Utah Basketball: Boylen builds by blueprint

Salt Lake City - University of Utah basketball coach Jim Boylen for a story on his "blueprint" for rebuilding the Utah basketball team after last year's run to the NCAAs. (Francisco Kjolseth / The Salt Lake Tribune )

The factory is built, the conveyor belt is running and now it's time to start churning out wins.

That is at least the hopeful analogy from Utah men's basketball coach Jim Boylen, whose Runnin' Utes open the season Friday against Idaho at the Huntsman Center.

Boylen, entering his third year with the Utes, likens this season to one of reconstruction, not rebuilding. Yes, the Utes lost much of the talent that helped them win a share of the MWC regular-season title and then the tournament championship last year -- which won them a trip to the NCAA tournament. And they have eight new players to work into their system, but Boylen believes the elements are there for the Utes to keep progressing.

"We still have a ways to go," he said. "We have a young team, but now at least the culture is there, the system is built. Now we have to see if we can take a young team and develop it in the system."

The culture Boylen speaks of is the foundation of his factory, if you will, in which successful teams are made. When he arrived, the Utes were lagging in just about every department from academics, to conditioning, to morale to even school spirit.

Boylen and his staff worked hard to correct those issues. The team now boasts one of the best GPAs on campus among the athletic teams, improving from 2.7 before Boylen arrived to 3.6 last semester. The Utes are in better shape and understand the respect they should give their program. Most importantly,

"We had to take them to a higher level of accountability and success and toughness," he said. "That is where we are at now and now we have to start cranking it out. How quickly that comes, I don't know."

Forward Kim Tillie believes it will come faster than some might believe. After a summer of hard work, he enters the season with a better range than last year and a beefed-up body, standing as a testament to the hard work of which Boylen speaks.

"We have to keep doing what we did last year," he said. "We have to have the same mentality and confidence we had last year. The veteran players have to transmit confidence to the younger players. That is how we are going to win."

Boylen, who signed a five-year contract in May, said he feels pressure from himself to get the wins coming consistently.

However, he also characterized November and December as a time for learning.

"I like my team," he said. "I think we have the kind of guys who can win. To what level we win at is how the fifth, sixth and seventh man play. How the players develop and come along is the unknown, but we have a lot of talent."

The reconstruction begins around returning starters Carlon Brown, Luka Drca and Tillie. Drca needs to be steady, Boylen said, while Tillie has worked hard in the summer to improve his game. Brown is the player the Utes might lean on the most early in the season, as he is the natural leader.

"He needs to become a complete player for us," Boylen said. "Right now he is a terrific player in defense and shooting, but he needs to develop his ability to drive and pitch."

Brown said he is up to the task.

"I feel extremely confident, more mature about the game," he said.

"Having last year under my belt helps. I expect myself to live up to a bigger role."

Centers David Foster and Jason Washburn are Boylen's "two-headed monster," while newcomer Marshall Henderson has never met a shot he didn't like. Other newcomers including Shawn Glover, Matt Read and Jay Watkins are competing for minutes.

While the Utes are learning about themselves, they'll be going up against some strong competition, including Illinois, Michigan and Oklahoma, although Boylen isn't looking past the early games with Idaho or Utah State, either.

"That is going to be Idaho's Super Bowl coming here," he said. "We are going to be tested right away, but I have to know my team by league play. That is my biggest belief."

lwodraska@sltrib.com