This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The first four possessions of Utah's scrimmage spoke volumes.
Jayce Johnson and David Collette immediately went at one another, getting the ball down low and trying to muscle into the post with the familiarity of a pair of old adversaries: Collette managing a dunk early, and Johnson getting him back not long after.
Scrapping for rebounds, trying to out-maneuver one another on the block — that kind of sparring between big men puts a gleam in coach Larry Krystkowiak's eyes.
"They do a good job of making each other earn everything they get," he said. "Nothing really comes easy for either one of them."
What was true in the scrimmage is also true in practice: Through a few weeks of fall sessions, Collette (6-foot-10) and Johnson (7-feet) have been two of the most spirited players on the court, forming a rivalry they hope sharpens them for the coming season.
Collette is experienced, a former third-team all-Mountain West performer from Utah State, where he averaged 12 points and five boards a game while blocking 56 shots. Johnson is more unknown — a California native who skipped his senior year to join Utah early and redshirt last season.
Both pride themselves in being "traditional bigs" in an era where five-men routinely try to shoot 3-pointers. It's not really in either player's DNA.
"A lot of the big guys I've played against are trying to play on the perimeter — they're trying to be point guards," Collette said. "But he's an actual post guy, and he's big down there. He works hard on it, and it's hard on me."
Collette and Johnson were tasked last season with giving future NBA lottery pick Jakob Poeltl a challenge in practice when they joined in December of 2015. Guarding the long-limbed Austrian who went on to be the Pac-12 player of the year was a challenging exercise, but it was one they both relished.
"It was good for us, because we got to see what an NBA prospect plays like — how he can play, how he can guard — so for our season coming up now, both of us know how to guard that kind of player," Johnson said. "So we learned that, and we got to help Jakob a little bit work on his left hand."
Collette and Johnson are both a part of Utah's size influx this season: Last year, Poeltl was the tallest player on the active roster by a few inches. This fall, the Utes have Collette, Johnson, Tyler Rawson (6-10), Jakub Jokl (6-11) and walk-on Marc Reininger (6-9). The team is also waiting on 6-8 freshman Chris Seeley to recover from offseason shoulder surgery.
Having a couple bangers on the block can get physical, and neither Collette nor Johnson is inclined to shy from contact. During the summer, it got so rough between the two, they had to step back and reevaluate
"We weren't hitting each other, but definitely fouling each other — it wasn't within the rules, that's for sure," Collette said. "After a while, the tension kind of built up. We were just letting it out on each other. Finally after practice, we just kind of apologized to each other and said, 'Hey, we've got to be smart about this.' "
The practices are still hard fought, but there's no longer as many blatant shoves and elbows under the basket. They've learned to coexist rather than simply hammer one another.
Collette will start the season on the bench, sitting out the first nine games due to transfer rules. He said he views his practice time the same way he views playing time in a game — after all, until Dec. 22, that's the closest he'll get to game action.
There's no doubt Utah will miss the steady scoring, defense and rebounding production of Poeltl; no one expects either Johnson or Collette to step in and seamlessly replace Poeltl. But with time, the two think they can keep up Utah's strength in the post.
"We feel really good about that," Johnson said. "There's always things to work on. When the season comes, we'll be ready and prepped to show the fans and everyone we're gonna be like the bigs before us."
Twitter: @kylegoon