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Though the Utah men's basketball team began practice on Friday, the media got its first big shot at the Runnin' Utes on Monday morning in an hour-long session with Larry Krystkowiak and several players. We've got a main story about the team and its expectations, but here's a few more notes and tidbits from Media Day:

More on the new offense • When the words "new offensive style" come up at a press conference, naturally questions follow. What is this new offensive style you speak of, Larry Krystkowiak?

Here's the idea: Utah wants more passing, less called plays, and more control in the hands of its playmakers. Krystkowiak compared the new system to Phil Jackson's famed Triangle offense, which relies on reading defenses to determine what will come next.

"We'll have specials we run specifically in our offense where we know what we want to get, but for the most part, it's a ball movement offense," he said. "You shouldn't see the ball in anybody's hands for more than a second or two. ... This is going to be an awful lot of ball movement, player movement."

Krystkowiak said depending one what the defense gives the Utes, individual players will have more freedom to decide if they'll pass, move, drive or shoot. It should be useful for facing varying defenses: There are options for facing the full court press of San Diego State, for example, or for more conventional half-court styles in zone or man. It will be less predictable, he suggested, than calling plays from the bench.

It helps Krystkowiak that his team is made up of veterans who know what he wants and can be trusted. There's also a lot of interchangeable personnel - guys like Jordan Loveridge, Dakarai Tucker and Kyle Kuzma who can play multiple positions - and that potentially lends itself to finding favorable match-ups on offense that can be exploited by making defenses shift and reacting to where they concentrate or who they use to cover Utah's best playmakers. It could also take heat off of Delon Wright, who carried the team for stretches last year but was targeted by opponents.

The core returners of the Utes have been working on the system for the offseason, and they seem to like it a lot.

"It frees our minds up. We play less restricted," Brandon Taylor said. "There's so many options, so many reads we can make. What this offense does is puts us in perfect spots for some of us to drive it, some of us to shoot, or both. This offense is perfect to fit to our style of play."

Another question arises: What if players make the wrong read, or freeze up in the decision-making process? It's a hazard that will likely be a big question of the season going forward.

Kuzma ready to play again • For freshman Kyle Kuzma, "scout team star" wasn't really enough of a title. Not when every week, the rest of the team would suit up, and he couldn't.

All last season, Kuzma was in the the limbo of partial qualifier status after enrolling early at Utah. He couldn't play in games or participate in practice. He spent some of his free time playing intramurals with other students, which, as one might imagine, wasn't great preparation for the rigors of Pac-12 basketball.

"That was probably one of the toughest things of my life," he said. "Sitting on the sidelines, not playing basketball - I mean, I could work out and stuff, so that's not really, like, true basketball, five-on-five or teamwise - it made me have more hunger for the game. It made me more mentally tough."

Utah hopes that added mental toughness pays off for them this year. Krystkowiak said he's been playing the 3-spot for most of the practices so far and shown promise offensively while giving his teammates the kind of looks they'll see throughout the Pac-12.

"He gives us something we haven't had in the practice setting, really simulates those rebounders that you see on the Arizonas or USCs, those long athletic players," he said. "Having him out there really improved our defense."

With a year of working out with the team under his belt, Kuzma could be well-positioned to win some minutes this year, and perhaps push for a featured role. He knows Utah fans have been anticipating big things from him for a year, and he's eager to please.

"I'm just a basketball player," he said, when asked to describe his game. "I wouldn't describe me as a position guy, like a three, four, two. I can play multiple positions. Very versatile, high motor, and just a lot of energy on the floor."

Kuzma said Brandon Taylor and Delon Wright have been among his biggest mentors on the team. Now he finds himself somewhat in charge of the other freshmen, who don't have the benefit of his year sitting on the bench.

"I'm just trying to show them the ropes I know," he said. "It's pretty fun."

Added size could help on the boards • One thing about this year's Utes: They're big.

The team had some size last year, and return a lot of it with 7-footer Dallin Bachynski and 6-foot-10 Jeremy Olsen, two guys who are somewhat interchangeable in the post. But the new additions bring some height: 6-foot-8 Brekkott Chapman, 6-foot-7 Chris Reyes, 6-foot-9 Kuzma.

Then there's Jakob Poeltl, the team's freshman from Austria. And while he's listed at 7 feet even, Olsen suggested perhaps there's a metric conversion disconnect.

"Jakob brings size that we haven't seen since big Dave Foster," he said. "We have him listed at 7 feet, but I think he's taller. He moves really well for his size too, and he's a great shotblocker."

The Utes are hopeful those extra inches will help them rebound more successfully, which was a sticking point last year. While Utah did average more rebounds than its opponents, KenPom.com metrics reveal the Utes struggled on the offensive glass, coming down with offensive rebounds on 28.2 percent of their opportunities.

For Olsen, it's an open challenge. There's fewer excuses for the Utes, particularly the bigs, to not be better rebounders. Olsen averaged 2.7 rebounds per game last year, and he wants to see that number grow.

"It comes down to us, the fours and fives to bring those down," he said. "I think we're going to be doing well. We're going to be as big or bigger than everyone we play."

Among the newcomers, Krystkowiak mentioned Kuzma as a good rebounder for his position, likely either the 3-spot or 4-spot, and junior college vet Chris Reyes plays "physical" in his role as a forward.

Weight game • Without statistics, sometimes the most interesting numbers available in the preseason come on the scale.

Who has gained weight? Who has lost weight? Will it matter come the season? That third question may not have a definitive answer yet.

But some of Utah's skinniest guys have definitely packed on some pounds this summer. Delon Wright said he's put on 12 pounds, and Kyle Kuzma is listed at 20 pounds heavier than when he signed - perhaps a reflection of taking a year off from competition and being able to focus on building lean muscle. Poeltl has added 14 pounds since arriving from overseas in June, and his added bulk to his lanky frame adds to the probability that he may play this year.

Also packing on pounds - according to Utah's rosters - is Jordan Loveridge, who is listed at 222 pounds compared to last year's 210. Other returners are listed at higher weights, but with more modest gains.

Married life suits Olsen • Five months ago, Jeremy Olsen married Utes volleyball player Chelsey Schofield.

Is he fun anymore?

"No, he's not," Taylor said of his teammate. "But you know, J.O. is just J.O."

In this case, that means laid back and happily wedded. Olsen said marriage has been great so far in the small time he's been hitched. The newly named Chelsey Schofield-Olsen is having a solid season, just recently notching 17 kills in a win over No. 17 Arizona State for the Utes. He hopes he can live up to her standard.

But the best thing about being married, Olsen said, is having a firmer grasp on his future.

"Loving it," he said. "I feel like life is a lot more simple, things seem more stable. We still go on dates, but things are just more simple than the dating stage now that we're married."

Matthew Piper contributed to this story.

Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon