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Utah Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Utes

By Jason Burgess

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Utah Utes fans gesture as a player shoots a free throw during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Utes 66-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Utah Utes fans gesture as a player shoots a free throw during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Utes 66-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: The Utah Utes celebrate a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win 93-92 over the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on February 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: The Utah Utes celebrate a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win 93-92 over the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on February 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /

There will be plenty of opportunity for new faces to earn time

With just three players returning that played substantial minutes, there is plenty of room for new faces to make an impact, and plenty of new faces there are. According to Rivals.com and 247Sports, the Utes’ recruiting class is ranked 46th nationally, consisting of a four-star recruit, three three-stars, and a JuCo transfer. In total, Utah’s roster has 10 true freshmen, a redshirt-freshmen, and the aforementioned transfer.

The class is headlined by 6-1-point guard Rylan Jones who was rated as the third-best prospect in Utah and led his team to an undefeated season in 2018 while putting up gaudy numbers that included 9.9 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. The other rated recruits will certainly give the Utes some length. Matt Van Komen is a 7-4 220lb. center from Utah who like Jones led his team to a state title as junior, blocking five shots per game, pulling down over nine boards and adding over 16 points per game. The big man chose Utah over offers from Gonzaga and Baylor.

Mikael Jantunen is a 6-8 forward from Finland who can crash the boards, pulling down 10 per game at the U18 European Championships where he also shot over 72% from the field. Brendan Wenzel is a 6-6 guard from Texas, who comes to Utah with the reputation as a shooter, knocking down 41% from three as a senior. Lahat Thioune is a redshirt-freshman who is a 6-10 center from Senegal, but he is a bit thin weighing just 210lbs, and with Battin the tallest on the roster, his length can be useful if he is ready to see the floor after his year off.

Alfonso Plummer comes from Arizona Western College, where the 6-1 guard was a solid shooter from all over the floor, with slash lines of .482/.432/.888 from the field, three, and the charity stripe. The rest of the roster is filled out with six freshmen, three of which are guards and the other three are frontcourt players.

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