For Homecoming, we visit the Polar Plunge, the TRUE Wolverine Bonfire, and the Tailgate party before the big game.  Go Wolverines!

---

[Translate]

For Utah Jazz fans there are two ways of looking at the rocky start into which the team has stumbled early this season. After a discouraging loss to the Boston Celtics, the Jazz are 3-5 and chemistry seems to be a big issue. Utah has lost games to the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings after opening up double digit leads. So, are the
Jazz an awful team for having given up those big leads, or are they a talented team that hasn’t figured out how to finish games strong?

After a tumultuous off-season with Carlos Boozer essentially campaigning his free agency, when in fact, he wasn’t a free agent, and the shift from one Miller to another, Utah has regressed. Just two short seasons ago, the Jazz benefited from a major NBA-playoff upset and coasted to the Western Conference Finals. In the following season, 2007-08, the
Jazz lost in the second round of the playoffs and then suffered a first-round exit last season.

If the trend continues, this could be a devastating season and result in the Jazz missing the playoffs altogether. Or, if the front office is serious about winning, the team could deal Boozer and acquire some outside shooting and defense. Kyle Korver and C.J. Miles are set to return next month, but will they provide a constant threat from the outside? Not only does the Jazz need outside shooting, but also a consistent scorer other than Deron Williams.

All is not lost. The season is young and there are plenty of games yet to be played. Whether or not the team members figure out a way to coexist, Boozer needs to go. His salary will come off the books at the end of this season, and letting him walk could be one of the best moves for the Jazz.

With Utah owning the Knicks’s first-round pick, the tide could change in Utah if New York continues to struggle. The pick gives the team options, and with Boozer’s money out of the way, the Jazz can use the pick and make a selection, or bate the pick and fill some holes.

---

[Translate]

Trent Bates/UVU Review

The UVU men’s basketball team is going through an identity crisis of sorts. The heart and soul of UVU basketball has been ripped out with the recent graduation of all-time leading scorer Ryan Toolson and Mr. Reliable Josh Olsen. However, the show must go on.

Difficult, lonely, pointless–and without Josh Olsen—defenseless, are the words UVU coach Dick Hunsaker used to describe his team moving forward without its stars from a year ago. While Hunsakers comment was somewhat tongue-and-cheek, the Wolverines remain largely unknown.

“With such a huge cavity that was lost,” Hunsaker said, referring to his senior leadership from last season. “I don’t think that any one particular player really has the credentials to assume such a role.”

That being said, this season’s Wolverines will go as far as teamwork and determination will take them. The players returning have worked hard and improved in areas that showed deficiency a year ago.

Justin Baker returns as the teams leading post player, and with the loss of senior Brett Ravenberg, will assume the role of low post scorer and low block defensive threat.  Swingman Tyray Petty showed flashes of his athleticism and talent as a role player a season ago and looks to take on more responsibility on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

The return of point guard Kevin Woods, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, will do his best to fill in for the loss of Olsen.
Woods saw limited action as a freshman but hopes to embrace a more significant role this season. Another swingman that will be relied on as a scorer is Jordan Swarbrick. The senior from El Dorado, California will most likely see increased minutes and therefore have more opportunity to contribute.

“We have to have those guys that were role players a year ago,” Hunsaker added. “They’re going to have to take a lot more responsibility.”

---

[Translate]