Deep Utah State Team Still ‘Work In Progress’ Under Jerrod Calhoun
Aug 11, 2025, 2:41 PM
Utah State building chemistry heading into the 2025-26 season. (USU Athletics, Arpan Bose)
(USU Athletics, Arpan Bose)
LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State men’s basketball program has already been in the workshop, trying to recapture the chemistry and camaraderie that propelled the program to 26 wins last season.
The Aggies return five players from last season’s group. Second-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun is tasked with incorporating ten new players, including five freshmen, into a system that demands defensive acumen and connectivity above all else.
“There’s a lot of concepts, different schemes,” Calhoun began. “We are very deep, right? Does that mean we’re going to get 25, 28, 30 wins? Who knows how many wins we’re going to get? The chemistry has got to be there.”
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Calhoun recounted when former ESPN basketball writer turned Utah State professor Chad Ford observed a recent summer practice.
“(He) came to our practice the other day and I said, ‘Coach, one thing that I loved about our team last year was the connectivity, the chemistry. We don’t have that yet. We’re a work in progress.”
Though it’s early, Calhoun can see the pieces coming together.
“We are deep,” Calhoun said. “We look different. We’ve got some real size, and we’ve got to just continue to build the connectivity of this team.”
Chemistry is just one area the Aggies are looking to improve in 2025
After watching last season’s film, one thing that stood out to the coaching staff was the inability to challenge teams offensively in the post.
Calhoun hinted that USU will look to feature more interior presence from the first-year Aggies in the coming season.
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“It’s kind of amazing last year, if you study our team, our statistics, we did a lot of good things, but we had 19 times we posted up and scored,” Calhoun said, citing an almost impossibly small number for a team that averaged 79.9 points per game in 34 contests.
“We wanted to make sure that we could post up,” the former Youngstown State coach confirmed. “I think Garry Clark is going to be able to do that. I think Zach Keller is going to be able to do that. David Iweze is going to be able to do that.”
He continued, “It was glaring to us throughout the year how we got a little bit pushed around on the block. Abuin Gateretse, I thought, was one of the best pick-and-roll lob threats. Post moves was not his game… We were one of the best lob teams. So you’ve got to give and take with certain teams.”
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Is Mason Falslev ready to take the next step in his development?
Junior Mason Falslev headlines a group of five returning players. Alongside him are guards Drake Allen and Jordy Barnes. Karson Templin and Tucker Anderson return to the frontcourt, giving the Aggies a good mix of experience at multiple positions.
Amongst the fanbase, there is no doubt that Falslev is the tip of the spear on both ends of the floor. The four-time Mountain West Player of the Week was named to the All-MW Second Team and earned MW All-Defense after finishing top-10 in the conference in scoring (16.9), assists (3.7), rebounds (6.1), and steals (2.3) per game.
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“He’s our guy,” Calhoun said, putting to rest any conversation on which straw stirs the Aggies’ drink. “He’s a real player. He’s going to go down in this school’s history as one of the best players to ever wear the uniform. He’s gotten better, not just basketball, but his leadership. He’s going to take that next step.”
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
