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  "path": "/sports/2026/05/25/utah-basketball-analysis-what-to-address-with-last-two-spots/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-25T23:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.deseret.com",
  "tags": [
    "nine new players dot the current 11-man online roster",
    "Babacar Faye",
    "Lucas Langarita",
    "Jackson Holcombe",
    "Taison Chatman",
    "TJ Burch",
    "Malek Gomma",
    "Styles Clemmons",
    "David Katoa",
    "Jaxon Johnson",
    "Zati Loubaki",
    "Alec Anigbata",
    "Noam Yaacov",
    "Fynn Schott",
    "at the NBA G League combine",
    "commitment was first reported in February",
    "No Ceiling’s Maxwell Baumbach wrote",
    "pic.twitter.com/4ZY4ifTjo7",
    "May 10, 2026",
    "according to Draft Express’s Jonathan Givony",
    "pic.twitter.com/JljqQHkr8r",
    "@UtahMBB",
    "@NBA",
    "May 9, 2026",
    "Yaacov had 8 points",
    "ESPN’s Jeff Borzello included Yaacov in an analysis piece on the event",
    "ESPN",
    "Yahoo Sports",
    "Bleacher Report",
    "@DraftExpress",
    "@JonChep",
    "@franfraschilla"
  ],
  "textContent": "A month after the spring transfer portal window closed, the Utah men’s basketball roster for the 2026-27 season is essentially in the same spot it was around this time in April.\n\nIt’s been another offseason of change: 11 former Runnin’ Utes entered the transfer portal, and nine new players dot the current 11-man online roster, while two other international players are also reportedly committed to Utah.\n\nThat would bring the Utes’ total to 13 players on their roster for the upcoming season, one that will be vital for Alex Jensen and his coaching staff after Utah struggled through a 10-22 campaign and finished last in the Big 12 with a 2-16 league mark.\n\nAt this point, what can the Utes add to their roster to make Jensen’s second year as head coach more competitive in the Big 12 and move the program in the right direction toward becoming NCAA Tournament contenders?\n\nOf the 11 players currently on the roster, two are returnees — forward Babacar Faye and guard Lucas Langarita — and four are transfers from other Division I colleges, including wing Jackson Holcombe (Utah Valley), guard Taison Chatman (Ohio State), guard TJ Burch (Wright State) and forward/center Malek Gomma (Weber State).\n\nThere are also three true freshmen — guards Styles Clemmons and David Katoa and wing Jaxon Johnson, the latter two of whom spent the last two years in missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and a juco transfer in forward Zati Loubaki.\n\nAlec Anigbata, a 6-foot-8 small forward from Germany, is the one international talent whose signing has already been announced.\n\nTwo others, Noam Yaacov and Fynn Schott, are expected to sign with the Utes but that hasn’t become official yet — and that’s important, considering both are likely to play starring roles for the Utes next season.\n\nYaacov, a 6-foot-2 Israeli point guard, recently competed at the NBA G League combine and participated in NBA draft combine scrimmages — the 21-year-old is an auto-eligible prospect, and he has yet to announce his plans for the upcoming season.\n\nSchott _,_ a 19-year-old forward/center from Austria, is competing in the playoffs right now with Hestia Menorca of the Spanish Primera FEB.\n\nIf there are no hang-ups in getting both Yaacov and Schott in Salt Lake City, the Utes potentially have two more spots to fill on its roster for the upcoming season.\n\n### What are the priorities with those final 2 spots?\n\n**Another big man capable of playing the five:** Last year, Utah relied a lot on guys like James Okonkwo, Josh Hayes and Keanu Dawes (when they went with a smaller lineup) to handle the center position.\n\nIn the Big 12, the Utes struggled to stack up at the five with that combination. While Dawes was the team’s top rebounder and could stretch the floor, his more natural position was at power forward. Now he’s headed to Kansas. And while Hayes and Okonkwo could show flashes, particularly in rebounding, they often were offensive liabilities.\n\nIt didn’t help that Faye was lost to injury before the season began, and the 6-foot-9 fifth-year senior was expected to play a major role in the paint for Utah.\n\nThe Utes have addressed the five spot with additions in Schott and Gomma, and others like Faye and Loubaki could also fill in for Utah at the position when needed.\n\nSchott’s commitment was first reported in February, and during his time playing both professionally and for the Austrian national team, he’s shown the capability to be an offensive weapon and a strong rebounder, someone who could be a double-double threat in the right system.\n\nOne question surrounding him is his height — he’s been listed anywhere from 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-10.\n\nGomma, meanwhile, stands 6-foot-8, but he has a strong build and will provide Utah with a tough, physical presence inside. He averaged 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists this past season for the Wildcats.\n\nThe Utes could use more help at center, and particularly some more size and length as they prepare for their third season in the Big 12.\n\n**Another midyear transfer:** For the final spot, Utah could be prudent and wait to see what needs arise once the season starts.\n\nLast year, Langarita ended up being a midyear addition from the international ranks after Faye was lost for the year, Elijah “Choppa” Moore and Jahki Howard left the program during nonconference action, and Jacob Patrick was injured before the calendar turned into 2026.\n\nUnfortunately, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Spain didn’t get to see a lot of action for the Utes this past season. He was hurt in his first game for Utah and ended up playing in five games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 42.9% from 3 in limited action.