.
Utah shot 68.0 percent in the first half and outshot the All-Stars 57.1 to 52.6 percent for the game. The Utes also made 47.1 percent of their 3-pointers. Utah had a 32 to 24 edge on the boards, but committed 21 turnovers while breaking in a virtually-new backcourt. The All-Stars also made 21 free throws in 27 attempts, while Utah made just 15 trips to the line.
Utah No. 16 in USA Today/ESPN Poll
The first of the major preseason polls was released on Thursday with the Utes coming in at No. 16 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll. The Utes received 265 votes and was the only Mountain West Conference team in the Top 25. Wyoming was tied for 45th with 10 votes UNLV was tied for 50th with six votes. Stanford, which Utah could face in the championship round of the Puerto Rico Shootout, was ranked third. USC, the Utes' opponent in the John Wooden Classic, was 24th.From The Training Room
Freshman center Jon Godfread did not play in Thursday night's game against the EA Sports California All-Stars. Godfread took a charge from Travis Spivey on Oct. 28 in practice and hit his head on the floor, suffering a severe concussion. He is likely to be out of action for several weeks.Coming Up
The Utes open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 17, hosting Idaho State at 7:07 p.m. Utah then plays in the Puerto Rico Shootout, Nov. 23-25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Who's Back
The Utes welcome back one starter and three other letterwinners from last season, as well as two return missionaries who played on the 1998 Final Four team. Utah went 23-9 overall, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and tied for the inaugural Mountain West Conference championship with a 10-4 record in 1999-2000.Senior center Nate Althoff (6-11, 265), a two-year starter at center, averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season. He was also Utah's leader in blocked shots (25) and field goal percentage (60.1) last season. Althoff is the Utes' leading returning scorer and rebounder. Junior Phil Cullen (6-9, 215), a versatile player who can swing between the forward and center positions, played in all 32 games and started 14 last season. Cullen averaged 5.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last year. He also shot 36.5 percent (31-of-85) from three-point range.
Junior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 200) averaged 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds while playing in 32 games and starting five in 1999-2000. A solid defender, Jeff Johnsen was third on the team with 28 steals last season, his first back with the Utes after a two-year LDS church mission. Sophomore forward Mike Puzey (6-8, 230) also returned to the Utes after an LDS church mission last season. He played in 26 games, averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds.
Back from LDS church missions this year are guard/forward Trace Caton (6-4, 215) and forward Britton Johnsen (6-9, 205). Both played as freshmen on Utah's 1997-98 team that made it to the national championship game. Caton played in all 34 games during his debut season. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from three-point range. Johnsen, after missing the first eight games of the `97-98 season with patella tendonitis in his left knee, averaged 3.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 21 games. He increased his production to 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game during the Utes' NCAA Tournament run.
Who's New
Rick Majerus has eight newcomers this year, including two eligible Division I transfers, two junior college transfers a redshirt freshman and three freshmen.Chris Burgess (C, 6-10, 245), a junior, sat out last season after transferring from Duke. The Irvine, Calif., native played in 75 games and started 16 in two seasons at Duke, averaging 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds. The Utes gained another transfer over the summer in Cameron Koford (C, 7-0, 215), who played at Weber State before leaving on a two-year LDS Church mission. After sitting out the 1996-97 season as a partial qualifier academically, Koford averaged 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 21 contests in `97-98. He is a native of Plain City, Utah.
Nick Jacobson (G/F, 6-4, 200) will be a redshirt freshman after sitting out last season. Jacobson spent his senior year at Roseville (Minn.) High School after playing three seasons at Shanley High School in Fargo, N.D. Jacobson was an honorable mention All-American and a finalist for the Mr. Basketball award in Minnesota in 1998-99, averaging 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Junior college transfers Kevin Bradley (G, 6-0, 170) and Travis Spivey (G, 6-1, 205) joined the Utes during the late signing period. Bradley averaged 18.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.9 boards in 28 games for Compton Community College (Calif.) last season. Bradley graduated from Crenshaw High School in South Central Los Angeles. He redshirted at Irvine Valley College (Calif.) due to a broken foot before transferring to Compton.
