This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah guard Anthony Odunsi was granted his release from the men's basketball program and will transfer, The Tribune learned Tuesday.A 6-foot-3 freshman from Fort Bend, Texas, Odunsi averaged 3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 29 games with the Utes, including four starts. Due to NCAA transfer rules, Odunsi must sit out a year if he enrolls at another Division I program, but would be eligible immediately with a lower-level program. Out of high school, Odunsi originally committed to Iowa State, but after decommitting he signed with the Utes and new coach Larry Krystkowiak to bring in 13 new players. Odunsi played point guard in high school (and was most famous as the guy who punched his teammate during a game) but he never quite meshed with Krystkowiak's system. Odunsi's best performance came on Nov. 16, when he started and scored a career-high 14 points."I thought Anthony Odunsi looked pretty comfortable on the floor," Krystkowiak said after the 80-59 loss, "certainly on the offensive end."It may have been the last time of the season that could be said about the guard. He often looked timid, passing on open shots and, once, earning himself a spot on SportsCenter by passing the ball off center Jason Washburn's head as the shot clock expired. He finished the year just 4-of-20 on 3-pointers. With his departure, Odunsi becomes the first of what is expected to be several players to transfer, as coach Larry Krystkowiak brings in his first full recruiting class. The coach has already signed five players, and said last week he would like to add two more, despite having only three schoalrships expected to be available, including Odunsi's.
— Bill Oram