Utah Utes middle Keba Keita (13) grabs a rebound as Utah and Colorado play within the Huntsman Heart in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Utah Utes head coach Craig Smith questions the referee after a name as Utah and Stanford play in Pac-12 Match motion at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
It has been a busy offseason for Craig Smith because the third-year Runnin’ Utes coach continues to revamp his roster and shuffle his personal teaching and help workers in mild of some departures from each teams prior to now 4 months.
That work continues abroad this month.
“I actually like this staff. I like all the brand new guys. I just like the vibe. We're all having enjoyable and simply working laborious. I really feel like this staff goes to be a extremely good defensive staff due to the (communication) we've in our practices and exercises. All people talks to one another.” — Utah sophomore Keba Keita
On Tuesday, the Utes boarded a flight sure for Spain, the place they may play 4 exhibition video games with stops in Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastián. It's the third international tour for the Utes since they joined the Pac-12 in 2011. They went to Brazil in 2012 and Spain and France in 2017.
Extra on the brand new faces, some scheduling information, and the tour of Spain might be discovered beneath. However first, the Deseret Information caught up with rising sophomore Keba Keita final month to get an replace on how the 6-foot-8, 235-pound middle felt about his first 12 months in this system, and what he’s engaged on this summer time.
Keba Keita got here away decided to enhance
Keita, who grew up in Bamako, the capital of and largest metropolis in Mali, West Africa, prepped at Wasatch Academy in Mount Nice and picked the Utes over BYU, UNLV and others.
He appeared in 31 of 32 video games as a freshman, averaging 3.0 factors and three.4 rebounds. He blocked 22 photographs and made 61% of his photographs, a superb portion of them dunks.
“Even when we didn’t make it to the NCAA Match, I'm proud of it as a result of it was a superb expertise for me,” he mentioned of the 2022-23 season. “I need to preserve constructing off it. It was a superb 12 months.”
Keita mentioned his favourite second was the 81-66 win over then-No. 4 Arizona, when he posted seven factors and 11 rebounds within the upset on the Huntsman Heart. He averaged 10.5 minutes a recreation, which is about what he anticipated.
“I talked to teach Smith when he was recruiting me about what would occur. He did every part he instructed me he would. I used to be OK with my contribution to the staff,” Keita mentioned. “I had loads of taking part in time, like he instructed me. So yeah, it was good.”
After the Utes misplaced 73-62 to Stanford within the Pac-12 event to complete the season at 17-15, Keita met with coaches and set some offseason objectives for his enchancment.
“They requested me to work on my free throws and my bounce shot. They need me to have the ability to make performs not simply within the paint, however out on the arc,” he mentioned. “They need me to increase my recreation and have the opportunity shoot 3s and midrange photographs.”
All-Pac-12 middle Branden Carlson elected to return after placing his title into the NBA draft, then withdrawing, and the Utes additionally added switch middle Lawson Lovering from Colorado. How does that have an effect on Keita’s function?
“For now, I'm taking part in the 5 (middle),” he mentioned. “If I'm taking part in with Lawson I'll most likely be taking part in the 4 (energy ahead), but when I'm taking part in with Branden I might be taking part in the 5.”
Keita mentioned exercises this summer time have been spirited and vigorous.
“I actually like this staff,” he mentioned. “I like all the brand new guys. I just like the vibe. We're all having enjoyable and simply working laborious. I really feel like this staff goes to be a extremely good defensive staff due to the (communication) we've in our practices and exercises. All people talks to one another.”
Off the courtroom, Keita is majoring in communication and having fun with college, he mentioned. He lived by himself final semester, however has since develop into roommates with teammates Luka Tarlac and Wilguens Exacte Jr.
He went residence to Mali in Could for per week to work at a basketball camp, and plans to return in August for a few weeks earlier than fall semester lessons start on the U.
“I’m having fun with the entire expertise of residing in (Salt Lake Metropolis),” he mentioned.
Nothing plain about taking part in in Spain
The Utes will play two video games in Barcelona, the primary on Thursday and the second on Saturday whereas “immersing themselves within the Catalonia tradition,” in accordance to a college information launch.
After three days in Barcelona, they may spend 4 days within the coastal metropolis of San Sebastián and play one recreation there, on Monday. The final 4 days of the journey might be spent in Madrid, the place the staff will tour the capital metropolis and the royal palace.
Their fourth and ultimate recreation is scheduled to be performed in Madrid on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Whereas in Madrid, they may both go to the most important bullfighting ring in Spain — the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas — or tour the house stadium of famend soccer membership Actual Madrid, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
“We can't thank (athletic director) Mark Harlan, our administration and our donors sufficient for making this journey potential,” Smith mentioned within the college information launch. “It will permit us to speed up our growth and staff chemistry on the courtroom due to the power to have 10 practices main as much as the journey, in addition to play 4 video games in Spain.
“It's a nice alternative for us to not solely bond as a staff but in addition sharpen our abilities,” he continued.
New faces on the bench
Two-year assistant coach Tim Morris left this system after the season, making a void on Smith’s bench that he crammed by selling two-year director of participant personnel Tramel Barnes to assistant coach in early July.
“Tramel is a really vivid coach with tireless power that pertains to folks at a really excessive stage,” Smith mentioned. “He is a superb recruiter with an awesome eye for expertise.”
Final week, Smith employed Tyler Larson as an assistant coach/director of participant personnel. Larson performed for Smith at South Dakota, and most just lately has been on the workers of the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Tuesday, Smith accomplished his offseason hirings with the addition of Jayden Olson as assistant coach/director of recruiting. Olson was the athletic director at Williston State School the final three years.
Utah Utes head coach Craig Smith questions the referee after a name as Utah and Stanford play in Pac-12 Match motion at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information