Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Standing off to the side of the practice court in a gray sweatshirt, former BYU basketball coach Jeff Judkins quietly observed the Utah women's basketball team as it opened up its first practice of the season.
He'd occasionally pull an athlete aside and offer some seasoned insights, while other times he was right in the mix coaching the women, like where they should set up as they came off a screen and looked for the ball. It was a coach doing what he's done for so many years before it, just under the umbrella of a different university, his alma mater.
Judkins wasn't the main attraction, though.
A distance away from Judkins, Utes head coach Lynne Roberts was in complete control of the practice as she yelled out instructions while also giving praise where it was due. This was the first practice, but one that started out at an even higher level than in years past.
Basketball season was in full swing Tuesday, and Roberts didn't miss a beat.
Roberts brought on Judkins as the director of player personnel, but a new NCAA rule allowed for a change in the coaching staffs to bring on more help, and the former Runnin' Utes star slid into an assistant coach role, where he essentially becomes the third assistant to an already well-oiled coaching staff.
It's a role Judkins is content filling for his alma mater. He can serve as another confidant for Roberts as only a select few really can after coaching for 20-plus seasons. He understands the sometimes isolated role of the head coach position and can be there if Roberts needs.
"It's a luxury, Roberts said. "He's got so much experience and he's such a good coach. ... It's a game of inches, and I look at him as someone that can help us in post play, help us with our defensive stuff, and then for me, personally, just as a resource, it's nice to have someone who was a head coach for 21 years, or whatever, that can kind of say little things, and he's already said some things to me just one on one and I thought, 'Oh, that's a good point. It's just an incredible resource of wisdom and experience."
But the story isn't about Judkins and his return to basketball, even if he adds significant value to Roberts' coaching staff. He's a valuable asset to a championship-caliber team, but the pieces were already in place before he officially stepped on the court.
It's a roster that returns the entire starting unit from a team that shared the regular season Pac-12 championship and was a couple free throws away from beating eventual national champion LSU in the Sweet 16. That, alone, makes Utah the expected favorite to top the Pac-12 preseason poll when it's released in two weeks.
Utah added even more depth and talent to its roster with the inclusion of Wisconsin transfer Matyson Wilke, Northeastern Oklahoma transfer Nene Sow, and freshmen Daniela Falcon Hernandez and Reese Ross, as well as walk-on transfer Alyssa Blanck from BYU.
"We're not a one- or two-headed monster," Roberts said. "I mean, Alissa (Pili) and Gianna (Kneepkens) are two leading scorers, but we have anybody — we have a number of kids that can score 25 on a given night, and I think that's what makes us great."
Utah won't be surprising anybody this season.
The task now for Roberts' team is finding a way to do more, go further in the NCAA Tournament, and not get complacent based on the success the team has already had. The 2023-24 season can't coast on the previous season, and the Utes now have to manage being the hunted in the final season of the Pac-12. But for Roberts, there's no risk of her team losing sight on their goals.
"We haven't achieved our goals and they're not content," Roberts said. "They have been almost concerningly ticked off since that loss to LSU. It has really galvanized their motivation. So, if anything, I have to pull them back a little bit, like let's pace ourselves; March is a long ways away and we've got a lot of things to get better at, but their motivation is so high."
Roberts is quick to point out that the team doesn't "want to get ahead of ourselves," but she's not going to shy away from their aspirations either. On the wall of the practice gym is a sign with an empty circle on an Elite Eight banner. Much like the 2022-23 team wanted to go further in the tournament than the previous team's run, the Elite Eight is the benchmark for Utah this season.
It's what Roberts described as "step one of the goal" for the season.
"That's our goal: make it farther in the tournament," she said. "Elite Eight or further, and we know it's gonna be really hard and challenging, but that's what this group is focused on."
"We can't get too ahead of ourselves right now," Kneepkens added. "We have big goals, but they start now, and so that's just our focus right now."