Spivey played last season at Salt Lake Community College and was named a second team NJCAA All-American and the Scenic West Conference Player of the Year. He averaged 18.2 points, 9.3 assists and 8.3 rebounds, and had a 2.2 assists/turnover ratio at SLCC. The Myrtle Beach, S.C., native started as a freshman at Georgia Tech before transferring to Iowa State, where he sat out the 1998-99 season.
During the early signing period last fall, the Utes landed Jon Godfread (C/F, 6-10, 245) from Red River High School in Grand Forks, N.D. Godfread was the 1999-2000 Gatorade North Dakota Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection. He averaged 20.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a senior.
Lance Allred (C/F, 6-10, 240), a 1999 graduate of Salt Lake City East High School, also signed with the Utes last fall after electing not to go on an LDS Church mission. Allred was a gray shirt and a part-time student at the U. during the 1999-2000 academic year. He joins the Utes with full eligibility in this season. Allred was the 1998-99 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and a first team all-state selection. He averaged 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game as a senior.
Utah also signed Marc Jackson (G, 6-0, 170) from Olympus High School in Salt Lake City during the late signing period. Jackson will play for the Utes this season before going on an LDS church mission. He was named the 1999-2000 Class 4A MVP by the Salt Lake Tribune and Defensive Player of the Year by the Deseret News. Jackson averaged 27.2 points to lead the state in scoring as a senior, as well as 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
Take Note of Nate
Senior 6-11 center Nate Althoff stepped up his play considerably during the 1999-2000 season. The Delano, Minn. (Delano HS) product was fourth on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and and third in rebounding (4.7 rpg) last season, and is the leading returner in both categories. Althoff had two 20-point games and 13 double-figure scoring games last season.In the 2000-01 preseason publications, Althoff was listed as a second-team all-conference pick by the Basketball News and "The Best Player over 6-10" by The Sporting News.
Althoff led the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage (60.1) in 1999-2000, also setting the Utah single-season record. He improved his shooting percentage to 64.8 during the conference season, which was also a league-best mark. Althoff ranked 22nd in the MWC in scoring (9.5 ppg), 16th in rebounds (4.7 rpg), eighth in blocked shots (0.89 bpg) and 11th in free throw percentage (71.1). With a 60.6 career field goal percentage, he is on track to break the Utah record.
Burgess and Spivey Receive Preseason Accolades
A couple of Ute newcomers, junior center Chris Burgess (6-10, 245) and junior guard Travis Spivey (6-1, 205), have received numerous preseason accolades.Noting some of the sources, Burgess, in his first year on the court with the Utes after transferring from Duke, is predicted to be the Mountain West Conference's "Newcomer of the Year" by the league media and the Basketball News and Preview Sports. The Basketball News and Preview Sports also placed Burgess on their all-conference first team. Spivey, who started as a freshman at Georgia Tech and was a second team NJCAA All-American at Salt Lake Community College last season, was predicted to be the "Newcomer of the Year" in the Mountain West Conference and first team all-league by The Sporting News. The Basketball News also placed him on its Mountain West Conference preseason first team.
Majerus' Mark
Rick Majerus is 261-73 (.781) in 11 years at Utah and is 360-125 (.742) in 16 years as a head coach. He has averaged 24 wins per year at Utah--amazing in that he coached just six games in his first season before undergoing heart surgery (he was 4-2 in 1989-90). In 10 full seasons at Utah, he has won 20-plus games nine times, missing out only in 1993-94 (14-14).In his last 10 years, Majerus has averaged 26 wins per year. He has won eight conference championships--including six straight (the last being the inaugural Mountain West Conference title). He has taken the Utes to eight NCAA Tournaments and has never lost a first-round game. In that time, he has led Utah to the Sweet 16 four times, the Elite Eight twice and one Final Four. He also took Ball State to the NCAA Tourney back in 1989.
Majerus is the fifth-winningest active coach with a .742 winning percentage. Only Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State), John Kreese (College of Charleston), Roy Williams (Kansas) and Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) have better winning percentages. He is also in the top 20 in all-time winning percentage, currently ranking 15th (.742).