\n\nLangarita also had nine turnovers to just three assists in his 61 minutes of play during the 2025-26 season.\n\nHe’ll be a sophomore in the upcoming season, though, and is the only player returning with any minutes played last year. How will that continuity work out?\n\nThis offseason, the Utes have built experienced depth at both guard positions and along the wing. After Utah struggled defensively last year, the staff went after several new guys, Holcombe and Burch in particular, that have shown they are strong defenders.\n\nAnother point of need this offseason was adding point guard depth after Terrence Brown transferred to North Carolina, but Yaacov and Burch both have the ability to be the team’s starting point guard and have proven to be reliable scorers and facilitators.\n\nCombine that with some of the aforementioned pieces along the front line, and it appears Utah has more positional versatility that could mesh well together this upcoming season.\n\nJensen and his staff have strong international ties — there are six international players already either signed or committed to play for Utah next season — and they could follow a similar route in adding a midyear addition for the 2026-27 season.\n\n### What about Noam Yaacov?\n\nDuring the course of NBA and G League Draft Combine festivities in Chicago earlier this month, Yaacov had the opportunity to showcase his talents in front of professional scouts and front office decision-makers.\n\nThere were several media members on hand who spoke highly of what they saw from Yaacov.\n\nSpeaking of Yaacov’s impact during the first scrimmage at the G League combine, No Ceiling’s Maxwell Baumbach wrote, “He had 13 points on eight shots, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals, but he was so much more impactful than the numbers suggest. He routinely got into the paint, consistently generating dribble penetration through his craft and speed.\n\n“Yaacov’s passing was stellar, too, he just didn’t get rewarded with as many assists as you’d hope given how many great deliveries he made. He wasn’t perfect on defense, but he put up a good fight and took accountability on the plays where he got beat.”\n\n> Noam Yaacov blended passing and scoring at the G League Combine, showing his pace, vision and creativity making pick-and-roll reads all game.\n>\n> 13 points, 3 assists, 2 steals in 23 minutes for the 6'2 Israeli point guard. pic.twitter.com/4ZY4ifTjo7\n>\n> — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 10, 2026\n\nOne of Yaacov’s best performances during scrimmages came in the third one at the G League event, when he had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, five assists and two steals, according to Draft Express’s Jonathan Givony.\n\nAfter that performance, Draft Express director of scouting Jon Chepkevich said, “Oostende’s Noam Yaacov was by far the best player on the floor in the third 2026 AWS G League Combine scrimmage.\n\n“Controlled the game with his skill, speed, moxie, and playmaking sizzle.”\n\n> Oostende’s Noam Yaacov was by far the best player on the floor in the third 2026 AWS G League Combine scrimmage.\n>\n> Controlled the game with his skill, speed, moxie, and playmaking sizzle.\n>\n> The Utah commit looks like a clear NBA Draft Combine call-up. pic.twitter.com/JljqQHkr8r\n>\n> — Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) May 10, 2026\n\nCollege basketball commentator and former head coach Fran Fraschilla even made a comparison of Yaacov’s game to a former BYU great, Jimmer Fredette, while suggesting that Yaacov is a “scorer & playmaker” who he believes will be in Salt Lake City for the upcoming season.\n\n> @UtahMBB future point guard, Noam Yaakov, will be at @NBA Combine this coming week. I don’t believe he’s ready to get drafted so I expect him in SLC next winter. He’s a scorer & playmaker who has great PNR vision & shooting form reminds me of Jimmer Fredette. (Don’t @ me 😉🏀)\n>\n> — Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) May 9, 2026\n\nWhile Yaacov struggled shooting during a handful of appearances in NBA combine scrimmages, he still showed the ability to facilitate at a high level against tougher competition.\n\nIn his first scrimmage at the NBA combine, Yaacov had 8 points (the majority coming from hitting 6 of 7 free throws) to go with four assists, two steals, two rebounds, one block and a turnover.\n\nFollowing the NBA draft combine, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello included Yaacov in an analysis piece on the event, under a subsection labeled, “Withdrawal watch.”\n\n“Stay with me for a second because Yaacov’s situation is a bit convoluted. The Utah commit is technically not considered an NBA draft combine participant, nor can he actually withdraw from the draft because he’s auto-eligible as a 2004-born international prospect,” Borzello wrote. “But he was invited to the G League combine then received a call-up to play in the NBA draft combine’s 5-on-5 scrimmages.\n\n“With all that said, Yaacov looked the part of an immediate-impact point guard for next season. He’s excellent in pick-and-roll situations, can initiate offense and control tempo and finds openings in the defense to score or create. His jumper needs work, but he should provide a massive boost to Utah’s point guard play._”_\n\nWhether Yaacov ends up in Salt Lake City with the Utes will be determined in due time, though it’s clear from these evaluations that he could be the piece the team builds around in the coming season.\n\nAs of Wednesday, two-round post-combine mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report did not have Yaacov as a draft pick.\n\nThe 2026 NBA draft will take place June 23 and 24.",
  "title": "What’s left to address with Utah’s remaining scholarship spots?"
}