The team has fallen into a rut. The Copper Hills boys' basketball team has been competitive in its last three games, showing it is capable of winning, but fallen just short.

But the players know this is what they signed up for -- not the losing aspect, but the rebuilding aspect. The players know they will take their lumps but it's worth it to be a part of something they helped build.

"I moved from Sacramento and I'm actually in Bingham boundaries," said forward Steve Larson, who is the team's leading scorer with 20 points a game. "But I wanted to go somewhere I could show my game and help them win."

Copper Hills has struggled to stay competitive in its region since the Grizzlies took the Class 5A state title in 2000. The school is in an area that has been dominant in boys' basketball. The South Jordan region has had a team in the state championship game in seven of the last 10 years. In 2006, Riverton and Bingham met up in the state title game.

"We've got to work harder and develop talent or we'll be swallowed up," said Copper Hills coach Kent Smith, who has been at the school for three years. "We were behind and we're just trying to catch up."

After coaching the younger level at Bingham for five years, Smith came over to Copper Hills. In his first year, he tried to implement a system and create a more disciplined, structured atmosphere. The next year, he worked more on developing skills. This year, he feels his team is at a point where they can compete with the rest of Region 3.

"We're trying to simulate what they do over there," Smith said. "We just want to be a tough-nosed team."

The progression of Larson as a player mirrors that of the program. As a freshman, he showed potential but was small and not very strong. He has hit the weight room and added 15 pounds of muscle heading into his junior and senior seasons. He has gotten better every year.

Larson studied the game. He watched film and developed his skills and doesn't have to rely on just physicality.

"I want to help us win and I think we're right in the thick of it," Larson said. "We have everything we need. We have shooters and we have big men."

And Smith has done a good job of driving home the team aspect.

"In the past, I was selfish and just shoot the ball every time I got it," said B.J. Cavar. "But now I'm more focused on kicking the ball out. [As a team] we're becoming stronger."

Smith is hoping with that sense of team unity and a better skill set, the Grizzlies will finally be able to compete with Bingham, West Jordan and Riverton -- teams that has seen much success in the past.

"We're just trying to compete with each other," Smith said. "We want people to know when Copper Hills is coming, it's going to be a fight."

mthach@sltrib.com