'A lot more physicality': Runnin' Utes see progress with summer workouts underway

SALT LAKE CITY — After the team's third practice of summer, Utah head coach Craig Smith couldn't shake his frustration.

It was one of those sleepless nights where he couldn't think about anything but the less-than-impressive practice of his team earlier that day. It was an uncharacteristic day filled with mistakes, but one that gnawed at the second-year coach for the Utes.

The first game of the 2022-23 season is still more than three and a half months away, and it was only a summer session of practice, but for Smith, who is attempting to bring Utah back to its competitive roots, any mistake feels like two steps back after one step forward.

It's not that Smith necessarily feels the pressure from any outside force to resurrect the basketball program immediately — in Division I basketball there's always underlying pressure to make the NCAA Tournament each season — but it's about pride and the competitive drive innate in Smith and his coaching philosophy.

Winning matters — in July, in November, in March.

By his fourth practice session on Thursday, which was open for the first time to local media to view, those previous frustrations had dissipated and the team had improved — enough so that Smith could smile and praise the progress of his team by the time practice was over. There's still more to learn and to go from there, he admitted, but Smith's team was back in the "making progress" category.

"We have a team that has an attitude that craves improvement," Smith said. "We have a bunch of guys that are gym rats that love to be in the gym. I do feel like we have very good synergy at an early time. But like I say every year, everybody thinks they're playing 30 minutes a game right now, so that can change, of course.

"But what's been exciting, is like today, I thought there was a great energy — I'm sure you could feel it. There's a spirit to these guys. And it's almost like every day we come to practice I feel like there's a different guy that kind of shows something that maybe we didn't see before."

Utah returns its core starters — Rollie Worster, Lazar Stefanovic, Gabe Madsen, Marco Anthony and Branden Carlson — and has welcomed in seven new additions to the team, with a potential eighth expected to be announced at a later time. Utah keeps its core players but has improved on its depth and ability to be more competitive from the its 11-20 (4-16 in Pac-12 play) season.

Smith said his team has "a lot more physicality" from "top to bottom" this season, in addition to more "athleticism and speed," to say nothing of his complements of a team made up of high-IQ guys that learn fast and understand the game well.

"So hopefully that's a good combination in this league," Smith said. "It's gonna be a very different league."

That league will still feature UCLA and USC for the next two seasons before the two L.A. schools embark on a change of conference scenery and join the Big Ten. But none of that concerns Smith right now; his job continues as coach and to worry about improving the talent and competitiveness of his team.

"I think college athletics three to five years from now, I think college athletics is going to look a lot different," Smith said. "... But there's not much that I can do as the men's basketball coach or the gymnastics coach can do or the football coach can do, and so we've got to trust our leadership and all across the Pac-12 to do what's best for the league and each individual institution.

"I've got enough things to worry about with our team in our program and recruiting, but I just trust that we're in good hands that way."

The outside noise about conference realignment matters little to the men's basketball program — at least for the time being. The bigger concern for Smith and anyone on the practice floor is how Utah is going to get back to the NCAA Tournament, which is currently on a six season drought after back-to-back appearances under former head coach Larry Krystkowiak.

Observations from practice

• Utah's presumed starters — the core players previously mentioned above — look like the veterans they should be during summer practices. There's a confidence from each player that rubs off on all the newcomers to get better.
• With the team's starting unit all but set, it's all about finding depth in the second unit. Some early names to consider: freshman guard Wilguens Exacte, freshman center Keba Keita, freshman guard Luka Tarlac, junior forward Ben Carlson.
• Exacte had a confidence about him that made him look like a seasoned vet on the floor. There's still a lot of untapped potential from the freshman and learning to come — especially as he's introduced to real-game scenarios — but he appears to be a strong contender to get significant minutes this season.
• Keita has only played basketball for a few years but he's the physical backup center Utah has lacked for some time. He's still raw in certain areas of his game, but he's a rebounding machine (he has tremendous range) and he's capable of highlight-worthy dunks at the drop of a hat — he dropped one over Brandon Carlson Thursday.
• One more note on Keita: Smith described the freshman as "ferocious" and a "freakazoid." Keita put a body on Carlson (and anybody that got near) and forced him to battle hard for a shot near the rim. He had a couple highlight dunks, including one over Carlson. "That dude just does some things that you can't teach," Smith said.
• Tarlac has some incredible length as a 6-foot-7 guard. He's not the most flashy on the court, but he's more than capable to play with the veterans on the floor — his wingspan helps in passing lanes, too. Smith said Tarlac is even more impressive when the team reviews film. "He's one of those guys that when you watch practice, he doesn't always stand out initially, and then you go watch him in film and you're like, oh my gosh, like he did this, he did that, he does this, he does that. He rebounds it, he's a great passer, he's fluid, he's a natural cutter."
• Bostyn Holt and Gavin Baxter continue to rehab after injuries. Both have been cleared for some light workouts, but not full contact drills with the team. Smith hopes to get them back in some capacity by the time the season starts. Baxter, especially, can create unique mismatches on the court when healthy — and Smith hasn't forgotten about all his dunks against Utah when he was with BYU.

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