This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Class is back in session.
With 12 players on the roster who didn't play a game for the Runnin' Utes last season — yes, it's really that many — coach Larry Krystkowiak and his staff find themselves playing the roles of professors. The first month and a half of the fall semester has been spent going over terminology of the program, and covering the details: everything from pick-and-roll defense to the fundamentals of rebounding.
What do you call this play set? How do we defend transition? It's all fresh material for the program's many newcomers.
"You don't ever want this many new guys, but it's the way the cards were kind of dealt for a variety of reasons," Krystkowiak said. "But it's refreshing to coach the basic stuff. We've got guys buying in. It's not a bad thing. As a college coach, you'd like to think of yourself as a teacher. It's fun being back in a different classroom."
The learning curve goes into full swing starting Saturday, when the Utes begin full fall practices in earnest. Coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, Krystkowiak and company are contending with higher expectations than when they first were building the program with new faces.
It's not completely a fresh start: Utah brings back two starters in junior forward Kyle Kuzma and senior guard Lorenzo Bonam, both of whom averaged roughly 10 points per game last year. Their contributions, both in production and leadership, will need to rise for Utah to be a serious player in the Pac-12 this year.
Kuzma has generated offseason buzz since working out at an Under Armour camp over the summer. He'll likely remain a power forward for the time being given Utah's temporarily short-handed frontcourt, but Krystkowiak has been impressed with changes Kuzma has made.
"His body has changed," he said. "He's stronger, he's more athletic than I've ever seen him in terms of our drills and conditioning. I think we'll have some flexibility to play Kuz at the three down the road."
Bonam, who was a critical X-factor last season, has become working on being more consistent. Krystkowiak noted that both Bonam and Parker Van Dyke, a returned LDS missionary, have impressed coaches with their work ethic.
But then the intrigue will lie with the new faces. After redshirting last year, 7-foot center Jayce Johnson will finally have a chance to show what he can do. Utah pulled JoJo Zamora, Tim Coleman and Tyler Rawson from the junior college ranks, and signed intriguing preps Devon Daniels and Chris Seeley out of high school.
Czech national Jakub Jokl, a late-arriving 6-foot-11 center who comes to Salt Lake City by way of Spain, is one of the players doing a little catch-up, Krystkowiak said. In addition to being a freshman, he also is negotiating a language barrier. He's one of the players who is "getting extra reps" in the film room, learning how Utah plays and practices.
"He's enjoying himself," Krystkowiak said. "He's the new kid on the block."
Two potential impact players, transfers David Collette and Sedrick Barefield, won't be eligible to play until Utah's holiday tournament in Hawaii. Krystkowiak admitted the situation was "unusual" that two players who could contend for significant roles will miss Utah's first nine games.
But it's not as if Utah is place-holding until then. Krystkowiak compared it to a high school team waiting for the football players to join the roster — they're just as concerned about competing right away as they are when Collette and Barefield can play.
"The most important factor is that everybody is being pushed," he said. "There might be some different lineups we practice with that we don't involve Dave and Sedrick in. It's not like anybody is waiting for two guys to show up. To be honest, we haven't talked a whole lot about it."
In this school session, everybody's got a lot of homework to do.
— Kyle Goon
Twitter: @kylegoon