Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Men's Basketball 2001-02 Season Preview
10/11/2001 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 11, 2001
SALT LAKE CITY - There are a lot of familiar faces on this year's Utah men's basketball team. However, the most significant returnee isn't any of the five starters or four other lettermen back from last season. The one person everyone is happiest to see back in uniform--his trademark white sweater--is head coach Rick Majerus.
After coaching the Utes to an opening night win over Idaho State, Majerus took a personal leave of absence for the remainder of last season to recover from his own health concerns and attend to his mother, who has been battling cancer. In his absence, a young Ute team with only four players back from the previous year rebounded from a 7-6 start to go 19-12, finish in a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference and make it to the first round of the NIT.
One year later, the circumstances are entirely different. After time away, Majerus is feeling good and focused on basketball. And, rather than trying to piece together a virtually new team, the head man will be working with six of the top eight scorers and rebounders, as well as three of the top four assist-getters, from a year ago. The Utes are also battle-tested, featuring four seniors.
"I thought the coaches -- Dick Hunsaker, Jeff Strohm and Eric Jackson -- did a fantastic job last year in my absence, but, they had to do things their way," points out Majerus. "Although they tried to stay true to the philosophies that I would have used, their ways are different than mine--and that's understandable.
"Since this group of guys will be playing under a different system than the one used last year, it's very difficult for me to evaluate how good this year's team will be," Majerus continues. "I'm confident that we'll improve, but after being gone last year I just don't know where the baseline is that we're starting from. So, my expectations for this season are very simple: we'll play hard, improve defensively and be committed to rebounding."
Coming and Going
To understand Majerus' consternation at the outset of the season, one needs to look no further than this year's senior class. Granted, swingman Jeff Johnsen and forward Phil Cullen have played a lot of minutes for the Utes over the years. However, center Chris Burgess and point guard Travis Spivey, although both returning starters, will be playing their first season for Majerus. Among the three juniors, Cameron Koford will also be under Majerus' direction for the first time. Trace Caton and Britton Johnsen, who served LDS Church missions in 1998-99 and 1999-2000, will be playing for Majerus for the first time in four years.
The Utes also have to overcome two significant losses. Guard Kevin Bradley, who was declared academically ineligible during the off-season, led the Utes in scoring (10.7 ppg) and was a second team all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2000-01. Center Nate Althoff ended his career ranked first in field goal percentage (60.8) and fifth in blocked shots (92) all-time at Utah.
"There's no question that the losses of Bradley and Althoff are very significant," confides Majerus. "Nate started two years for me and did not start last year, but I thought that he had an outstanding senior season. His size, his willingness and his intelligence are going to be missed. Kevin was a prolific scorer and a very talented player who could break down a defense off the dribble."
Majerus does have two returning all-conference performers to work with. Britton Johnsen was named second team all-Mountain West, while Nick Jacobson was voted the league's Freshman of the Year.
"Britton has all the physical tools, but has been lacking the discipline necessary to excel," evaluates Majerus. "He could be a multi-dimensional player, but first and foremost he has to understand the commitment that has to be made to the defensive end and rebounding. He has to feel the same when his man scores as when he misses a shot."
"Nick's worked very hard," says Majerus. "He's probably among the one or two hardest workers in the program, and that's very evident by his improvement. He's becoming more versatile as a player. I love his energy and I really enjoy his passion. He's a committed player, and obviously it shows."
New to the team is a quartet of freshmen. Among them, center Chris Jackson and guards Martin Osimani and Eric Osmundson were named Athlon's list of 100 college freshmen.
"We're going to have to figure out how to integrate the new guys," says Majerus. "It'll be interesting to see if we can remain injury free. A lot of our success and the rate at which we are able to progress is going to depend upon our ability to remain healthy."
Back to Business As Usual
Winning 19 games and advancing to postseason play would be considered a very good season for many teams. However, for a program that had produced six consecutive seasons of 20 wins and NCAA Tournament appearances, 2000-01 will go down as sub-par.
Under Majerus, the level of expectations has been raised. In his 12 years on the "Hill," Utah has claimed nine conference titles and appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments, advancing beyond the first round each time. In fact, since 1990 Utah ranks 11th in the nation with 16 NCAA Tournament wins, advancing to the Sweet 16 four times, the Elite Eight twice and the Final Four in 1998. Over the last five years, Utah has the seventh-best winning percentage in the nation (.791) with a 129-34 record and has sent four players on to the NBA.
