In years past, Utah's Luke Nevill worried little about poor performances, or not living up to expectations. After all, there was always next time. There was always next year. There was always another chance to make up for missed opportunities, much to the aggravation of coaches and fans.

But not anymore.

The 7-foot-2 center is a senior now, and time is quickly running out on his college basketball career. The second chances are long gone.

And not so coincidentally … so is the old Nevill -- the guy who missed easy shots at the rim and got pushed around the paint and dragged himself up the floor like grandpa without his oxygen. In his place is the new and dramatically improved version, fueled by the realization that if he is going to win a championship or reach the NCAA Tournament or make millions as a first-round pick in the NBA Draft, Nevill has to make it happen now.

"I don't have another chance," he said. "I don't get to redo anything. So every time I step on the floor, it's my last opportunity to play that game, and I'm trying to make the most of it and go out there and give 100 percent effort."

It has definitely showed.

Heading into tonight's game against Brigham Young at the Huntsman Center, Nevill is enjoying by far the best season of his career -- averaging career highs in every significant statistical category and perhaps playing his way into the prestigious and lucrative first round of the NBA Draft. Coaches such as Cal's Mike Montgomery and Wyoming's Heath Schroyer already have suggested as much, and Utah's Jim Boylen believes it all started when Nevill finally committed himself fully to the team.

"He has become a better teammate, a better friend to guys, and a better leader," Boylen said. "The talent has always been there. It's the selfless act to be a teammate and make yourself one with the team. … Before, he was kind of separated, and it didn't all work for him. Now, he's together. He cares for his teammates, he's spending more time with them. And to me, it all comes back to you. That's what happened."

Didn't come easily, though.

Naturally an easy-going and gentle man with a soft spot for children -- he's majoring in human development and family studies -- the native Australian was never much of a tough guy, and not especially tight with his teammates. Boylen had to convince him that he needed to change all that, get tougher and stronger and prove himself to the players on whom he depended.

"I said, 'You ain't getting there without your teammates,'" Boylen recalled. "'You ain't getting there without those guys believing you care for them. It doesn't work.' And that's exactly what the conversation was. They have to think you care for them, or else they're not going to throw you the ball, get you in the right position. … That's been the conversation every day since I've been here with him. 'You better pull these guys in, you better let them know you care for them, spend time with them, so they help you be successful, which in turn helps us be successful.'"

Though Nevill applied to the NBA for an evaluation of his draft prospects after last season -- it said he probably could expect to be a second-round pick -- he never seriously considered leaving school early, like BYU's Trent Plaisted did last year, in part because his mother felt strongly about him earning his degree.

But that was also part of the problem, on the court.

"I never had the realization that I was going to leave and go the league, so I always had it in the back of my mind, 'I have another year. I have another year,'" Nevill said. "I didn't have that mentality to leave it all out on the floor. … I always had a second chance, and that kind of made me play a little bit softer than I should have."

No longer.

Though far from a perfect player, Nevill posts up stronger these days, and so demands the ball that he has squabbled with teammates over not getting it. Having stayed in town for most of the offseason to work out and bond with the rest of the Utes, he's stronger and fitter. He doesn't get pushed around as much, and gets up and down the floor with visible purpose. Boylen repeatedly has praised his defensive improvement; Nevill recently became the school's all-time leader in blocked shots, with fellow Aussie Andrew Bogut's single-season mark destined to fall soon.

"He's been a beast this whole year," guard Lawrence Borha said. "And then his mind … he has been unreal this year. He's been here . Mentally, he has been with us, you know? Last year, he would be here, but he wouldn't be here in his mind. He would be off wandering, thinking about other stuff. He's just here all the time now, and he's getting better for it."

Another extra bit of tangible proof would be finally beating the Cougars again.

The Utes have not done that since Nevill sent expectations soaring with his epic performance against the Cougs in the Mountain West Conference tournament at the end of his freshman season, when he scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 74-70 victory. He has averaged a modest 13.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in four straight losses since, and would love to add a win over the rivals to a resume he hopes can deliver the Utes to the NCAA Tournament -- something he experienced only vicariously as a redshirt freshman nearly four years ago.

"It's great to be a senior and be in a successful team and a winning team," he said. "We're heading in the right direction, and if we keep playing like we are, we're going to make a run at the NCAAs. That's our goal, to get there."

mcl@sltrib.com