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The powers that be at Granger High kept Jordan Lopez — and the rest of the student body — in the dark this week.

It was well worth it in the end.

Lopez, a 16 year-old junior from West Valley City, let out a scream of excitement when the Utah Jazz ran out onto the floor for a surprise open scrimmage. She's been a Jazz fan all her life, but has been to only two games and never been as close to the players as she was on Friday afternoon.

It was an experience she said she won't soon forget.

"It was so exciting," Lopez said. "We knew something was up, but nobody would tell us what was happening. It was just awesome. It was so cool to see the Jazz come to a lower privilege school like Granger."

When the Jazz organization decided to hold its annual open scrimmage in the community, they did so with reactions like Lopez's in mind. For the Jazz, Friday's scrimmage represented an opportunity to showcase a new roster, and be seen in person by some who don't usually get downtown for games.

The ability to make their appearance a surprise enhanced the experience for Granger students. They were under the impression that the Jazz dunk team would perform, but had no idea the players and the scrimmage were part of the act.

"Towards the end of the week, some of the [Granger] basketball players were saying, 'It's gotta be the Jazz!' " Lopez said.

The Lancers turned out to be right.

"When I first got out there I was kind of nervous, but it was more of an excitement kind of nervous," Dante Exum said. "It meant a lot for us to get out there, and it was good for Jazz fans that want to come and watch us play. It's good for us to get out into the community. I've never been to a high school out here, so this was definitely a cool experience."

Exum struggled with his shot, but looked good physically, splitting time between both guard spots. Joe Johnson stood out for his offensive versatility. He hit a few jumpers, and also isolated Chris Johnson in the post, spinning baseline for an easy layup.

Gordon Hayward's improved physique was on display, as was Rudy Gobert, who was dominant rebounding the basketball. Derrick Favors hit two 3-pointers, leaving many in attendance shocked. Rodney Hood ended one quarter with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and ended the game with a nice reverse dunk. Hill and Shelvin Mack both stood out with their guard play.

The scrimmage consisted of four eight-minute quarters with a running clock. After the game, the team took photos, handed out mini-basketballs, and the Jazz made a $1,000 donation to the Granite School District.

And, of course, the surprise was priceless.

"It was a fun experience for all of us," Hood said. "It was fun to see all the happy faces. It was great to get out there and play against each other without doing all the drills. I'm glad everyone had fun."

tjones@sltrib.com twitter: @tribjazz