Giant-Killers Take a Shot at Utes
The Utes play their only official exhibition game in just two days when Division II Grand Valley State visits the Huntsman Center.
Sound familiar?
It should. Grand Valley State is the team that stunned coach Tom Izzo and mighty Michigan State in an exhibition game to start last season, and wound up going 36-1 -- with the only loss to Winona State in the Elite Eight round of the Division II national tournament.
But the Lakers don't appear quite as equipped to pull off a similar shocker against the Utes.
Coach Ric Wesley lost his two best players off last season's team -- forward Callistus Ezuikwu and Jason Jamerson, who averaged 30.3 points and 13.0 rebounds between them -- as well as three of the four players who started every game, and another who started 32 times.
The top returning player appears to be 6-foot-5 swingman Pete Trammell, who averaged 10.2 points for the Lakers last season, though senior guard Jerret Smith played 65 games at Michigan before transferring. The Lakers also have two 6-10 centers -- sophomore Anthony Ianni and freshman Corey Jones -- who could give Utah's Luke Nevill a reasonable challenge.
Sound familiar?
It should. Grand Valley State is the team that stunned coach Tom Izzo and mighty Michigan State in an exhibition game to start last season, and wound up going 36-1 -- with the only loss to Winona State in the Elite Eight round of the Division II national tournament.
But the Lakers don't appear quite as equipped to pull off a similar shocker against the Utes.
Coach Ric Wesley lost his two best players off last season's team -- forward Callistus Ezuikwu and Jason Jamerson, who averaged 30.3 points and 13.0 rebounds between them -- as well as three of the four players who started every game, and another who started 32 times.
The top returning player appears to be 6-foot-5 swingman Pete Trammell, who averaged 10.2 points for the Lakers last season, though senior guard Jerret Smith played 65 games at Michigan before transferring. The Lakers also have two 6-10 centers -- sophomore Anthony Ianni and freshman Corey Jones -- who could give Utah's Luke Nevill a reasonable challenge.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 9:20 AM |
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