Utah Hoops - Loveridge finally finds his touch

It was almost like you could see the cloud being lifted from around Jordan Loveridge.

The Utah freshman found himself wide open at the top of the key. He hesitated, he faked a pass, and he found himself still wide open, with the crowd at the Huntsman Center imploring him to shoot.

He did.

Swish.

After that, the game on the offensive end was easy for the 6-foot-7 rookie out of West Jordan. He made another jumper. And another. He made a floater on the baseline. And a couple of free-throws.

When it was finished, Loveridge had a career-high 22 points to go with nine rebounds. He was easily the best player on the floor.

"He's a very capable player," Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "He's still thinking too much, and he still hesitating. But making that first shot was key and he did a good job rebounding the ball for us as well. He's making good progress."

Loveridge went through three games where he's shot horribly. Unlike most freshmen, however, he hasn't let it affect the other parts of his game. He's already had two double-digit rebounding games. He's playing good defense as well.

Tony Jones