This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer showed off his shooting touch during his workout for the Utah Jazz on Saturday. If he could have made it back to campus the next morning, he might have had a chance to tell one of the team's legends all about it.
Sunday ball is a tradition in Spokane, Wash., where Bulldog hoops is the biggest show in town. And on any given Sunday, you might see a Hall of Famer walk into the gym.
"I used to play pickup with John Stockton all the time," Wiltjer said after his weekend workout at the Jazz's practice facility.
The 6-foot-10 Wiltjer, who averaged 20 points a game last season and helped lead the Zags to the Sweet 16, said it had been about a year and a half since he'd had the opportunity to share the court with Stockton. But the NBA's all-time assists and steals leader left an impression on the youngster.
"He could still bring it," Wiltjer said. "If it's game point, he's going to foul you, whatever it takes. He's a competitor. It's really cool to see that. It's what made him so special. He's one of the all-time greats. It's really cool to have been able to learn from of the best players to ever play the game."
Stockton, by the way, turned 54 in March.
"It's tough when you're on the losing side," the 23-year-old Wiltjer said. "But when you're on his team, he'll throw you dimes."
'Sick to my stomach'
Ron Baker knows Salt Lake City well enough.
As a freshman at Wichita State in 2013, Baker helped upset top-seeded Gonzaga at then-EnergySolutions Arena in the first round of the NCAA tourney and eventually earn a trip to the Sweet 16. But as he returned to Utah to work out for the Jazz on Sunday, Baker was reminded also of his team's 2014 overtime loss to the Utes at the Huntsman Center.
The 6-4 guard, however, said the relationship he's formed this summer while working out for six weeks with former Ute center Jakob Poeltl has helped ease the pain.
"Knowing Jakob's a good kid and a friendly guy, it didn't make me so sick to my stomach thinking about that game," Baker joked.
Baker, whose shooting, size and intelligence impressed Jazz scouts on Sunday, could also take solace in something else: When the Utes visited Wichita last year, the Shockers handled Utah with ease in a 67-50 win.
Getting a shot
Utah State shooting guard Chris Smith got his first NBA workout on Sunday, getting the chance to show off his talents for the Jazz.
"It's a great experience," said the 6-4 guard who knocked down 46 percent of his 3-pointers in two seasons in Logan. "We always watch Utah Jazz games playing at Utah State, always hearing about the players and stuff like that. It's just a great experience to actually be in here and practice and shoot."
Twitter: @tribjazz