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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE D4 August 2010 MEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Team hopes to 'bounce back' Corbin Godfrey STAFF WRITER The U basketball team is coming off a less-than-stellar 14-17 season and has one year to prepare for Pac-io competition behind a nucleus of returning players and a handful of new faces. Although the team lost two marquee players—Marshall Henderson and last season's leading scorer Carlon Brown (12.6 points per game)—the lone senior on the team this year, Jay Watkins, said that nothing about the team's approach will change. "We still have a great group of guys this year," Watkins said. "Everyone has come in ready and healthy. Last year we came into the year a little banged up, but we are healthy right now, and everybody is excited and enthusiastic for the season." When asked about what to expect of the team this season, Watkins' answer was simple. "To win—point blank," Watkins said. "After the season we had last year, we want to bounce back this year and put together a winning season, especially with it being our last year in the Mountain TYLER COBB/The Daily Utah Chronicle West Conference. So we are just looking to get better every day and make progress from last year." In its final season competing in the Mountain West Conference, Utah has scheduled tough nonconference games. Some say it is to prepare the Utes for the Pac-io, but those who follow the program closely already know that head coach Jim Boylen has never backed away from scheduling top-tier opponents. Utah could face as many as seven opponents that reached the postseason last March, including Baylor, which made it to the Elite Eight, and national champion runner-up Butler. Boylen said playing a tough schedule has always been a part of his coaching style and that he likes to test his teams and coaching staff. "We have stayed true to our philosophy of playing a difficult nonconference schedule that includes teams from the top leagues across the country," Boylen said. "Our team and coaching staff are very excited about the opportunity to participate in big games at great venues. Our goal is always to get into the Top 25 and compete for an MWC Championship. I think this schedule will prepare us to reach both of those goals." The Utes have just six players returning this year, but each player has a good amount of playing time under his belt. The only returning players from last year's squad are sophomore guards Shawn Glover and Chris Hines, sophomore center Jason Washburn, junior guard Jace Tavita, junior center David Foster and senior forward Watkins. See BASKTEBALL Page D8 Mens basketball head coach Jim Boylen heads to the referee to talk about a call made. THIEN SOK/The Daily Utah Chronicle Sophomore forward Taryn Wicijowski shoots a layup during an Idaho State game in the Huntsman Center. Women strive for constant improvement Ryan Bailey STAFF WRITER The 2010-2011 season will mark a new chapter for the women's basketball team. This will be the first time in 27 seasons that head coach Elaine Elliott will not be at the helm of the program when the season kicks off. Her missed Mobile web version of presence on the Ute bench will not deter the young, highly The Daily Utah Chronicle talented women's team from reaching its goal of winning a Online now available! conference championship. "I think that this year will be much like last year because we are so young," said sophomore Taryn Wicijowski. "We will continually improve through the season to be one of the contenders for the Mountain West Championship." tweet a little hardelga, need more tweets? The Utes were young, but highly motivated to win a year tw ittertweet mothertwucker ago, finishing at a respectable 14-17 while fielding a roster tweetlemaniac tv ifliPt speak twitter heard on tti-wtc fweei that included five freshmen and six sophomores. maltweeted tweetwa I Ker RT Interim head coach Anthony Levrets realizes that this e ck twittertweet monrWLIer eet a little n a raer year's team learned and developed significantly with evtweet a little haraerspeak twitter ery game, which translates into a head start for the upneed more tweets? +, „ ,; e rtweet mothertwucker VII I tt coming season. Levrets, like any first-year head coach, reed more twee teeddr twidioti rn sTittkwwtieeitt m understands the obstacles ahead as he takes over for the twi 43t t i ttw, ,ot legendary Elliott. heard on the tweettt;z1Vi t "We are extremely young, but we are also extremely talneed more tweets? t twalker ented," Levrets said. "I'll take young and talented over old tw n c mkttiter e and complacent any day. We will have a big learning curve, twi but they are eager learners. I'm extremely pleased with a twe ts? 4. need ore t number of the girls' personal offseason workouts." nnothertwcickerLWI!Although Levrets is entering his first year as interim twe tlemania head coach, by no means is he new to the program. He spent three years alongside Elliott as an assistant coach. Levrets has been walking the sideline since 1996 when he ets: twidiot • got his start as an assistant coach at Lane College. )k twitter lot lot tweeted "I expect us to be a very good basketball team by the lot time we begin conference play," Levrets said. 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Wicijowski has also mothertwuc e?rtwittert reed mor been representing Canada by starting as point guard for idiot • speak twitter icy maltweeted the Canada Women's National Team. lot maltweeted WidlOtt The international experience should vault Plouffe and heard n the tweet i lot lot need more tw ets? tweetvvalker. Wicijowski into the leadership role that Levrets is searchtwee lemaniacim Otter ing for among his young players. The dual post-point wee tmothtwu re threat of the two Utes should create headaches for both er eet • tie heride rasiltet itter conference and nonconference opponents. Levrets and d mo tw weet Ute fans will be expecting a lot of scoring out of the Canathe wucker twidiot dian duo. They will be key to the Utes' success this year, as etlem nia on w"atei speak twitter h last year's leading scorer Kalee Whipple graduated. maltweeted tW - etwa er fl "Michelle and Taryn have been playing exceptionally twittertweet mothfftwvc. speak twitter well," Levrets said. "We are excited to see their develophear a on the tweet re ed more tweets? idiot i tw tter w twi jo i ment on the court compared to last year. They are both so lot mae altkwtewei r I of tw twi lot young, but that doesn't matter to them—age is not a factor. maltweeted heard on the tweetttwir In their minds, they are just ball players, and that's the atneed more tweets? tweetwalker inTwetd that we need to win games. There's no room in this tweetlemaniac== titude game to be intimidated." browse the news on your cell • New Students and employees arriving this semester receive a UCard ID that gives them the ability to ride UTA (except for ski buses) without paying the fare. Returning students and current employees have an Ed-Pass that they use in conjunction with their University ID cards. w w d of Electronic Fore Card University of Utah First Edition . . : ....... A couple of rules regulate this access: The card (UCard for new people and ED-PASS for those returning to campus) must be tapped on the card reader located on buses and TRAX stations when boarding and exiting. Use the pass and you can take UTA buses and trains without paying any additional fare anywhere UTA goes except on ski buses and paratransit. Your fare has been paid on Frontrunner, TRAX and bus, so don't leave home without it. Of course, your name will have to appear on the card and it isn't transferable; but it is a great way to save money. Some restrictions apply. See our web site for more information at www.parking.utah.edu . When you arrive on campus, you'll find a free shuttle service providing access to practically everywhere on campus. If you find that mass transit doesn't fit your needs, you can also purchase a parking permit on our web site. maltweeted eted weeted - d tweetlemaniactrd*Pt speak twitter heard on tth,le liVa a ltt et d tweetwaiker R 1 ?W itter weet mothertwuck r.bailey@ chronicle.utah.edu |