The Utah Jazz have played in a ton of close games lately, something that has made head coach Will Hardy really happy, despite the fact that they’ve lost most of them.

That the team is fighting, proving to themselves they are able to meet the level of their competition and stick to a game plan, and that every player whose number is called is giving it their all is making Hardy optimistic about the trajectory of the team and how the players are developing. But more than anything, even when the team falls short, Hardy is glad they’re learning what it takes to grind out NBA wins.

“It’s the value of each possession and the value of every minute you’re on the court,” Hardy said. “But that you always look back at a game that’s close, and these are the ones where it’s easy for your brain to go crazy, because it’s, ‘what if this, what if that. if I’d made that shot, or if I’d made that free throw, or we’d have been in a different situation.’ I think the guys being in these situations, it continues to hammer home the sentiment that we try to have every day, which is to give value to every minute you’re on the floor and you can’t take it for granted.”

In six of the last 10 Jazz games, they’ve played clutch minutes — where the score is within five points in the final five minutes — including on Thursday night when they narrowly lost to the Miami Heat, 97-92.

“We’re fighting the very end,” center Walker Kessler said. “Obviously, got some things we’ve got to straighten out, but we’re competing, and it’s fun. It’s fun to be in these kind of games. Obviously not fun to lose. But we’re in those games. So it’s a lot of fun.”

That’s exactly the chord that Hardy is hoping strikes for each of his players. He wants for the losses to sting, especially the close ones. He wants the players thinking about what more they could have done, what small and subtle action they could have given more effort to in order to impact the game.

It’s not that he wants them to feel bad. He’s really happy with how they’ve been playing and wants them to see that they are making strides. But he does want them to be hungry and to search for ways to be even better.

“I don’t want them to wallow for long periods of time,” Hardy said. “But if you lose a game and you’re not driving home a little bit pissed off, then this probably isn’t for you. It can’t be just, ‘okay, well, we lost.’ It should bother you. We’re competitive, but there’s a line … I would expect that everybody on our team, staff, players, we all drive home a little frustrated with things we wish we’d done differently or better. And then tomorrow we come in, we regroup, and get back to work.”

For Collin Sexton, who had a game-high tying 23 points and five assists, he said he’ll be thinking about boxing out, failing to get a hand up on a late shot clock attempt, allowing second-chance points.

For Isaiah Collier, he’ll be thinking about things on the defensive end that he let slip, like not going over on screens and failing to recognize personnel in clutch minutes.

Every Jazz player is thinking about small things. Every one of them is upset about missing an opportunity to win. But they can also be proud of how far they’ve come as a group since the start of the season.

Former Utah quarterback Brandon Rose has transferred to UMass, marking a fresh chapter in his collegiate career. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound signal-caller was among a handful of Utah quarterbacks to leave the program during the latest transfer cycle, seeking new opportunities to showcase his talents.

Rose’s time at Utah was marked by development and perseverance, highlighted by moments of promise before injury setbacks. In the 2024 season, Rose saw action in three games, starting one. In his first collegiate start against BYU, he displayed his dual-threat abilities, throwing for 112 yards and two touchdowns while adding 55 rushing yards. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury in that game cut short his promising campaign. Earlier in the season, Rose made his collegiate debut in Utah’s season-opening win over Southern Utah and later completed seven passes for 45 yards in a second-half appearance at Houston. After redshirting in 2022 and not seeing the field in 2023, Rose’s eventual move to UMass offers a chance for a new beginning.

Rose entered college with a strong resume from Murrieta Valley High School in California. Rated as a three-star pro-style quarterback, he amassed 7,521 career passing yards and 74 touchdowns. As a senior, he led his team to a Southwestern League championship, earning league MVP honors. That year, he recorded 3,002 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and 236 rushing yards. Despite a shortened junior season, he threw for 1,415 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes. His sophomore year was equally impressive, with 3,087 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 395 rushing yards.

UMass provides Rose with a platform to compete and potentially secure the starting quarterback role. Known for his accuracy and mobility, he brings valuable experience and a hunger to prove himself at the collegiate level. With a history of overcoming challenges, Rose’s transfer to UMass signals a promising opportunity for both him and the Minutemen.

SALT LAKE CITY — After taking the official oath of office on Wednesday, Derek Brown has become Utah’s newest attorney general.

Now that he’s in office, what’s next? He joined Inside Sources to talk more about his priorities for office.

Below is a partial transcript of this interview as well as the full podcast.

KSL NewsRadio modified this interview for brevity and clarity.

HOST TAYLOR MORGAN: What are your priorities as you take office?

GUEST DEREK BROWN: I think the key to that is transparency. When I served in the House of Representatives, I learned that people appreciate when you are open and you make it clear to them what you’re doing. And as people understand what we’re doing in the Attorney General’s Office, we’ll see successes, there will be an increase in trust … That’s just the natural outgrowth of transparency, and I’m going to be doing a number of things proactively so that we build that feeling of not just transparency but [also] trust.

MORGAN: My understanding is that you and your family have put your assets into a blind trust … and you have officially stepped down from any non-profit boards. Is that correct?

BROWN: That’s correct… I just feel like it makes sense, in light of this position, to just eliminate any potential conflicts of interest in advance. I’m a little sad to do it because these are great people. I love being there, making a difference. But at the same time, I feel like we’ve got those organizations onto a good footing.

People make Utah great, not government, says Gov. Cox at inauguration

MORGAN: [How] would you explain your role to listeners? What does the Utah attorney general do primarily?

BROWN: We have 280 attorneys, and they provide legal counsel for all the boards, commissions, and agencies of the state. Everything from the University of Utah to UDOT to DMV… So there’s literally 280 attorneys that do every conceivable area of the law… It is the largest law firm in the state of Utah, so my job is to make sure it’s also the best, most efficient, most well-funded, and well-respected law firm in the state of Utah.

Listen to the podcast below for the entire interview.