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Seattle • Larry Krystkowiak told them early: Your kid has potential. Great potential.
He flew to Austria twice to tell Rainer and Martina Poeltl that their 7-foot son had the ability to make "an immediate impact" in the Pac-12. Former athletes themselves, they weren't blind to Jakob's size, and how grown men struggled to score against him.
But the one thing they thought was down the road — the siren song of the NBA — has arrived much more quickly than even they expected.
"We were surprised to learn that in the NBA draft, it is more about potential and possible future performances than about the immediate impact," Martina said in an email to The Tribune. "We were very surprised that he appeared on draft boards already after his first couple of games."
Jakob Poeltl took many by surprise coming to Utah as a relative unknown and providing the inside presence the program lacked since Larry Krystkowiak took the reins. Only seven games into his career, he was averaging nearly a double-double and shooting up NBA draft boards as a freshman sensation.
But as the season has progressed, Poeltl has reminded fans that he's still a freshman: His zero-point, two-rebound, four-foul effort against Washington State — when he was blitzed by Cougars role player Jordan Railey — might stand as one of his worst games.
Still, Poeltl hasn't grown any shorter, his 7-foot-3 wing span hasn't diminished and NBA scouts still find a lot to like about him. He knows there's a decision to make once he finishes the season, even if he's pushing it to the back of his mind.
Will he stay with the Utes, or will he go pro? Poeltl says he is occupied enough with the present.
"Obviously I'm thinking about it a little bit, but I'm really not at a point where I can make a decision," he said. "I'd like to keep it that way because I'm trying to focus on the Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA tournament. It's going to be a rough couple of weeks, and it's going to need all my attention."
Recent evidence suggests he may need another year of seasoning. In his past five games, Poeltl has averaged 3.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. In front of no fewer than 18 scouts against Arizona, Kaleb Tarczewski took the Austrian to school with a variety of post moves and a level of physicality that left Poeltl looking lost.
Foul trouble has been perhaps his greatest flaw — he racks them up quickly, and from there, he struggles to get in the rhythm of games. He also has lacked assertiveness: Against Wazzu, he didn't attempt a shot in 17 minutes.
ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla has seen Poeltl play live against Kansas and the Wildcats, and he's come away with the same conclusion both times: Give it another year in college.
"Will he play meaningful minutes in the NBA? Only if he's playing for the 76ers," Fraschilla said. "He reminds me of Omer Asik, the way he's defense-oriented. I love his long-term potential, but the NBA is too big of a jump for him right now."
But that leap is not without spoils. UCLA's Kyle Anderson, the last pick of the first round in 2014, has a contract that pays out more than $1 million per year with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite Poeltl's recent struggles, he's had enough strong games — dominating matchups with USC and Cal last month — that offer a tantalizing look at his upside. His size and potential still have many experts ranking him as a first-round pick if he were to leave this year.
The Poeltls originally sent Jakob to Utah to experience a "middle step" between prep school and the pros, giving him a chance to get an education. Said Martina Poeltl: "You can go to college and become a pro later — but it doesn't work the other way round. The pro years will follow."
Krystkowiak, who was a three-year Big Sky MVP at Montana, said he hasn't discussed any future decisions with Jakob since his family came to visit over winter break. He hasn't said explicitly he thinks his star freshman should come back to school, but he does have a laundry list of things he'd like to see him improve: finishing ability, staying out of foul trouble, developing better hands when catching passes and much, much more.
"He got toasted down on the block against Tarczewski," Krystkowiak said. "That's the reality: There's an awful lot of things that need to be improved on right now."
It's also reality that the future will be Jakob's call. While he seems in no rush to get to the next level — after all, he could've gone pro in Europe last year — he'll meet with his parents in the offseason to weigh his options.
His parents want him to have a long career, and they're concerned about the pressure he'll face no matter what he does. But they trust him to take his future in his massive, shot-blocking hands, and make the right choice — no matter what that choice is.
"Utah has a great team, they can make some noise in the tournament and they shall get the maximum out of this season," Martina Poeltl wrote. "Any discussions about Jakob's future can wait one more month. … It will be Jakob's decision — it's about his life and his goals."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Jakob Poeltl in NBA mock drafts
Many analysts* think the Utah freshman center could be a first-round pick if he decides to leave college early:
NBA Draft Express • No. 16
ESPN • No. 19
Bleacher Report • No. 21
CBS Sports • No. 27**
* — Poeltl was absent from NBAdraft.net's first round
** — Gary Parrish mock; absent on mock by two other CBS writers —
No. 13 Utah at Washington
P At Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle
Tipoff • 2:30 p.m. MT
TV • Pac-12 Network
Radio • 700 AM
Records • Utah 23-6, 13-4; UW 15-14, 4-13
Series history • Utah leads 9-8
Last meeting • Utah 77, UW 56 (Jan. 25)
About the Utes • Utah is going for its first sweep of a two-game conference road trip in the Pac-12 era and hasn't achieved since the 2008-2009 season. … Delon Wright ranks No. 12 in Pac-12 scoring, No. 8 in FG percentage, No. 3 in assists, No. 5 in FT percentage and No. 2 in steals. … Staying out of foul trouble has been a huge key for Utah this year: the Utes are 18-0 when committing fewer fouls than their opponent.
About the Huskies • Lorenzo Romar is looking to avoid his third losing season of his 13-year Washington tenure, but UW has lost 10 of its last 11. … Sophomore Nigel Williams-Goss leads the team in points (15.1), minutes (36.8) and assists (5.8). … Robert Upshaw was leading the nation in blocked shots with 4.2 bpg before he was dismissed, leaving Shawn Kemp Jr. as the team's new leader with 0.8 per game.