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
2005-06 Utah Men's Basketball Outlook
10/11/2005 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 11, 2005
What a difference a year makes. When Ray Giacoletti took over the Utah basketball program last season, he inherited a team featuring eight returning lettermen; one of whom would develop into the best player in the country and lead the Utes to the NCAA Sweet 16. One year later, five newcomers and a redshirt freshman make up half of the roster.
With his personnel situation virtually flip-flopped from a year ago, no one needs to tell Giacoletti the 2005-06 season will be one filled with challenges.
"When we came in last year, a lot of the pieces were already in place," humbly states Giacoletti, the 2004-05 MWC Coach of the Year. "It took us a little while to bring everything together, but what a season we had. Winning the Mountain West Conference championship outright and making that great run though the NCAA Tournament was absolutely amazing. It was important to our program because it was the start to a new era for Utah basketball, but it was also a very special year for the University. Seasons like that don't come along very often."
One of Giacoletti's first recruiting jobs was coaxing guard Marc Jackson back for his senior season after a year away from the game. Jackson went on to end his career in style, earning first team all-conference recognition. Seven-foot Australian center Andrew Bogut flourished under Giacoletti and was voted the consensus National Player of the Year in just his second collegiate season. Bogut declared for the 2005 NBA Draft and was taken as the No. 1 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.
"To be able to coach a player like Andrew, that's a once in a lifetime opportunity," recalls Giacoletti. "He is truly a special player. I was happy not only for Andrew to go out the way he did, but for Marc Jackson, as well. Being a Utah guy, Marc was able to end his college basketball career with a good taste in his mouth."
All is not lost, however. The Runnin' Utes return two senior starters in point guard Tim Drisdom and small forward Bryant Markson. The latter earned third team all-Mountain West Conference honors last season. Four other lettermen also return. But, with the influx of newcomers, Giacoletti plans to adjust to his system to better fit the personnel.
"Defensively, I hope we can get out and press a little bit more," outlines Giacoletti. "I think we have the athleticism and depth on the perimeter to do that. We will need to do some things differently on offense. Andrew was so dominant that he covered up some of the deficiencies that we had. We would like to create more easy baskets for ourselves this year by getting defensive stops and creating turnovers. Doing those two things would allow us to get out and run a little bit more."
One thing that Giacoletti won't change is way the Utes approach games. Rather than asking his team to put a higher number on the scoreboard than the opponent, Giacoletti asks his team to do three things each half: hold the opponent to 30 points, limit themselves to six turnovers or less and get to the free throw line 10 times or more.
"It's a way of simplifying things," Giacoletti explains. "If we do those three things, things that we have under control, then we're going to be successful and the wins will take care of themselves."
IN THE PAINT
The Utes have a large void to fill with the loss Andrew Bogut. Giacoletti had planned to utilize a three-man crew of Luke Nevill, Chris Jackson and junior transfer Misha Radojevic in the low post. However, Radojevic tore the ACL in his right knee in preseason workouts and is lost for the season. Now the task will be left up to Nevill, a redshirt freshman, and Jackson, a fifth-year senior.
Nevill (7-1, 250) was Giacoletti's first recruit in the spring of 2004. A native of Perth, Australia, Nevill attended Kell High School in Marietta, Ga., as an exchange student. Although he earned second team all-region honors in basketball and demonstrated good mobility by running the 400 meters in track, Nevill had only played organized basketball for four years. With his lack of experience as an overriding factor, Nevill sat out last year to concentrate on developing his skills. And, what better way to do that than to work every day in practice against the best post player in college basketball.
Although the coaching staff has been encouraged by both the physical and mental maturity of Nevill, Giacoletti cautions not to expect too much too soon.
"Luke's been blessed with a great body, and great skills and athleticism. He really used the redshirt year to his advantage last year. From the start of the season last year to the start of the season this year, the difference is night and day," reveals Giacoletti. "But he still hasn't played a college basketball game yet. We're going to need to be patient with him."
