Ute BB team a bit short-handed right now

When I dropped in on the latest Ute basketball practice, I noticed walk-on Tre Smith getting a lot of time with the main players. However as much as coach Jim Boylen likes the 5-9 guard from Cyrpus, don’t count on him playing a lot this year.
The Utes are a bit short-handed right now.
Chris Hines, the freshman guard from Texas, has been bothered by an ankle injury suffered in August that has kept him out of practice. This week, returning starting forward Carlon Brown hasn’t played because of an aspirated cyst on his shoulder. Plus, freshman Jace Tavita is not here and isn’t allowed to play as he waits to hear from the NCAA whether or not he is eligible.
So far, Boylen has been stressing defense in every practice. He says he wants to build a foundation for his young players. As I watched them practice, nearly the whole time was spent on on-the-ball pressure with players being taught the proper positioning of their feet and where to put their hand up as a defender.
The Utes are only allowed to practice for two hours a week, so this week they are dividing it up into three 40-minute sessions.