Month: July 2025

Lesa Burgess had dozens and dozens of memorable experiences — some painfully heartbreaking and others delightfully humorous — as the wife of a professional basketball star playing overseas for 10 years and the mother of five children.

Her most unforgettable “adventure” came during her husband Chris Burgess’ seventh season abroad on the shores of the Black Sea in the town of Zonguldak, Eregli, Turkey. Lesa gave natural birth to the couple’s third child, Ava, in a makeshift hospital room that was so sketchy that nurses gave her a tetanus shot after the delivery as a precaution for using unsterilized equipment.

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At one time during the proceedings, after the unsympathetic Turkish doctor lectured her about her motherly duties and intimated that she would be a “terrible mother” if she didn’t breastfeed the infant, he stepped outside the delivery room to take a smoke break.

“It was such an intense experience, and I still remember it so vividly, so many parts of it, that it is still strong in my mind,” she told the Deseret News. “I love sharing that story, because it is so unique, and also because I gained a lot of strength through that experience. It was extremely challenging, but in the end it reminded me that I can do really hard things.”

A former standout high school and college soccer player who met the 6-foot-10 Chris Burgess when they were both student-athletes at the University of Utah, Lesa Burgess recently self-published a book about “being a devoted wife to a professional basketball player while living all over the world … while simultaneously striving to nurture a growing family of five children.”

The 245-page book, entitled “Behind the Bench: Memoir of a Basketball Wife,” can be purchased on this website she set up, or in paperback or Kindle form on Amazon. It is not yet available in bookstores, and may never be.

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From this writer’s viewpoint, it is a fun, interesting page-turner, at times breezy and laughter-inducing, at other times poignant, inspiring and deeply personal. It is chock-full of anecdotes and experiences from what was a Herculean task of raising five children in unfamiliar surroundings, while also providing insights into what makes one of the most significant figures in the never-ending Utah-BYU sports rivalry, Chris Burgess, tick.

The story of the former Duke and Utah player and Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, Utah Valley, Utah and BYU assistant coach is well known and well documented. This is Lesa Burgess’ story to tell, and she tells it well.

“My wife Lesa wrote a book and it is incredible,” Chris Burgess wrote on X. “It is about life as a basketball wife, raising our five kids while traveling the world during my playing career overseas. Seven years in the making. Heartfelt, honest and full of stories you’ve never heard.”

Such as the one about giving birth in Turkey, or trying to travel with the beloved family dog, Jango, to foreign countries, or celebrating Christmas in Paris with gifts wrapped in old newspapers.

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Lesa said her original goal was to write down some of the experiences for her kids to enjoy, but one thing led to another, and after having plenty of people tell her she should write a book, she did.

“Selling copies was never my goal. I love that people buy it and read it. And I love when people let me know what they thought about it,” she said. “I am pretty sure that I probably spent more money on it than I will probably ever make. And that’s OK. I knew that going into it.”

Her husband’s last year playing overseas was in 2013, and he played for 18 different teams during that time, in locales such as Australia, South Korea, Dubai, Phillippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Ukraine and, of course, Turkey.

“It got to the point where I realized I was going to start forgetting a lot of the stuff. And it is so unique, and I want our kids to have these stories, because they had such a unique childhood — especially these older ones who experienced it for so many years of their childhood,” she said. “I have never considered myself a writer, but over time the thought of writing it became a little seed that was planted, knowing I would have this physical thing that I could give my kids, kind of like a keepsake they would have forever.”

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Lesa said she didn’t keep track of the time it took to produce the book, but at times “the project” seemed insurmountable. In the acknowledgements portion of the book, she credits God and the family’s membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as incredible helpers, as well as her parents, friend Jessica Whitehead, editor Kaitlin Dunford, book cover designer Shauna Howell and “my world and my home” — Chris Burgess.

And she can probably be forgiven for using the basketball term “forward” in the introduction, instead of the traditional “foreword” — whether it was intentional or not.

A balancing act — and total team effort

When the book first arrived, my wife took a look at the cover photo and asked me to ask Lesa if she was really standing on a basketball in high heels, or if it was photoshopped.

