SALT LAKE CITY -- The Runnin' Utes sat home this March watching fellow in-state schools, BYU, Utah State and Weber State compete in post-season tournaments.

Utah finished the season three games under .500 with 14-17 record, Jim Boylen's first losing season as head coach of the Utes, and not good enough to get them into a post-season tournament.

Coming into the season Coach Boylen knew that this season would consist of a lot of team development. While the young team gained experience and had some success, the inconsistency of the team as a whole left Boylen and the Utah faithful scratching their heads.

A Ute win was all too commonly followed by a loss, and the season followed the frustrating pattern all season long. In fact, after winning two straight games at the end of February to get their record back to .500 the Utes ended the season on a three game slide.

"Well, I think to me that's the inconsistency in this group of guys," said Boylen. "But inconsistent line-ups, newness, and injury have hurt the development of this team."

The main thorn in Utah's side was their inability to score the ball. The Utes finished the season second to last in the Mountain West conference in scoring offense with 66.4 points per contest. They didn't score more than 74 points during conference play.

Junior guard Carlon Brown led the team with 12.6 points a game while freshman Marshall Henderson gave Utah fans something to look forward to for years to come. He was the Utes second leading scorer with a 12 point per game average. Departing senior guard Luka Drca was the only other Ute to average double-figures with 10 points.

The Utes' big men struggled to help share the scoring load. Junior college transfer Jay Watkins was the only offensive bright spot for the Utes in the post scoring 9.4 points per game.

As bad as the Utah offense was this year the defense made up for it. The Utes led the conference in three-point pct. defense holding opponents to 30 percent from behind the arch. Sophomore David Foster, the MWC defensive player of the year, and company helped put the Utes at the top of the conference in blocks with an average of six a game.

The Utes were a young team featuring only two seniors; Forward Kim Tillie led the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and Drca led the Utes in assists (3.2 apg).

Next year the Utes will continue to look to Brown and Henderson to score some buckets, but they will need find a few more players to step in up on the offensive end of the court. One player that will have the opportunity to do so is red-shirt Freshman center Jason Washburn, who showed flashes of brilliance in the post with a sky-hook and great footwork.

"We've got to get better. We've got to get stronger," said Boylen. "We're a weak team. We have to get physically stronger. We need the summer and fall to do that. We've got to get stronger as a group of men."

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Watkins showed a knack for playing tough inside, an attitude and determination Boylen hopes rubs off on some of his front-court teammates, especially Foster, who at 7-foot-3 led the conference in blocks, but struggled to rebound (4.5 rpg) and score (4.7 ppg).

Red-shirt freshman guard Chris Hines can try to build on the success he found in the last three weeks of this season. Hines came on strong hitting some three-point baskets and playing stingy defense in his newly earned spot in the rotation.

Sophomore guard Jace Tavita started 18 of the 29 games he played in this season. His defensive toughness and court vision will provide the Utes with another important piece to Utah's backcourt in the future. Small forward Shawn Glover started 12 games this season and averaged 3.5 points per game and gained great experience with 13.6 minutes of playing time per game.

"We have developed a core group of guys," Boylen said. "Henderson is a good basketball player. David Foster is a good basketball player. Glover is a developing player. Washburn is a developing player. Hines has made strides in the last three weeks. Those guys are all young, young guys."

Coach Boylen and his staff have been working hard on the recruiting trail signing one player to a letter of intent and three others have given verbal commitments. Dominique Lee a 6-foot-3 small-forward out of Berkley, Calif. signed the letter, while 6-foot-6 power forward Antonio DiMaria from Casper Community College, 5-foot-11 guard Preston Guiot from Bolivar, Mo. and 6-foot-6 small forward J.J. O'Brien from Alta Loma, Calif. have all given verbal commitments.

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