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June 12, 2025

Watch: 6 Utah teens just dominated on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

Sixteen-year-old Baylee Beckstrand is the fifth member of her family to make a splash on “American Ninja Warrior.” The Beckstrands, who are from St. George, operate and train at two “ANW”-themed gyms …

If there’s anything you can count on, it’s someone from Utah being on “American Ninja Warrior.”

A few years ago, one of the show’s announcers declared that “Utah is becoming a hotbed for ‘American Ninja Warrior.’” That appears to remain the case for Season 17: During the most recent episode, which aired on Monday, six teenagers from Utah ended up advancing to the semifinals after navigating a tricky obstacle course that puts balance and upper body strength to the test.

One of those teens ended up having the fastest time of the night.

Here’s a look at the six Utahns (so far) who are making a splash on the show this season.

6 Utah teens dominate on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

Colton Skuster

As Colton Skuster got ready to compete on his third season of “ANW” Monday night, the show’s hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila noted how he had a “breakout season” last year, making it all the way to Stage 2 of the national finals.

“He looks stronger than he did last year,” they said, also calling Skuster “America’s fastest frat boy.”

The 19-year-old college student from Salt Lake City — whose “ANW” persona is centered in part on being a member of the fraternity Beta Theta Pi — didn’t disappoint.

American Ninja Warrior - Season 17 — Colton Skuster competes on “American Ninja Warrior” Season 17. | NBC

He cruised effortlessly through the obstacle course — “He is flying!” the announcers exclaimed at one point.

Skuster went on to hit the buzzer and earn the fastest time of the night, completing the course in 52 seconds.

According to bio information “ANW” shared with the Deseret News, a big part of Skuster’s motivation on the show is his mother, who has been diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, a condition that causes blood clots in the arteries and veins that circulate blood to the legs.

“His mom’s resilience in dealing with her condition is a huge motivation for Colton to keep pushing,” reads the bio from the show.

Source: Utah News

June 12, 2025

What stands out about Utah basketball’s first Big 12 schedule under Alex Jensen

The Runnin’ Utes will play rival BYU twice, visit Phog Allen Fieldhouse and host last year’s national runner-up.

Alex Jensen’s first Big 12 schedule as Utah’s basketball coach is set — at least with who they’ll play.

Game times will come later.

The Big 12 released its scheduling matrix for the 2025-26 men’s basketball conference schedule on Thursday for all 16 schools.

With the Big 12 going back to an 18-game conference schedule after employing a 20-game league schedule last season, the Runnin’ Utes will face just three teams both home and away: Arizona State, BYU and Colorado.

Here’s a look at how Utah’s 2025-26 league schedule will be spread out. Game times and dates will be released closer to the start of the season.

Home and away: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado
Home only: Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU, UCF
Away only: Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia

Highlights from Utah’s 2025-26 Big 12 men’s basketball schedule

The BYU-Utah rivalry is one of three home-and-away opponents on the Utes’ schedule. The Cougars, with top recruit AJ Dybantsa, are projected to be among the nation’s best teams this season. Last year, Utah and BYU split a pair of regular-season games in a season where the Cougars made the Sweet 16.

The Utes get two former Pac-12 rivals for their other two teams, Arizona State and Colorado, that they’ll play both home and away.

Utah will get its first taste of the legendary Phog Allen Fieldhouse when the Utes travel to play Kansas. Utah upset the Jayhawks when they visited the Huntsman Center last season.

Utah will also be making its first trip to Bramlage Coliseum (Kansas State) and United Supermarkets Arena (Texas Tech) as a member of the Big 12.

The Utes will host Houston, which made the national championship game during the 2024-25 season. The Cougars lost to Florida in the title game and are led by head coach Kelvin Sampson.

Iowa State and Arizona, two other teams expected to be among the nation’s top 25 teams in the upcoming season, will visit the Huntsman Center. The Utes lost road games against both programs last season.

Source: Utah News

June 12, 2025

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ Utah history

In honor of Brian Wilson’s passing, ABC4 takes a look at the Beach Boys’ history in Utah and at Lagoon Park. Loeffler, Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration, owns 136,555 shares worth …

In honor of Brian Wilson’s passing, ABC4 takes a look at the Beach Boys’ history in Utah and at Lagoon Park. Loeffler, Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration, owns 136,555 shares worth …

Source: Utah News

June 12, 2025

Mammoth rumors: Utah preparing for ‘serious’ Sam Bennett push

The Mammoth are getting ready to make a push for Panthers star Sam Bennett in free agency as they look to take a leap in year two.