By notching his 350th career victory with a 56-49 win at Brigham Young on Jan. 15, 2000, Majerus became one of just nine coaches all-time to reach the 350 wins plateau in 16 seasons or less. Only four coaches in the history of college basketball have won 350 games in fewer seasons than Majerus. Nolan Richardson (Tulsa/Arkansas), Denny Crum (Louisville), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and John Thompson (Georgetown) reached the 350 career wins plateau in 15 seasons. Jerry Tarkanian (Long Beach State/UNLV), Billy Tubbs (Southwest Texas State/Lamar/Oklahoma), Bob Huggins (Walsh/Akron/Cincinnati) and Everett Case (North Carolina State) also posted their 350th career win during their 16th season.
Majerus became just the third coach at the U. to win 250 games with Utah's 70-55 win at San Diego State on Jan. 10. Vadal Peterson went 385-230 from 1927-53 and Jack Gardner, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame who passed away last spring, went 339-154 from 1953-71.
Majerus has earned National Coach of the Year honors in three of his 11 seasons at Utah. He is also a seven-time District Coach of the Year and a five-time WAC Coach of the Year.
Preseason Publication/Internet Polls
Despite the loss of four starters and two other letterwinners from last season, the prognosticators haven't hesitated to place Utah in their preseason Top 25 polls this season. Here's a look of where the Utes rank in the various polls: Blue Ribbon, 21st, CBS SportsLine.com, 17th, ESPN.com, 13th, Dick Vitale's, 20th, FoxSports.com,17th, Preview Sports, 18th, Street & Smith's, 16, and The Sporting News, 14th. Utah is also the consensus preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Conference championship.Night with the Runnin' Utes Recap
Utah fans got their much anticipated first look at the 2000-01 men's basketball team last Thursday during the team's annual Night with the Runnin' Utes at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. With only four lettermen returning from last season, the evening was the first chance for fans put faces with the new names and numbers on this year's roster.The Red Team tied the White Team in the intrasquad scrimmage thanks to a strong second half. Led by nine points from sophomore forward Mike Puzey and eight points from junior college transfer guard Kevin Bradley, the White won the first 15-minute half, 25-18.
The coaching staff switched-up squads in the second half. The Red line-up, made up primarily of junior college guards Bradley and Travis Spivey, Puzey, return missionary Britton Johnsen and Duke transfer Chris Burgess, blew by the White Team early in the second half with a 19-4 spurt through the first 11 minutes. However, the White Team rallied to make it 23-16.
Puzey had a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Bradley shot 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 at the line to post a game-high 17 points. He also had three boards and two steals. Burgess had 11 points and three blocked shots, while Trace Caton, another return missionary, had 10 points. Forward Cameron Koford, who played one season at Weber State before serving a two-year Mormon mission, had eight points and eight rebounds. Redshirt freshman guard Nick Jacobson also had eight points.
Prior to the scrimmage, Burgess won the 3-point shootout over Jon Godfread in a long-distance battle of the big men. Britton Johnsen defeated Burgess in the slam dunk contest in front of a crowd of over 3,000.
Utes Picked to Win Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference released its preseason media poll and all-conference team Oct. 4 during Basketball Media Day at the Las Vegas Four Seasons Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nev.The league media selected Utah to claim the Mountain West Conference title for the second straight season, awarding the Utes 18 of a possible 32 first-place votes. Wyoming was picked second in the poll garnering seven first-place votes, followed by UNLV with six first-place tallies. BYU finished fourth and was the only other team to receive a first-place nomination. New Mexico was selected fifth, followed by Colorado State, San Diego State and Air Force.
The preseason all-conference team includes Wyoming's Josh Davis and Ugo Udezue, BYU's Terrell Lyday and Mekeli Wesley, and UNLV's Kaspars Kambala. Top returnee honors went to UNLV senior forward/center Kaspars Kambala, while Utah center/forward Chris Burgess, a transfer from Duke, was tabbed newcomer of the year.
