SALT LAKE CITY — Coming into camp, Jazz center Al Jefferson felt better physically than he had in a long time, maybe ever.

Big Al spent most of the extended offseason on a workout mission in Santa Barbara. While dropping fat and adding muscle, the 280-pound Jefferson spent so much time at the Jazz-recommended P3 performance facility, he could give tours.

“The only good thing about the offseason going longer,” Jefferson said, “was that it was just more time for me to work and get better.”

The Jazz are excited to reap the rewards of Jefferson’s working vacation in SoCal.

“His work in the summer’s really showing,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.

Utah worked mostly on defensive adjustments the first couple of practices, and Jefferson has shown more agility and athleticism while rotating and getting back on D.

He’s sacrificing his body a bit, too.

Corbin said Jefferson took three charges in the first two sessions.

“I don’t remember him taking many charges at all last year,” a smiling Corbin said. “His position is better. He feels good about how he can move and react and get back to one spot, and (has) quickness of doing both.”

Email: jody@desnews.com. Twitter: DJJazzyJody

SALT LAKE CITY — For a guy who enjoyed extra time off this summer and fall by fishing, spending quality time with his family, and living and playing in Miami, Raja Bell might surprise some people with how happy he is to be in Utah for the winter.

South Beach and kids’ soccer games can wait for warmer times next year.

For now, Bell is in another favorite spot doing another of his favorite things — running around a gym playing hoops.

“It’s now time to get back to basketball,” he said. “And I’m excited.”

Not just to play, though.

Bell is excited to contribute.

He wants his presence to be felt.

The savvy 35-year-old veteran is here to make a bigger difference on a team that can use all of the savvy positive influence it can get after last season’s turmoil.

“Last year,” he said, “was a difficult year.”

But it began with high expectations and optimism after he rejoined the Jazz and walked away from a potential gig with the Lakers.

Bell had missed most of the previous season with a wrist injury, and the Jazz seemed to be a perfect fit for him to get his career back on track.

Whether it was due to rustiness, Father Time catching up or fill-in-the-blank, Bell didn’t have the type of season in 2010-11 that the Jazz, fans or he would have preferred.

“I just felt like I never really found a solid footing,” Bell said. “I just felt a little uncomfortable in what was going on, the way we played.”

It wasn’t just disappointing because his shooting percentages slipped, which they did. Case in point: Bell’s 40.9 percent accuracy mark from the field was the lowest since his first Utah season in 2003-04 (40.9 percent). His 3-point shooting (35.2 percent) was the lowest since his rookie season (33.3).

The falling numbers don’t sit well with him, of course. But they could have been worse. Trust him, he knows.

“I’m as tough on myself as anybody,” Bell said.

More bothersome than shooting woes was not finding a way to do and help more.

That gave his critics matches and fuel for their ire.

It’s also lit his fire for making the most of this season, his second in a three-year, $9 million deal with the Jazz.

“I just know that I have to find a better way to impact what’s going on, on the court,” Bell said. “Whatever that is, whether that’s hustling or playing defense, having more or less shot attempts.

“Whatever it is,” he added, “I’ve got to find a way to have more of an impact. Because, ultimately, that’s what it’s about.”

Some fans might have jumped off the Bell bandwagon, but Jazz management hasn’t.

They still believe he can make that positive impact — on and off the court.

Both Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor and coach Tyrone Corbin complimented the physical condition of Bell, who aced the team’s treadmill test.

SALT LAKE CITY — Having seen a few players around town the past few days, Utah Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin feels good about their physical shape heading into Friday’s camp opener.

And general manager Kevin O’Connor believes the Jazz will be a competitive, underdog team, and he doesn’t sound like a guy on the verge of trading either Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap or anybody else.

The biggest could-be news to come out of a pre-camp press conference this afternoon, however, was that the Jazz might enter this season with yet another new coach.

O’Connor and Corbin confirmed a big-man coach might be hired to help with the development of Utah’s post players, especially promising youngsters Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter.

“There may be an opportunity for us to add somebody to this staff,” Corbin said. “We’ll make the announcement shortly if we get the chance to do it. It’d have to be soon, because we want to try to get everything tied up.”

