Ute recruits perk up backcourt

Steve Addy

Wednesday, April 12, 2000 | 10:35 a.m.

UNLV's recruiting loss was Utah's gain, and the Utes are getting help where they need it most.

When junior college point guard Kevin Bradley picked Utah over UNLV last week, it gave the Utes the boost they needed in the backcourt, their weak spot this past season after Andre Miller was drafted into the NBA.

Bradley and former Georgia Tech point guard Travis Spivey should give Utah a lot of versatility and depth next season, as long as the Utes are able to get their signature on official letters of intent. The signing period starts today.

Spivey, whose college career was sidetracked by a sex offense conviction, played this season at Salt Lake CC and nearly averaged a triple-double. Bradley averaged 17 points and 8.8 assists at Compton CC and rejected UNLV because he feared possible NCAA sanctions against the program.

But Utah is also reloading in the frontcourt after losing MWC MVP small forward Alex Jensen and power forward Hanno Mottola. The Utes have Duke transfer forward Chris Burgess, who missed last season, and two 6-foot-11 freshman recruits, Lance Allred of Salt Lake City and Jon Godfread of North Dakota.

Also, sophomore forward Britton Johnsen and sophomore guard Trace Caton are due to return after completing two-year Mormon missions. Both played on the Utes' Final Four team of 1998.

Excluding UNLV, here's how recruiting is shaping up at the other Mountain West schools.

"I have dealt with (strict admission guidelines) for a long time," Scott said. "Some coaches might have problems with it, but I'm used to it and I've had success."

"Any program that loses a coach two weeks before signing day is going to take a step backward. But there are recruits out there," Layer said.

Fraschilla hasn't exactly denied the allegations, nor is he looking back with regret. He signed two power forwards in November and has gotten oral commitments from JC power forward Dion Broom and former JC All-American guard Eric Chatfield. The Lobos have two more scholarships available and hope to land 6-foot-9 Ronnie Griffin of Tallahassee CC.

The Aztecs have gotten an oral commitment from Croatian shooting guard Karlo Kovacic, a 3-point specialist from Modesto JC. They are in the running for Deandre Moore, a point guard who played at Vanderbilt, and Compton CC guard Kevin Augustine, formerly from USC. They're a long shot for L.A. City College forward Randy Holcomb, who also plans to visit Oklahoma.