The Utes have been equally successful in the classroom under Majerus with 28 players making the honor roll a combined 141 times. Utah also leads all NCAA Division I programs with four Academic All-Americans in the last four years.
In the process, Majerus has established himself as one top coaches in college basketball. With a 361-125 career record entering his 18th season, Majerus' .743 winning percentage ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I coaches. With the numbers speaking for themselves, it's easy to understand why Majerus' return is so significant to the continued success of the Utah program. Here's a breakdown of the 2001-02 Runnin' Utes:
In the Paint
Chris Burgess (6-10, 240) is in the best shape of his career after overcoming physical ailments and working to become stronger and leaner during the off-season. During his sit-out year after transferring from Duke, his practice time was limited due to lower back problems. Then, after becoming the regular starter at center last year, he fractured his ankle on Jan. 15, missed four games and wasn't at 100 percent the rest of the season. With those ailments behind him, Burgess appears primed for a great final season.
"I think he's in the best shape he's ever been in," confirms Majerus. "If Chris runs the floor and rebounds to his capability, does the extra things on the glass and doesn't play the game backwards, he's going to have a fine senior season. He's capable of being an outstanding player."
Burgess started 21 games at either power forward or center last year and averaged 7.8 points. The Irvine, Calif., native ranked ninth in the Mountain West in rebounds (5.9 rpg) and fifth in blocked shots (33), leading the team in both categories.
Phil Cullen (6-9, 221) started 26 games at power forward last season, averaging 9.1 points and 4.4 boards per contes--both the third-best marks on the team. He ranked 12th in the MWC in three-point percentage (37.8) while setting the seventh-best single-season marks in Utah history for threes made (54) and attempted (143). The native of Chelan, Wash., is a talented, all-around athlete and pitched in the minor leagues for the Seattle Mariners organization this past summer.
"Phil has had a nice career at Utah," says Majerus. "He's a very cerebral player and a willing worker. Phil's scoring proficiency isn't the question. His commitment to the glass and his willingness to get down and dirty inside are the question marks. He's shown good leadership, and I'm very much looking forward to his senior season."
Britton Johnsen (6-9, 213) is an athletic big man who can score inside with his quickness and outside with his nice shooting touch. His versatility also creates a tough defensive match-up. After taking off two years for a mission, Johnsen got his game back in shape as the season progressed and started 24 of the last 26 games to earn second-team all-league honors. He was second on the team in both scoring (9.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg), ranking 24th and 13th in the MWC, respectively, in those categories. He also shot 42.6 percent from three-point range.
Also returning to the frontcourt are sophomore Lance Allred (6-10, 239) and junior Cameron Koford (6-11, 230). Allred is an athletic big man who averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 17 games as a freshman. He also played some valuable minutes early in Mountain West Conference schedule when Burgess was injured.
Koford has bulked-up 15 pounds since last season and runs floor well for a big man. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10 games in 2000-01. The Plain City, Utah, native joined the Utes last season after playing one year at Weber State and serving a two-year LDS Church mission. Entering college as a partial qualifier, he is on track to earn his undergraduate degree before the fall of 2002 and earn back his fourth year of eligibility for next year.
"Given his height, his bounce, his ability to run and his touch, the direction as to where Cameron's game goes lies in his hands," says Majerus.
Cameron Goettsche (6-9, 208) and Chris Jackson (6-11, 244) are the rookies of the group. Goettsche, a forward/center from Highlands Ranch, Colo, was an all-state selection. He averaged 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a senior for Thunder Ridge High School. Jackson was named the 2000-01 Gatorade New Mexico Player of the Year. The Los Alamos, N.M., native put up 20.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.9 blocked shots per game as a senior.
Tim Frost (6-10, 234) will sit out this season following a transfer from Portland, where he played the past two years. In 2000-01, the center was a first team all-West Coast Conference choice, as well as Portland's leading scorer (14.9 ppg), rebounder (7.0 rpg) and shot-blocker (1.9 bpg).
