Chris Kupets has left the Utah program

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 1:28 PM MDT in Basketball

Bill Riley has just tweeted that Chris Kupets, who played in all but three games this season, has been released from his scholarship and will transfer to Cumberland University in Tennessee.

Kupets, who would have been a senior next year, averaged 7.4 points in 18.6 minutes of play. He recorded a season-high 25 points in a 77-69 loss to Air Force back in January.

He becomes the fourth player to bolt the program since Jim Boylen was fired, joining Will Clyburn, Preston Guiot and Antonio DiMaria.

J.J. O'Brien, Josh Watkins and Chris Hines still have yet to openly declare their intentions to leave or stay.

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Oh no!

What are we going to do? Not Chris Kupets! Please not Chris Kupets!

Seriously, this kid would have had a hard time cracking the rotation on my church ball team. He did not belong on a D-1 roster and the fact that he got any playing time at all is a testament to just how bad we were last year.

As a side note, KSL is reporting that Alex Jensen has officially been given an offer to become assistant number 3. The guy from Montana has also been offered the position of director of basketball operations of something like that.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 1:34 PM MDT reply actions

And Spencer Checketts is now reporting he's turned that offer down...

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 1:56 PM MDT up reply actions

yeah, just saw that....

interesting. not many people interview for a job, and then turn it down. ill need additional sources then spence checketts.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:04 PM MDT up reply actions

just started listening to bill and spence

Spence made some sense. Jensen is the number one assistant and has been told that when Rick steps down he will have the job. Thats probably a better prospect than being the number three guy at a big program.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:11 PM MDT up reply actions

Which I don't believe at all...

I’m sorry, but Majerus hasn’t done enough at St. Louis to appoint a successor. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but Jensen better not be expecting to get that job. If Majerus puts out two bad years in a row and retires, no way would they promote an assistant with little coaching experience.

Now if Majerus bounces back and has two good years, I think that could happen and certainly that is better than the Utah situation – but is that likely?

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 2:13 PM MDT up reply actions

how true

Personally, Id rather be at Utah. Majerus has lost his touch (really since 98, as you have pointed out).

no, its not likely that Majerus gets them to the level you are talking about.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:18 PM MDT up reply actions

It's a big risk...

And if Jensen is passed over for the job, does the next coach retain him? Doubtful.

Then he’s forced to take an assistant job under Hunsaker at UVSC.

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 2:19 PM MDT up reply actions

Or something like that...haha

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 2:20 PM MDT up reply actions

lol

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:20 PM MDT up reply actions

Any speculation as to why he'd pass up the opportunity?

I agree with what you’re saying in terms of it being a risk staying in StL…but if it’s not some kind of guarantee of promotion…

His family and high school friends are all here…you think it’s a salary issue? I can’t imagine he’s grown fond of StL’s social scene…

by Middy_U on Apr 14, 2011 5:29 PM MDT up reply actions

House cleaning

He looked like he was from the hills of Tennessee.

by Utah-UCLA alum on Apr 14, 2011 1:42 PM MDT reply actions

Yup...

He was not a legitimate starter on a Pac-12 team.

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 1:56 PM MDT up reply actions

Watkins

Bill Riley is reporting that Jiggy Watkins is solid and staying in the program.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:11 PM MDT reply actions

That's a relief...

Keep O’Brien and I think we’ll get out of this okay.

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 2:15 PM MDT up reply actions

Does Larry K have some ammo in recruiting?

As of right now, the 2011-2012 roster looks like this:

David Foster
Shawn Glover (Bill Riley tossed out his name today as another person who could be leaving, but nothing official)
Chris Hines (I have heard him mentioned on this site as being one who is looking at his options but I haven’t heard anything official)
Michael Hodgman (I have no idea who this is, if he is on scholarship or a walk on, but he is on the university’s roster)
Dominique Lee
Seth Tippets
Jason Washburn
Josh Watkins

That is not much. You are looking at a depth chart like this:

pg-jiggy, hines
sg-lee, hines
sf-glover
pf-tippets, washburn
c-foster, washburn

That is a joke. That team might win five games. Seriously.

My point: Larry K can literally go into a recruits home and say “Hey, we are trying to lay a foundation here. If you come to Utah, you have the opportunity to play big minutes from day one. You are going to have a chance to win the starting job (at positions 2-4) on day one.”

