This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Monday, Utah committed its prized recruit to the program, Roy High's Brekkott Chapman.
Now, the Utes are trying to add the pieces around the talented 6-foot-8 forward.
Kyle Kuzma - a 6-foot-8 small forward from Flint Michigan - will visit Utah on the weekend of September 14th. That will be homecoming weekend, when the football team faces off against Oregon State.
As was the case with Chapman, the competition will be stiff for Kuzma, a shooter and a ballhandler to go with unusual length for his position. Connecticut, Missouri, Florida State, Auburn, Rhode Island, Arizona State and Texas A&M have all officially offered Kuzma. He played extremely well in Las Vegas last week at the Fab 48 and has seen his recruitment skyrocket.
But as Larry Krystkowiak's done with a number of his recruits, Utah got into the chase early, and was one of Kuzma's first offers. The Utes have forged a relationship with him that's strong. Because of the coaching staff, Kuzma told the Tribune that Utah is "definitely" in his top five.
"I have a good relationship with Coach K and the rest of the staff," Kuzma said on Wednesday night. "I feel like that's a program that's headed in the right direction."
Landing Chapman, a top-50 recruit nationally, could pay off for the Utes. Kuzma said that he has already spoken to Chapman and that he can't wait to meet him.
Utah won 15 games last year, more than doubling the victory total in Krysktkowiak's first season. Kuzma appears to be a player that could crack the top-100 when the post summer rankings come out. He's a big priority for Utah as the recruiting season turns into the commitment season.
Tony Jones