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If Larry Krystkowiak is still stinging from the losses of two recruits this week, he didn't show it Wednesday as he discussed the players who actually did sign with the Utes.

Ben Carter and Adonis Filer are out of the picture, but Jordan Loveridge is officially in the frame after the first day of the early signing period.

We wrote about the significance of Loveridge's commitment, and ensuing signing, back in April. Everything Krystkowiak said about the West Jordan forward reinforced that Loveridge may be the most significant piece moving forward for the Utes.

Loveridge got hot in the summer, both on the court and in the world of recruiting. In some ways, it was surprising he stuck with the Utes, when more prestigious programs, like Arizona, were showing interest.

"He was kind of blowing up and all the sudden everybody else was noticing him," Krystkowiak said. "It was nice to know we had built our relationships, that we weren't coming to the party late. And it really validated, I think, to him that he belonged in a high-level program and he's going to be a guy that we depend an awful lot on."

Whereas the Jim Boylen and his staff had only lightly recruited Loveridge, Krystkowiak made him the top priority from his first week on the job.

"Loved him," Krystkowiak said. "Saw his work ethic, had a chance to visit with him briefly. It was a relationship we wanted to build. I think there's some similarities between our paths a little bit, staying at home, I was able to share some of those experiences a little bit with me staying in my hometown."

Krystkowiak, of course, played college basketball at Montana, after playing three years in high school at Missoula's Big Sky High School across town.

While Loveridge highlights the class, Krystkowiak seemed almost equally excited about the return of Jeremy Olsen, the one-time Ute who is serving an LDS mission.

"Not to place a higher priority on any of [the signees], but he's definitely one of the cornerstones of what we're trying to do," Krystkowiak said. "Big guys are hard to find."

The other three new Utes are a bit more mysterious. Josh Hearlihy is a slashing forward from Harvard-Westlake High School near Los Angeles, and Justin Seymour is a combo guard from Smyrna, Ga. Dallin Bachynski may be familiar to some. The 7-foot center played one season at Southern Utah before going on a mission, also.

Krystkowiak said he was excited about the class as a whole.

"For us it's been a long process of recruiting," he said. "It's kind of like going out in the field and actually getting to harvest it. All five guys that we have coming in are terrific people, they're good players."

That doesn't mean the Utes won't sign any more players. Krystkowiak said he and his staff continue to consider their options.

"It's not to say that we're done," he said, "but we're not going to run out and sign a whole bunch, either."

— Bill Oram