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Utah Valley basketball: Wolverines look to challenge in WAC

By Doug Winkey

Nov 11, 2016; Spokane, WA, USA; Utah Valley Wolverines guard Conner Toolson (11) is helped up off the floor by his teammates during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2016; Spokane, WA, USA; Utah Valley Wolverines guard Conner Toolson (11) is helped up off the floor by his teammates during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Utah Valley basketball looks like a darkhorse challenger in the WAC. The Wolverines will make life tough for the conference favorites.

2016-2017 was a solid year for Utah Valley basketball. The Wolverines scrapped their way to a 17-17 record with a massive road win over in-state titan BYU. The boys from Orem, UT, will try to challenge the rest of the WAC on the backs of some intriguing pieces.

Guard Conner Toolson will be a big part of the team’s success this coming year. He averaged a team-leading 11.9 points along with 3.6 boards, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. He’ll be an even more dominant player if he improves on his 32% mark from deep. Toolson will need help, however, if this team is really challenging the conference favorites.

More production from former Xavier Musketeer Brandon Randolph will go a long way in that effort. The 6’2″ floor general averaged 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 rebounds in his first season with Utah Valley. He’ll need to keep up that level of play and shoot better than 27% from deep. Otherwise, he is a fine complement to Toolson at shooting guard.

Inside the main guy is likely former BYU forward Isaac Neilson. At 6’11”, 245, he has the size to play in a power conference and dominated much of WAC competition. He nearly averaged a double-double with 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds. Neilson was also second in the conference in block rate with 1.6 per contest.

Some new faces will need to step up as well. Shooting guard Corey Calvert comes over from BYU to solidify wing depth and former Oklahoma Sooner center Akolda Manyang can act as a rim protector. The latter is particularly interesting, as Manyang stands 7’0″ and averaged 1.4 blocks in 2015-2016 for the Sooners.

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UVU has a tough road ahead of them if they want to challenge the likes of Grand Canyon and New Mexico State. However, the Wolverines have collected some nice transfers from bigger programs that could form the core for a darkhorse run. Keep an eye on this squad when we get to November.