The post Mammoth rumors: Utah preparing for ‘serious’ Sam Bennett push appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Mammoth, formerly the Utah Hockey Club, had a feisty squad in their inaugural season in 2024-25, but it wasn’t enough to truly contend and make a run at the playoffs. While the talent is lacking in some areas, the Mammoth have an incredible fanbase and in-arena atmosphere already, and now it’s time to give those fans a team to cheer for.

The Mammoth will certainly be big players in free agency this offseason, and there’s no question that they will be trying hard to land a big fish. Insert Florida Panthers star Sam Bennett, who is making his agent very happy with an excellent postseason run for the defending champs.

If Bennett hits the open market this summer, the Mammoth could be one of the suitors for the forward’s services according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

“Utah is looking to take a big swing. It’s listening on the No. 4 pick, but you just don’t see top-five picks traded very often, and while I think GM Bill Armstrong is genuinely fielding calls on it, I don’t think that pick moves,” LeBrun wrote. “But Utah absolutely wants to be aggressive in upgrading, and I believe it would be among the more serious suitors for Sam Bennett if he goes to market.”

Bennett has become a household name during this postseason and is a contender for the Conn Smythe with the Panthers just two wins away from winning another Stanley Cup. During this postseason, Bennett has 14 goals and six assists to lead Florida in scoring and has made his mark in each and every series so far.

Bennett is a great playoff player as someone who can muck it up in the crease and create some of those greasy goals. With scoring so hard to come by in the postseason, someone like Bennett would be a perfect addition to the Mammoth.

Utah will have to shell out a hefty bag of cash to get its hands on the 28-year old, but they have the space to do just that. Bringing in someone who can produce on offense at the rate that Bennett can could be just what the Mammoth need to take the leap into playoff contention in the Western Conference next season.

Source: Utah News

June 11, 2025

Nearly half of Utah’s foreign tourism comes from this country, and they’re not coming this year

The Salt Lake Tribune explored data and spoke with tourism officials and small business owners to find out how declining numbers of tourists from Canada are impacting Utah.

For more than a third of her life, Tina Hunt has made a tradition of visiting the Southwest for her birthday. When the 59-year-old started daydreaming about this year’s 10-day trip last fall, she felt called to return to St. George, Utah, where she and her husband enjoy mountain biking, hiking and sightseeing.

Yet when the Vancouver, Canada, residents boarded the plane in April, it was bound for Costa Rica. And at no point would they touch down on United States soil. Hunt made sure of that.

“Just with the things going on, we thought, ‘Nope,’” Hunt said. “We’re just part of those Canadians who are ‘Nope. Not until things change.’”

Canadians, who have a reputation for being some of the most polite people in the world, have been putting their foot down this year when it comes to traveling to the United States. Infuriated by President Donald Trump’s threats to make the U.S.’ northern neighbor its 51st state, concerned about the effects of tariffs on their economy and shaken by border detainments and airplane crashes, they have been changing or canceling trips in droves.

And perhaps nowhere is their absence felt more keenly than in Utah, where Canadians account for nearly half of the state’s foreign tourists. The Salt Lake Tribune explored data and spoke with tourism officials and small business owners to find out how declining numbers of tourists from Canada are impacting Utah.

“The trend seems to be that they’re going away, right?” said McKay Edwards, working partner at Moab Springs Ranch, a collection of bungalows near Arches National Park. “They’re canceling instead of coming.”

‘Canada is a critical market’

Perhaps unsurprisingly given their proximity, similar mountain terrain and propensity for adventure travel, Canadians generally like visiting Utah. In 2023, 40% of Utah’s foreign tourists — more than 270,000 people — hailed from Canada, according to the Utah Office of Tourism. The French are the next most likely to visit the state, accounting for 7.3% of its foreign travelers, followed by Germans at 6%.

Relative to the nearly 10 million Americans who visit the state annually, the number of Canadians coming in is small. But their spending power is mighty.

Edwards said they tend to stay longer and spend more per visit than Americans. They are also conscientious visitors, he said, who tend to respect the surrounding environment and his ranch’s rules.

The Canadian market is of such importance that the Utah Office of Tourism has market representatives in the country to help promote the state. Last year, the tourism agency extended its contract with a consulting firm to spearhead strategies to draw even more visitors from the north.

“Clearly,” said Natalie Randall, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, ”Canada is a critical market to us in Utah.”

From the day Trump reentered the White House, however, luring in Canadian visitors became exponentially more difficult.

More in U.S.

On his first day in office, Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. In February, he made the first of numerous suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, prompting calls for boycotts within the northern country. By early March, according to a study released by the not-for-profit research institute Angus Reid, 58% of Canadians planned to cancel or delay travel to the U.S. That movement only gained momentum earlier this month when Trump told newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, “Never say never” after Carney remarked that Canada is not for sale.

