After all, Tyler Kepkay was on the verge of going somewhere else.

"He was our first priority of business," Boylen recalled, "besides getting the keys to my office."

Making the immediate trip to see Kepkay work out at the College of Eastern Utah in Price paid off, too, because it helped convince the high-scoring point guard to stick with the Utes - even after Boylen replaced fired coach Ray Giacoletti, to whom Kepkay had orally committed.

Now, the 20-year-old junior stands as the most important addition to a team trying to rebound from its worst season in 23 years.

He's expected to step right in as the starting point guard and drastically improve what Boylen called a "poor" backcourt - starting with his first public appearance for the team when the Utes open practice with the "Friday Night Hoops" exhibition event at the Huntsman Center on Friday night.

"I'm ready for whatever," Kepkay said.

So are the Utes.

They recruited the native Canadian from CEU because he's a tough player who led the nation in junior-college scoring. A first-team junior-college All-American, he averaged 27.9 points per game for the Eagles last season, while shooting 47 percent from three-point range and 88 percent from the free-throw line.

Kepkay was highly recruited, and wound up taking recruiting trips to St. John's, San Diego State and Duquesne after the Utes fired Giacoletti. He was "wide open" about his college choice - until Boylen showed up with his NBA pedigree, anyway.

"He basically convinced me that, out of all the places, he was going to be the best coach for me," Kepkay said. "He would be the one who would develop me the most, and the best coach to help me get to where I want to go."

And while he figures to primarily play point guard, Kepkay and senior returning starter Johnnie Bryant are virtually interchangeable in the backcourt.

Bryant started all 30 games at point guard for the Utes last season, averaging 15.1 points but feeling as if opposing defenses were able to wear him down, knowing the Utes did not have any other intimidating backcourt scoring threats.

Though he's soft-spoken, Kepkay insists the most pressure he feels comes from himself. And behind the quiet facade, roommate and junior center Luke Nevill said, lurks the killer instinct of a player hardly lacking for confidence.

"He describes himself as the 6-foot LeBron," Nevill said, laughing. "I make fun of him all the time. I'm like, 'That's ridiculous.' "

The Utes, however, hope it's not too far-fetched.

mcl@sltrib.com