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Last year, Brandon Taylor checked in at 167 pounds on the Runnin' Utes roster.

Last week, Taylor reached a new max for his squat — twice that weight. He boasts with no small amount of satisfaction.

"I'm not trying so much to change my body, but I'm getting a little more strength on me," he said. "I thought there were times I could've been more explosive last year. That's what I'm trying to do: get more explosive."

Several Utes are working on that midway through summer conditioning, as the basketball team seeks to match and improve from last season's Sweet 16 run.

NCAA rules limit the amount of interaction coaches can have with their players, but that doesn't limit the amount of time the Utes are spending on their development. They go through individual workouts and drills, and they spend a lot of time in the weight room.

Lifting has never been easier, now that the new weight room is open. The Utes can work out alongside other teams in the facility that boasts a lot more floor space and equipment than their room in the old HPER did.

"It's been really convenient," Taylor said of team workouts. "With the sound system in there and everything, it's been really cool to work out in there. I can't wait until the [basketball facility] is done. I'm just glad I get one year in it."

The players were thrilled to see former teammate Delon Wright get picked in the first round of this week's NBA draft. It's motivation, sophomore guard Isaiah Wright said, but also a reminder that the team has a lot of work to do.

The Utes hope that rather than having one player replace all of Wright's contributions, they can do it collectively.

"I think we have a lot of guys who can step up and mask what Delon did for us," Wright said. "I know for me, I'm working on my confidence. I'm not trying to do everything, but I'm trying to do what I can do."

Top recruit pays another visit to Utah

Duke and Utah may be an unlikely rivalry, but it's certainly a budding one. It sparked on the court in March, when the eventual national champs put down the upstart Runnin' Utes in the Sweet 16 by six points. It will resume in December, when Utah challenges the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden in a nationally televised rematch.

But now, it's happening in recruiting.

Alpine resident and top-flight 2016 target Frank Jackson was in Durham, N.C., this week on the heels of a strong performance at Top 100 camp, which has made him a consensus top-20 prospect. Paying an unofficial visit to Duke, Jackson and his father, Al Jackson, were the guests of Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, who offered Jackson a scholarship.

"They really want Frank," Al Jackson told The Tribune. "We had a great time with Coach K."

The visit was apparently so compelling, the Jacksons elected to scratch a planned visit to Maryland later in the week. But back in Utah, the Jacksons were entertained by Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak, who flew back Friday morning from Los Angeles to meet with them. They had lunch and toured the basketball facility, which Al Jackson called "off the charts."

Frank Jackson is planning a busy summer, which includes AAU games with his Utah Prospect teammates, as well as official visits to Stanford, UCLA and Arizona. BYU, where Jackson first committed, is also still in the high-stakes recruiting race.

Al Jackson said his son is not sure if he'll go on an LDS Church mission, which he originally said he wanted to do. NBA development is a big factor in his recruiting: While the Utes produced a first-round draft pick this year in Wright, Al Jackson said Duke having three first-round picks Thursday was a big plus for Duke.

Twitter: @kylegoon