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Show I Mortar, March 14, 1H4 Chronicle Sports Special Issue la's i an Up and down season finally over for youth corps O It wasn't meant to be from start . BY MATT OTT Chronicle Sports Editor p 1 Jimm From the night of the Arizona game on Dec. 9 to the BYU game in Provo Feb. 26, the University of Utah men's basketball season had been the What If? Season. The Season That Could've Been. The Almost Year. But after BYU beat the Utes by 31 points in the first round of the WAC tournament on March 9th, it became quite evident that the 1993-9- 4 men's basketball season would be remembered as something else: The Season That Wasn't Meant To Be. The Utes finished sixth in the conference with an record their worst WAC finish with Rick Majerus on the bench and managed just a 4 record overall. It was a season that was plagued with problems of every imaginable kind from the very start. Before the U.'s football team even played their final home game at Rice Stadium, it had been announced that three of the basketball team's best players senior forward Phil Dixon, junior guard Darroll Wright and sophomore center Ed Johnson would be suspended from games for a verbal altercation that took place in a campus cajeteria. Dixon would miss only one game due to the suspension, but Wright and Johnson were to be. suspended for the remainder of fall quarter, meaning they wouldn't e be eligible to play Dec. 18 when the Utes faced Fullerton on the road. Dixon came back for the second game of the season, scoring five points in Utah's 6 drubbing of He followed that up with 16 points in a loss to Weber State, but found out the day of the Arizona game just five days later that he would have to have his knee scoped and that he would be out for 2 weeks. The Utes, with a very thin and inexperienced 1 early-seaso- n Cal-Stat- Cal-Irvin- e. 92-6- 1-- Wildcats guardline, played the then-Nand the ball over but stretch down the turned evenly, lost by seven points on national TV. The day Wright returned to play for the Utes, Majerus announced that Johnson was suspended for the rest of the season for further violation of team policy. Wright almost immediately became the Utes go-t- o guard, and scored in double figures in his first five outburst against games back, including a Texas. The Utes lost that game in double overtime on two controversial calls, but still looked good heading into the WAC schedule. With Dixon back, and freshman forward Keith Van Horn surprising everyone with his scoring and rebounding, the Utes were in good shape. The Utes beat UTEP in El Paso in the WAC opener by 17 points, but lost to New Mexico two nights later by three. Dixon played sparingly and scored just three points in the UTEP game, but his knee hadn't com-- , pletely healed and he did not play in the New Mexico game. He wouldn't play again the rest of the season. Meanwhile, the Utes were trying to get back on track after the loss to the Lobos, and opened up their WAC home schedule against BYU. Before the game, Majerus said of his team: "We don't have a lot of size. We don't have a lot of depth. We don't have a lot of experience." It wasn't the first or the last time Majerus would say that of his team during the season. The Utes got down by 12 points early but came back and took the lead with a half a minute to go on a by freshman Terry Preston. BYU's Robbie Reid came back and nailed a trey to put the Cougars up by one, and after sophomore guard Mark Rydalch was called for a charge after a made basket which was waved off the Utes ended up losing Wright, who Majerus openly criticized for not g shot, left the team guarding Reid on his for the next two home games against Air Force and Fresno State (the Utes won both games), but was voted back on by the team and played sparingly in losses at San Diego State and Hawaii. The Utes were standing at 4 in the WAC and 7 overall at this point, when Van Horn learned that his father passed away. He missed the Utes' next three games two of which they lost but was back and played in a loss at Wyoming. In the meantime, Wright had left the team again, this time for good. At this point, the season was quickly unraveling, and the Utes were now being bitten by the injury bug, to make matters worse. Rydalch and sophomore center Doug Chapman both went down with ankle sprains in the Wyoming loss and wouldn't play against Hawaii in the Huntsman Center the next week. Walk-o- n guard Ryan Hunt, who Majerus