Utes still hoping to sign JC players

The Utah basketball team still hopes to sign a couple of JC players within the next week.
After a “dead” period last week, Ute coaches were back on the road this week trying to lock up a couple of players. Coach jim Boylen was back in Iowa recruiting WIll Clyburn, the 6-6 scoring guard who averaged 21 points for Marshalltown CC this year. If the Utes get him, the news could come within a couple of days. One of the main competitors for Clyburn is Saint Louis and former Ute coach Rick Majerus.
The Utes have also been recruiting hard for Josh Watkins the point guard from Howard CC in Texas, who was the MVP of the NJCAA Tournament, which Howard won. Watkins, who visited Utah this week and stopped in briefly at the Red-White spring football game, is taking at least one more visit, to Cincinnati later this week.
If Clyburn and Watkins are looking for immediate playing time, Utah should have the edge with urgent help needed at both guard positions. Saint Louis has a young squad of freshmen and sophomores who are all returning, while Cincinnati returns a pair of sophomore-to-be guards, although the Bearcats did lose their leading assist player to graduation.
Utah is also looking at Nick Thompson, a 6-8 forward from College of Eastern Utah, who prepped at Clearfield High and was a key player for the Eagles’ NJCAA semifinal team.