Jackson (6-11, 245) could play the biggest role of his career this season. The center from Los Alamos, N.M., appeared to be coming into his own during the 2003-04 season, averaging 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game before a back injury forced him to have surgery and miss the final 10 games.
Jackson worked his way back to play in 28 games and make eight starts a year ago. A player with good hands and a nice shooting touch, Jackson has been a 70 percent field goal shooter the last two seasons.
"This is Chris's fifth year, so I think he's as ready as he's ever been," points out Giacoletti. "He's as healthy as he's ever been since having his back problems. We're hopeful he can end his career with his best season as a Ute."
Junior Jonas Langvad and freshman Shaun Green will take over at power forward. Langvad (6-11, 236) appeared in 34 games last season, playing double-figure minutes 22 times. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
Although Langvad finished the season shooting just 33.3 percent from three-point range, the Denmark native showed flashes of being an excellent outside shooter. As a case in point, he connected on 4-of-7 three-pointers to score a career-high 19 points at Wyoming.
"Jonas had his moments last year and can really shoot the basketball," says Giacoletti. "He's really gotten stronger physically by working hard in the weight room. He's also a junior now, so he has the experience he needs to be successful."
Green (6-8, 208) is in his first year with the Runnin' Utes after being named the 2004-05 Gatorade Player of the Year in Utah. He averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals per game as senior. Green was a three-time all-state selection and finished his career as the all-time scoring leader at Olympus High School.
"Shaun can really shoot it," compliments Giacoletti. "Being a freshman, he's going to be new to the college game and is going to need some time, but I think he's someone who can really help us. He had an excellent preseason."
The Utes will miss the presence of Radojevic (6-10, 255) inside. The Serbian played in amateur leagues in his home country and attended Belgrade Polytechnic Academy for two years over a three-year period. Since he has only two years of eligibility remaining, Utah will appeal the NCAA to get back the year Radojevic will lose this season. Radojevic averaged 12 points and nine rebounds per game while playing for a club team in 2004-05.
"Obviously, we disappointed that Misha's going miss the season," says Giacoletti. Misha brings a great deal of experience and he really understands the little parts of the game. He's a tough, hard-nosed guy who is very coachable. I think he has a great upside to him. Hopefully he can start practicing with us later in the year and then have two years left to play."
ON THE PERIMETER
Both of Utah's returning starters, Tim Drisdom and Bryant Markson play in the backcourt, where the Utes should be deeper and more athletic than last year with the addition of three newcomers.
Drisdom (6-3, 215) has started 94 games the last three years at point guard. In 2004-05, the Artesia, Calif., native averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. He led the Utes in assists in 13 games, and shot 39.1 percent from three-point range and 81.5 percent from the free throw line.
"Tim has been a winner and a mainstay in this program since the day he got here. He brings great leadership to our team and gives us direction, something that very few players do," compliments Giacoletti. "The bottom line is that he finds a way to get things done and he wins."
Markson (6-7, 198) blossomed in Giacoletti's more wide-open system last season. He gives the Utes their best combination of size and athleticism on the perimeter.
Markson started 22 games at small forward in 2004-05, and is the Utes' top returning scorer (10.4 ppg) and rebounder (3.9 rpg). The native of Monrovia, Calif., also shot 35.8 percent (24-for-67) from three-point range while scoring in double figures in 23 games. He also had 27 steals.
"Bryant's confidence, strength and body are probably as good as they've been since he's been at Utah," points out Giacoletti. "He's shooting the ball as well as he ever has. He takes great pride in guarding the opposing team's best perimeter player and rebounding the basketball, and really does a little bit of everything for us. He took advantage of the opportunity last year to get playing time and made the most of it. I think he was really the `X' factor in our success."
Johnnie Bryant (6-0, 190), a sophomore point guard, joined the Utes from the junior college ranks last December after earning his associate's degree a semester early. As a first team all-conference pick at San Francisco City College in 2003-04, the Oakland, Calif., native averaged 15 points and four assists per game.