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“It is real,” Lesa said. “I really was standing on the basketball. The photographer (Nate Edwards) that works with the BYU basketball team, he took that photo.

“If you look closely, I have like a death grip on Chris’ arm.”

How involved was Chris, who joined new BYU coach Kevin Young last spring and was a big part of the Cougars’ run to the Sweet 16?

“There were times when I had Chris help me a lot,” she said. “I would just pick his brain on stuff, see if his memories of some things were the same as mine, and if it felt accurate to him. Because I really strived to be honest and open, but at the same time I wanted to depict the experience fairly.”

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Actually, seeking Chris’ input became one of the more enjoyable parts of the process, she said.

“So you are kind of like reliving those experiences together. And he will be like, ‘You forgot this, or that,’” Lesa said. “And we would have a good laugh. We have this really deep sense of the emotions that you felt during that time. They really seep back into you. … My favorite part of writing it was the back-and-forth I would have with Chris and re-feeling some of the emotions, even the hard emotions. Because it was just kind of special. It was like a missionary thinking back to their mission. It was a huge experience that changes your life forever. To kind of feel those emotions again as I was writing the book, that was my favorite part.”

‘Like a child at Christmas’

Lesa Burgess has experienced all the highs and lows of her husband’s playing and coaching experiences, as well as the joy that comes from giving birth to their five children. She’s generally an introvert, and doesn’t like to be in the spotlight.

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But she will never forget the feeling when the book finally arrived, and she could hold it in her hands.

“When I first got it, I was like a child at Christmas, to be honest. Like, I opened the box and it was so surreal,” she said. “I am not a cryer. I am not a super emotional person. But my eyes definitely welled with tears, because it was this thing that I never really totally knew if I could actually create. I didn’t know if I would ever actually get to the finish line.

“It is funny, because it felt so simple in my hands. I was like, ‘Man, all this work in this one little thing.’ It didn’t even feel that big,” she continued. “So that part was a little bit surreal. It seems like a simple, small little thing, but it was incredibly touching and meaningful for me to hold it in my hands, and be like, ‘Here it is. This is what I have been working on.’”

Is another book in the works?

Lesa has been a coach’s wife for more than 10 years now, which might make a good book in and of itself, but she has no plans to write another memoir at the present time. Since it was published, she has had several wives of international players reach out and thank her for sharing details on what might appear to be a glamorous lifestyle, but really is not.

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She also learned some things about how difficult it is to complete a book, while also raising five children — who are all involved in sports.

“There would be months where nothing would happen, and then I would have a big surge of working on it constantly,” she said. “A lot of times over the summer not a lot would get done on it, because you are so busy running the kids here and there and to camps and stuff, whatever.

“I couldn’t even tell you how many hours it took altogether, but it was a lot.”

She could also write about being a college athlete herself, and then becoming the mother of several college athletes who were featured prominently in the book, when they were just toddlers.

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The oldest, Kelli Jo (KJ), started her career at Utah but now plays volleyball for Oklahoma.

The second oldest, Zoey, transferred from Kansas to Arizona State and is entering her sophomore year at ASU.

Ava, famously born in Turkey, is entering her sophomore season at Lone Peak High and is also a volleyball star.

Beckham, who is going into the eighth grade, and Zach, who is going into the seventh grade, are following in their dad’s footsteps and love basketball.

The family dog, who was a fixture until a few years after Chris’ playing career ended, Jango, has moved on to dog heaven, replaced by Blue, the color of Chris’ favorite baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Blue or red? Lesa Burgess has also been on both sides of the rivalry

Chris Burgess has been asked hundreds of times about the BYU-Utah rivalry, having deep connections with both schools. He is asked about that almost as much as he’s asked how tall he is.

What about Lesa Burgess, a self-described “tomboy head to toe” growing up as Lesa Zollinger in the Cache Valley who was recruited to the Utah women’s soccer team and introduced to Chris by one of his teammates at Utah, Phil Cullen?