Soon, as in by Friday when players will report in the late afternoon for Day 1 of the condensed camp.

“I think we’ll do something pretty quick,” O’Connor admitted. “I would look at trying to do something sooner than later. … If we went through training camp without one, then I wouldn’t want to go into it.”

Asked if the seemingly inevitable hire will be someone with Jazz ties, Corbin responded: “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

When Hall of Fame power forward Karl Malone ‘s name was mentioned, Corbin laughed and wondered if The Mailman would want to be tied down: “I’d have to call Karl. It’s a full-time job.”

Corbin hinted the hire might not necessarily be an in-game bench position, but rather an in-practice development coach.

“It would be (important). It would help us,” Corbin said. “It would give the staff that’s doing all the other stuff more time to focus in on that and the guy can really zoom in on developing guys.”

This summer, the Jazz hired former point guard and NBA head coach Sidney Lowe to be Corbin’s third assistant along with returners Scott Layden and Jeff Hornacek.

Email: jody@desnews.com, Twitter: DJJazzyJody

District won’t allow program into school gyms because of unpaid usage fees

While contract negotiations have delayed the start of the Utah Jazz season, a different contract dispute will prevent Tooele and Stansbury youth from suiting up for Junior Jazz this year.

The Tooele County School District announced last Friday that it has terminated its contract with Utah Sports Academy, the Layton-based nonprofit organization that has been running the Tooele and Stansbury Junior Jazz program since 2006. This effectively means most of the basketball courts in the county are no longer available to the county’s largest youth basketball program.

“The action was taken by the Board of Education as a result of an outstanding amount owed to the district for facility rentals from the 2010-11 Junior Jazz program,” said Terry Linares, Tooele County School District superintendent, in a prepared statement.

Utah Sports Academy owes the Tooele County School District $33,390, according to Linares.

“When outside groups use school facilities during hours when we would not ordinarily be open or have a custodian on duty, we charge a fee to recover the additional costs to the district,” said Linares.

Lewis Lofton, president of Utah Sports Academy, said those fees can’t be covered by participants alone without some additional funding.

“It is our sincere hope that some other entity will step forward and continue the Junior Jazz program,” said Lofton. “We have, however, notified the school district that unless the city, county and/or some other sponsor steps up to help supplement costs of the program, then it will be extremely difficult to remain viable.”

The $33,390 represents 927 hours of usage by the Junior Jazz program at $36 per hour during the 2010-11 season, according to Linares.

In past years, Utah Sports Academy paid usage fees at the end of the season. Last year, the school district did not receive a payment and despite several discussions that took place over the summer, the district has still not received payment, Linares said.

The school district raised its gym usage fee from $26 per hour to $36 per hour for the 2010-11 year to cover the rising cost of utilities and to incorporate the cost of custodial staff, said Linares. In response, Utah Sports Academy raised Junior Jazz registration fees from $80 to $100 per participant for the 2010-11 season, said Lofton.

However, enrollment in the Tooele/Stansbury Junior Jazz program declined by 25 percent, from 944 players to 708 players, according to Lofton, and Utah Sports Academy had difficulty collecting payment from 100 families with financial hardships.

The drop in enrollment was an unforeseen result of the fee increase, Lofton said.

Registration fees cover costs of court time use, liability insurance, Junior Jazz licensing fees, awards and referee costs, said Lofton.

Grantsville Junior Jazz, which is not connected with the Utah Sports Academy, was only charged $26 per hour for gym usage in 2010-11 and Lofton has asked the school district to adjust their bill and charge Tooele Junior Jazz the same rate.

“We gave Tooele Junior Jazz notice a year ago that the rate would be going up and we gave Grantsville that same notice this year,” said Linares. “I talked with Scott Bryan, board president, and the board is not interested in lowering the rate for Tooele Junior Jazz. The rate is based on what we need to collect to recoup our expenses. We have nothing against the Junior Jazz program and we are willing to work with another group that wants to run the program, but we will not contract with the Utah Sports Academy again. The district at this time is working hard to balance our own budget and we don’t have the room to absorb the cost of running Junior Jazz.”

