Jim Boylen has released a statement on why Deane was kicked off the team.
Daniel was given an opportunity over the past six weeks to elevate his conduct to the standards we put forth. He chose to not do that, and we were left with no choice but to release him. We're trying to establish a standard of excellence that we feel is necessary to build a major college men's basketball program.
We do all we can to help our student-athletes succeed academically, and we feel that it is our job to hold them accountable for earning a college degree. Daniel did not buy into that philosophy.
Clearly Boylen is not taking any crap from the team, but the dearth of talent might hurt the Utes this season. With Deane being the primary backup to Luke Nevill, I wonder who he'll throw in when Nevill comes out. Boylen already released Nemanja Calasan -- a junior college standout. Calasan has height and would definitely have helped out with the absence of Deane. However this does free up a scholarship, so Boylen can bring in his own guy.