“We have love for both programs. We do have a lot of love for the Utah program, and for the people there and the relationships we made while we were there,” she said. “But at the same time, we also have a really deep love for BYU. We definitely feel at home at BYU, and we feel super blessed and grateful to be a part of BYU right now. … Chris is really enjoying his experience with the staff that is there, with Kevin (Young) and his family and they are so great.”

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Lesa said that their experiences overseas taught them that there are many, many more important things in life than school colors and allegiances.

“I do feel we have a slightly different perspective, just because Chris has played for so many teams and coached at several places. You kinda learn to respect them all,” she said. “We have a lot of respect for UVU and Indian Hills and the different places Chris has coached, and the relationships that you form.

“But obviously we are all-in on BYU. Our closets are full of blue (clothing), and we are all-in,” she continued. “So the rivalry, I understand it. I appreciate it. We will always have love for Utah. But you know, go Cougs.”

The Pac-12 has been remade.

The conference, once the jewel of college athletics in the West, was gutted by the defections of longstanding members (many of whom were founding members) beginning in 2022.

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For a time, it appeared the Pac-12 would disappear from the college football landscape, becoming nothing more than a memory.

As of Monday, though, the conference (which consisted of only Oregon State and Washington State) is alive having added — officially on July 1, 2026 — seven new schools, six of whom sponsor football.

Here’s the membership of the remade Pac-12:

• Boise State.

• Colorado State.

• Fresno State.

• Gonzaga (no football).

• Oregon State.

• San Diego State.

• Texas State.

• Utah State.

• Washington State.

Which of those schools boasts the best football program right now? Which program has the most potential for growth? Which program is likely to land at the bottom of the league?

It is time for some Pac-12 football power rankings, factoring in past performance, the current makeup of teams and the potential of the future.

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No. 1 — Boise State Broncos

• Head coach: Spencer Danielson

There shouldn’t be any question about which program is on top of the Pac-12. Boise State has been a juggernaut for awhile now. Yes, it has been at the Group of Five level.

Over the last 10 seasons, the Broncos have averaged nearly 9.5 wins every year. Boise State hasn’t finished a season with a losing record since 1997 and has won 10 or more games in six of the last 10 seasons.

The Broncos have done all of this with three different head coaches and Danielson has already made a case that he is the best of that group (which includes Bryan Harsin and Andy Avalos) after leading BSU to the College Football Playoff last season.

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That is all in the past, though. What about right now?

Well, Boise State is projected to win upwards of nine games this upcoming 2025 season, per ESPN’s FPI. The Broncos have also been given the best odds of any G5 team to make it into the CFP again.

Boise State is going to be without superstar running back Ashton Jeanty, now that he has taken his talents to the NFL, but the Broncos’ freshman class is far and away the highest rated group of newcomers in the Mountain West Conference, second highest rated among all G5 teams, per 247 Sports.

There is a lot of reason to believe that Boise State won’t take a step back without Jeanty, without even factoring in the history of the program.

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As for the future, well Danielson signed a five-year deal this past spring, keeping him in Boise for awhile. And the Broncos’ 2026 recruiting efforts are off to an impressive start, with 19 commits and the second-highest rated class in the G5 (behind USF).

Put everything together and until proven otherwise Boise State football should be considered the power in the Pac-12. The program that all other teams must overcome.

No. 2 — San Diego State Aztecs

• Head coach: Sean Lewis

This placement will surprise many and incense some. For good reason too.

San Diego State has not been a good football program for a couple of years now. The Aztecs won only three games last season, and only four games the year before that.

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Right now, San Diego State is not a good football program either, with ESPN’s FPI projecting the Aztecs to win under five games and finish as one of the four worst teams in the MW in 2025.

So how on earth can SDSU at No. 2 in the Pac-12 be justified?

It’s all about past performance and future prospects.

From 2015 to 2021, SDSU finished .500 or better every season. The Aztecs won 10 or more games in five of those seven seasons. Under Rocky Long, San Diego State was simply a Group of Five powerhouse, even if the Aztecs never were the best G5 team in any single season.