The decision to discontinue renting to the current Junior Jazz program comes at a time when public health officials are clamoring to get youth more physically active to combat a rising epidemic of youth obesity. This year, the district also started charging local youth sports league $1 per player for the use of outdoor sports fields — a move that was criticized by some youth sports leaders.

Stansbury and Tooele high schools are making plans to expand their basketball camp program to fill the void left by the absence of the Junior Jazz program.

“Stansbury and Tooele high schools will take 100 youth per grade from first to 8th grade in their basketball camp programs,” said Ken Luke, Tooele County School District assistant superintendent. “The program will include three weeks of skills training and eight weeks of games.”

The basketball camps will not be affiliated with Junior Jazz and there will be a registration fee in the neighborhood of $65. Each high school will work with youth from the elementary schools that feed their school, Luke said.

“These programs will be ran by each high school and will not be a part of a districtwide effort,” said Luke. “It is an effort to reach out to youth that may be displaced by the loss of the Junior Jazz program in Tooele and Stansbury.”

The Grantsville Junior Jazz program is not affiliated with the Utah Sports Academy and will not be affected by the program change.

Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com

Posted by
Inside Hoops

Sep
7

There have been rumblings during the summer that Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur might head to his native Turkey to play basketball during the NBA lockout. This has now reportedly become a reality.

According to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News:

The Utah Jazz center signed a contract today to play for Turk Telekom Ankara and will begin participating with the team from his country immediately, Okur’s agent Marc Fleisher told the Deseret News.

Okur’s contract includes a provision that will allow him to leave the Turkish team to return to the Jazz when and if the NBA lockout ends this season.

Fleisher said Okur, who is under contract with Utah through the end of the 2011-12 season, has recovered from his back issue and the left Achilles tendon injury that limited his court time last year.

“He’s healthy enough to play now,” Fleisher said.

And Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (blog) reports:

“He didn’t feel that the option to go play in pick-up games are what he needed,” said Fleisher, who stated that Okur is close to 100-percent health and will be insured while playing overseas. “He choose this and it’s a good team. He knows the league very well and it’s a good opportunity for him to play at a high level. And when the lockout ends, he’ll come back and be rearing to go.”

Okur must first handle a minor visa issue before joining Turk Telekom, and could meet up with ex-Jazz guard Deron Williams while in Turkey.

Okur played just 13 games last season for the Jazz and was barely a factor on the court, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. But perhaps, as his agent says above, Okur has regained full health. In which case he might as well go play some basketball and enjoy his home country a bit longer.

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In going up against some of the top AAU basketball teams in the country, the Utah Pump N Run elite U17 AAU team is having a busy and incredibly successful summer.

After recently completing a semifinal run in the Super 64 tournament in Las Vegas, the team is currently in Los Angeles at the Best of Summer tournament.

Through the summer Pump N Run has posted a stellar 12-1 record, including a star-studded team from Atlanta.

The Atlanta Celtics have a rich history that includes alumni Amare Stoudemire (New York Knicks), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks) and Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz).

According to Pump N Runs standout Jordan Loveridge, the current Celtics have players who have committed to Memphis, UCLA and some other top schools in the nation.

“They were definitely the best team we’ve played so far,” said the West Jordan High standout. “Everyone on their team had big-time offers, and it was a great game, but we beat them by a point, which was a huge win for us. I had a big game, too, with 35 points and 12 rebounds.”

While it’s hard to match the rich history of an AAU squad like the Atlanta Celtics, Utah Pump N Run has a stellar history of its own. Its alumni includes players Charles Abouo (BYU), Chris Collinsworth (BYU) and Brandon Davies (BYU).

Along with Loveridge, who has offers from BYU, Utah, Utah State, Hawaii and Colorado State, Utah State commits Marcel Marcel Davis, Quincey Bair and David Collette are on the team along with Weber State commit Ryan Van Pelt.

The team has been together for three years, and the players have grown very close while improving in their overall play. This year they wanted to go out strong. So far, so good on that front.

“We’ve proven that we can play with anybody and that Utah has some of the best talent around,” said Loveridge. “We’re very close friends, all of us on the team, and we all dedicated ourselves to playing well and representing the state as best we possibly could.”

