This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Jakob Poeltl's English is as competent as any native speaker, and judging by his teammate's jokes and teasing, he's fitting right into the locker room.
But one harsh lesson he's learned in the States as he begins his freshman season with the Utes: No more dodgeball.
The Utah men's basketball team was having a barbecue at Larry Krystkowiak's house and playing dodgeball when Poeltl — an easy target at 7 feet tall — got nailed in the head. Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as shaking off the impact.
"I got hit in the head, slapped my head against the wall," he said. "I got a concussion. It was stupid. It cost me like a week."
So no more in-season dodgeball games for the Austrian, maybe ever again. But basketball is something he knows a thing or two about, as he showed in a 12-point, 5-rebound and double-block debut in Utah's intra-squad scrimmage last week.
Poeltl brings length the Utes can really use on the defensive end. Krystkowiak and his fellow teammates have talked about the freshman's knack for blocks, which he honed playing in Austria's top basketball league last year against grown men. Poeltl said his early adaptation to Utah's system is rooted in familiarity.
"I really like our defensive system," he said. "It's similar to what I played before. I felt like it was pretty easy for me to adjust to this system because I kind of knew it."
Top priorities for Poeltl are to gain weight and polish his offense. A relatively wiry guy at 235, he's already made some progress in adding muscle, which he'll need to play against bigs in the Pac-12. He's unlikely to match the 75 percent shooting he had in the Austrian Budesliga, but he'll look to make the most of whatever chances he can get.
If, that is, he sees the floor, which isn't clear yet.
Poeltl said the cultural shift hasn't shaken him. He Skypes with his family at least once a week, but he's settling in.
"I'm obviously missing my family and friends, but I'm having a lot of fun over here," he said. "It's just like getting to know my team."
Back to work after scrimmage
Jordan Loveridge poured in 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting last Tuesday. While it's promising, he said, there's no need to remind him it didn't count.
The Utes are running out of things they can learn from playing each other. Krystkowiak referred to the week before Utah's first exhibition as the "dog days," when the grind of practice is starting to wear on players without the release of actual games.
But there's plenty to work on, Loveridge said. One of the big things will be execution of plays. The team likes its on-court effort thus far, but with new players and chemistry, the top issue remains learning the mental side.
"Just cleaning up and finishing plays," Loveridge said. "That will be the biggest thing for us."
Brandon Taylor's sprain not big setback
Junior guard Brandon Taylor was held out of Wednesday's practice wearing a boot. Krystkowiak said his No. 3 scorer from last season sprained his ankle in practice.
The Utes aren't too concerned about Taylor being out for long.
"It's all about treatment: a lot of ice and stay off of it," Krystkowiak said.
Twitter: @kylegoon