Branden Carlson's stardom, versatility grows as Runnin' Utes leader

SALT LAKE CITY — Branden Carlson was unstoppable Sunday.

It was one of those rare performances where everyone in a building knows that a player is getting the ball, and there's no stopping him from doing what he wants to do. That was the case for Carlson Sunday.

Even his father, Bryan, later tweeted that his son's performance "blew me away."

Carlson got the entry pass on nearly every possession in the second half after Utah found itself in a 15-point hole, with the home team needing something to spark a comeback. Carlson backed down defenders, hit small jumpers, and drew fouls repeatedly for and-one buckets.

When he got bored of that, Carlson decided to spread his game out behind the perimeter to drain three 3-pointers en route to a 34-point performance that helped Utah to a victory over Washington and for the senior center to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.

Those types of performances have become more common for the veteran center this season, though.

His 34-point night was a career high — to say nothing of his seven rebounds and career-high seven assists — but it's becoming more routine to see Carlson as the central focus of the offense for a Utah team almost certainly guaranteed an NCAA Tournament berth after an 11-2 start to the season.

There's still more work to do for the Runnin' Utes in their pursuit of a favorable postseason destination, but Carlson has been a key reason to Utah's success in Craig Smith's third season with the program.

As the team's leading scorer the last few seasons, Carlson has added versatility to his game while playing as a four in Smith's system — a position he's never played before in his basketball career.

"He's played in a spot he's never played before," Smith said. "And I think sometimes when you have that, there is a natural curiosity that comes with that, almost like you're kind of, like you're rejuvenated. It can bring a little bit of a different excitement to what you're doing."

Carlson also looks more confident in his role with a veteran team that can do more around him. He can been the focus on offense or be a distributor, or just draw defenders away with his spacing since they're forced to respect his outside game.

"It's just been amazing seeing his transformation — coaching him for two and a half years now," Smith said. "I just remember so well what he was like when I first got here — amazing person, obviously, a very good player — but just the level of his game. It's easy to see what he does on the floor, but it's his voice. He never used to talk, or very rarely — very, very rarely — and just taking command."

But Carlson isn't just a scorer; his defense has been one of his most improved features to his game this season — along with his vocal leadership and how he shows it on the court. To battle Carlson, the opponent is going to have to do it on both ends of the floor, and he's proven to have the upper hand in many cases.

He's not a finished product by any means, but Carlson has been everything Utah has wanted him to be in pursuit of his first postseason tournament in his time with the Utes.

"He's a hard matchup," Smith said. "He can put you in a lot of tough positions, and I think our scheme helps with that, but just the growth in his game.

"Our guys have all the belief in the world in what he can do and what he does do, and that's what the great ones do. ... Nothing surprises me anymore, just the way we can manipulate defenses and the way he is guarding now, playing a holding position."

All of who Carlson has become this season, though, Smith said has not been by accident. The veteran center has put in the work for an institution "he truly cares about" — even if he grew up as a rival BYU fan.

He's learned through the NBA draft process over the offseason, he's developed his game from the advice of assistant coach Chris Burgess, and he continues to put in the necessary work to get better each day, Smith said.

"You never worry like, 'Oh, I hope Branden has a good practice today.' You just never worry about that," Smith said. "He's taken his game to the next level with his voice and leadership, and obviously he's busting his tail.

"That doesn't just happen by accident. You have to put the time in to do that, you've got to put the time in the gym, you've got to put the time in the weight room, you've got to commit to your nutrition. It's a major commitment. ... It's not an accident with him. It's his fifth year; he's been through these battles, he has confidence in himself. He's had to fight for it. He understands our system and what to do."

And though Carlson is just one piece of the puzzle on Smith's roster — a roster with significant improvement and depth — he's been the biggest asset to the team's early success.

Maybe there's a few more of those dominant performances left as Utah continues to work its way through the conference schedule.

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