When it came to landing talent, SDSU was routinely top 3 in the MW in recruiting, with only Boise State being the other consistent recruiting power in the league.

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Things fell apart under Brady Hoke. There is no other way to put it. And yet, the program kept recruiting at a high level, even during the worst stretches of the Hoke era.

Now, with Lewis leading the way, SDSU has a coach who previously won at one of the worst jobs in America (Kent State), coaches one of the more electric offensive attacks in all of college football and is still bringing in talent at a level only trailing Boise State.

All signs point to SDSU turning things around under Lewis and quickly, at which point SDSU could be the gem of the Pac-12, with its enviable location in Southern California.

No. 3 — Washington State Cougars

• Head coach: Jimmy Rogers

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For years under Mike Leach, Washington State punched above its weight class.

The Cougars were regularly out-monied and out-recruited by the majority of the programs in the Pac-12, and yet WSU still managed to win eight or more games in four consecutive years from 2015 through 2018 and made five bowl games in a five year span from 2015 through 2019.

The Nick Rolovich era was marred by the pandemic and then Jake Dickert took over and did an admirable job, getting the Cougars to a bowl game in three of four seasons.

That Washington State had as much success as it did while in the former version of the Pac-12 is notable. And a major reason for this placement. WSU has found ways — time and again — to be successful when going up against much better programs. In the remade Pac-12, the Cougars are on much more even footing with the competition.

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For 2025, there is reason to expect a step back by the Cougars, though.

Dickert is gone, replaced by Jimmy Rogers. For the fourth time in six years, Washington State has a new head coach. Making that transition more difficult — starting quarterback John Mateer is gone, now at Oklahoma. ESPN’s FPI gives WSU only a 40% chance to win six games and make it to a bowl game this season.

A large reason for that is the Cougars are going to be very inexperienced. The 2025 signing class was massive and included 36 freshmen and 34 transfers, per 247 Sports. All of which is to say, WSU is largely a mystery entering the 2025 season.

When it comes to future prospects, well that is somewhat muddied for Washington State.

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Rogers is an unknown at the FBS level. He could end up being a star as a head coach (his two years as head coach at South Dakota State were impressive) or the Cougars could be moving on in three years.

Current recruiting trends have WSU among the better recruiting programs in the Pac-12, but not the best. Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Frenso State all have higher rated classes in 2026.

There is a real argument that Washington State will be surpassed by other teams in the conference in the long run. Programs with more potential for growth. For now, though, the Cougars deserve to be considered near the top of the league. In a lot of ways, the program is still a Power 5 program, but will be competing against G5 teams.

No. 4 — Oregon State Beavers

• Head coach: Trent Bray

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The second former P5 school in the remade Pac-12, Oregon State is an interesting program.

The Beavers have won big at times. Recently too. Ten wins under Jonathan Smith in 2022 being the most notable. And yet, the program is really tough to read.

The Beavers were regularly at the bottom of the Pac-12 in its previous version. They were often competitive, but only made a bowl game in three of the last 10 years.

Mike Riley was the head coach for a long time, during which the Beavers were a good program, particularly when it was the Pac-10.

The Gary Andersen era was a disaster. And Smith did about as well as could’ve been hoped for.

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Bray didn’t have a great debut season last year, with OSU finishing the year 5-7. And while ESPN’s FPI projects that the Beavers will go bowling (they are given nearly a 70% chance at six wins) there isn’t a lot of optimism that they will be more than an average team.

When it comes to recruiting, OSU has kind of ebbed and flowed. The Beavers have occasionally recruited in the top half of the Pac-12 (better than any of the incoming MW schools) but more often than not Oregon State was among the poorest recruiting programs in the league.

Like Washington State, Oregon State is still in a lot of ways a Power 5 team. The program’s 2025 signing class was the second-highest rated among all Pac-12 teams, per 247 Sports.

Oregon State is struggling, for now, with its 2026 class, though.

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If you wanted to slot OSU further down the rankings that would be fair. There has been little consistent greatness in Corvallis over the years and Bray hasn’t proven yet that he can do what Smith or Riley did before him.

