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The University of Utah Athletics
Wednesday, November 1
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Westminster (Utah)
Runnin' Utes to Host Westminster in Lone Exhibition Game Nov. 1
10/30/2023 3:41 PM | Men's Basketball
Utah men’s basketball set to host Westminster in exhibition game Nov. 1 ahead of 2023-24 season opener.
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team is set to host Westminster on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. (MT) in its lone exhibition game ahead of the 2023-24 season opener. Admission and Parking is FREE for all spectators for the exhibition game.
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SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets now and secure their seats ahead of the 2023-24 season online at UtahTickets.com/basketball, reaching out to their ticket representative or by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849.
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DOORS OPEN
Beginning this season, doors will open 60 minutes prior to tip-off for Utah men's basketball games all season long.
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MEET THE RUNNIN' UTES
In addition to the promotion items for fans at Wednesday's game, there will also be a meet and greet autograph sessions after the game with the basketball team down on the floor.
• FREE Schedule Poster
• FREE Schedule Magnets
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FUTURE PROMOTIONS
Nov. 6 vs. Eastern Washington
• Doubleheader with women's basketball
• FREE schedule poster
• FREE schedule magnet
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Nov. 10 vs. UC Riverside
• FREE GA tickets for Military with ID
• Student Block Party at Door 4 (FREE food vouchers to first 200 students)
• FREE schedule poster
• FREE schedule magnet
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PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Utah men's basketball center Branden Carlson was once again named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Preseason Watch List after another career-high season in 2022-23.
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Carlson led the team with 16.4 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game. He was much improved from the floor shooting a .496 clip from the field to go with a .331 clip from beyond the arc. The 7-footer was also just 1-of-5 players listed as centers last year that made 40 or more shots from 3-point range and was the only one from a Power 6 league.
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The South Jordan native ended his season with 22-consecutive games scoring double-digit points – including three-straight games with a double-double to close out the year. He enters the 2023-24 season with 1,279 career points as a Ute, tying him with Alex Jensen (1994-95, 1997-2000) for 24th on the all-time scoring list at Utah.
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SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
The Runnin' Utes will once again host the Westminster Griffins for their lone exhibition this Wednesday, Nov. 1, as ninth-year head coach Norm Parrish makes his return to the Hill once again with his squad. No stranger to the Runnin' Utes, Parrish served as the director of operations for Utah from 2011-15 before taking over the Griffins program down the road.
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Westminster returns seven players from last year's squad that went 13-16 overall and 12-10 in RMAC play. The Griffins added nine new faces for the upcoming 2023-24 season – six of which are transfers with three freshmen. Of the six transfers, three are coming from the Division I rank in Tommy Ball (So., Idaho State), Chase Potter (Jr., Utah Valley) and Trey Wood (Sr., Portland State).
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The Griffins only return 37-percent of its offense from last season – including three of its top four scorers from last year. Senior Donaval Avila is the top returning scorer for Westminster, averaging 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds last year – which was good for third in scoring and second in rebounds on the team.
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UP NEXT
Year three of the Craig Smith era officially begins next Monday, Nov. 6, against Eastern Washington beginning at 7:30 p.m. (MT) on Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk and Earl Watson on the call to open the 2023-24 basketball season. The fifth-ranked Utah women's basketball team will also open its season at 4 p.m. ahead of the Runnin' Utes as part of the double-header against Mississippi Valley State.
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FRESH FACES
This year's Runnin' Utes features a mix of veterans and fresh faces – including four veteran transfers in Hunter Erickson (BYU/SLCC), Cole Bajema (Michigan/Washington), Deivon Smith (Mississippi State/Georgia Tech) and Lawson Lovering (Colorado). Utah also added a quartet of freshmen in Jayden Teat, Jake Wahlin, Ayomide Bamisile and Jerry Huang. In addition to the newcomers and added depth, the Utes also return a defense that was ranked 10th in defensive rebounds per game (28.03), 13th in rebounds per game (39.19), 14th in defensive field-goal percentage (.397), 19th in defensive 3-point field-goal percentage and 31st in scoring defense (63.8). Utah's group of returnees are led by All-Pac-12 player Branden Carlson, Gabe Madsen, Ben Carlson, Wilguens Jr. Exacte, Keba Keta and floor general Rollie Worster.
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Meanwhile, the Utes also saw movement on its bench with the promotion of Tramel Barnes to the assistant coach role over the summer. With the new NCAA rule in place, Smith added two bench coaches in Tyler Larson and Jayden Olson while hiring Matt Lopez as his director of scouting and video operations. Larson came to SLC from the Sant Cruz Warriors after a successful professional career oversees while Olsen joined the Runnin' Utes staff from Williston State College where he served as the director of athletics. Prior to that, Olsen spent six seasons at North Dakota State– four of which as the associate head coach. Lopez joined the staff after spending the 2022-23 campaign at Arkansas and the previous two seasons at South Dakota.
