For most people familiar with the Utah Jazz, the answer to who the Jazz will select with the No. 2 overall pick comes down to whoever the Washington Wizards don’t select: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson.

But one prominent NBA media figure seems dead set in his stance that the Jazz will select Duke big man Cameron Boozer. For Bill Simmons, it’s not if the Jazz take Boozer, it’s when.

“I would bet anything AJ (Dybantsa) is the first pick… and I think Boozer goes two,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Saturday night.

This wasn’t the first time that Simmons expressed his confidence in the Jazz selecting Boozer. On a June 8 episode of his podcast, Simmons expressed his hunch that Boozer would end up in Utah.

“I think Danny (Ainge) is such a wildcard at second,” Simmons said. “He did it with (Jayson) Tatum, he did it with (Jaylen) Brown, he did it when he was going to take Durant, he over and over again looks at the high end talent guys and is able to project them. You would think it’s going to happen with Peterson, but I think there’s too many red flags. I think he’s going to stay away from Peterson. I could see him taking Boozer at two. That would be my minus-130 bet right now. I might be wrong, but I really think they’re gonna take Boozer, I do. I can’t explain it.”

Later on, Simmons explained that the Jazz’s front office knows the families of Dybantsa and Boozer incredibly well, know that the two like playing in Utah — something that should never be taken for granted — and that Peterson is too much of a wildcard to take a swing on.

J. Kyle Mann, an NBA draft analyst for The Ringer who was Simmons’ guest on the June 8 episode did not echo this sentiment.

“I think the Jazz will take Peterson. I’ve heard they like Peterson, I’ve heard Danny likes Peterson,” Mann said.

Boozer was the national player of the year in his lone collegiate season at Duke, averaging an insane freshman stat line of 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Boozer’s high IQ and rebounding are two of his biggest strengths, while his defense and perceived lower athletic ability leave some teams hesitant on drafting the former Blue Devil.

The NBA Draft will be held on June 23 at 8 ET in Brooklyn, N.Y.

WASHINGTON (7News) — With thousands of spectators expected to attend the UFC fights at The White House, fans had to fight the weather while awaiting the much-anticipated event.

Fight night on Sunday was preceded by excitement in the hours leading up to the first bout.

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“Everywhere you walk, people have American flags; they’re excited about the fights,” said David Klimek.

The heat and humidity blanketed the nation’s capital throughout the day.

Event staff handed out free water bottles along the path leading to the security screening area.

“We’re probably just going to find a bar or a watch party, maybe get out of the heat a little bit. They were giving out free waters. That was cool. I wasn’t expecting that,” said Nathan Willingham.

Klimek echoed this sentiment, telling 7News, “It’s just too hot out here. We try to have water, but you’re standing in the sun, so we did the best we can.”

It wasn’t just the heat that played a role on Sunday.

The possibility of storms also had fans making plans in case they had to find cover.

“We planned to just wait it out right in the rain. But for the lightning, we were just going to follow the crowd, see where people go. I heard they were going to come back when it’s over, so we just trusted the organizers to keep us safe,” Klimek said.

Ethan Ragland told 7News, “I think we’re just going to go to a bar, just watch the fight there if that happens. That’s the ‘plan B,’ I guess.”

In the days leading up to the fights, public safety officials ramped up security measures.

That included road closures all around the National Mall.

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“I think they did a really good job of setting up all of the infrastructure. They got a lot of police. It seems like it’s pretty safe,” Willingham said. “I was worried about the possibility of some dangerous stuff, but it seems like it’s very, very secure.”

Many roads will remain closed through Monday evening.

Beartooth Basin, located at nearly 11,000 feet of elevation in northern Wyoming, is North America’s only ski area open exclusively during the summer months.

Situated just 5 miles from the Montana border in the Beartooth Mountains outside Red Lodge, the basin symbolizes everything that bucks the direction of the nation’s mainstream ski industry.

The low-frills mountain describes itself as “backcountry skiing with a lift.” There is no base lodge, ski school, rental shop, or slopeside lodging. 

The ski area runs on a single generator. An old repurposed service truck with “Little League” emblazoned across the front serves as a combination lift-ticket office, snack shack, and lost-and-found department.

The dirt parking lot is small and full of potholes, people lounging in camping chairs, and plenty of smiles in the best spirit of ski-bummery.

“It’s just a really small, unique operation,” co-owner Justin Modroo told Cowboy State Daily. “When we’re rolling, it can really be quite smooth and fun and enjoyable.”

In an increasingly transactional society, where metrics and profit margins often seem to drive every business decision, skiers say Beartooth is heartwarming and surprising as an operation that looks beyond those concerns simply for the love of their sport.

How It Works

Operating for only a handful of weeks each summer and catering to a diehard niche of skiers and snowboarders, everything about Beartooth Basin is about skiing at its most basic level.

What little profit the mountain generates, if any, is reinvested into operations, which unsurprisingly are not cheap.