For now, though, OSU gets the benefit of the doubt here. There’s too much talent left in the program to consider the Beavers anything but a program in the top half of the league. And the Oregon State brand should carry weight going forward, if only for a limited time.

No. 5 — Texas State Bobcats

• Head coach: G.J. Kinne

And you thought you were angry before.

The newest addition to the Pac-12 is the least proven historically. Texas State has only been an FBS program since 2012. And for the first 10 years of that, the Bobcats topped out at seven wins in a single season. Over the last decade, TXST has been the worst program in the Sun Belt Conference when it comes to wins and losses.

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But things have changed dramatically for the Bobcats the last two seasons.

Under G.J. Kinne — one of the preeminent up-and-coming coaches in college football — TXST has taken a leap. The Bobcats have won eight games each of the last two seasons and won the bowl games they played in.

All of a sudden, Texas State looks like a good program. ESPN’s FPI projects the Bobcats to go bowling again this year and has TXST on the same level as programs like James Madison, South Alabama and Georgia Southern, all of whom are slotted just behind Sun Belt favorite Louisiana.

What’s more, money has poured into the program, nearly $149 million for facilities and athletic infrastructure upgrades, plus an expected $50 million more expected to be invested in athletics, of which the football program will likely be the primary recipient.

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Located between Austin and San Antonio, Texas State is in one of the most talent rich regions in the entire country, only now the Bobcats have Pac-12 membership to sell to recruits and games against Boise State, Washington State, Oregon State and others.

If you want to have Texas State further down the rankings because of a lack of proof that the team can compete against top level G5 programs, that’s completely fair. But the Sun Belt is a better conference than many give it credit for and Texas State had started to hold its own in the league.

There is still a lot TXST has to do to live up to this projection. Recruiting has to pick up — right now, the Bobcats’ 2026 class is woefully off the pace set by Boise State, San Diego State and others, per 247 Sports. But much like San Diego State, it won’t be a surprise if in a few years Texas State has taken a position near the top of the Pac-12. There is just too much potential to be down on the Bobcats.

No. 6 — Utah State Aggies

• Head coach: Bronco Mendenhall

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Right now, Utah State isn’t a particularly good football program.

The Aggies won just four games last season, are on their third head coach in two calendar years and haven’t finished a season with a winning record since 2021.

ESPN’s FPI projects Utah State to struggle again in 2025 too, with the Aggies expected to win less than five games.

All that being said, Utah State has proven — over the last decade — to be a good G5 program.

Since 2015, the Aggies have gone bowling in seven out of the last 10 seasons. During that same span, USU won 11 games twice and claimed the MW championship once.

The Aggies have done all that while having four different head coaches — Matt Wells, Gary Andersen, Blake Anderson and Nate Dreiling.

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Based on that alone, you can argue that USU deserves to be where it is in the rankings. USU may not consistently produce great teams but it does produce great teams regularly.

Bu when you add in Bronco Mendenhall, who has seen considerable success in his coaching career at BYU and Virginia, and the calculus improves all the more for USU.

Mendenhall is a proven program builder who is extremely familiar with the state of Utah, which just so happens to be one of the most talent dense states in the America. Per capita, the state of Utah produces NFL talent at or near the same level as Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, North Carolina and Washington D.C. Which is to say, Utah is in the top 10 nationally.

Add it altogether and there is a lot of reason for optimism about Utah State and the future. Already, the Aggies are recruiting at a higher level than they traditionally have. USU’s 2025 signing class was the third-highest rated class in the MW.

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It feels like more a matter of when, not if, Mendenhall will have Utah State competing at the top of the Pac-12. Maybe not on a yearly basis — that is the mountain for Aggie football to overcome — but often enough to garner USU real respect in the league.

No. 7 — Fresno State Bulldogs

• Head coach: Matt Entz

This might be the one that angers most of all.

Fresno State has, over the last decade, been a great G5 program.

Since 2016, the Bulldogs have won nine or more games five times and have won 10 or more games four times. They’ve won the Mountain West title and they’ve won with different head coaches (Kalen DeBoer and Jeff Tedford).