"Johnnie had the chance to practice with us second semester last year and learn the system," says Giacoletti. "He's worked hard in the weight room. Johnnie's a very versatile perimeter player. He's very athletic but can also really shoot the basketball. We're expecting big things from Johnnie. The great thing is we're going to have him for three years."
Lawrence Borha (6-3, 203), a freshman from Staten Island, N.Y., played during the 2004-05 season at Stoneridge Prep in Moorpark, Calif. Borha averaged 29.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 53.3 percent from three-point range.
"Lawrence is solid at everything he does. He listens very well and really wants to learn. He has the chance to have a great career here and we're excited to have someone of his potential with us for four years. He could play significant minutes as a freshman," predicts Giacoletti.
Ricky Johns (6-3, 190), a junior from Bronx, N.Y., played the last two years at Monroe College, earning region MVP honors both years. He was an NJCAA second team All-American in 2004-05 while averaging 20 points, six rebounds and four assists per game.
"For his size, Ricky is as strong of a player as we have on the team," evaluates Giacoletti. "He's a very versatile player. He can guard several different positions on the floor, handle the basketball and shoot the basketball. He's also just a tough, hard-nosed guy who works very hard."
Much like he did last season with Drisdom and Marc Jackson, Giacoletti plans to use Drisdom and Bryant together in the same backcourt. Johns can play all three positions on the perimeter, while Borha can play shooting guard and small forward.
Senior Casey Iverson (6-2, 200) and sophomore Chris Grant (6-3, 200) joined the team as walk-ons a year ago and have been awarded scholarships for the 2005-06 season. Both will provide depth on the wings. Iverson, who was an honorable mention all-conference performer at the College of Eastern Utah in 2003-04, played in 21 games last season. He averaged 1.5 points in 5.8 minutes per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 5-of-11 (.455) from three-point range.
"Casey is a veteran player who has two years of junior college basketball and a year with us behind him. He got some valuable minutes with us last year, and you can't replace that experience. He can really shot the basketball and gives us depth at the perimeter positions," evaluates Giacoletti.
Grant averaged 3.5 minutes in 17 games last season. He was an honorable mention all-state selection at Salt Lake City's East High School in 2000-01 before serving a two-year LDS Church mission.
"Chris is a very hard worker," says Giacoletti. "For a guy who was a first-year player in our program last year, he did an amazing job of helping us get better in practice. This year I think that will carry over in game situations."
THE SYNOPSIS
Above and beyond teaching the "X's" and "O's," perhaps the toughest challenge for a coaching staff in working with a team dominated by newcomers is meshing the diverse personalities into a cohesive group. Giacoletti likes what he's seen so far in that area.
"I think these 12 guys are as close of a basketball team as I've been around in a while," reveals Giacoletti. "They've done a good job helping each other out during our fall workouts, and that's really the first piece of building a good team. If that's something we can sustain, its only going to help this team have success. It's not just one person. Everybody in the group has bought into that."
In terms of goals for the season, Giacoletti says the team has talked about only two things. "The first is to get better throughout our nonconference schedule. The second part, once we get into conference play, is we want win a conference championship. That's how you're going to get into the NCAA Tournament. Finding a way to win your league should be your goal every year."
Utah's 15-game regular season home schedule is headlined by a Dec. 17 match-up with 2005 NCAA regional finalist Arizona. Rhode Island and instate rival Utah State also visit the Huntsman Center. The Utes have challenging nonconference road games against Rice, Colorado and Washington State. With TCU becoming the Mountain West Conference's ninth member in 2005-06, the league champion will now be determined through a 16-game home-and-home schedule.
"I think it's a very competitive schedule," says Giacoletti. "It's one that will allow us to get better as we go through the first two months of the season, and ultimately get ready for the Mountain West Conference schedule.
"TCU brings a different brand of basketball to our conference. They will use several different kinds of presses and come after you for 40 minutes, something that we don't play against every night. Looking at the conference overall, San Diego State and Air Force are the two teams that have the best players and the most experience coming back. After that, I think it's up for grabs."
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