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HUNTER ERICKSON
Sr. – 6-3 – 194
Provo, UT – Timpview HS – BYU / Salt Lake CC
COLE BAJEMA
Gr. – 6-7 – 187
Lynden, WA – Lynden Christian HS / Michigan / Washington
JAYDEN TEAT
Fr. – 6-1 – 180
Sacramento, CA – Capital Christian HS
DEIVON SMITH
Sr. – 6-0 – 173
Decatur, GA – Grayson HS / Mississippi State / Georgia Tech
JAKE WAHLIN
Fr. – 6-9 – 203
Provo, UT – Timpview HS
AYOMIDE BAMISILE
Fr. – 6-7 – 203
Lagos, Nigeria – Monterverde Academy [CA]
LAWSON LOVERING
Jr. – 7-1 – 235
Cheyenne, WY – Central HS – Colorado
JERRY HUANG
Fr. – 6-2 – 193
Taipei, Taiwan – Wasatch Academy
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets now and secure their seats ahead of the 2023-24 season online at UtahTickets.com/basketball, reaching out to their ticket representative or by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849.
Â
DOORS OPEN
Beginning this season, doors will open 60 minutes prior to tip-off for Utah men's basketball games all season long.
Â
MEET THE RUNNIN' UTES
In addition to the promotion items for fans at Wednesday's game, there will also be a meet and greet autograph sessions after the game with the basketball team down on the floor.
• FREE Schedule Poster
• FREE Schedule Magnets
Â
FUTURE PROMOTIONS
Nov. 6 vs. Eastern Washington
• Doubleheader with women's basketball
• FREE schedule poster
• FREE schedule magnet
Â
Nov. 10 vs. UC Riverside
• FREE GA tickets for Military with ID
• Student Block Party at Door 4 (FREE food vouchers to first 200 students)
• FREE schedule poster
• FREE schedule magnet
Â
PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Utah men's basketball center Branden Carlson was once again named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Preseason Watch List after another career-high season in 2022-23.
Â
Carlson led the team with 16.4 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game. He was much improved from the floor shooting a .496 clip from the field to go with a .331 clip from beyond the arc. The 7-footer was also just 1-of-5 players listed as centers last year that made 40 or more shots from 3-point range and was the only one from a Power 6 league.
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The South Jordan native ended his season with 22-consecutive games scoring double-digit points – including three-straight games with a double-double to close out the year. He enters the 2023-24 season with 1,279 career points as a Ute, tying him with Alex Jensen (1994-95, 1997-2000) for 24th on the all-time scoring list at Utah.
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SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
The Runnin' Utes will once again host the Westminster Griffins for their lone exhibition this Wednesday, Nov. 1, as ninth-year head coach Norm Parrish makes his return to the Hill once again with his squad. No stranger to the Runnin' Utes, Parrish served as the director of operations for Utah from 2011-15 before taking over the Griffins program down the road.
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Westminster returns seven players from last year's squad that went 13-16 overall and 12-10 in RMAC play. The Griffins added nine new faces for the upcoming 2023-24 season – six of which are transfers with three freshmen. Of the six transfers, three are coming from the Division I rank in Tommy Ball (So., Idaho State), Chase Potter (Jr., Utah Valley) and Trey Wood (Sr., Portland State).
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The Griffins only return 37-percent of its offense from last season – including three of its top four scorers from last year. Senior Donaval Avila is the top returning scorer for Westminster, averaging 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds last year – which was good for third in scoring and second in rebounds on the team.
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UP NEXT
Year three of the Craig Smith era officially begins next Monday, Nov. 6, against Eastern Washington beginning at 7:30 p.m. (MT) on Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk and Earl Watson on the call to open the 2023-24 basketball season. The fifth-ranked Utah women's basketball team will also open its season at 4 p.m. ahead of the Runnin' Utes as part of the double-header against Mississippi Valley State.
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FRESH FACES
This year's Runnin' Utes features a mix of veterans and fresh faces – including four veteran transfers in Hunter Erickson (BYU/SLCC), Cole Bajema (Michigan/Washington), Deivon Smith (Mississippi State/Georgia Tech) and Lawson Lovering (Colorado). Utah also added a quartet of freshmen in Jayden Teat, Jake Wahlin, Ayomide Bamisile and Jerry Huang. In addition to the newcomers and added depth, the Utes also return a defense that was ranked 10th in defensive rebounds per game (28.03), 13th in rebounds per game (39.19), 14th in defensive field-goal percentage (.397), 19th in defensive 3-point field-goal percentage and 31st in scoring defense (63.8). Utah's group of returnees are led by All-Pac-12 player Branden Carlson, Gabe Madsen, Ben Carlson, Wilguens Jr. Exacte, Keba Keta and floor general Rollie Worster.