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Based in California, Fresno State has recruited fairly well too, almost always in the top 5 among MW programs.

What’s more, Matt Entz was an incredible FBS head coach at North Dakota State, with a 60–11 record that includes a 15–3 mark in the playoff and two national titles.

So why on earth is Fresno State second to last in the Pac-12 power rankings?

The biggest reason is lack of track record beyond DeBoer and Tedford. Those two coaches — who had either been successful at the Power 5 level or have since gone on to be highly successful — were nothing short of stars in the coaching industry. When Fresno State has won its because it has had the better coach.

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Prior to Tedford and DeBoear, Fresno State was a much less consistent program. Similar in form to USU in a lot of ways, Fresno State would win big on occasion, but also collapsed under Tim DeRuyter.

Entz may be a superstar in the coaching industry, in which case this placement will be seen as a joke. But if he’s not, Fresno State hasn’t proven capable of weathering less-than-great head coaches.

ESPN’s FPI currently has FSU projected to win between six or seven games next season, in the same tier as CSU and San Jose State in the MW. If the Bulldogs better that, well they could quickly vault into the top 3 in the conference power rankings. But if Entz isn’t the guy, the Bulldogs could quickly become a regular at the bottom of the league.

Also — Fresno State has been reported to having some money troubles, with the Fresno Bee reporting that “severe budget cuts,“ would likely cut into the financial support provided to the athletics department. Where many Pac-12 program are investing heavily, Fresno State is falling behind.

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No. 8 — Colorado State Rams

• Head coach: Jay Norvell

On paper, it seems like Colorado State should be a perennial power. And the Rams have had moments where they’ve looked the part. Well maybe just a moment recently, in 2014 when they won 10 games under Jim McElwain.

Otherwise, CSU has been mostly a middle-of-the-road, forgettable football program.

Over the last decade, the Rams have topped out with eight wins, which happened last season. CSU has had a winning season in just four of the last 10 years.

Under Mike Bobo and Steve Addazio, Colorado State was just a program. Nothing more. Indistinguishable from many that remain in the MW.

Things have changed, albeit slowly, under Jay Norvell.

Norvell won big at Nevada (which means four seasons with a winning record), before moving over to Colorado State. In three years, the Rams’ program has steadily improved under Norvell, going from three wins to five to eight last season.

There is reason to believe that Norvell is building a good program in Ft. Collins. CSU is recruiting well enough, in the top half of the MW in each of the last three years. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Rams contend for the MW title this season and ESPN’s FPI projects CSU will between six and seven games, trailing only Fresno State, UNLV and Boise State.

And yet, it is hard to believe in a program that hasn’t proven much yet.

Even last year, when the Rams finished with the third best record in the MW, it took a miracle fourth quarter rally at home for CSU to take down a bad USU team. What’s more, Colorado State didn’t play the best the conference had to offer last year, with 6-7 Fresno State being the best in-conference opponent (the Rams lost that game).

Norvell may well turn Colorado State into a good program, but until he does the Rams don’t really deserve the benefit of the doubt like a few of the teams above them.

Pac-12 the most balanced league in the sport?

Realistically, these rankings could be shuffled significantly. After Boise State, nearly any of the other seven teams could be argued in a different order.

• Really believe in Entz and Fresno State? Completely fair.

• Think Washington State and Oregon State are much further ahead of the competition because of their time in a Power conference? Absolutely justifiable.

• Genuinely trust what Norvell is building in Ft. Collins? Move Colorado State up.

• Consider Texas State woefully in-prepared to compete in the Pac-12? That makes sense.

• Trust in Mendenhall’s track record? Feel free to slot Utah State higher.

The reality of the remade Pac-12 is there should be a lot of parity. There are a lot of programs that are very similar to each other. Programs who’ve shown they can win, frequently at a very high level, only now they won’t have the easy wins that some of their soon to be former MW partners provided.

Even Boise State isn’t untouchable. There are good programs in the Pac-12. Programs that have proven capable of beating the Broncos.