Amidst those already roiled waters, stories about Canadians being detained by U.S. immigration officials — including actor Jasmine Mooney — make people like Hunt, who lives just 20 minutes from the border, think twice about crossing over.

“Just the disrespect, you know?” Hunt said. “We’re a sovereign country. We have our ways of being and doing, and just the repeated threats of annexing us? Honestly, most are saying ‘No effing way.’”

Randall said her office is aware of the downturn in Canadian tourism nationwide. Ticket sales for summer flights from Canada to the U.S. are down 21% when compared with the same time in 2024, the biggest drop from any country, according to an analysis of Airlines Reporting Corporation data by The New York Times. Statistics Canada reported car travel from Canada dropped 35% in April compared to April 2024, marking the fourth straight month of year-over-year decreases.

That visitation void is seeping down into the Rocky Mountain states, including Utah.

Each of the past four weeks, bookings and revenue from Canadian tourists at U.S. mountain destination towns have fallen precipitously when compared with the same week the previous year, according to Inntopia, which tracks lodging. A month ago, reservations for arrivals between May 1 and Dec. 31 of this year were down 40.1%. As of last week, they were down 46.6%.

Meanwhile, European bookings are down 30% year over year, said Tom Foley, senior vice president for business intelligence at Inntopia.

When he first noticed the downward trend in Canadian bookings in January, Foley said it was unlike anything he and other market monitors had seen over the previous two years.

“But as those declines have steepened and the data have become more clear in the ensuing months — including supporting data from other researchers,” Foley said. “We’ve been able to directly attribute these steep declines to both trade and annexation events on the calendar.”

Randall, the Utah tourism director, said her office has only seen hints of that downturn. At Salt Lake City International Airport, for example, industry sources show bookings from Canada to the U.S. have begun to slow, according to an airport spokesperson. Still, last week the airport added service by WestJet, a Canadian carrier, offering direct flights to and from Edmonton, Alberta, in the summer.

“We’ve been able to hear a handful of sentiments from Canadians, and that handful isn’t positive. They’re either delaying or not coming,” Randall said. “But again, it’s a handful.”

Still, Randall acknowledged that even a handful of cancellations can add up, especially for Utah’s small-business owners.

“Those small mom-and-pop guides and outfitters or bed and breakfasts,” Randall said. “Any type of economic impact that happens always hits them first.”

It’s already bludgeoning Moab Springs Ranch, Edwards said. A big, red, maple-leaf flag flies outside the historic ranch house-turned-front desk. Pretty soon, he said, it will be the only sign of Canada on his property.

A signpost at the entrance of the Moab Springs Ranch welcoming visitors with trees and plants. - Doug McMurdo // Moab Times-Independent — A signpost at the entrance of the Moab Springs Ranch welcoming visitors with trees and plants. – Doug McMurdo // Moab Times-Independent

Drowning in cancellations

An oasis among the red rocks, Moab Springs Ranch sits where Moab’s first non-Native settler, Black frontiersman William Grandstaff, homesteaded in the late 1880s. Located just south of Arches National Park, it’s now a collection of 20 well-appointed bungalows and townhouses nestled among two springs. Edwards humblebrags that the ranch has been TripAdvisor’s No. 1 Traveler’s Choice hotel for Moab for the past five years.

“We’re independent. We’re not part of a national chain, or anything like that,” Edwards said. “So, I think we drive the big boys crazy because we’re sitting in that number one position all the time.”

Due to the ranch’s small size and the outsized number of American tourists who visit Utah, Edwards said foreign tourists make up a small fraction of his guests. In an average year, he said, international tourists comprise less than 10% of guests at the ranch. Canadians account for about 2% of his business.

Still, his profit margins also are not more than 8%. So, losing that clientele could be crippling. And Edwards said his booking numbers show that’s a real possibility.

Year to date, bookings are down $170,000, he said. Foreigners account for 44% of cancellations.

And in August, Edwards doesn’t show a single booking from Canada.

“If you‘re treading water and your nostrils are just above water, 5% can be a big deal,” Edwards said. “So those of us who operate on thin margins are hurting from that.”

National Park cuts pile on

The rub, he said, is that international bookings were just bouncing back from the post-COVID lag. Plus, as was the case in 2020, Americans are not making up the slack, especially when it comes to trips to National Parks. The U.S. Travel Association reported declines in National Park trips among Americans’ otherwise consistent travel patterns. With uncertainty over staffing at National Parks amid Department of Government Efficiency cuts, some visitors and park advocate groups have voiced concern that conditions at the parks will falter, in ways such as overflowing trash cans, bare toilet paper rolls and reduced programming.

