This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Larry Krystkowiak felt relief when his freshman 7-foot center told him last week he was staying another year.
But Jakob Poeltl was equally relieved. While the Austrian flirted with the NBA this offseason — which he called a lifelong goal — deep down, he said, he had wanted to play his sophomore year at Utah all along.
"I just had a great year here," he said in one of his first interviews since deciding to return to the Runnin' Utes. "I had a lot of fun with the guys and with the team. I think we can do what we did this year and maybe go further. That's a challenge I set for myself. I really want to accomplish that."
Poeltl was a relative unknown entering the season but shot up NBA draft boards as he averaged 9.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.9 bpg while anchoring Utah's defense in the paint. ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Draft Express were among the outlets who projected he would be a first-round pick. Poeltl acknowledged he heard the same about his draft position.
But for him, it wasn't a question of where he would get drafted or how much money he stood to make. Poeltl said there were two big factors in his decision: whether he felt he was ready, and how the Utes planned to use him. On both fronts, he was swayed to come back to school.
Poeltl said he thought he could grow and improve his game at Utah in a way that would better prepare him to step into the NBA and be a more immediate factor. Krystkowiak helped sell him on coming back by emphasizing that he would play a bigger role on offense and with his leadership.
"I feel like now that we lose two of our biggest players with Delon [Wright] and Dallin [Bachynski], there's going to have to be somebody who steps up," Poeltl said. "There's going to be a lot of people, and I really want to be one of those who's going to take more responsibilities on our team."
Poeltl estimated he met with Krystkowiak every other day to discuss his decision, share information and learn about how each path might play out. Krystkowiak painted a vivid picture of what the NBA would be like, he said, drawing on his experience as both a player and a coach in the league.
When Poeltl finally shared his decision with Krystkowiak, it was on a three-way video call with his coach and his mother. Said Poeltl: "He was excited."
The family plans to take out an insurance policy through the university to protect him in case he suffers an injury during his sophomore year. Poeltl said his goal is to leave the program after next season for the 2016 NBA draft, but he won't make a final decision until next spring.
Poeltl stands to become the first Austrian to play in the NBA whenever he enters the draft, and he said many of his youth teammates were excited about that prospect. He said there wasn't much "pressure" from Austria to declare for that reason, but it appealed to people in his home country.
His parents collected information on his behalf: his draft standing, what he would need to work on, which teams were interested. But he said they never tried to sway him down a particular path.
"They were always there and said, 'You do you and make your own decision,' " he said. "'Don't let anybody else try to make that decision for you. We're not going to try to influence you in any way.' They didn't really push me in any direction."
Teammates were not as shy. Poeltl said it was challenging for him to leave behind the friends he made over the past year, and that his relationships played a role in deciding to come back.
"I really made a lot of friends out here, especially with my teammates, because we are around each other all the time and they are great guys," he said. "That was a part of my decision because I wanted to stick with those guys for one more year at least. Just be around them. I was basically going to leave my friends if I went to the NBA draft, so that was a big part of my decision, too."
For offseason goals, Poeltl is working on his offensive versatility. Coaches want him to get into the weight room and add some heft. Most of all, he'll try to find the swagger and leadership ability that defined his youth career.
"I was a freshman, I was new to all this, so there really was no reason for me to be in that kind of leader role," he said. "Now I've experienced it for a year, and I think I'm that kind of player who can be a leader, so why not be not be back next year. With Dallin Bachynski, we lose on of our leaders on the team, both vocal and on the court, so I'm really going to try to step in there and take over a little bit of that hole he leaves."
Twitter: @kylegoon