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Did BYU's environment impress Utah?

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Did BYU's environment impress Utah?


Prior to last Friday night’s gymnastics meet between Utah and BYU, the Red Rocks hadn’t competed in Provo since MyKayla Skinner was Utah’s star.

In the six years between that meet on Jan. 11, 2019, and Friday’s (Jan. 24, 2025), a global pandemic came and went, two presidential elections were entered into the history books and two Summer Olympics were competed.

Oh, and Skinner got married, won an Olympic silver medal and had a daughter.

Put another way, an entire class of Utah gymnasts — including Maile O’Keefe and Abby Paulson — never competed in the Marriott Center, so the current Red Rocks were naturally curious about what the atmosphere would be like.

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After all, Utah and BYU may not really be rivals in gymnastics, but the overall athletic departments are.

For the most part, reviews were positive. Used to competing in the Huntsman Center with 10,000-plus in attendance regularly, Utah was nonetheless impressed with the atmosphere at the Marriott Center, with a little over 4,000 fans in the stands.

“I thought it was really fun,” junior Makenna Smith said. “I was excited to see their arena because I had heard they have a very nice arena and have a good crowd. They definitely showed that, so it was awesome to be here.”

The Red Rocks roundly praised the Cougars’ fan base, particularly the student section.

Utah’s Makenna Smith celebrates after her vault as BYU and Utah compete in Gymnastics at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday January 24, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

“I thought it was great. I thought there was an awesome fan group,” Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf said. “I didn’t get to see the wave happen — between beam and floor — but it sounded like it was pretty exciting. I thought it was an excellent environment to compete in. They have an excellent facility here.”

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Senior Grace McCallum took it a step further, though, challenging the MUSS (Utah’s student section) to match what the ROC (BYU’s student section) put on display.

“I thought it was a really fun environment,” she said. “I think the Utah student section needs to take some notes, because they (the ROC) were hype. It was super fun.”

Utah won the meet going away, per the usual in the series, which junior Sarah Krump credited to tuning out the BYU crowd when it mattered most.

“We made our focus for that meet really on staying in the Utah bubble,” she said. “We wanted to focus on our teammates and on Utah, instead of on the crowd around us.

“The crowd was rowdy for sure. I don’t know if you noticed the techno music during beam warmup, but that was definitely interesting. For the most part, though, we as a team did a really good job keeping our energy on us and I think that helped a lot.”

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Both Krump and Dockendorf praised the Utah fans who made the trip to Provo as well.

“There was a lot more red in the crowd than I was expecting,” Krump said.

“It was great to have some fans,” Dockendorf added.

Great environments aren’t always the norm in women’s college gymnastics, particularly with the recent trend of neutral site meets between four teams far away from college campuses, but the Red Rocks agreed that the environment at BYU was notable — and the crowd especially — even for a team like Utah that is used to competing in one of the best environments in the sport.

“It was definitely fun,” Krump said.

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Utah’s Jaylene Gilstrap, walks off the floor to celebrate with teammates as BYU and Utah compete in Gymnastics at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday January 24, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News



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Utah

Juuso Välimäki talks equipment before 4 Nations Face-Off

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Juuso Välimäki talks equipment before 4 Nations Face-Off


Sidney Crosby’s infamous jockstrap made its first trip to Utah when the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town in January. It’s been (literally) tied to Crosby at the hip for more than 20 years and has seen approximately 1,700 games at various levels — not to mention countless practices, training camps, preseason games and off-season ice sessions.

It’s not that he can’t get a new one — the Penguins’ equipment managers, who are tasked with performing regular surgeries on the dying waistband, would be overjoyed if he did — it’s just that it’s comfortable for him. And if Sidney Crosby thinks it helps him play better, who can argue?

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Juuso Välimäki, who is representing his home country of Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off this week, also tends to hold onto his gear far longer than his equipment managers would like.

“I hate new stuff — everything,” he said. “I need a little bit of time to break the stuff in.”

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That was after a recent Utah HC practice, where he sported Finland-blue gloves and pants, which he’ll wear throughout the tournament.

“I know we’ll a have a couple of days (of practice) over there, but it might not be enough for me,” he told reporters.

Välimäki was also breaking in a new pair of skates that day. He’d used his old ones since the start of the summer, which is much longer than the average NHL player holds onto a pair.

The steel blades are replaced much more frequently than the boots themselves, but problems arise when the stitching that secures the toe cap in place starts to relent, allowing wind to hit the player’s foot as he skates — something that Välimäki experienced last season.

“I’ll usually play the year with one pair of skates, which is kind of crazy,” he said. “I remember (UHC head equipment manager Stan Wilson) last year had to throw my skates out after the season. He’s like, ‘you’re done.‘”

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“I know for a long time that I should change (my skates), but I just can’t wrap my head around it because they feel different and I just get in my head,” he said.

The process of breaking in equipment is different for everyone. Olli Määttä, for example, who is teammates with Välimäki both in Utah and on the Finnish national team, barely has to break it in at all.