“People don’t know if the park is going to be open, if toilets are going to be overflowing,” Edwards said. “The National Park Service is getting just hammered and people are rightfully concerned.”

When the parks faced a similar scenario in 2020 and during a government shutdown in 2023, Edwards said state leaders helped alleviate much of the uncertainty by guaranteeing they would keep the state’s Mighty 5 parks open and operating mostly as usual. Legislators have made no such promises to cover the gaps made by federal cuts.

“There’s been crickets. Nothing. And it’s because they don’t want to seem disloyal to the current administration,” Edwards said. “There’s a lack of understanding at our state level of how big an industry tourism is.”

Even if the state stepped up and provided some sureties, Hunt indicated the damage has already been done. She and her husband canceled a trip to New Mexico planned for later this year and will be going to Europe instead. And her next birthday trip? Maybe she’ll look at Guatemala instead of St. George.

She doesn’t know when, or if she will be back to the U.S. If it’s up to her husband, it won’t be in the next four years.

“What it comes down to is just kind of lost trust in the States at the moment,” she said. “And losing trust takes over twice as long to regain back.”

This story was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Source: Utah News

June 11, 2025

These are 6 busiest seasons at Utah’s ski resorts. Where does 2024-25 fit?

Utah ski and snowboard resorts had nearly as many visits as last season. Where does 2024-25 fit among the busiest ski seasons in state history?

Slightly below-average snowfall and the ski patrol strike at Park City Mountain likely contributed to fewer skier and snowboarder visits at Utah resorts this ski season compared to the previous two.

A smidge fewer.

Skiers and snowboarders made 6,503,635 visits to Utah’s 15 public resorts during the 2024-25 season, according to Ski Utah data shared with The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday. That’s the third most in state history, trailing last season by just under 250,000 visits, or roughly 1,250 visits per day. However, it’s 700,000 more (3,518 per day) than in 2021-22, which at 5.8 million saw the next most visits in state history.

Far and above the rest, of course, is the 2023-24 season. In addition to a record 903-inches of snow, Utah drew 7.1 million visits that season.

Visits is a measurement of the number of times skiers, snowboarders, snowbikers, etc. used a day, season or comp pass to access a ski resort. It does not reflect the number of visitors to Utah’s slopes during the season. According to Ski Utah’s data, skiers made up 79% of the visits. Snowboarders accounted for 17% of visits, while the rest were made by telemark skiers and “other.”

Nathan Rafferty, president and CEO of Ski Utah — the marketing arm of the state’s ski industry — said he found “no huge surprises” in the final numbers from a season that received 538 inches of snow between Nov. 1 and April 30. The 44-year average for that period, as measured from the National Weather Service’s Alta-Collins study plot, is 548 inches.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Eva Bray goes for the panda suit as Snowbird closes the book on the 2024-25 ski season on Monday, May 26, 2025. Snow and sun revelers took to the slushy slopes on Memorial Day as the resort was the last in the state to close.

Despite what could be perceived as a down year snow-wise, Rafferty said Utah resorts remained attractive largely due to their investments in snowmaking and grooming.

“Snowmaking is not very sexy to put in the brochure,” he said, “but man, when you don’t have it, you’re just out of luck.”

Four of the state’s resorts added or improved their snowmaking heading into the season. They put it to use almost right away, as the skies dried up in December, just in time for the busy — and usually lucrative — holiday stretch.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ski Snow making machines, at Canyons Village, Park City Mountain Resort, cut the ribbon before opening the Another World ski run for the first time, on Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024.

But snow on the ground isn’t all that’s needed to open terrain and get people on the slopes. That was the lesson learned at Park City Mountain, which is owned by Colorado-based Vail Resorts, when its ski patrol went on strike two days after Christmas. Despite being one of the resorts to add extensive snowmaking, Park City Mountain opened just 18% of its trails during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The prior season, with a base depth 10 inches lower, it opened 39% of its trails.

The ensuing long lines and frustration prompted a class-action lawsuit against Vail Resorts and calls for nonpassholders to boycott Park City Mountain — the largest ski area in the United States in terms of lift-served terrain — during the strike.

It’s “impossible to put a number to that, but also hard to believe that that didn’t impact things in some way, shape or form,” Rafferty said of the strike. “I mean, they physically couldn’t put as many people on their lifts as they could [during] a regular Christmas.”

