Ezra Ausar jumped into Craig Smith’s arms.
The Utes’ hero and head coach held onto each other for just a moment after the buzzer sounded and thousands of Utah fans cheered around them.
Ausar, the junior forward, showcased his joy with a bright smile. And Smith finally exhaled, as the Runnin’ Utes captured their third-straight victory in Big 12 conference play with an overtime 73-72 win over in-state rival BYU.
Ausar led all scorers with a career-high 26 points against the Cougars on Saturday night, with 24 of them coming in the second half and overtime. The Atlanta, Georgia, native bullied his way to basket after basket, bumping and bruising BYU’s bigs in the paint to lead Utah to the win.
He finished 11 of 15 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, too.
But Ausar’s performance meant something beyond the stat sheet. He recently went home to mourn the death of a family member. And, naturally, he’s dealt with the emotions of grieving.
“It was just really counting on myself,” Ausar said. “To me, it was just confidence. I’ve just been kind of fighting my own emotions and feelings, and the best just came out. And I feel like I’ve still got more to go, so I’m just proud of the performance, and I’m going to take it in and let it marinate.”
Ausar let it all out in the locker room. Tears welled in his eyes, as he embraced his jovial teammates and coaches. Even if he wanted to hide it, he couldn’t.
Neither could his head coach at the podium. When asked to reflect on his and Ausar’s embrace at the end of Utah’s win, Smith let out a deep breath and rubbed his hands together for a few seconds. His voice trembled once he spoke into the microphone.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Muss reacts as Utah takes the lead in the final minutes of the game , in Big 12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Jan 18, 2025.
“I love that man,” Smith said, as he kept himself from crying.
“I don’t know what got into him, but it needs to happen all the time,” the coach continued. “He’s just a really amazing person. I’ve met a lot of people in my life. I’m not sure I met anybody exactly like Ezra, and that’s a real compliment. Amazing family. You know, he’s been kind of in and out of some things. … He went home for a death in the family and since then he’s had a different look to him. I think he had a lot more purpose.”
Hours before Utah’s pivotal game against the Cougars, Ausar’s mother, Kimya, texted Smith “good luck” before the rivalry contest in Salt Lake City. She doesn’t usually do that, but it was a special occasion.
She also gave Utah’s head coach some advice to pass along to her son.
“Tell Ezra to get to the offensive boards.”
Little did she know, Ausar would do much more than that. Just ask BYU head coach Kevin Young.
“Ausar was a beast in there,” Young said. “We had a hard time with him.”
Smith added: “He had a great look to him tonight, and I think he’s learning how to really compete. He’s got to keep doing this.”
Where Ausar has shined on the court, he’s made even more of an impact off of it.
Smith describes the junior forward as a “connector,” a player who builds his teammates up and wants to improve each day.
Someone who wants to learn how to win.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utes celebrate their overtime win over BYU, in Big 12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Jan 18, 2025.
Utah’s head coach knew he’d have that impact when he started recruiting Ausar in the transfer portal.
“We have a special connection, and it really started in the recruiting process,” Smith said. “We were talking essentially every day [on FaceTime]. Like, I don’t even FaceTime my family. I didn’t even know what it was, but now with Ezra, it’s like every time it’s a FaceTime call. So he taught me a lesson on that. I started FaceTiming my kids.”
Ausar’s role as a connector could be seen as he approached the podium to speak with reporters after the game. He wore a whiteTt-shirt displaying a picture of teammates Gabe and Mason Madsen tucked into his light-blue jeans.
He said his career-high performance was for former BYU players Hunter Erickson and Caleb Lohner.
“My teammates always count on me,” Ausar said. “They get on me all practice and all week long to stay dominant. … I know that is Hunter and Caleb’s old school, so that was a big win to me. I know that’s their beef.”
While Utah enjoys its win over its biggest rival, Ausar’s production will be needed moving forward.
The Big 12 is one of the best conferences in the country, and the Utes have tough matchups against No. 10 Houston and No. 25 Baylor on the horizon.
There will likely be more highs and lows in 2025. That’s just the reality of Utah’s new conference.
But, at this moment, Ausar is responsible for helping turn Utah’s season around. The Runnin’ Utes are .500 in the conference, and they now have a fighter’s chance to make the NCAA Tournament if they continue their momentum.
That wouldn’t be possible without Ausar’s presence.
“It’s a raw emotion,” Smith said. “It’s hard to replicate it. You can’t explain it. I’m just so happy for him and so happy for these guys for how they’ve responded the last 10 days and two weeks, really.
“Ezra’s best basketball is yet to come. … He’s a special young man.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes forward Ezra Ausar (2) shoots as Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) defends, in Big 12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Jan 18, 2025.
