Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Exhibition Game #2

Nov. 10, 2003

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Exhibition Game #2

Utah Runnin' Utes vs. Sydney Comets

Nov. 13 * 7:04 p.m. (MST) * Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) * Salt Lake City

Game Data

Utah wraps-up its exhibition season against the Sydney Comets on Thursday at 7:04 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Comets, an Australian club team, are making a four-game tour of the United States. In addition to playing the Utes, Sydney plays Saint Mary's on Tuesday, Arizona on Wednesday and Oregon State on Sunday.

What's Ahead

The Runnin' Utes open their regular season against Georgia State in the first round of the Preseason NIT on Monday, Nov. 17 at 7:07 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.

Who's Back

The Utes return three starters and three other lettermen from last season. Utah went 25-8 overall, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and claimed a share of the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship with an 11-3 mark.

Of the six returnees from last season, two are seniors who earned all-Mountain West Conference honors. Tim Frost (C/F, 6-9, 244) was placed on the all-MWC second team in his first year with the Runnin' Utes after transferring from Portland. Frost, a native of Klamath Falls, Ore., was second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (4.9 rpg). He also shot 43.3 percent from three-point range (29-of-67) and had 26 blocked shots. Nick Jacobson (G/F, 6-4, 206) was named third team all-Mountain West and led Utah in scoring for the second straight year (13.3 ppg). The Fargo, N.D., native was the Utes' most prolific three-point shooter last season, hitting 80-of-189 (42.3 percent). Jacobson also shot 83.5 percent at the free throw line while averaging a team-best 33.5 minutes per game.

The Utes' other four returnees are sophomores. Tim Drisdom (G, 6-2, 212) became the first freshman to start every game at point guard during Rick Majerus' 14-year tenure at Utah last season. Drisdom, from Artesia, Calif., led the Utes in assists last season (3.2 apg) while averaging 4.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Drisdom also displayed a deft shooting eye, hitting 42.4 percent of his three-pointers (25-of-59) and 81.0 of his free throws.

Richard Chaney (G/F, 6-4, 195) played in all 33 games and started two games in the Mountain West Tournament in place of departed senior Britton Johnsen when he had mono. The native of Los Angeles, Calif., was Utah's third-best rebounder (3.5 rpg) and fifth-best scorer (5.4 ppg) last season, playing 18.4 minutes per game. Bryant Markson (F, 6-6, 189) also appeared in all 33 games and started four games in place of Johnsen when he was sidelined, including both NCAA Tournament games. Markson, who hails from Monrovia, Calif., averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 boards in 12.4 minutes per game. Chris Jackson (C, 6-11, 247) averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds while appearing in 21 games last season.

Who's New

Six of the 12 players recruited as scholarship student-athletes on the 2003-04 roster will be freshmen. Australian Andrew Bogut (F/C, 6-10, 233) signed with Utah during the spring of 2002. Bogut was originally hoping to join the Utes last January after the completion of his senior year; however, he did not pass through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Bogut has since completed the additional high school coursework required by the NCAA and has been admitted to the U. A native of Melbourne, Australia, Bogut has played two years for the Australian Institute of Sports. He was named the MVP of the FIBA Junior World Championships in July while leading Australia's Under-19 team to the gold medal.

Four players that signed with Utah during the 2002-03 recruiting year will come on board. Justin Hawkins (F, 6-4, 207), a native of Anaheim, Calif., was named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team and the all-CIF division 11A first team the last two years. Hawkins led Mayfair High School to the CIF Southern Section division title game and regional semifinals in 2003. Ryan Werch (G, 6-1, 185) from Ripon, Wis., earned second team all-state honors in 2002-03 and is a two-time district player of the year. He set Ripon High records for three-point shooting and scoring. Stefan Zimmerman (C, 6-9, 231) of Lindon, Utah, played for American Fork High School last season and has been an all-region selection. The Utes signed Jonas Langvad (F, 6-9, 215) from Denmark last spring. Langvad has played the last two years in the Danish League. He also played for the Danish Under-20 National Team in 2000 and the Danish National Team in 2001.

Josh Olsen (G, 6-0, 182) from Sandy, Utah, will join the Utes this season as a non-scholarship player before he plans to serve a two-year LDS Church mission. Olsen was named the Salt Lake Tribune 5A MVP and the Deseret News' Mr. Basketball in 2002-03 after leading Alta High School to the state title.

In addition to Olsen, Utah has also added four other non-scholarship players. Jelmer Krijthe (G/F, 6-6, 191) from Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands; Clint Lee (G/F, 6-3, 184) from North Logan, Utah, and Sky View High School; Geoff Payne (F, 6-5, 187) from Sandy, Utah, and Alta High School; and Brett Sortal (G, 6-1, 180) from Wilmette, Ill., and New Trier High School will come on board as freshmen this fall.

From The Training Room

* Senior center Tim Frost has been sitting out since the start of practice with a sore back. Although he is making progress, no timetable has been set for his return to full activity. He is listed as doubtful for the exhibition game with Sydney.

* During the first exhibition game, sophomore point guard Tim Drisdom (sore back) was limited to eight minutes and sophomore forward Bryant Markson (pulled hip flexor) did not play. Both returned to practice last week and are expected to play against Sydney.

In The Polls

* Utah received 29 votes to rank No. 29 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason poll.

* The first Associated Press poll has not been released yet.

Runnin' Utes Win Exhibition Opener 77-66 Over L.A. Stars

Andrew Bogut scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds to lead Utah to a 77-66 exhibition season opening win over the L.A. Stars on Oct. 31 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Four Utes scored in double-figures as Utah shot 61.2 percent from the field and hit 5-of-10 three-pointers. Senior guard Nick Jacobson had 15 points, hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in 33 minutes. Richard Chaney hit 7-of-13 shots for 15 points and six rebounds.

Freshman Josh Olsen started in place of place of point guard Tim Drisdom, who was nursing a sore back and played only eight minutes. Olsen scored 10 points, hitting both shots from the field, a three-pointer and 5-of-8 free throws. He also had four assists, two turnovers and three steals.

Utah had a 36-27 advantage on the boards. Typical of an early season game, the Utes had 20 turnovers to 16 assists. However, they also came up with 12 steals and six blocked shots. Bogut had four of the picks, while Chaney and sophomore Chris Jackson both had two rejections.

Leading 37-26 at halftime, the Utes scored the first two buckets of the second half on a dunk and a layup by Bogut. The Stars then went on a 17-2 run to tie the game at 43 a piece with 15:08 to play. Bogut then scored three of the next four baskets for the Utes to build a 51-43 lead over the next two and a half minutes. L.A. never got closer than five points the rest of the night. The Utes could have made the margin wider had they converted free throws, shooting just 46.2 percent for the game and making 11-of-23 in the second half.

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