Though it is not necessarily correlated, spending at Utah resorts in 2024-25 also dropped after consecutive record highs the previous two years. This season, visitors spent $2.51 billion, compared to $2.64 billion in 2022-23 and $2.67 billion last season. However, those numbers, and perhaps skier visits overall, may have been affected by a steady decline in foreign tourism to Utah in reaction to policies enacted by president Donald Trump’s administration.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Willie Maahs shows his support for Park City ski patrollers as he joins the picket line at the Park City Mountain Village base on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, amid contract negotiations with Vail Resorts on day nine of the strike.

In its quarterly shareholders meeting last week, Vail Resorts reported that guest satisfaction scores at its mountain resorts were “strong” and consistent with the previous season — except at Park City Mountain. Rob Katz, who recently was reinstalled as the Vail Resorts CEO, said the company took some lessons from the strike.

“A resort like Park City, of course, is critical to our overall company and our network,” he said. “And we think it’s incumbent upon us to continue to listen to the feedback from our guests, from our community partners, and continue to drive improvement … in the way that we deliver an experience for our guests, the way that we deliver for our employees and the way that we deliver for our community members.”

Online, some have vowed not to return until Vail Resorts sells Park City Mountain. Yet Rafferty said he doesn’t expect to see a ripple effect from the strike on next season’s visitation numbers. Again, he explained, snow is the axis around which the ski industry revolves.

“If it snows early and often coming into this year and everything’s open, “ he said, “skiers have a very short memory.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Skiers and snowboarders ride the Sundown Lift at Powder Mountain on Friday, March 21, 2025.

That confidence is bolstered by a glut of capital improvements planned at Utah resorts next season and in the years leading up to the 2034 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Utah.

In 2025-26, Deer Valley Resort alone intends to install nine lifts — one of which is a 10-person gondola — and add at least 100 trails as part of its East Village expansion. Park City Mountain also has a gondola in the works for next season on the Canyons Village side of the resort. Meanwhile, Powder Mountain expects to add a new private lift and expand its terrain, while Alta Ski Area and Snowbasin each plan to replace a lift this summer.

“I think,” Rafferty said, “we’re in for a busy nine years.”

6 Busiest Utah Ski Seasons

2022-23: 7.1 million skier visits.

2023-24: 6.7 million skier visits.

2024-25: 6.5 million skier visits.

2021-22: 5.8 million skier visits.

2020-21: 5.3 million skier visits.

2018-19: 5.1 million skier visits.

Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

Source: Utah News

June 11, 2025

‘I’m the son of Poison’: Scot Pollard’s ESPN Father’s Day doc will bring you to tears

“Heart of Pearl” follows Pollard’s heart transplant and the impact his father Pearl “Poison” Pollard, who died waiting on a heart, had on his life.

INDIANAPOLIS — Scot Pollard unbuttons the top of his shirt and stands up, bearing his chest which inside beats the heart of Casey Angell.

With tears in her eyes, Angell’s widow walks over to Pollard, puts a stethoscope in her ears and places the tiny monitor to Pollard’s skin.

Pamela Angell hears thumping. Strong and steady. Thump-thump … thump-thump … thump-thump. It is a beautiful sound.

Angell may no longer be with Pamela but, inside this room, he is with her. Living inside Pollard.

Soon, it’s not just Pamela crying, but Angell’s sister, Megan Tyra, Pollard’s wife, Dawn, and Pollard, too. He is meeting the family of his heart donor for the first time, the people who loved the man who saved his life.

The emotional scene plays out in the ESPN “E60” film, “Heart of Pearl,” which debuts 1 p.m. Sunday for Father’s Day. It tells the story of former Indiana Pacers player Pollard who received a heart transplant in February 2024.

The film also examines the impact Pollard’s father, Pearl “Poison” Pollard, had on his life. The elder Pollard died waiting on the transplant list in 1991 when Scot was 16.

ESPN followed Pollard as he waited on a heart at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and as he received his new heart and then as he recovered. The film ends with Pollard meeting the family of the donor who gave him another chance at life who, in turn, received their own gift.

“We’re grateful, yeah, we’re grateful that Scot’s here with Casey’s heart,” Pamela tells Pollard and Dawn in the film. “And William has another person to look up to as a father figure.”

William Angell was 12 when his dad died.

“I feel for you. I know what it was like. I was 16 when my dad died,” Pollard says to William. “And I was the last one in my family to see him alive.”

‘God, I’m going to grow up without a dad’

Pollard had gone surfing the morning of Oct. 28, 1991, for a physical education class he was taking at Torrey Pines High in San Diego.

As he was coming up off the beach, his dad drove by in a white truck. Pearl was a public works director for the city of Solana Beach who made sure the roads were taken care of and the sand was raked.

