With the season having come to its end at the hands of Gonzaga in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, we’re on to a new era of Utah basketball. Gone are the likes of Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge, Dakari Tucker, and almost certainly, Jakob Poeltl.
Now that Utah has confirmed two transfers are on their way out in Chris Reyes and Isaiah Wright, the scholarship crunch isn’t as dire, but Utah’s could still to have to get creative in getting themselves at the limit of 12 for the 2016-2017 season.
Here is what the 2016-17 roster looks like right now:
Guards
Lorenzo Bonam, Kenneth Ogbe, Parker Van Dyke, JoJo Zamora, Sedrick Barefield, Devon Daniels
Forwards
Brekkott Chapman, Kyle Kuzma, Tyler Rawson, David Collette, Gabe Bealer
Centers
Jayce Johnson, Makol Mawien
Larry Krystkowiak and his staff are still out recruiting for the 2016 class, so the roster may have more additions by the time the season starts, but even if things hold, the talent level has been upgraded. Jayce Johnson was a top 50 national recruit. Barefield was a 4 star kid that only left SMU because sanctions were levied by the NCAA. Daniels is a skilled combo guard that could have the highest overall ceiling on the team. What we’re seeing is the program’s nextstep where Utah is getting more and more high level players and that’s how you take the next step. That step starts next season. While the early season results next season may not be indicative of where Utah is going, the finished product should be impressive, and set Utah up well for the next couple of years.