There is a lot of talk about how the Big 12 is the most balanced league in CFB and how unpredictable the league is as a result. Starting in 2026, though, the Pac-12 might take that crown.

There was a lot of buzz around Ace Bailey on draft night about where he wanted to go, or, more specifically, where he didn’t want to go on draft night. It was reported that he did not want to go to any of Philadelphia, Charlotte, or Utah. The preferred destination was to the Washington Wizards. Only one of those three teams decided to make the pick, Utah.

It was a bold decision with a clear belief: The Utah Jazz could win over Ace Bailey.

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While ESPN was trying to cook up a controversy, likely stemming from a last gasp from Omar Cooper trying to sway Ace Bailey away, Utah was ready to prove it was a blessing in disquise for Bailey.

It’s looking like that’s already working.

Behind the scenes, the Jazz were obviously in discussions with Bailey and his camp and were able to convince them to give Utah a chance. It’s looking like that faith in Utah, a true hidden gem of a place, paid off once again. While not for everyone, a lot of players have found Utah to be not just tolerable, but somewhere they could enjoy and be comfortable. Derrick Favors put it perfectly when he tweeted about his time in Utah.

The Jazz have also done a great job handling this whole situation. From the moment Ace Bailey, alongside his family and management team, stepped off the plane in Utah, they have been welcomed with open arms.

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From the moment he stepped off the plane, it was an obvious concerted effort to do everything the Jazz could to make Bailey feel welcome. Not only have they done the bare minimum of embracing his family, they’ve also welcomed his team of managers and colleagues, including Omar Cooper and his son, Omar Cooper Jr. Bailey has been at Summer League Training Camp helping out.

Not only that, Omar Cooper Jr. has been added as a guest coach for summer league.

To some, that might be a little worrisome. There are numerous instances in the NBA where players have exerted too much control over a team due to their management’s influence. But those are almost always situations with a star player. If Bailey becomes a star, that’s a problem worth having. But on top of that, it’s a cool gesture by the Jazz. Cooper Jr. is apparently working towards becoming a coach himself. Utah is giving the Coopers an awesome opportunity to gain experience and be a part of the team.

Those gestures, combined with a belief in their organization and Utah itself, appear to be working. Sarah Todd wrote about Bailey feeling the love from Utah and Jazz fans as soon as he got here:

“I just felt the love soon as I walked through the door,” Bailey said. “I mean, ‘Ace, you need somewhere to eat? Ace! Ace! I can help you!’ It’s just awesome that I’ve got that type of fanbase at the Utah Jazz.”

Bailey went to the Boys and Girls Club and had a blast meeting with the kids, from Todd’s article:

“As soon as I opened the door they were chanting, ‘We want Ace! We want Ace!’ I just loved it,” Bailey said. “That was fun … From them just asking me how tall I am … and they just want a picture and an autograph. It’s just a blessing to be in that position.”

Each day that passes, we see more and more and more reasons to think that the Ace Bailey experience is going well. It’s clear that practices are going well.

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Bailey, along with Walter Clayton Jr., has signed his rookie contract.

All of this is to say that the Utah Jazz have done an impressive thing. They were brave enough to make the pick and face whatever issues might happen. But they weren’t just brave enough to do that, they’ve done the work necessary to make the situation as good as possible for Bailey. This confidence in their team, but also the state, will pay off dividends now, but also next year. What if Utah finds itself at the top of the lottery again? There will be no doubt at that point that Utah will make whatever pick they want, and prospects will know that Utah is a place they would be lucky to go to.

Indeed, this is the place … for NBA prospects looking for a great situation.

More from slcdunk.com:

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The “American Ninja Warrior” announcers never tire of saying it: Kai Beckstrand, a teenager from St. George, Utah, is one of the most formidable competitors on the show.

Beckstrand is fast — really fast.

Every single year he has competed on “ANW” — Seasons 13, 15 and 16 — he has completed the qualifying obstacle course that puts balance and upper body strength to the test with the fastest time of all the ninjas competing in his episode.