When Pollard spotted his dad, he raised his hand and waved. Pearl stopped and asked, “What are you boys doing?” Pollard told his dad they had just finished a surfing class. Pearl said, “Get back to school.”

“I said, ‘Alright, dad,'” Pollard says. “He said, ‘Take care.’ That was the last thing he said.”

A couple of hours later, a friend of Pollard’s called him. “Scot, I just saw your dad’s car. It’s crashed, and there are paramedics working on him.”

Pearl Pollard had died. He died when his heart failed him as the truck he was driving rolled gently through a stop sign and into a parking lot, then came to rest against some parked cars. Pearl died waiting on a heart transplant.

The autopsy said the cause of death was cardiomyopathy. He was 54.

One year before he died, Pearl was diagnosed with heart issues, but he had been sick much longer. The family noticed he was falling asleep a lot, passing out. Pearl would be talking to them and the next thing they knew, his skin was gray and he was out.

They finally convinced him to go to the doctor, who told Pearl he needed to be put on the heart transplant list. But at 6-9 and 380 pounds, doctors said, it would be tough to find a heart big enough.

“We knew it was a death sentence,” Pollard says in the film. “So, obviously, 16 years old, that kind of stuck in my brain.”

Pollard was still 16 as he stood at his father’s funeral, unable to believe and accept the man he loved and looked up to so much was gone.

A 16-year-old Scot Pollard is show at his father, Pearl's, funeral in the new ESPN film "Heart of Pearl." — A 16-year-old Scot Pollard is show at his father, Pearl’s, funeral in the new ESPN film “Heart of Pearl.”

“He was a giant of a man in every single way possible. Everybody loved my dad,” said Pollard. “Everywhere I went in Utah when I was a little kid. ‘You’re Pearl’s son, aren’t you. Is that Poison’s kid?'”

Now, Pearl was gone and Pollard was facing a dark reality.

“I was just thinking, ‘God, I’m going to grow up without a dad,'” he said. “On the other hand, I was mad at him for not taking better care of himself.”

Pollard’s sister, Lyne Jorif, says in the film she remembers hugging her brother a lot, trying to comfort him, trying to make him feel better.

“And just the look on his face. Nothing was going to console him,” she said. “His worst fear of losing his dad had just happened.”

‘I’m going to honor my dad’

That basketball season at Torrey Pines, the team wore black bands in memory of Pearl and as a way to show their support for Pollard. He changed his jersey to No. 31, his dad’s number.

“He said, ‘I’m going to honor my dad,'” said Jorif. “‘I’m the son of Poison.'”

Pearl Pollard had been a standout basketball player in high school and at the University of Utah, nicknamed “Poison” because he was so lethal on the court, it was as if he was poisoning his opponents. Playing basketball was something Pollard had done for his dad. Now, he was gone.

“It hurt too much to pick up a basketball and not have his dad. We just both kind of hit the wall and we slid down to the floor and we cried and cried, and it took him a while,” said Jorif. “I told him, ‘It’s OK. You don’t have to. Dad would never push you. Dad would tell you to do what you need to do.”

Pollard knew what he had to do.

“The real reason I was ever successful at basketball was because my dad died. That was the catalyst. My dad passing just sharpened everything inside of me and made me angry,” said Pollard. “And I went bat(expletive) nuts.”

Pollard took his anger and turned it into a passion and fierceness on the court as he played at the University of Kansas and then in the NBA. He was known for his relentless, competitive drive. Just like his dad.

Scot Pollard is shown cutting down a piece of the net during his time as a basketball player at Kansas in the new ESPN film "Heart of Pearl." — Scot Pollard is shown cutting down a piece of the net during his time as a basketball player at Kansas in the new ESPN film “Heart of Pearl.”

And 15 years after Pollard retired from the NBA, he found himself re-living the exact same health journey his father had lived.

“We’ve got to talk about transplant,” Dr. Sunit-Preet S. Chaudhry, a specialist in congestive heart failure at Ascension St. Vincent, told Pollard in September 2023. Pollard had been short of breath, his skin was gray and he was sleeping all the time.

“I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to die,'” Pollard told IndyStar inside his Carmel home in December. “I was 16 when my dad died on the transplant list because in 1991 you couldn’t transplant a giant. That’s it. I’m going to die just like my dad.”

Doctors tried to encourage Pollard that medicine had come a long way in the more than three decades since his dad died from cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease that weakens the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively. There was a good chance they could find a heart big enough for Pollard’s monstrous body.

“I very seriously considered just letting it ride,” said Pollard, who played in the NBA 11 years, including for the Indiana Pacers from 2003 to 2006. “You know what? I’ve had a wonderful life and family. Maybe it’s just … let’s just ride this out because I don’t want to die in the hospital.

