Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The memories remain fresh, even if the specific details are a little hazy, 25 years after Utah reach the pinnacle of college basketball.
Crazy as it sounds, a quarter of a century has passed since the Utes put together a season for the ages, making the Final Four in San Antonio and coming within minutes of winning the national championship before losing to Kentucky. These truths were evident: The gruff and crude Rick Majerus was a masterful coach, and the players comprised a team that nearly was literally the best.
"The memories often come back," said current Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen, who was a forward on the team. "It was a great time. Kind of like the highest highs and the lowest lows at the same time."
One year after losing to Kentucky in the Elite Eight, the Utes returned a strong nucleus and were expected to make the program's fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. But without star forward Keith Van Horn, who was the No. 2 NBA draft pick the prior summer, the Final Four seemed like a long shot.
Led by point guard sensation Andre Miller, who roared onto the national scene during the tournament, Utah won close games against Arkansas and West Virginia in the second and third round, respectively, before stunning defending champion Arizona in the Elite Eight. Miller, an eventual 17-year NBA veteran, posted 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists against the Wildcats, who had five future NBA players.
"Even to this day, I'm biased, obviously, but I think Andre Miller probably is the most underrated point guard I've been around," Jensen said during an interview on The Zone. "When Keith went, he became our leader, especially offensively."
The Utes then dispatched perennial power North Carolina, which featured Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, in the national semifinal before facing nemesis Kentucky. The Wildcats, who erased a double-digit deficit in the championship game, have ousted Utah in the tournament six times since 1993.
"It's fun to have the memory of being in the national championship game and it's sad that we lost, but there's a significant sting or ache in my gut when it's this time of year, no doubt," said Britton Johnsen, then a freshman forward.
"Everyone wants to talk about it or people who don't know me ask did I ever play in the NCAA Tournament, and I usually have to explain that we lost in that game. So, it's hard because we should've won. We were the better team; we were the hottest team in the tournament that year, but it just didn't work out for us in that second half. Life goes on, but it went on slowly at first."
But the glorious season, in which Utah started 18-0, was much more about the experiences than exclusively results. Intended or not, playing for Majerus left unforgettable impressions.
Everyone associated with the team, from the players and coaches down to the student managers, has story, many of which can't be repeated in this format. Even the fans can tell a few.
"A lot of memories that year," Jensen said. "If there was ever a time in my life I wish I would have kept a journal, it was there. There was a story every day."
Three years earlier, Jensen was part of a recruiting class that included Miller, Mike Doleac and Drew Hansen — all four of whom joined Hanno Mottola as the starters on the Final Four team. Johnsen and David Jackson also played significant minutes during the season.
As senior captains, Doleac and Hansen had earned the right to tell Majerus to ease up when his demanding nature got too intense. The pair did as much after the Utes lost at Wyoming in mid-February, dropping their record to 20-2.
The laid-back approach lasted one game, a win two days later at Colorado State. Gathering the team before the next practice, Majerus let the players know – in colorful terms, of course - the most fun came from winning.
"His delivery was always questionable, but he just called out the elephant in the room — all the time," Jensen said. "Sometimes he probably crossed the line, and he knew it."
Looking back, the 1997-98 season is even more remarkable now than it was then. The program hasn't come close to sniffing a Final Four run in the ensuing years.
At this point, any postseason appearance is progress. Down the line, maybe another Utah team can enjoy the experience of a lifetime.
"I didn't realize how cool it was at the time, but as time has gone by, I can't believe I was able to play in that big of an event," Johnsen said. "When we beat Arizona to go to the Final Four the locker room after was the most fun I've ever had in a locker room after a game. It was pure joy, excitement, and a feeling I'll never forget, and maybe because a cold, wet Majerus hugged me in the shower — clothes on for all of us, but man that was a lot of dude to hug."