Obviously, thats not going to get every kid to come. But to some kids, that would be appealing.

Thoughts?

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:32 PM MDT reply actions

*flip flop my order on sg and pf

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:46 PM MDT up reply actions

That roster looks a little better with O'Brien

I hope he comes back. If not, well, what the hell. It looks like we will have had to tear this thing down to the studs (<- did you see that ironic pun) and start over again. It’s going to hurt at first, but it’ll come back. Once we get next year out of the way, I think we’ll start seeing some progress.

The one I feel bad for is Foster. I don’t think he’s nearly as impotent as the coaching carosel he’s been a part of has helped him to be. As it is, he’s the schools leading shot blocker during the middle of his junior year. Imagine if he actually had some coaching and some shooters around him.

Heck, imagine if he had a RS year left. I think in one year he’ll be hard pressed to improve much more. But if he could play for two more, I think that would do him a world of good.

I thought the same of Nevill. In some strange universe, if he could have had one more year of college ball, I think he could have graduated as a legit NBA prospect. He got going too late.

by fountainofute on Apr 14, 2011 3:50 PM MDT up reply actions

For those of you who are die hard followers of the gymnastics program......

having a guy named “Kupets” was a hard pill to swallow anyway.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 2:47 PM MDT reply actions

I don't get it...

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 2:55 PM MDT up reply actions

Kupets Sister Courtney...

She kicked our ass repeatedly at Georgia.

by Comrade Crimson on Apr 14, 2011 2:58 PM MDT up reply actions

yep, and there was another kupets sister as well on the gym dogs.

They were not happy about him coming up here at all. Amazingly enough, people can get that heated over gymnastics rivalries. Oh well. see ya later Chris.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 3:04 PM MDT up reply actions

Oh! Well I do know we hate Georgia...

by JazzyUte on Apr 14, 2011 3:04 PM MDT up reply actions

Dirk Facer reports

that Chris has neither requested, nor been given, a release from the program……….BUT………………the official athletic website no longer lists him as a member of the team.

Dirk says that another program has been given access to talk to Kupets about the possibility of coming to their program.

I doubt he comes back to Utah.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 14, 2011 3:22 PM MDT reply actions

I have to check my eligibility

The way we are going I am going to make sure I don’t have any eligibility left. If we’re going to fill the roster with a bunch of walk-on scrubs one of them might as well be me. I’ll be contacting Krysko right away.

by willlouty on Apr 14, 2011 6:42 PM MDT reply actions

Hope its true

This one plus Dimaria were the ones that I hoped would leave. This coming season and next are going to be a real struggle, but at least this new team will be easier to watch. I can’t wait to see basketball up at the JMHC again! Jiggy needs to learn to pass and shoot. Hope J.J. stays. He is now the best player on the team if he does.

by ForeverUtes on Apr 15, 2011 12:33 AM MDT reply actions

hearing

The vibe I get is that this is more of a “cut” then an actual transfer.

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by BigBenSportsGuy on Apr 15, 2011 9:47 AM MDT reply actions

That's what it sounds like...

Hopefully we have a suitable replacement. I mean, Kupets was a spazz, but at least he was a body to put out there. At the moment, we have few too of those.

by JazzyUte on Apr 15, 2011 1:23 PM MDT up reply actions

I agree...

We know our talent isn’t up to snuff today, but I don’t see how 5 mediocre players is better than 10 mediocre players. I’d have preferred Kupets stayed. Call me crazy. At this point in the game, I don’t see us trading up in talent.

These “talentless” JC’s had two things going for them: They had already been here one year, and they only had one year left.

If we have to fill these vacancies with more “panic pickup” JC’s, they’ll have similar talent and we’ll have to endure them for two more years. And while filling them with a decent Frosh might help 4-5 years down the road, it will kill the team next year.

by fountainofute on Apr 15, 2011 2:29 PM MDT up reply actions

Geez....

Wow, Kupets is no Clyburn, but it looks like the Runnin’ Utes might be gutted for next season… I really want a re-vamp of the program to be successful, and bring back competitive results to the basketball Holy War. Here’s hoping the R.U.’s bring in some hot new talent.

by romebig on Apr 15, 2011 2:30 PM MDT reply actions