“And thank God, (Dawn) talked some sense into me.”

Pollard couldn’t give up on his failing heart. He couldn’t leave behind Dawn and his four children. He might be the son of Poison, but he was going to take a different road than his father had.

In February 2024, Pollard got his new heart. Angell’s heart. When he woke up, he realized how close to death he had been. He was so very grateful. And he knew, he had to meet his donor’s family.

“Thank you guys for making that decision (to donate Angell’s organs),” Pollard tells the family in the ESPN film. “Because if you hadn’t made the decision, I may not be here.”

“Heart of Pearl” premieres 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPN. Streaming will be available after on ESPN+

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers’ Scot Pollard’s ESPN Father’s Day doc will bring you to tears

Source: Utah News

June 11, 2025

Utah basketball adds international shooting guard with years of pro experience

Jacob Patrick has played in Germany’s top pro league the past five seasons and has experience with the German National Team.

On Tuesday afternoon, the University of Utah announced the school’s men’s basketball roster for the 2025-26 season, and it included a name that previously hadn’t been linked to the school publicly.

The Runnin’ Utes, who will look vastly different in Alex Jensen’s first season as head coach due to roster turnover, have added German shooting guard Jacob Patrick for next season.

Who is Jacob Patrick?

Patrick is a 21-year-old shooting guard who hails from Ludwigsburg, Germany.

The 6-foot-6, 192-pounder played five seasons with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the German Basketball Bundesliga, Germany’s top pro basketball league.

This past season, he averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 23.9 minutes per game.

During the 2023-24 season, he was one of two players in the BBL to shoot better than 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 90% from the free-throw line.

Patrick suited up for the German Senior National Team in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers, and while playing for the German U16 team at the 2019 FIBA European Championships, Patrick averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Patrick will be a freshman at Utah this season.

Two summers ago, he committed to and signed with VCU, though that ended up being short-lived, as he decided to stay in Germany. At that time, ESPN rated him as a four-star basketball prospect, with an 81 scout grade.

Patrick is the son of John Patrick, who played collegiately at Stanford before going on to a 13-year pro career in Japan and Germany. He coached MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg for nine seasons.

How is Utah basketball’s 2025-26 roster shaping up?

With Jacob Patrick’s addition, the Utes officially have 12 players on the roster for next season as of now, including nine newcomers.

That’s a group that also includes Terrence Brown, Babacar Faye, Jahki Howard, Don McHenry, Elijah “Choppa” Moore, James Okonkwo, Kendyl Sanders and Seydou Traore.

Keanu Dawes and Ibi Traore are returning, as is Jerry Huang, a walk-on at Utah the past two seasons who previously had entered the transfer portal.

Last week, Elmeri Abbey, a Finnish point guard, announced his commitment to Utah, though he does not currently appear on the roster for Utah next season. KSL Sports’ Steve Bartle reported that Abbey is currently fulfilling mandatory service in the Finnish Army and will join the Utes later this summer.

With Abbey’s expected addition, that would make 13 roster spots filled, with the possibility of two more scholarship players.

Other roster news

In announcing Utah’s basketball roster, it’s also noted that Dawes became the first University of Utah student-athlete to sign a revenue share agreement.

Last Friday’s watershed House vs. NCAA settlement paved the way for schools to directly pay athletes. The settlement goes into effect July 1.

Source: Utah News

June 11, 2025

Mammoth rumors: Why Utah is a team to watch in NHL free agency

The Mammoth have a solid young core and money to spend, so could they be in the Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers business in NHL free agency?

The post Mammoth rumors: Why Utah is a team to watch in NHL free agency appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Mammoth are fresh off a surprisingly successful inaugural season in Salt Lake City. They were in Wild Card contention late in the season and got a solid crowd for most of their games. Now, with their new name in tow, the Mammoth are heading into NHL free agency. The Athletic’s James Mirtle was at the NHL Combine and heard that Utah could be in on Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers this summer.

“Their young core up front is only going to get better, but supporting [Clayton] Keller with better veteran depth will be priority No. 1, especially considering they seem set in goal and, if healthier than this past season, on defense too. The Mammoth have 21 NHL players signed (11 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies) and more than $20 million in cap space, so don’t be surprised if they’re in big on Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers and/or any trade targets who can put the puck in the net.”

For their entire existence, the Arizona Coyotes lacked a superstar. Shane Doan became a franchise icon, Keith Tkachuk scored a lot, and they developed a few solid young players. But outside of one Western Conference Final with Doan, they never made a lot of noise. The Mammoth have to solve that problem early in their existence, even with the cupboard of young talent Arizona left them.