Going into Season 17, his fastest time for the qualifying round was a little over 54 seconds.

But if Beckstrand wanted to keep up his fastest ninja streak, he was going to need to be even faster this time around due to a super tough competitor: his younger brother.

Luke Beckstrand cruises through ‘American Ninja Warrior’ course

Luke Beckstrand made his “ANW” debut last year, and returned this season 3 inches taller and with 20 pounds of muscle.

During the most recent episode of “ANW,” which aired Monday night, the 17-year-old cruised through the course in 54.92 seconds, putting some pressure on his older brother.

“His brother Kai is one of the top competitors, but Luke may be just as good,” the “ANW” announcers said.

But Kai Beckstrand, for his part, insisted that he is “definitely stronger and faster than last season.”

“I believe that I can win this whole thing,” the 19-year-old “ANW” veteran said.

The brothers insist there is no rivalry, though.

Kai Beckstrand was cheering for his younger brother from the sidelines and appeared to be in disbelief at Luke Beckstrand’s fast time, which even accounted for missing a first attempt to run up the 14.5-foot wall to hit the buzzer at the end.

But Kai Beckstrand didn’t have too much time to marvel at his brother’s accomplishment.

It was soon his turn to see if he could turn in an even faster performance.

Kai Beckstrand dominates on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

Before Kai Beckstrand took off on the course, “ANW” sideline reporter Zuri Hall noted that the teen is “considered one of the fastest ninjas on the planet.”

And he lived up to that Monday night.

Beckstrand completed the Season 17 qualifying course in a staggering 52.90 seconds — the fastest time of the night (for the fourth time in a row) and his personal record for that course.

Completing the course in under a minute gave Kai Beckstrand the chance to attempt a run up the 18.5-foot Mega Wall for $10,000 — a feat that only two competitors (so far) had achieved this season.

Beckstrand raced up the wall to hit the buzzer and claim the 10 grand — his third time conquering the Mega Wall.

Kai and Luke Beckstrand ended the night with the two fastest times (it’s worth noting that if Luke Beckstrand hadn’t missed his first attempt at running up the wall, he likely would’ve had the fastest time of the night).

The brothers join their younger sister Baylee Beckstrand, who competed earlier in the season, in the semifinals.

Utahn Mady Howard also advances on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

“ANW” veteran Mady Howard, who is a nurse from St. George and frequently trains for the show with the Beckstrands at the family’s ninja-themed gym The Grip, competed for her sixth time Monday night.

She became just the second mom in the show’s history to complete a course and hit the buzzer, the announcers said.

Howard, who was a gymnast at Southern Utah University, previously competed on the show when she was six months postpartum. Now, her son Beckham is 3 and enthusiastically cheering from the sidelines with his dad.

“I think that ‘Ninja Warrior’ is a great outlet for me,” Howard previously told the Deseret News. “It’s my fun outlet where I can play like a little kid on a playground, where I can go and be competitive and kind of chase my own dreams. It challenges me to be a better person and a better mom. I seriously just love it.”

Several other Utah ninjas competed during Monday’s episode but didn’t advance to the semifinals, including:

• 40-year-old artist Jenedy Paige, from Pleasant Grove
• 38-year-old photographer Josh Ferguson, from American Fork
• 20-year-old Bryton Myler, a Ninja Kidz sibling from Draper
• 16-year-old Payton Myler, a Ninja Kidz sibling from Draper

What other Utahns have advanced on ‘ANW’ Season 17?

Earlier in the season, six teens from Utah advanced to the Season 17 semifinals, which will begin airing later this summer.

Per the Deseret News, that includes:

• 16-year-old Baylee Beckstrand, from St. George
• 16-year-old Paxton Myler, from Draper
• 17-year-old Violet Kepo’o, from Pleasant Grove
• 18-year-old Ashton Myler, from Draper
• 18-year-old Anna McArthur, from St. George
• 19-year-old Colton Skuster (who completed the qualifying course in just a little over 52 seconds), from Salt Lake City

The “American Ninja Warrior” semifinals premiere Monday, July 14, on NBC.