didn't to ever play, would start in the place of expect Freshman Jason Jackman would start for Rydalch. coach Donny Daniels while assistant Chapman, subbed for Majerus, who had been treated and released from LDS hospital for precautionary mea o. 29-pbi- nt CHRONICLE PHOTOJonathan Barth Freshman sensation Keith Van Horn goes up for a dunk in a win over New Mexico this year. The Utes struggled this year, but battled through injuries, suspensions and other problems to finish 14-1- 4. UTAH MEN'S BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD 1993-9- 4 ATTENDANCE DATE OPPONENT RESULT SCORE SITE 1127 1130 SO WON 105-6- 4 HOME WON 92-6- HOME 12,581 124 129 Weber State Lost 85-9- Away 7,361 ARIZONA LOST HOME 1211 1216 1218 1222 1229 Chicago State Won 84-6- 5 13,728 245 CARDINAL STRITCH WON 83-4- 5 HOME Won 76-7- 3 Awoy 12,353 995 HOME 14,790 Away 12,034 Away 11,890 Away 16,520 CAL CAL COLLEGE IRVINE Fullerton UTAH STATE WON Awoy 5 12,692 Texas Lost 13 15 18 UTEP Won New Mexico Lost LOST 62-6- 4 HOME 15,713 113 115 120 122 127 129 AIR FORCE WON 66-5- 7 HOME 12,589 FRESNO STATE WON 76-6- HOME 12,114 Hawaii Lost 56-7- 2 Away 5,535 San Diego State Lost 73-7- 6 Away 2,063 11,795 BRIGHAM YOUNG 79-6- 4 LOST 70-7- 1 HOME WYOMING WON 66-6- 0 HOME 13,382 23 Colorado State Lost 69-7- 4 Away 7,452 25 Wyoming Lost 55-6- 0 Away 9,446 HAWAII WON 210 212 217 219 226- 33 35 . 96, UTAH 11,976 HOME ,13,041 Away 8,532 Awoy 2,236 77-6- 2 Fresno State Lost 86-9- 5 Force Lost 89-9- 1 Brigham Young Lost 70-7- 3 Away 22,445 UTEP WON 63-5- 6 HOME 12,459 NEW MEXICO WON 79-7- 2 HOME 12,693 Air - HOME WON SAN DIEGO WAC TOURNAMENT, BYU STATE COLORADO STATE DELTA CENTER 65 FINAL RECORD: 14-1- 4, 8-- WAC three-point- All-WA- 14-1- j sures related to his heart. The Utes ended up winning the game in overtime, as freshman Jimmy Carroll hit to tie the game in regulaan tion. Hunt held guard Trevor Ruffin to while Jackman picked up 18 rebounds as the shooting, 4 win. They beat San Diego State Utes notched an two nights later. Despite the sensational play of Van Horn, who was everybody's WAC freshman of the year and a first-teaselection to boot, the Utes went on to lose their next three games on the road to Fresno State, Air Force and BYU. Van Horn scored 25, 27 and 27 points in the three losses, then scored 23 and 28 against UTEP and New Mexico at home as the Utes closed out the season. d The Utes looked to be heading into WAC with BYU the in the game tournament, but the close. never was game "I need to go recruit and at least get some kind of brothers so we don't look like the ski team," Majerus said as he got up out of his chair in the Delta Center interview room after the loss. Although nothing is official and Majerus won't comment on it publicly, the Utes are looking to get forward Silas Mills from Salt Lake Community College a player they originally signed about three years ago but never played at the U. and was eventually kicked off of the team by Majerus. With Mills may come with SLCC teammate Doug Overton, an athletic While it seems unlikely that Wright will get another chance with Majerus, the status of Johnson is still up off-balan- 8-- If mi JL (OT) three-point- 64-6- er C 81-7- m upset-minde- off-guar- d. in the air. While the Utes did lose six WAC games by three points or less this year and beat the conference's best team during the regular season, it seemed as though the Utes never had a chance from Day One. From the suspensions to the injuries and everything in between, it probably was just as well the season ended as early as it did. It gives the young players time to rest, the coaching staff time to recruit, and the fans time to think about the possibilities for next year. The Utes graduate only Tony Block off this year's team, and have freshman Ben Melmeth a who can give the Utes help inside right away. Whether or not Johnson, Mills or Overton are with the Utes next year is unknown, but it would be unthinkable that the Utes could suffer through another season of misfortune like this one was next. year. Van Horn will again be one of the top players in the league, Ma Jian who made tremendous progress in every way this season should be improved, as should the freshmen group of Carroll, Preston and Jackman and the sophomores, Rydalch and Chapman. red-shi- rt er 2. game-winnin- 3-- 9-- "is , v lit CHRONICLE . PHOTOPaul Remara Tony Block is the only Ute who played significant minutes this year that they will not have returning for them next year. |