BYU guard Hunter Erickson (0) places up a shot throughout an NIT recreation towards Lengthy Seashore State on the Marriott Middle in Provo on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Having transferred from BYU to SLCC final fall, the previous Timpview Excessive star Hunter Erickson will play for the Runnin’ Utes in 2023-24 Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Timpview’s Hunter Erickson drives exhausting to the ring with Timpanogos’ Justin Beus and Tyler Walker defending as they play at Timpview in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
BYU basketball participant Hunter Erickson stands within the Marriott Middle Annex in Provo on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The previous Timpview begin ended up transferring to Salt Lake Group Faculty and can play for the Runnin’ Utes subsequent season. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Incoming College of Utah basketball participant Hunter Erickson, who simply concluded a standout season at Salt Lake Group Faculty, isn’t positive but when the BYU Cougars go to the Jon M. Huntsman Middle this upcoming season.
Erickson simply is aware of that they may, someday in mid-December, and, as a former Cougar, he couldn’t be extra enthusiastic about it.
“No exhausting emotions. All of the coaches there are actually good guys. I realized a ton and bought quite a bit higher in my time there. I simply felt like so as to attain my potential I wanted a much bigger function and larger alternatives. So, we parted methods. It was a good time there and I beloved it. Loads of good guys there.” — New Runnin’ Utes guard Hunter Erickson on his time at BYU
“It will likely be a superb time,” Erickson stated earlier this week. “I'm undoubtedly wanting ahead to it. It will likely be enjoyable. It will likely be an enormous recreation for me, clearly.”
That doesn’t imply Erickson harbors any unwell will towards the group and coaches for which he performed two years — 2020-21 and 2021-22 — after a high-scoring prep profession at Provo’s Timpview Excessive and a Spanish-speaking church mission to Charlotte, North Carolina.
In reality, Erickson has largely good issues to say about his time at BYU, whereas noting that he left as a result of he had a unique imaginative and prescient for his future than BYU coach Mark Pope and a few members of his employees did.
“No exhausting emotions,” Erickson stated. “All of the coaches there are actually good guys. I realized a ton and bought quite a bit higher in my time there. I simply felt like so as to attain my potential I wanted a much bigger function and larger alternatives. So, we parted methods. It was a good time there and I beloved it. Loads of good guys there.”
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Erickson entered the switch portal in Could 2022 after showing in eight video games as a BYU freshman in 2020-21 and 19 video games as a sophomore in 2021-22. He averaged 1.0 factors, 0.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists his second season in Provo because the Cougars reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Final July, he introduced his dedication to SLCC and extremely profitable head coach Kyle Taylor, and put collectively the form of season he envisioned having at BYU. Though he signed with the Utes a recreation into his solely season with the Bruins, he began in 30 of SLCC’s 34 video games and helped lead the Taylorsville faculty to a No. 5 seed within the NJCAA nationwide event in Hutchinson, Kansas.
That first official (nonexhibition) recreation with SLCC?
Erickson stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 15 factors and including 4 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals in 20 minutes in a 97-74 win over Casper Faculty.
“We're thrilled to welcome Hunter to the Runnin’ Utes household,” Utes coach Craig Smith stated on Nov. 9, when the early signing interval for Division I school basketball opened. “Hunter is a basketball junkie and likes to compete. He’s a dynamic playmaker (who) competes on each ends of the courtroom. He's a winner and can make us higher.”
The Bruins completed with a 29-5 total report, falling 94-93 in time beyond regulation to Tallahassee Group Faculty in a first-round recreation on the place everyone in junior school basketball merely refers to as “Hutch.”
“That was a intestine punch,” Erickson stated. “We had an superior 12 months. We had a really proficient group with a number of Division I transfers and big-time guys. … We may have gone far.”
In 2022, SLCC performed for the nationwide championship, however fell to Northwest Florida State within the finals.
Erickson and teammate Alejandro Vasquez made the All-Area 18 First Staff and Erickson completed because the squad’s third-leading scorer, averaging 12.1 factors. He additionally chipped in 3.9 rebounds and led the group with 184 assists. He had 43 steals, blocked 14 pictures, and shot 42% from 3-point vary (59 of 140) and an eye-popping — for a guard — 51% from the sector.
