Utah Basketball: Why Mike Sharavjamts is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

While the end results may not show it, last season was a positive for Utah basketball. The Utes haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament in eight years, but Craig Smith has this program trending in a better direction after three seasons as head coach. The Utes won 22 games but came up short of the Big Dance with some rough performances in their final season in the Pac-12.

7-foot center Branden Carlson was fantastic in recent years but isn’t back, and that’s just the beginning for the Utes. Both Keba Keita and Deivon Smith transferred while Cole Bajema and a few other players exhausted their eligibility. Suffice to say there will be a lot of new faces in Salt Lake City, though Smith and his staff are elated to get another year of senior guard Gabe Madsen as well as another 7-footer in Lawson Lovering.

There’s actually a long list of additions through the Transfer Portal, so we’ll highlight a few notable ones. They added some youthful prospects with freshmen Miro Little from Baylor and Keanue Dawes out of Rice. Another notable addition is Mason Madsen, the twin brother of their top returning player who comes via Boston College. Ezra Ausar is a talented power forward from East Carolina who might make an immense impact, though our focus turns towards someone else.

Mike Sharavjamts is a Mongolian player originally from Ohio who attended a couple of prep schools before beginning his collegiate career at Dayton two seasons ago. He earned A-10 All-Freshman honors before heading west to San Francisco for his sophomore season. That second year of college ball saw more development, as Sharavjamts averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while knocking down 36% of his 3-pointers.

Sharavjamts was a highly-regarded transfer and is the first Mongolian D1 athlete. Despite being 6’8 he can play all over the court and even saw major run at point guard these last two seasons. This versatile athlete also improved his long-range shooting and his overall offensive game. We’ve seen him handle things in the A-10 and WCC, but he could be a key cog in the Big 12 if he develops even further. The overall numbers are good for Sharavjamts, it’s all about if he can take that next step forward.

All things considered, the Utes added half a dozen new pieces into the mix and there were actually a few we could’ve highlighted today. However, with the size returning from last season in the frontcourt, it was important for the Utes to boost the backcourt. Instead they seemed to have gotten the best of both worlds in Sharavjamts. He’ll take on a major role in leading the offense and can also make shots nearly anywhere on the court, which should work well with Lovering and Madsen and these other pieces.

The unfortunate truth in Utah is that this team might have lost too much talent in the offseason. We’re certainly not ruling anything out for a Utes team that almost reached the Big Dance last year, but this program moves into a much tougher Big 12 with a less experienced roster. Have they added enough to finally return to the NCAA Tournament? Can Sharavjamts take that measured step forward in his junior year?