This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A year ago, the site of Utah basketball's future was a mound of dirt and a few buildings in need of a major overhaul.
This spring, it's a little more fun for recruits.
Coach Larry Krystkowiak and his staff give their potential players vests and hard hats, then lead them through the rising steel and brick corridors of the multimillion-dollar basketball facility opening in August. Here's where the gym is coming in ... here's your future locker room ... here's where we'll watch film, and so on.
"It's not just great for the kids, it's great for us as coaches — we get excited every time we go over there," Krystkowiak said. "But although we're proud of the facility and the building we work in, I kind of compare it to a church: If you don't have the right people, the right congregation, it's only a nice, neat building. We have to keep the same mentality once we move in there."
The prospect of a new home for Utah basketball raises questions of who will inhabit it for the years to come. It's a question the Runnin' Utes are tackling now.
With the fall roster all but set, Utah is scouting ahead to the 2016 recruiting class — a class that could see Utah chase a higher caliber recruit than it has before.
Utah's journey to the Sweet 16 in March helped raise the program's exposure, and the new facility, coaching stability and the program's recent NBA caliber talent are selling points for recruits. To reach a higher plateau, the Utes are using those points to take aim at several top prospects, including in-state talent and four-star recruits Frank Jackson and Brendan Bailey.
NCAA rules prevent coaches from talking about specific recruits with the media, but several recruits are happy to talk about the Utes.
"They told me, 'We're making a progression, and we think you can be a guy who helps bring us to the next level,' " Jackson said.
Krystkowiak has put a lot of the program's rebuilding on the shoulders of four-year players. Even next year, his first recruiting class of Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge and Dakarai Tucker will carry a lot of the load. This is partly strategy: While the Utes can't recruit the caliber of freshman Duke or Arizona gets, they hope their experience can help keep such battles close and hopefully win a few.
But the success of Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl, who both flirted with the NBA after their first seasons at Utah, also has helped open the coaching staff to taking on a few players who may end up leaving early.
"There are some more doors open now, and it's fun to be involved with some of the kids we're recruiting," Krystkowiak said. "I've said all along I'd like to build a program with some juniors and seniors who can beat some really good freshmen, but certainly I'm not opposed to recruiting some kids who might be one-and-done. It's an inexact science, but we are going after some kids with higher potential."
The Utes' veteran roster will clear out some holes in the fall of 2016: Loveridge, Taylor and Tucker will exhaust their eligibility, while Poeltl is expected to test the NBA draft waters. The significant void left by these departures could act like a vacuum: It clears out minutes and opportunities for young talent.
One of Utah's targets, small forward Vance Jackson — who is rated No. 30 by Rivals and No. 27 by 247 Sports — says such opportunities will be a huge consideration when he makes his college decision. The 6-foot-7 Californian means to start wherever he winds up — and his offers include the Pac-12 powers, UConn, Maryland and Memphis — and it so happens the Utes need help in the wings.
Even while Utah tries to raise the bar for its incoming talent, it wishes to maintain the atmosphere created when Krystkowiak first arrived. The Utes, for example, are one of many schools in the mix for Vance Jackson, but they've distinguished themselves in the race by maintaining one of the closest relationships.
"They talk to me like every day," Jackson said. "I don't have any top schools yet, but Utah is up there. They've really had a good relationship with me."
Even if Utah isn't the biggest name alongside the schools it is recruiting against, it hopes persistence can pay off. And then, maybe they'll start filling their new building with the players they'll need to reach new heights.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
How the roster shapes up
In the coming seasons, the Runnin' Utes will have shoes to fill as players exhaust their eligibility or have the opportunity to leave early:
2016 • Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge, Dakarai Tucker
2017 • Lorenzo Bonam, Chris Reyes, Kenneth Ogbe
• Jakob Poeltl is expected to enter into the NBA draft after the 2015-16 season.