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There are basketball gyms around the country closed to most eyes. The only way to get in is being able to hold your own on the court.
A few days of pickup games between college and NBA players at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas — players including Lance Stephenson, Aaron Afflalo and Jamaal Franklin — will mostly be preserved to only the participants. But Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns offered a small window with a tweet: "This kid Kyle Kuzma from Utah is looking like a 1st rd pick right now at @impactbball"
A story about Kyle Kuzma naturally starts at gyms, because the junior forward has grown up in them. From the YMCA in his hometown of Flint, Mich., to the Philadelphia prep academy he attended, to the intramural against other Utah students, to the Runnin' Utes sparkling new basketball facility — it's all been building to something.
This season, many who have watched Kuzma mature at Utah believe what he does in gyms this upcoming season will open eyes.
"Some guys in Vegas didn't know who he was at first, then they were like 'Man, this kid can really hoop,' " said Clint Parks, one of Kuzma's mentors and close friends. "He was really going at dudes. He was out there competing with confidence. You can put all the work in the world, but you've got to believe in yourself. Kyle really believes in his game."
A program that has produced an All-American player and NBA draft pick in each of the past two seasons is on the lookout for the next man up. While the 6-foot-9, 221-pound Kuzma has much to do to rise to the levels that Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl reached, there's mounting buzz that he is Utah's next leading man.
Reports from Utah's closed scrimmage last month indicated that he was the best player on the floor against Texas A&M. NBA Draft Express ranks him as the fifth-best pro prospect in the Pac-12 behind first-rounders such as Washington's Markelle Fultz and Cal's Ivan Rabb. His performance at an Under Armour camp over the summer drew praise, NBA players learned his name when they watched him play.
What's changed about his game from a sophomore season in which he averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game is everything, according to sophomore guard Sedrick Barefield.
"His whole skill set has been advanced," Barefield said. "His footwork is better. He's taking the ball off the dribble a lot more. He's improved his shot like crazy. I always thought he was a great shooter and wasn't as good in the games. But there's days now when he doesn't miss."
Kuzma freely admits he bristled for his first season under coach Larry Krystkowiak. Averaging eight minutes per game as a freshman, Kuzma spent much of his first year wondering why he wasn't playing. It always seemed that Krystkowiak would ride him the hardest, yell at him the most, pull him out of games quicker than anyone else. He thought about transferring.
"In Pac-12 play, I didn't even touch the floor unless we were winning by 20," he said. "You come in, you're a four-star recruit and you're not playing. It really humbles you."
Krystkowiak didn't change. But Kuzma did.
After a meeting with Krystkowiak in that first offseason, he added muscle and became versed on the finer points of screens, how and when to close out, where to be when the ball went up in the air.
In retrospect, he gets it: "A lot of these guys come here with basic defensive fundamentals that I had never even thought about. When you're a freshman, everything is 100 miles per hour, plus I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm just toast every day."
From freshman year bench-warmer, Kuzma morphed into a sophomore year starter, eclipsing his teammate and friend Brekkott Chapman, who went on to transfer after the 2015-16 season.
This offseason, he's worked tirelessly on his jump shot, as well as his ability to put the ball on the floor. He's not as focused on his point totals as he once was, he said. But the biggest change might be he's accepted there's no skipped steps: More playing time or a larger role for Utah won't make him a star — only practice and steady work in the gym will.
"He just had to wait his turn," Parks said. "Coach wasn't just gonna give it to him. He learned a good lesson: When the ball does stop bouncing, you just push through. I think he has a lot more appreciation for where he is now that he did stick it out."
This season, Krystkowiak hasn't been as on top of Kuzma as he once was, preferring to direct his attention to the newer players who are still learning. Kuzma is one of his teaching assets, quick to either pat a teammate on the back after a good play, or correct someone after a mistake.
Krystkowiak admits that he was harder on Kuzma than most.
"I was jealous of his skill set, and knew he didn't have the drive or the work ethic that he needed," he said. "I tried to coach that."
On Saturday, Utah's season begins. Kuzma is one of the few familiar faces on the team. And as Wright and Poeltl did before him, Kuzma will be looking to make a leap. He enters the year confident that he's put in the time to follow through.
"Of course there's a lot of expectations," he said. "Preparation eliminates fear and doubt. Hopefully things fall into place for me this year."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
NW Nazarene at Utah
P Huntsman Center
Tipoff • 5 p.m.
TV • Pac-12 Network
Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Series history • First meeting
About the Crusaders • Northwest Nazarene is coached by second-year head man Scott Flemming, who went 8-18 last year coaching the DII school. ... Bouna N'Diaye, a 6-foot-6 wingman out of Norway, is the team's leading returning scorer, averaging 15.1 ppg. ... Forward Kaileb Rodriguez played for Nevada the past two seasons before transferring.
About the Utes • Utah returns only two starters from last season's NCAA tournament squad: Senior guard Lorenzo Bonam (10.2 ppg) and junior forward Kyle Kuzma (10.8 ppg). ... Sophomore guard Parker Van Dyke returns to the program after serving a two-year LDS Church mission, and played 23 of 33 games in his freshman year. ... Utah has started every season at home with a win in coach Larry Krystkowiak's previous five seasons.