On the Perimeter
Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 200) was the fourth-highest scorer on the team (8.6 ppg), and averaged 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists despite starting only nine games last season. However, Johnsen did play in all 31 contests and averaged 21.9 minutes. He also shot 40.4 percent from beyond the arc and 75.6 percent from the free throw line.
"Jeff has worked very hard and with great zeal," compliments Majerus. "He's taking his senior year seriously. I think Jeff has a better understanding now of what I want and the expectations of his teammates. He's capable of being an all-league defender and a fantastic rebounder, so I'm very excited about the direction that his game is going in."
Travis Spivey (6-1, 205), who transferred from Salt Lake Community College prior to last season, matured into a steady floor leader as the season progressed. In the final 16 games, he had a 2.3:1 assists to turnover ratio. On the season, Spivey led the Utes in assists (3.5 apg) and averaged 5.2 points per game. He also played a team-best 24.8 minutes per game, appearing in all 31 games and making 21 starts.
"Our anticipation is that Travis will graduate at mid-year, and I think that will be the high point of his career at Utah, if not his entire life," says Majerus. "I'm very proud of what Travis has accomplished in the classroom. If he understands the commitment and energy that he has to bring to the defensive end of the court, he can be a fine defender. Obviously, he is a good distributor of the ball, but he has to do all of the little things like Andre Miller did in terms of screening and moving without the ball."
Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200), the MWC's Freshman of the Year, averaged 8.9 points per game while shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range and 88.0 percent at the free throw line during league games. Overall, Jacobson averaged 7.9 points per game and converted a team-best 80.6 percent of his free throws.
Trace Caton (6-4, 215) played an average of 9.6 minutes in 29 games in his first season back on the court since 1997-98 due to a mission. He averaged 2.2 points and hit 46.2 percent of his three-point attempts. As a freshman in 1997-98, Caton was named the WAC Mountain Division Top Sixth Man.
"I am confident that he is going to return to the qulity of play that Ute fans saw from him as a freshman. Trace is the most well-conditioned athlete on the team, and he has given himself a chance to excel," evaluates Majerus.
Newcomers Martin Osimani (6-3, 205) and Eric Osmundson (6-4, 195) also hope to earn playing time. Osimani averaged 13.8 points, 10.8 assists and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior for Champagnat Catholic High School in Hialeah, Fla., to earn all-state recognition. Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, he played in four tournaments for his country's under 21 national team. Osmundson, an all-state selection from St. Augustine High School in Carlsbad, Calif., accounted for 23.1 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest in 2000-01.
Mountain West Preview
Entering just its third year, the Mountain West Conference has already established itself as a solid basketball league. Eight teams have qualified for postseason play over the course of the first two seasons. The Mountain West has also ranked among the top five conferences in attendance both years. Last season, the MWC had a .635 winning percentage against nonconference opponents while three teams went on to win 20 games.
Wyoming, like Utah, has all five starters coming back from a team that qualified for the NIT. San Diego State brings back four starters and New Mexico has three returning, both teams boast of two of the top 10 scorers in the league from a year ago.
"Our league schedule this year will be the most demanding since I've been at Utah," evaluates Majerus. "From top to bottom, our league has great balance. And, the reality of the situation is that any one of five teams can win it. Many people are touting different clubs. So, perhaps in my tenure as the coach at Utah, we are facing the most parity that the Mountain West Conference has had to offer."
Final Analysis
Time away from the job to recharge and refocus is often advantageous. After missing all but the first six games of the 1989-90 season due to heart surgery, a reinvigorated Majerus returned to lead the Utes to the most wins in school history with a 30-4 mark the following season. The Utes also won the WAC title with a 15-1 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Judging from his enthusiasm, Majerus is ready to make another strong comeback this season.
"I'm more excited about returning to the practice floor than I am the bench," says Majerus. "I really enjoy going to practice because we have such great kids that are very committed. It's fun to work with guys that have a love of the game that is very much like my own."
After winning at least a share of the conference title every year since 1995, the Utes were picked second behind Wyoming in the 2001-02 Mountain West Conference preseason media poll. Both the Utes and Cowboys tied with Brigham Young for the league title last season.
"I'm never worried about being picked to win the league or not to win the league," says Majerus. "Our goal is always the same--to get better every day as people and as players. This year will not be unlike any other."
For a program that has won 75 percent of its games over the last 12 years, more of the same is definitely something to look forward to.
Players Mentioned
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