The Utah backcourt will be brand new when Alex Jensen trots out his first lineup this fall.
Not a single guard or wing from last year’s Runnin’ Utes basketball program is back for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
That newness brings uncertainty — and provides opportunities.
There’s some promising talent that Utah has added already in the backcourt with varying degrees of eligibility remaining for Jensen and Co. to work with.
What’s left to do at guard and along the wing, with the Utes having four scholarship positions left to fill?
Who Utah has added at guard and on the wing
- Terrence Brown, 6-foot-3, CG — previously at Fairleigh Dickinson
- Alvin Jackson III, 6-foot-5, SG — previously at Salt Lake Community College
- Elijah Moore, 6-foot-4, SG — previously at Syracuse
- Don McHenry, 6-foot-2, SG — previously at Western Kentucky
- Jahki Howard, 6-foot-6, SF — previously at Auburn
- Kendyl Sanders, 6-foot-6, SF — previously at IMG Academy
Brown and McHenry are two players coming off high-scoring seasons that were arguably the best of their careers and the pair could provide plenty of offense for the Utes this coming season.
Brown — who averaged 20.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game in the 2024-25 season — still has two years of eligibility remaining.
McHenry has a year left after scoring 17.0 points per game and shooting 39.5% from the floor for the Hilltoppers last season.
Then there’s a couple of high-profile wing players who appear due for expanded opportunities.
Moore is a four-star transfer who showed flashes as a true freshman at Syracuse — when he averaged 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists — and could provide a greater spark with a larger role.
Howard is also a four-star transfer who played a reserve role as a freshman, averaging 4.2 points and 1.1 rebounds at Auburn. Like Moore, he has three years of eligibility remaining.
Moore and Howard look like two players Jensen can build around over the next few years, if the duo decides to stay in Salt Lake City — which is no small feat in the name, image and likeness world.
Jackson is a local who provides depth but may take some time adjusting to the Division I level after spending the past year at SLCC.
Sanders is a true freshman and likely depth piece who spent the past year in the IMG Academy post-grad program who shows potential.
What is still needed
Inconsistent point guard play was something that plagued Utah last season, and the Utes will need to find answers in that capacity for the upcoming year to help them be more competitive in the Big 12.
The Utes averaged 13.5 turnovers per game during conference play and were second-worst in the league in turnover margin and middle of the pack in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.15, despite being top 10 nationally in assists per game (17.4) on the year.
Of the current group of guards, Brown looks most poised to be the team’s top ball handler. In addition to his 3.2 assists per game average, he had eight games with five or more assists last season.
McHenry could provide some valuable minutes in that role as well. During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 2.4 assists per game, a number that dipped to 1.7 this past season, a likely byproduct of his points-per-game average rising from 15.1 to 17.0.
Transfer portal names to watch
There are some names to watch along the guard lineup as Utah looks to fill out the remainder of its roster.
Camron McDowell, one of the top Division II transfers in the portal, averaged 27.3 points per game while shooting 51.3% from the floor and 39% from 3 last season at Northwestern Oklahoma State.
McDowell took a visit to Utah at the end of March, as the Deseret News previously reported.
He also averaged 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Another name that’s been linked to Utah is Florida International guard Jayden Brewer, a 6-foot-6 wing who averaged a career-high 14.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest last season.
Then there’s East Tennessee State guard John Buggs III and San Diego guard Tony Duckett.
Buggs has been contacted by Utah, according to League Ready’s Sam Kayser. He averaged a career-high 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game last year and is a career 41% 3-point shooter while playing for four different colleges over four years.
Duckett has also heard from Utah, according to Made Hoops’ Max Feldman. He was an All-West Coast Conference freshman honoree this past season while averaging 10.4 points and starting 22 games, though his shooting percentage was under 40% — Duckett shot 38.6% from the field and 33.8% from 3.
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