SALT LAKE CITY -- After the loss to UNLV in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament early in March in Las Vegas, Utah Men's Basketball Head Coach Jim Boylen seemed relieved that his first losing season at the helm of the program had come to an end.

Now less than a month later four players have been granted their release to play elsewhere: Sophomore Jordan Cyphers, junior Matt Read, redshirt freshman Chris Hines and junior Carlon Brown.

There are rumors freshman guard Marshall Henderson, the Runnin' Utes leading scorer in conference play this past year with 13.6 points per game, might be next to leave the team.

"Well I dunno yet," said Henderson in a text responding to an inquiry of him leaving the team. "I'll let you know somethin here in a couple days."

Still no word from Marshall, but according to Kyle Harris the Utes' Associate Sports Information Director, anything concerning Henderson is just rumors.

Related:

Utes suffer more downs than ups during 2009-10 season

While the 2009-10 Utah team gained experience and had some success, the inconsistency of the team as a whole left Coach Jim Boylen and the Utah faithful scratching their heads.

One of Boylen's first recruits, Jordan Cyphers (Wichita, Kan.) was expected to transfer after he finished the year playing in only 16 of the teams 31 games this season. Cyphers lost his spot as the team's deep threat when Henderson came to town. With Henderson winning the spot, Cyphers' minutes when down and so did his attitude.

Matt Read seldom found his way off of the end of the bench, also playing in only 16 games. Previous to coming to Utah, Read played his freshman year at University of Texas-Arlington and then transferred to Collin County Community College for his sophomore year. Read plans on finishing his college career next year at Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas, Read's fourth school in four years.

"It's disappointing," said Read. "It would have been nice to finish here at Utah, but I want to play my senior year."

Hines was been the latest Ute to be granted his release. Hines found himself in the same boat as Cyphers and Read for most of the season, used sparingly off the bench. In the last seven games of the season Coach Boylen inserted Hines into the line-up which seemed to be a good idea as Hines averaged 7.7 points in 17 minutes of play. Hines' increased playing time wasn't enough to keep the Houston, Texas native in Salt Lake City.

The biggest surprise of the four has to be Brown, who led Utah this past season with 12.6 points per contest. Brown would have been the last player on the Runnin' Utes roster with any ties to former Utah Head Coach Ray Giacoletti who recruited Brown out of Riverside, Calif.

"We appreciate the contributions that Carlon has made to our program and respect his decision to do what he feels is best for him," Coach Boylen said.

As a starter on the 2008-09 MWC champion Runnin' Ute team as a sophomore, Brown averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. This year as a junior he was asked to be an offensive spark off of the bench for most of this season.

"I am very thankful for my time at Utah," said Brown. "But I feel now it's in my best interest to explore all of my other options. I appreciate the chance to be a Ute but I think my playing style and skill set may fit better in another situation."

While there are six players leaving the team, two through graduation and four transfers, the Runnin' Utes still have some capable players coming back to the program. 7-foot-3 MWC Defensive-Player of the Year David Foster will be back for the Utes along with the 7-foot big-man Jason Washburn to provide the Utes twin towers in the post.

Junior-college transfer Jay Watkins will return as Utah's best threat in the post. Watkins averaged 9.2 points off of the bench this past season and became a fan favorite with his monster dunks and knack for making hustle plays. If Henderson returns he will join fellow freshman Shawn Glover. Glover provided the Ute faithful with some promise, averaging 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in only 13 minutes of action. Glover worked hard all year in practice and earned a starting role in 12 of the 16 conference games this season.

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.

Even with these four freshmen coming in next year, Boylen still has two roster spots available. Two hopeful candidates to fill the spots are Josh Watkins a 6-foot guard from Howard College, a junior-college in Big Spring, Texas. Watkins was named MVP of the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.

Stephen Rodgers of Mesa Community College is a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 21.3 points per game while shooting 42 percent from behind the arch.

Related topics