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SALT LAKE CITY - The mass exodus from the Utah Utes basketball program continued on Thursday. Dijon Farr is the latest player to be leaving, bringing the grand total to six players that have left since the season ended.
Chris Hines, George Matthews, Kareem Storey, Dijon Farr, Javon Dawson, and Anthony Odunsi are now gone from Utah after a very forgettable first season under head coach Larry Krystkowiak.
If you were able to watch the Utes play this last season you know that it was tough. When Larry K. was brought in, he was already a little late on the recruiting trail and with all of the defections last year (Clyburn, O'Brien, Kupets, DiMaria) it would be tough to fill out the roster the way an incoming coach would want to.
I think this would be the difficult part of coaching - having all of these kids leave every year. After Jim Boylen was fired, some of the kids didn't want to play at Utah for another coach, fine, I get that. Now that Larry K. has finished season one, he can now begin to get the players in here that he wants (those are not his words, those are mine).
I am actually a little surprised at Chris Hines leaving, but he will be graduating and will be able to go anywhere and play without sitting out a transfer season.
As for the rest of the players, I wasn't that shocked to hear that they were leaving. With some of the players coming in, these guys wouldn't be getting much time on the floor. They were second teamers at best. Larry K. has had the luxury of having Glen Dean and Aaron Dotson in all season to practice during their transfer years. They will know what to expect and what the Utes are trying to run offensively and how Larry K. wants to defend.
If David Foster can stay healthy (and that is a huge IF) he is a defensive game-changer that can block and alter shots. My fear is that he is too fragile to make it through a full season.
Jordan Loveridge is a huge get for Utah and I believe he will contribute from day one. I saw him play in person a few times this season and he is impressive.
Jason Washburn was probably the most improved player on this year's team. He looked like the work he put in paid off. He got better as the season went on. He will help this next season if he can improve more.
Cedric Martin had some bright moments as well. I think he can really help when a little pressure is taken off him. I think many of the players looked at him to shoulder the scoring this season.
On paper, Utah will again have basically an entirely different starting five and roster for the 2012-2013 season. That is a good thing, not because of the turnover, but because the players will be better and therefore get Utah back to being competitive.
Let me reiterate the fact that Utah won six games this season. Six.
It is okay that players are leaving; they are making room for better ones. Let's be honest here, these players were a stop-gap for this coming season.
E-mail: mgrant@ksl.com
Twitter: @mikegrantksl