While the Mammoth will have over $20 million to spend, they may not spend it all this summer. Nick Schmaltz, Matias Maccelli, and Barret Hayton are all entering the final year of their respective contracts. Even with the salary cap exploding over the next three years, Utah has to budget for keeping its young stars.

The Mammoth have already signed Karel Vejmelka, Olli Maatta, and Ian Cole for the 2025-26 season. Could they add their first superstar in free agency?

Source: Utah News

June 10, 2025

How will Utah’s biggest university stack up in its new conference? Here’s what to know right now.

Utah Valley University officials say the Big West Conference will be just that. After a decade in the Western Athletic Conference, the Wolverines will join the Big West on July 1, 2026. UVU Athletic …

Utah’s biggest university wanted a bigger platform for its sports.

Utah Valley University officials say the Big West Conference will be just that.

After a decade in the Western Athletic Conference, the Wolverines will join the Big West on July 1, 2026. UVU Athletic Director Jared Sumsion says the move makes sense for the Wolverines, as they look to elevate their brand and level of competition.

“We really feel like the Big West elevates our profile,” Sumsion said. “It elevates who we are. And we feel like we help elevate the profile of the Big West as well.”

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans chant “MVP” as they cheer for Utah Valley Wolverines guard Justin Harmon (24), while celebrating their 72-65 overtime win over BYU, in basketball action between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah Valley Wolverines in Orem, on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.

Here’s what you need to know about the Wolverines’ move.

How does UVU stack up?

With one season left in the WAC, Sumsion said the Wolverines will use their remaining season to prepare for what is to come with the Big West, both competitively and financially.

“We need to get better, competitively in some sports, and we have a couple facilities that could use some upgrades,” UVU’s AD said.

“It’s a more competitive league, and a lot of our sports are going to have to ramp up. That comes down to fundraising, building our facilities and getting ourselves ready for this opportunity.”

UVU will become the largest university in the conference with more than 46,800 enrolled students.

How does UVU stack up financially?

The Wolverines had $19.49 million in total athletic department expenses in 2024, compared to a total revenue of $18.44 million.

That would put UVU among the smaller budgets in the Big West, according to 2024 data:

Cal Poly — $35.9 million (includes football)

Cal State Bakersfield — $18.6 million

Cal State Fullerton — $26.3 million

Long Beach State — $29.6 million

Cal State Northridge — $22.8 million

UC Irvine — $31 million

UC Riverside — $20.9 million

UC San Diego — $24.6 million

UC Santa Barbara — $24.9 million

UVU’s biggest expenses of the year came from coaching salaries ($4.29 million), game and travel expenses ($3.87 million) and athlete financial aid ($3.79 million).

Are there Big West benefits?

The Wolverines’ basketball program could benefit most from the move. In March, the Big West fell short of being a two-bid league in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament when UC San Diego beat UC Irvine in the conference title game. If the Anteaters had won, both programs likely would have been in the Big Dance.

UVU failed to earn a bid into March Madness last season after it was defeated by Grand Canyon University in the WAC title game. With a win, the Wolverines would have played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

The Wolverines’ recent success in men’s basketball could eventually help the Big West become a multi-bid league.

But Sumsion said the Wolverines will be better positioned in other sports, too.

“We’ve been interested in joining a league that’s really strong,” he said. “The Big West is one of the premier mid-major leagues in the country.

“It’s a great baseball league and a great soccer league. It has a lot of sports with a lot of history. … We feel like we are going to be able to come in with some sports and immediately be competitive.”

Is more expansion to come?

The Wolverines will join as the only non-California school in their new conference. Big West commissioner Dan Butterly is excited about expanding his league’s regional footprint, citing new opportunities for future expansion.

With the latest addition of UVU, the conference will only have 11 programs by 2026. Butterly hopes to expand to 12 member institutions in the future to ease conference scheduling.

“We’re named the Big West,” Butterly said. “We’re excited about adding the state of Utah back to the footprint in the Big West.

“We still have institutions that we’re speaking with. There are institutions that want to join the Big West as they see the strength of the strategic plan moving ahead.”

The WAC is crumbling

Once the thriving home of the Utes and the Cougars, the Western Athletic Conference is struggling to hold on to members right now.

Seattle University is leaving to join the West Coast Conference next month.

UVU and California Baptist will leave for the Big West next year. Grand Canyon University is set to join the Mountain West then.

That would leave the WAC with just five full-time members, including Utah Tech and Southern Utah, in 2026.

Source: Utah News