“I think I need a day or two,” he said. “That’ll be fine. I’m sure we’re all a little different. It usually doesn’t take me much.”

Another Utah HC defenseman, Nick DeSimone, is the exact opposite of Välimäki.

“I don’t really mind new gear,” he said. “I love new skates. I’d probably wear new skates every two, three weeks if I could.”

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Utah center Barrett Hayton is on Välimäki’s side. He estimates that most of his body equipment (shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin pads and pants) is about five years old, meaning he may have used some of it his entire NHL career to date.

Hayton is also particular about his sticks.

“I can kind of feel when it’s a little long (or a) little short,” he said.

As a kid, he had a stick with a P28 curve, which is common to find at retail sporting goods stores. He’s stuck with it all the way to the NHL.

Josh Doan has also stuck with the same stick most of his life, but it’s not because he stumbled upon it at a store one day — it’s because it’s the same one his dad, Arizona Coyotes legend Shane Doan, used.

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Warrior, the company that supplied Shane Doan’s sticks during the latter part of his career, would send Josh mini versions of his dad’s sticks: same make, model, curve and lie. The only differences were the size and the flex.

Josh had to diverge in junior, college and the AHL because his teams had brand deals with other manufacturers, but now that he’s playing in the NHL, he’s switched back to that same Warrior stick.

Now, to answer the inevitable question: If Shane Doan were to suddenly return to the NHL after an eight-year hiatus, could he just use his son’s sticks?

“He’d have to flex up a bit — he likes a stiffer stick,” Josh said. “But ya, he could come out and use mine and perform pretty easily.”



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Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Preview

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Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Preview


Utah Jazz will face off against Lebron, Luka, and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. This is a rare home and away series, both teams’ most recent game was in LA. Now, they’ve relocated to Utah, where the Jazz will try to avenge their loss.

That might be really hard to do, especially considering how Monday night went. The Jazz lost 113-132, and it wasn’t that close. The Lakers, who have won 12 of their last 14, were already surging before getting gifted the 25-year old top-5 player, Luka Doncic. After coming off 6 weeks of rehab, Luka played below his standard during his Lakers debut on Monday. He rarely has two mediocre games in a row. Despite how Luka performs, the Lakers still have reenergized Lebron James on their team.

While this game might be hard to win, the Jazz have an opportunity to learn from their wrongs and play a much better game on Wednesday night. Isaiah Collier gets to go for another double-double, Walker Kessler gets to continue his breakout season, and Lauri and John get to continue being some of the more underrated forwards in the league.

Regardless of what happens, this young Jazz team gets to play some incredible talent. They will no doubt benefit from playing and learning from some of these Lakers on the court.

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Injury report

Out – Collin Sexton (left ankle sprain)

Out – Taylor Hendricks (right fibula fracture)

Out- KJ Martin (conditioning)

What to watch:

Who: Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers

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When: Wednesday, February 12th @ 7 pm MST

Where: Salt Lake City, Utah

How: 97.5 FM, Jazz+, KJZZ



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Luka Doncic makes LA Lakers debut in a 132-113 win over Utah Jazz

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Luka Doncic makes LA Lakers debut in a 132-113 win over Utah Jazz


Five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic begins Los Angeles Lakers career just over a week after his blockbuster trade from Dallas Mavericks.

Luka Doncic produced 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in his Los Angeles Lakers debut and LeBron James added 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as the newly formed star duo led the way to a 132-113 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.

Austin Reaves logged 22 points and nine rebounds and Rui Hachimura added 21 points as the Lakers extended their winning streak to six games while coming out on top for the 10th time in the past 11 games. Jordan Goodwin scored 17 points in his second game with Los Angeles on Monday.

Doncic, acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster deal on February 2, played for the first time since Christmas Day, having recovered from a left calf strain. The Slovenian guard was on the court for 24 minutes and shot 5 of 14 from the floor, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

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Lauri Markkanen and John Collins each scored 17 points and Jordan Clarkson added 16 as the Jazz saw their road losing streak reach nine games. Johnny Juzang scored 14 points as Utah lost its third consecutive game overall and fell for the 12th time in its last 14 contests.

Collins, who had 11 rebounds, joined Isaiah Collier, who amassed 13 points and 10 assists, each posted a double-double for Utah.

Doncic had one turnover and one missed shot just over two minutes into the game before making his first basket in a Lakers uniform on a 3-pointer with 8:05 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Lakers led 37-25 after one period and were well in control by half-time, going into the locker room up 72-47. Reaves had 15 points before the break, James added 13 and Doncic had 11. The Lakers shot 60 percent over the opening two quarters, while the Jazz were at 40 percent.

Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter with a 100-75 lead and cruised to their third victory in three tries against Utah. The teams face each other for the final time this season on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.

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The Lakers’ only reason for concern came early in the fourth quarter when James went to the locker room briefly due to abdominal discomfort. He returned to the bench with just over eight minutes remaining but remained out for the rest of the game.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, right, celebrates with teammate forward LeBron James during the first half of an NBA basketball game, February 10, 2025, in Los Angeles [Mark J Terrill/AP]



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