This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In Larry Krystkowiak's first week on the job as the University of Utah men's basketball coach, fresh off promises of ramping up in-state recruiting, he drove to West Jordan High School and ducked into a gym and trained his eyes on Jordan Loveridge.

"We need to place a lot of focus on the state of Utah," Krystkowiak said earlier that week in his introductory news conference.

That April evening, Loveridge, a 6-foot-6 forward rated the state's top prospect, ran the floor smoothly in a pickup game. He stepped outside to swish jump shots and displayed precision footwork near the hoop.

Krystkowiak offered Loveridge a scholarship the next day.

On Friday, Loveridge announced that he will sign with the Utes, making him the most significant in-state commit in years and, perhaps, opens the door for more Utah prep stars to follow.

"Maybe there's another Utah kid out there that's at the same level and says, 'Yeah, maybe they're onto something,' " West Jordan coach Scott Briggs said.

Loveridge chose the Utes over more than a half-dozen other schools, including Brigham Young, Weber State and Utah State.

"I have a great relationship with every single [Utah] coach," Loveridge said. "I just want to be a part of the rebuilding. We're going to get the program back to where it was, and we're going to do it in the Pac-12."

Loveridge, who will not serve a church mission, waited to announce his college choice after deciding to commit to Utah about two weeks ago. He wanted to notify BYU's coaches after they returned Thursday from a slate of games in Greece.

Loveridge's national stock rose rapidly this summer as he starred for local AAU team Utah Pump-N-Run. He turned heads at the Adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas in July, and drew offers from out-of-state schools, including Saint Mary's and Colorado. Arizona was interested. Loveridge is ranked as the country's No. 92 recruit by MaxPreps.com.

"I remember one game he had almost 30 rebounds," said Marcel Davis, a Utah State-committed point guard from American Fork and Loveridge's Pump-N-Run teammate. "We were playing against Cal Supreme and they have lots of tall, big guys. He was just outmuscling them. I was like, 'He's ready right now.' "

It's good news for the Utes, who enter the upcoming year with a lightly regarded team not expected to have much impact in the new Pac-12.

None of the scholarship players on the roster is from Utah. That will not be the case once Loveridge joins the Utes in 2012.

"It changes the game," said Dave Hammer, a former Utah assistant who now coaches Salt Lake Metro, an AAU program. "Utah, not Larry, has been getting their butt kicked in recruiting by BYU."

Former Weber State coach Joe Cravens, who served as the Utes' interim coach in 1989-90, said Loveridge's commitment could represent a positive shift for Utah.

Krystkowiak was able to breathe easily Friday when Loveridge called and told him that he would return the commitment in kind.

"He just was really happy," Loveridge said, "and just said I pretty much made his week and his day." —

Loveridge file

• Sr., PF/SF, West Jordan

• Committed to Utes on Friday

• Ranked the No. 92 prospect in the country by MaxPreps.com

• Averaged 24 points per game for West Jordan in 2010-11