Of all the players on the team, I hope Dawes sticks around.

[AlohaUte]

I can’t be the only one that thinks he was super under-utilized by Smith. I hope he stays and that Jensen gets the most out of him.

Beyond him tonight, super disappointing way to end the season.

[FountainofUte]

I’m not sure there are any “must keep” players on this team.

There are 2 or 3 who could be of some use next year, but I don’t think results next year hang on their presence on the team.

[D T]

KD’s a must-keep….Don’t know that anyone else is.

Overhaul the roster for the most part….Hopefully, boosters do their part.

The AJ era has officially begun….GO UTES!!

[Utopia]

In the postgame presser a reporter asked Dawes about his impressions of Jensen so far; apparently Jensen met the team at the hotel.

https://youtu.be/rY48AS-FbnA&t=360 (starts at 6:00)

Not much to infer from his answer. I hope he stays, but he’s going to get plenty of interest if he wants to test the market. I would understand if he ends up leaving for potentially greener pastures after what must have been a frustrating season for him.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Dawes’ free market value went up a ton last night. We’ll have to throw a bag at him if we want him to stay.

Here’s my keep list for next year, in order from most to least important:
1. Dawes
2. Ezra
3. Mike (maybe)

Everyone else can go as far as I’m concerned.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I would keep those three for sure. Wahlin would be my only other possibility. Reasons: he’s local, he is long, and he moves well for his size. Could be a good role player for Jensen.

[utefansince79]

Wahlin showed great improvement as the season progressed. Could be a valuable asset to keep around.

[GameForAnyFuss]

You’re right – I forgot Wahlin. I hereby amend me original post. Wahlin would be somewhere between Ezra and Mike in terms of priorities for me.

[alexsmith]

I would agree, but I’d like to keep Wahlin as well. I think he’s somebody that Jensen could do really well with. I can be convinced to keep Little around also as he plays hard on both ends of the floor, but I’m not convinced that he would see the floor much with the idea that we bring in a couple point guards that Andre Miller (if we hire him) would be able to work with.

[Utopia]

[utefansince79]

Dawes’ rebounding numbers are huge. Led team in total rebounds with fewer minutes than the regular starters. Far and away the highest rebounds/minutes on the squad.

[Minnesota Ute]

I’ve been driving the Dawes bandwagon all season. No good explanation for why he didnt play more. Id like to think thats a big reason craig’s number got pulled. You cant not play someone as impactful as him and have any credibility as a basketball coach. Clearly you dont know the game if you can’t find a spot for a double double machine.

[AZUTE]

The good news is both Dawes and Whalin both really love playing at Utah.

Alex and NIL should be enough to bring them both back. Ausar is gonna ask for a max deal and at 12 pts and 5 rebs a game not sure he’s worth it. Utah can find someone to fill that roll for less money.

Little comes back as well as Sharavjamts.

Prepare for another major rebuild. Probably 8-10 new players.

Traore will be back. If he can recover from the knee injury his upside is through the roof.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I wouldn’t overpay for Asur. He is undersized to make a run at the tournament. He was a star on this team. Little would be a no for me. We need a major upgrade in talent and athleticism to compete for the top four in conference. Go get Chandler from Kentucky. He is an Utah kid and was a Utah bb fan. He would be a great fit and someone to build around. Hasn’t gotten many minutes at Kentucky but should be able to shed the mission rust for next year. Crawford from BYU would be a great addition. Not LDS and won’t play much next year if Hall or Denmin come back.

[Utopia]

I have mixed feelings about Ausar. I have been very critical of his flaws, but he was really productive and consistent the last quarter of the season – 17 pts 6.8 reb in his last seven games. Those are excellent numbers. His efficiency skyrocketed by improving his FT to 79% in this stretch (he led the conference in FTAs).

One major potential point of conflict is that Ausar and Dawes play the same position, so something/someone has to give as I suspect both will want to be the main PF. I think this conflict will likely result in only one of them (if either) being back and I would rather it be Dawes. Dawes is more capable of competing against top-40 competition and he has more upside with two more years of eligibility.

[Minnesota Ute]

Just to put a finer point on it:
First start and pl 12 more minutes than any other game this season. Only had 2 game over 23 min since conf began.

He was 8 of 13, including 5of 6 from ft line for 21 pts, along with 15 rebounds, 4 of the offensive. Plus 2 blocks and 2 steals with no turnovers. BPM of 14.1 and a game score of 23.8. WOW dude is a baller.

If anyone else would have helped out, it would have been a game.

I hope firing craig sent the right message but sometimes its hard to compartmentalize when you get f’d by an organization. Fingers crossed. I am gonna be annoyed if he leaves.

[Utes 69]

number one reason I was glad to see Smith booted, was Dawes minutes per game!

[Rick]

I like all of the underclassmen who played this year. I hope all of them return. If they do, we have a nice foundation. Coach Smith did a good job of bringing some good players in before the season. I think they’ve benefitted from the strength and training staff and whomever Smith had doing player development. I’ve seen better skill development in the past year than the previous Smith years. I also think team culture was strong this season. That’s a credit to Smith, his coaching staff and to the players.

I think Dawes, Wahlin and Miro could provide a terrific foundation for the defense Alex will teach and expect next season. Sharavjamts and Keller also have the physical makeup to be good defensively. Both must get significantly stronger. Dawes and Wahlin also showed enough offensively this season that they could be difference makers on that side of the ball.

I think Ausar made significant progress this season as well. I just don’t think he’ll stay. I don’t know how you live across the country from your two young sons. If he does stay, he’ll need to commit much more to defense and continue to develop outside shooting.

Smith and staff have not left the cupboard bare but we all know we need a few more players that at least match and hopefully exceed the skills and athleticism of our guys.

I’ve watched the team a lot this season. I like what we have and hope we hang onto them.

[Utopia]

I don’t see both Dawes and Ausar being back. They play the same position and both will want to be the main PF. Dawes’ talent and potential is undeniable and he has two more years of eligiblity, so he should be the preferred choice. I don’t think Ausar would accept a decreased role when he could probably get a featured role and decent NIL deal elsewhere.

[Rick]

You’re probably right Uteopia. I wondered this season whether or not they’d play well together in a high post/low post set. We don’t see a lot of that in basketball anymore; but Dawes can be a skilled passer up high. I wished at times that Smith would have gone away from Lovering in favor of Dawes and give the two of them some minutes.

I hope they’re both back but if I had to choose one, I’m with those on the board choosing Dawes. I think he progresses significantly over the next two years.

[SouthJordanUte]

I’d take Wahlin over Mike any day of the week and twice on Sunday

[Author]

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