As long as there is enough snow, the basin opens around Memorial Day each year, relying on the high-alpine Beartooth Highway to be cleared before operations can begin. 

Once open, the ski area remains operational as long as conditions allow. In 2019, it stayed open until July 4. This year, the goal is June 21, the summer solstice.

Two aging Poma surface lifts serve the ski area, making the ride uphill sometimes as nerve-racking as the trip down. Riding a Poma lift involves placing a small plastic disc beneath your hips and hoping your legs can hold on long enough as you’re towed to the top.

“It’s just simple, basic uphill travel to get people up the hill so they can go back down and have fun,” Modroo said.

The basin’s twin Poma lifts are relics dating back to the 1980s, and breakdowns are not uncommon. Located atop a mountain pass with no maintenance facility on-site, the ski area faces significant challenges when equipment fails.

This year was no exception. 

The main drive on the upper lift failed earlier this month, forcing the mountain to close for roughly two weeks. 

Modroo described the situation as “pretty rough,” requiring the lift to be transported more than 90 minutes to Billings, Montana, for repairs. 

Now fixed and with the Beartooth Highway cleared of a late-season snow, Beartooth opened at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Modest Amenities, Five-Star Skiing

As minimal as the amenities may be, the basin offers some of the most remarkable skiing in North America.

The runs are short but steep, reaching grades of nearly 50 degrees in some sections. According to Modroo, there’s always an opportunity “to get puckered,” ski slang for experiencing fear on the slopes.

Despite competing professionally on the World Freeskiing Tour and skiing some of the most challenging terrain on the planet, Modroo still describes the basin’s terrain as “mind-boggling.” 

Professional ski legends such as Tanner Hall, Karl Fostvedt, and Sander Hadley have also skied its slopes.

“People that go up there for the first time are always blown away — just absolutely blown away,” Modroo said. “Even if they’re pro skiers, even if they’re not skiers. It doesn’t get close to boring.”

Many of the runs resemble narrow snow corridors bordered by massive boulder walls. The snow is almost always slushy, creating a forgiving surface to navigate moguls that can grow as large as a small car.

From the top cornice, skiers are treated to sweeping views of the Beartooth Mountains. It is easy to become lost in the beauty of the landscape without ever feeling the need to make a turn.

Whether you’re an expert skier or simply trying to survive your way down the mountain, it is hard not to feel like a rock star as soft, mashed-potato snow sprays from beneath your skis and glitters in the high-elevation sunlight.

And despite it being summer skiing, conditions at 11,000 feet can quickly shift back to winter. Fresh June powder is not uncommon.

The ski area is staffed by professional ski patrollers and lift operators, but this crew is a special breed. They sacrifice a month of their summers to work long, unpredictable hours in an extremely rugged environment.

Aside from operating snowcats, the staff are true jacks-of-all-trades, doing whatever is necessary to keep the mountain running.

Cody native Dean Madley drives snowcats at the basin and has been skiing the mountain since childhood.

“The Beartooth Pass skiing community is filled with some of the most committed skiers and snowboarders anywhere, extending their seasons into the summer months,” Madley said. “The lift-access operation at Beartooth Basin is never easy and always unpredictable, but it is run by some of skiing’s most passionate people.”

The Basin’s History

The Basin began its operations in 1962 when Austrians Pepi Gramshammer, Eric Sailer, and Anderl Molterer founded it as a summer training ground for alpine ski racers.

Over time, it became known as the Red Lodge International Ski and Snowboard Camp. When new owners took over, the ski area opened to the public for the first time in 1986. 

Since, the basin has earned a reputation for providing a raw, untamed skiing experience rooted in a passion for high-alpine summer skiing and snowboarding.

One of Modroo’s favorite Beartooth memories came in 2006, when he timed an avalanche-control blast to coincide with a drop from the top cornice to a landing roughly 15 feet below. As chunks of snow cascaded down the mountain behind him, Modroo linked perfect turns through the terrain.

The basin regularly uses avalanche-control explosives to reduce risk, and videos of the resulting slides frequently generate attention on social media because of the massive amounts of snow tumbling down the mountain.

Even those pale in comparison to some of the larger airs riders have been sending at the Basin this summer.

The summer of 2020 was particularly memorable because Beartooth Basin became the first ski area in North America to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Modroo remembers that summer fondly, describing the mountain at the time as “the happiest place on Earth.”

A few years ago, Modroo and the other owners announced they were putting the ski area up for sale. They have yet to receive a serious offer, and Modroo said they are only interested in selling to someone who shares their vision.

He admits he does not really want to part with the mountain he has frequented since his days as a young ski racer, and hopes to retain a minority ownership stake if a buyer eventually emerges.

“For me, it’s just a labor of love, and I enjoy it,” he said.

Although Modroo dreams of someday building a tram from the base of the Beartooth Highway to the ski area, allowing access throughout the winter, such a project is unlikely anytime soon.

And that’s probably OK.

The basin is already a diamond in the rough — rugged, beautiful, and fleeting.