Three Utes with National Championship Game Experience
Utah has three players on its 2000-01 roster that have played in an NCAA championship game. Two of them played for Utah in the 1998 national championship game, which resulted in a 78-69 loss to Kentucky. Britton Johnsen and Trace Caton, who are returning from two-year LDS church missions and will be sophomores this season, played as freshmen in that game. Johnsen had seven points (3-for-4 FG, 1-for-2 3FG) and four rebounds in 16 minutes, while Caton missed his only field goal attempt in five minutes. Senior center Nate Althoff was a freshman on that `97-98 Utah team, but did not play in the national championship game.
Chris Burgess, while still at Duke, played in the 1999 national championship game. Burgess was scoreless and did not attempt a shot while the Blue Devils lost to Connecticut, 77-74.
All in the Family
Utah will have one of 11 brother combinations in NCAA Division I this season in Jeff and Britton Johnsen. The Johnsens, who hail from Murray, Utah, haven't played together for four years. Jeff (G/F, 6-4, 200), a junior this season, began his career at Utah in 1996-97 before going on a two-year LDS church mission to Fresno, Calif. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32 games last season with five starts. Britton (F, 6-9, 205), who resumes his Utah career as a sophomore this season, played for the Utes in 1997-98 before going on his LDS Church mission to Houston, Texas. He averaged 3.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 21 games as a freshman. The last season the Johnsens played together, they led Murray High School to the Utah 4A state title in 1996.Rick Majerus has literally made his program a family affair at Utah. The Johnsens are the fifth set of brothers to play for Majerus spanning his 12-year career at the U. However, they are the first to play together.
20/20 Vision
For the 28th time in its history, Utah won 20 games in 1999-2000. Under current coach Rick Majerus, Utah has hit for 20 wins in nine of 11 seasons, including the last six in a row. Majerus' 20-win seasons at Utah: 1990-91 (30-4), 1991-92 (24-11), 1992-93 (24-7), 1994-95 (28-6), 1995-96 (27-7), 1996-97 (29-4), 1997-98 (30-4), 1998-99 (28-5), 1999-2000 (23-9).Utes Hold the Nation's Best Home Winning Streak
Utah enters the 2000-01 season with the longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. After closing out their home schedule with an 86-63 win over Air Force on March 4, the Utes have won 52 straight in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to a Dec. 31, 1996 loss to Wake Forest. Utah's current streak began with an 84-63 win over Colorado State on Jan. 4, 1997. It is the longest homecourt winning streak in school history.Michigan State has the second-longest active streak with 28 consecutive home wins while Hofstra is third with 26 and Alcorn State fourth with 25.
The Utes were 17-0 at home in 1999-2000 to record the seventh undefeated home season in the 31-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Six of those undefeated home seasons have come under Rick Majerus: 1990-91 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (13-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 1999-2000 (17-0). The Utes are 146-10 (.936) in the Huntsman Center under Majerus and have never lost back-to-back home games.
The Utes also won 27 consecutive home games from Jan. 29, 1994 through Jan 2, 1996. The streak ended with a 65-64 loss to Fresno State on Jan. 8, 1996. Combining the two lengthy streaks and 13 consecutive wins sandwiched in between the two losses, Utah has won 92 of its last 94 games played in the Huntsman Center.
One of the Nation's Elite Programs in Recent Years
- Under the guidance of head coach Rick Majerus, Utah won the eighth-most games in NCAA Division I during the 1990s. The Utes had a 250-76 record from 1989-99, placing them behind Kansas (286-60), Kentucky (282-63), Duke (271-78), North Carolina (270-78), Arkansas (260-83), Connecticut (259-75) and Arizona (256-67).- Utah also ranked eighth in the nation in winning percentage (.767) in the `90s. Kansas had the best winning percentage at .827, followed by Kentucky (.817), Arizona (.793), College of Charleston (.784), Duke (.777), North Carolina (.776) and Connecticut (.775).
- In the last five seasons, the Utes had the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I with a 137-29 record. Utah's .825 winning percentage over the last five years also ranks fourth in the nation, falling behind the College of Charleston (.855), Kentucky (.846) and Kansas (.831). The Utes are tied with Cincinnati (.825) and rank ahead of such programs as Duke (.809), Connecticut (.806), Stanford (.797), Arizona (.788) and Princeton (.786).
