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At the beginning, Andy Hill joked, it seemed like the Runnin' Utes got two kinds of phone calls: those from players who wanted to transfer out of the program and those from teams who wanted to beat up on them.
"We're a little different now," said the assistant coach. "Scheduling becomes more challenging when you have success."
And yet, despite what the Utes have characterized as a tougher road to schedule tough games, the program has what Hill thinks is its most difficult nonconference schedule yet. It includes tests against Duke, Wichita State, San Diego State and BYU with a trip to Puerto Rico for a tournament against three of several established programs.
Hill takes on much of the responsibilities of scheduling for the program with Larry Krystkowiak's direction. And while the Utes wanted a schedule that will look good for an NCAA Tournament résumé, they also strove to bring the team to "the best destinations we can get to."
That includes Madison Square Garden, where Utah will play the Blue Devils, and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off against teams like Butler and Missouri State.
"We recruited these kids with the promise that we would play in some of these events, and we believe in them, so that's what we tried to do," Hill said. "For our kids to get some of these experiences is absolutely huge for them."
There's at least two marquee home games as well: against SDSU for the ESPN College Tip-Off in November, and against BYU in December. The contest with the Shockers will take place at the Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita — not a true Wichita home game, but well-within Shocker territory.
There is one question mark: a to-be-determined game on Dec. 28 at Huntsman Center that was once thought to be a game against neighbor Westminster College.
The Pac-12 anticipates conference play will begin Dec. 31, but with bowl game schedules, some teams might play on Dec. 30. If the Utes start the season on the road on the 30th, they wouldn't play the game on the 28th, Hill said.
Chapman just misses cut for Team USA
Sophomore forward Brekkott Chapman made it past the first round of cuts but didn't end up making the final roster for Team USA's U-19 squad, which is heading to Crete, Greece, for the FIBA World Championships. Chapman was one of four players who made the group of 16 but not the final team.
Among the coaches who made the final decisions was Arizona coach Sean Miller, who will lead the team in the tournament. But on this roster, he said, being one of the first men out was no dishonor.
"I thought the 16 players, really everybody, but especially when we got it to 16, they did a fantastic job. Each one of them should leave here, especially the four that didn't make it, with no regrets," Miller said in a news release. "The 12 that made it are excellent players and really talented."
One of the factors that hurt Chapman may have been his limited experience. While he was one of the older players trying out, eight of the final 12 had previous Team USA experience and had won gold in at least one other international tournament.
Two Pac-12 players made the cut: Arizona's Allonzo Trier and UCLA's Thomas Welch.
Jakob Poeltl heads to LeBron James skills camp
Utah's sophomore center Jakob Poeltl will attend the LeBron James Skills Academy from July 26 to 30, Hill told The Tribune. The annual tournament hosts 100 players, and 20 college players typically take part.
The 7-foot Austrian was an all-conference freshman honoree last season, averaging 9.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.He becomes the second Ute in two seasons to attend the camp: Delon Wright was a college invitee last year.
Hill said Poeltl will have a busy summer. He's also planning to join the Austrian national team after Utah breaks its own eight-week training program in July.
Twitter: @kylegoon