This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tension will always exist between fans of opposing Utah schools.
Between the former players of those schools, the rivalry is more easily dissolved. Many of these former college athletes have made their homes in Utah, and in the summer, Utes, Cougars, Aggies and Wildcats play pickup games together seamlessly.
So when the opportunity arose to play in ESPN's venture The Basketball Tournament, it wasn't too hard for 10 guys to put aside former loyalties and unite under a new moniker: Team Utah. After a 2-0 opening weekend, the group is in Chicago and four wins away from a million-dollar payday it hopes to split among players.
"When you cross that barrier, you forget who is a Cougar and who is a Ute," former BYU wing Jonathan Tavernari said. "When we get back for the summer [from playing overseas], we always text each other to see when we can play. The rivalries don't mean as much. I mean, I've been wearing a red jersey that says 'Utah' on it."
Funny how these things happen.
For Team Utah, which takes the court again Friday afternoon, it started with a phone call. An ESPN representative contacted Tavernari, 28, in March, asking if he could assemble a "BYU team" for the second-annual Basketball Tournament, a five-on-five single-elimination tournament with a winner-take-all prize.
After not having much luck getting former Cougars together — for reasons ranging from NBA summer leagues to injury — Tavernari moved on from his former teammates to his former rivals. He called Shaun Green, a Utah forward who had been one of Tavernari's biggest competitors since their high school days.
Tavernari and Green helped put together a team that includes Utes (Tim Drisdom, Justin Hawkins, Bryant Markson, Richard Chaney), Wildcats (Nick Covington, Steve Panos), an Aggie (Nate Bendall) and Southern Illinois alumnus Mike Dale.
"It was kind of like a Nick Fury thing: Avengers assemble," Tavernari said. "But it was cool: Everybody wanted to do it. We should be playing pickup right now, but instead we have a chance to play in Chicago for a million dollars."
Many of the players are familiar from casual games around the state over the past few years, and they know how to complement one another on the court. It doesn't hurt that many of them are also overseas or ex-pro players who know how to blend into a team.
Drisdom is the team coach, with experience leading an AAU team. But his duties haven't been all that demanding.
"We basically got everyone to buy into sound team defense right away," he said. "We've got a lot of guys who have high basketball IQs. We don't run plays, but we're able to read situations and react to them. It helps to have guys who can play with a little structure and organization."
That cohesion helped Team Utah rip through its first two games by a combined 35 points. Hawkins led the team in scoring in both games, while Green and Dale each had a triple-double in the second game.
This weekend, it gets serious. Entering the Super 17 in Chicago, Team Utah faces a Los Angeles-based team with a host of talent, including former NBA top-10 pick Ike Diogu.
It might be a long shot to think Team Utah will come out on top in the Aug. 2 championship, slated for broadcast on ESPN. But with so much money on the line, it's motivated.
"For a lot of guys who are still playing, that's an extra year of salary," Tavernari said. "That money can help them start their savings, put their kids through school, help them pay off their mortgages. It's a big deal."
Drisdom puts it another way.
"For a million dollars, I'll put a lot aside," he said. "I don't think it matters what school you went to."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Former rivals
A team representing the state of Utah takes on LAUNFD on Friday at 1:15 MDT in Chicago. The team is four wins away from taking home a million-dollar prize in the Aug. 2 final in New York. The team comprises a blend of former college rivals:
Utah • Tim Drisdom, Justin Hawkins, Bryant Markson, Richard Chaney, Shaun Green
Weber State • Nick Covington, Steve Panos
BYU • Jonathan Tavernari
Utah State • Nate Bendall