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Meanwhile, the Utes also saw movement on its bench with the promotion of Tramel Barnes to the assistant coach role over the summer. With the new NCAA rule in place, Smith added two bench coaches in Tyler Larson and Jayden Olson while hiring Matt Lopez as his director of scouting and video operations. Larson came to SLC from the Sant Cruz Warriors after a successful professional career oversees while Olsen joined the Runnin' Utes staff from Williston State College where he served as the director of athletics. Prior to that, Olsen spent six seasons at North Dakota State– four of which as the associate head coach. Lopez joined the staff after spending the 2022-23 campaign at Arkansas and the previous two seasons at South Dakota.
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HUNTER ERICKSON
Sr. – 6-3 – 194
Provo, UT – Timpview HS – BYU / Salt Lake CC
- Spent two years at BYU before transferring to Salt Lake City (2022-23)
- Averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.3 steals at SLCC
- Reached double-figures in 23 games with three double-doubles
- Posted a career-high 37 points on 9-of-11 shooting from beyond the arch against North Platte CC
- Saw action in a total of 27 games in his two seasons at BYU
COLE BAJEMA
Gr. – 6-7 – 187
Lynden, WA – Lynden Christian HS / Michigan / Washington
- Played 87 career games during his undergraduate career at Washington
- Owned a career shooting average of .371 at UW and .355 from 3-point range
- Started in 30-of-31 games his senior year with the Huskies averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds
- Played in 32 games his junior year at UW averaging 5.4 points
- Scored a career-high 18 points at Colorado as a junior
- Pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds vs. North Florida his senior year
- Went 95-12 during his prep career and is the all-time scoring leader with 1,876 career points
- Led LCHS to the 2018 1A State Championship
JAYDEN TEAT
Fr. – 6-1 – 180
Sacramento, CA – Capital Christian HS
- Played three years at Jesuit HS before transferring to Capital Christian HS his senior year
- Led Capital Christian HS to 20-9 overall record and 10-2 mark in league play his senior year
- Named all-district player his senior year
- Led JHS to a league championship as a junior
- Helped Marauders to semifinals of CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and first round of CIF Division II State Championship
DEIVON SMITH
Sr. – 6-0 – 173
Decatur, GA – Grayson HS / Mississippi State / Georgia Tech
- Played one season at Mississippi State (Fr) and spent last two seasons at Georgia Tech
- Averaged 7.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists to go with a 2.8 assists/turnover ratio in 2022-23
- Played in 24 games his first year at Georgia Tech, averaging 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists
- Was 1-of-3 players to play in 33 games as a freshman while at Mississippi State
- Averaged 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists off the bench for Hail State
- Named 2020 Gwinnett Prep Sports Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 3.5 steals
JAKE WAHLIN
Fr. – 6-9 – 203
Provo, UT – Timpview HS
- A McDonald's All-American Game nominee his senior year (2020-21)
- A consensus three-star recruit out of high school (247Sports, Rivals, ESPN)
- Led Timpview HS to a runner-up finish at the state championships his junior year
- Recently returned from his mission in Lithuania
- Comes from athletic family that played Division I / professional sports
AYOMIDE BAMISILE
Fr. – 6-7 – 203
Lagos, Nigeria – Monterverde Academy [CA]
- Played basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida
- Missed his senior season due to a broken finger
- Named to All-SIAA team his junior season (2020-21)
LAWSON LOVERING
Jr. – 7-1 – 235
Cheyenne, WY – Central HS – Colorado
- Spent his first two collegiate seasons at Colorado
- Started all 34 games in 2022-23, averaging 4.9 points, 4.7 rebounds with a .554 shooting clip and team-high 33 blocks
- Had his first-career double-double last season at USC with 13 points and a career-high 14 boards
- Played in 18 games as a freshman at CU coming off the bench averaging 10.5 minutes
- Led Central HS to a Class 4A State Championship his senior year
- Was a three-time Wyoming Class 4A All-State and East Conference First-Team selection
JERRY HUANG
Fr. – 6-2 – 193
Taipei, Taiwan – Wasatch Academy
- Spent his prep career at Wasatch Academy and was a two-time captain
- Helped the Tigers go 27-2 his freshman year and 18-7 his sophomore year
- Played alongside Teammate Keba Keita for three years
- Played a season of tennis
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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