Three exhibition games have already given Alex Jensen a decent read on where Utah basketball stands, and just as important, where it still has to sharpen up before the season opener.
There was enough good to leave the Utes encouraged, especially in the win over Oregon. But Jensen’s message coming out of the exhibition stretch was clear: this team is still sorting itself out on the glass, in the passing game and in the rotation.
“I think we could be really good,” Jensen said during Wednesday’s media availability.
Utah now has 120 minutes of film from three different opponents, and Jensen said that tape should help speed up the process as a new roster keeps learning how to play together. Jensen, Taison Chatman and Jaxon Johnson all talked through those takeaways on Wednesday.
Rebounding sits near the top of the to-do list. Johnson said the Utes showed both sides of who they can be across the three games.
“Through the three games, I think we showed flashes of the team we can be, and we also showed flashes of the team that we shouldn’t be,” Johnson said.
Jensen was even more direct about the board work.
“I think we could be a really good rebounding team. We’re not,” Jensen said.
Utah did show some fight on the offensive glass, piling up 45 offensive rebounds and 42 second-chance points over the three exhibitions. But the defensive side told a different story. The Utes grabbed 65.4% of available defensive rebounds, and opponents still managed 44 offensive boards.
Chatman said he liked what he saw from the team’s shooting and ball movement, but he also pointed to defense, rebounding and hustle plays as areas that need to tighten up.
Help could be on the way inside. Jensen said Babacar Faye has been cleared to play after spending a year without game action, though he still needs time to get back in sync with his teammates after being away over the summer.
Fynn Schott remains sidelined while recovering from surgery, and Jensen said the return timeline is still uncertain. He expects to have a better idea in the next week or two.
Jensen said Schott’s size and strength could matter on the boards and help ease some of the burden on the rest of the frontcourt.
Passing is another area Jensen wants to see improve, and he believes more coaching and more time together will help Utah clean that up.
The broader picture, though, is that Jensen sees room for this older roster to keep rising as the season goes on. He’s still working through which combinations fit best and how much each player can realistically handle. The versatility gives Utah flexibility, but it also means roles have to be defined before anybody can take on more.
That’s especially true for the Utes’ European newcomers, who are adjusting to different spacing, traffic near the rim and the rebounding demands that come with college basketball. Experience should help, but that comfort level won’t happen overnight.
Depth will be part of the equation too, and Jensen knows that means patience. Minutes are going to move around, and some players may not get their chance until several games into the season. When it comes, they need to be ready.
For Chatman, the exhibitions delivered both a boost and a clear challenge. His game-tying 3-pointer against Oregon helped Utah finish with an exhibition win, and now he wants to keep that aggressiveness going in a bigger way.
“Not letting the game come to me, kind of just going in and taking it,” Chatman said.
That means continuing to read defenses, recognize when extra attention is coming and know when to make the easy play to a teammate. It also means contributing more on the boards.
Chatman scored 9, 11 and 12 points in the three exhibitions. He shot 6-of-21 from 3-point range, which he knows has to improve, but he was 5-of-8 from inside the arc and also handed out six assists.
He also said he feels good about the choice he made to come to Utah, pointing to the coaching staff’s experience and the players around him.
“I just feel like I made the right decision this year,” he said. “I know I need to be more aggressive and assertive, just doing the little things.”
Johnson’s exhibition run had a different kind of value. As he works back into rhythm, he said his legs are starting to come around and he feels more comfortable with the pace and physicality of the college game.
He also has a clear understanding of his role. Johnson described himself as a stretch forward who can space the floor, and he said the coaches have encouraged him to shoot when he’s open.
What stood out most to him, though, was the chemistry building around the program. Johnson talked about players staying in the locker room for an hour or more after practice, talking and joking before spending even more time together away from basketball. He sees that as part of the foundation for a team willing to make the extra pass.
“We are really best friends,” Johnson said. “We love being around each other, and we love hanging out outside of basketball.”
For Johnson, who grew up following Utah, there’s also a bigger picture attached to all of this. He wants to help bring the fans back and restore the connection between the program and the Huntsman Center crowd.
“We’ve got to come out, we’ve got to compete, and we’ve got to prove everyone wrong,” Johnson said.
The exhibitions showed Utah what’s possible. The season opener will be the first real chance to prove it can show those stretches more often.
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