Rayj Dennis transfer option – Utah Utes
The Utes seemingly came out of nowhere by landing a visit with Dennis. He did play in that area in his Boise State days and played against Coach Craig Smith, who was at Utah State a couple of years ago. The program is 28-25 in the two years with Smith, including going 10-10 in Pac-12 play this past season.
There’s potential with the roster, as four of the team’s top six scorers are coming back. That includes big man Branden Carlson, who led the team with 16.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg. In the backcourt is back starting point guard Rollie Worster (8.7 ppg and 5.0 apg), along with Gabe Madsen (11.6 ppg). One of the key departures was Lazar Stefanovic, who was second on the team with 10.2 ppg.
Replacing the 6th man guard is Cole Bajema, the 6’6 wing from Washington who’ll add shooting. The backcourt has potential but also lacks some shooting. Dennis would become the top scoring option and have a large role. He also could play off the ball more next to Worster.
The problem is that Utah may feel deep down inside that they won’t land him. The Utes landed Deivon Smith, who averaged 8.0 ppg and 3.7 apg at Georgia Tech. It’s not that he’s an upgrade over the Toledo transfer but rather an interesting time to add another backcourt player. Unless it’s solely coincidental, I doubt they’re truly in the mix.