It was simply what the physician ordered for a man trying to get his school profession again on monitor.
“I’m very pleased with the way it labored out (and have) no regrets,” Erickson stated. “Once I was leaving, I felt like I wanted a spot the place the top coach and coaches see my future the identical means I see my future. And I felt like that's what I bought at SLCC. They put me right into a place to proceed that journey to a spot I see myself reaching.”
Erickson says he didn’t have a specific vacation spot in thoughts when he entered the switch portal in early April. He had logged solely 15 complete minutes in BYU’s three NIT video games, scoring simply two factors. These had been the primary factors since he had 10 towards Westminster means again on Dec. 29, 2021.
When three-year BYU assistant Chris Burgess joined Smith’s employees on April 13, Erickson says he started to contemplate enjoying for the Cougars’ longtime rival. Nonetheless, the extra he thought of it, the extra he wished to go to a spot the place he may begin and get a number of minutes immediately, and that meant the junior school route.
“I felt like SLCC was good, as a result of I may go in and simply play a ton each recreation and be a pacesetter on the courtroom,” he stated. “Clearly, I ended up having Utah present (curiosity) fairly early and it match all of the classes I used to be in search of. I didn’t have to attend (for the season) to commit. It was my most suitable choice.”
Erickson stated having Burgess on the U. sealed the deal.
“I may inform in speaking to teach Smith that he believed in me, and particularly with Chris Burgess being there, I knew it could be a superb match. I used to be shut to teach Burgess at BYU and I do know he believes in me as nicely. He's a fan of mine. I actually respect that.”
Erickson has one other tie to Craig Smith. Smith’s son, 6-foot guard Brady Smith, was one in all Erickson’s teammates at SLCC and so they share a home that Erickson’s aunt owns close to Trend Place Mall in Murray with one other teammate.
“He’s superior,” Erickson stated of the Inexperienced Canyon (Logan) Excessive product.
Erickson was superior in highschool, averaging 22.0 factors his junior 12 months and 22.6 factors his senior 12 months at Timpview.
Timpview’s Hunter Erickson drives exhausting to the ring with Timpanogos’ Justin Beus and Tyler Walker defending as they play at Timpview in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Because the season resulted in Kansas, he’s been enjoying all of the pickup basketball he can with guys from varied school groups all through the state and ending up courses for his affiliate diploma at SLCC.
As soon as courses are completed the primary week of Could, Erickson can begin doing issues with the Runnin’ Utes. When the Utes start getting ready in earnest for the 2023-24 season on June 22, he shall be there, decked out in pink and loving each minute of it, he stated.
He'll pursue an train science and/or vitamin diploma on the U.
Erickson sees himself as a combo guard or level guard at Utah, having ran the purpose at SLCC a lot of the season. Utah’s backcourt took successful not too long ago when two-year starter Lazar Stefanovic hit the switch portal and subsequently dedicated to UCLA.
Thus far, Utah has picked up one addition from the portal — Colorado middle Lawson Lovering. Erickson appears ahead to working with Lovering.
“I need to win, and I'm pleased to do no matter function they see that advantages the group essentially the most,” he stated. “That might be scoring a ton, or facilitating a ton. Scoring was form of my major factor in highschool. At BYU, I actually developed my playmaking, and I did each (at SLCC). So I really feel like I may play in virtually any function and be capable to excel at it.”
As for this December, he appears ahead to competing towards the Cougars and former teammates who're nonetheless at BYU resembling Trevin Knell, Trey Stewart, Spencer Johnson, Fousseyni Traore and Atiki Ally Atiki.
“We're all (nonetheless) fairly shut,” he stated. “All of us had courses collectively. We had some fairly good groups whereas I used to be there as a result of we had been all so shut. We had been all fairly good pals.”
However for a type of buddies, it grew to become time to maneuver on. And he’s glad he did.
BYU basketball participant Hunter Erickson stands within the Marriott Middle Annex in Provo on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The previous Timpview begin ended up transferring to Salt Lake Group Faculty and can play for the Runnin’ Utes subsequent season.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information