It seems its opponents aren’t too scared when they see Pump N Run is from Utah, but by its dominant showing during this year’s AAU circuit, that could be changing.

“You can see it in their eyes when we take the court, they don’t respect Utah and they don’t think Utah has good talent,” said Loveridge of their opponents. “Pretty soon, after the ball is tipped, we’re proving to them that Utah has as good of talent as anyone around. That’s important to us, to represent what we have here in Utah.”

Loveridge has certainly warranted a lot of attention through his play. His 35-point, 12-rebound output against the Atlanta Celtics has been somewhat the norm for him this summer.

Q: How has the draft changed since you came into the NBA?

A: I think the big difference is that these guys don’t play 5-on-5 anymore. When I was coming in at all the different camps, we played full games leading up to the draft. That gave coaches a better chance to see players perform in game situations. Now, the scouts get to see them play a lot, but it’s a bit harder for the coaching staff.

Q: What are you and the other coaches expecting from Enes Kanter?

A: Enes is a guy who can rebound and get inside, as well as shoot it a bit from the outside. We haven’t seen him play a lot, but from what we can tell he’s got a really nice shot from about 15 feet out. I gave him a few things to work on this summer if he wants to, and he seemed eager to get better.

Q: What do you see in Alec Burks’ game?

A: He’s got a very good mid-range game and ability to get to the basket. He’s done that so easily that, I think, he hasn’t had to shoot from outside a lot. You might have a concern if you don’t think he has the shooters eye, as we say, but he clearly does. We don’t want to turn him into a jump shooter, though we obviously want him to shoot and make jumpers. But you want to let a guy go to his strengths.

Q: Is it exciting to coach a young team, or does it present unique challenges? Or both?

A: When you have young guys it’s great because they have a tendency to listen better and take more advice. I think the older they get the more they think they know it all, and it’s probably tougher on coaches. We think we have young guys who are talented and are willing to listen, and that’s important. Not all young players are that way.

Q: What are your summer plans?

A: I’m not under contract, so with the lockout and everything I’m just in a ‘wait and see’ situation. Most of us will take off and relax for the next month or two, and I’ll be able to spend some time with my family. We’ll also be working closely with (Tyrone Corbin) to implement his system, whatever that will be, so it will still be a busy summer.

email: mpayne@desnews.com

July 7, 2011 – NBA Development League (D-League) Idaho Stampede
BOISE, Idaho, July 7, 2011 – The Idaho Stampede have been named the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, the Stampede, Jazz and league offices announced today. In addition to the Stampede’s affiliation with the Jazz, the Stampede will keep its affiliations already held with the Denver Nuggets (2009-present) and Portland Trail Blazers (2007-present).

The Stampede were previously an affiliate of the Jazz during the 2006-07 season. The Stampede have also been affiliates of the Seattle SuperSonics (2006-2008) and Toronto Raptors (2008-09).

“Many Stampede fans are also Utah Jazz fans, dating back from their first days in Utah, to the great years under Jerry Sloan and now as they fight for an NBA championship in a new era,” Stampede President and GM Steve Brandes said. “We have always viewed the Jazz as one of the most successful organizations in any sport; their ownership, basketball operations and business sides have all been a consistent winner throughout the years. We wish to draw upon their success as we move into our 15th year in minor league basketball.”

The Jazz have been an NBA club since 1974 when the team was established in New Orleans. The team was moved to Salt Lake City in 1979 and the Jazz have been one of the winningest teams in the NBA ever since, primarily under the ownership of the Miller family, which bought the team outright in 1986. The Jazz have made two NBA Finals, coming in 1997 and ’98.

“Our relationships with the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets have been successful since we began our affiliations with them,” Brandes said. “Having a third respected, well-run organization as one of our parent clubs will only add that much more value to our basketball and business operations.”

Since moving to Salt Lake City, the Utah Jazz have made the playoffs 24 times, won eight division titles, had a two-time NBA MVP and have had four players win gold medals in the Summer Olympics.

“I’m thrilled that the coaches and I will get to work with the Jazz basketball operations office and coaching staff,” Stampede Head Coach Randy Livingston said. “I was lucky enough to play for the Utah Jazz in my NBA career and I can say that the Jazz are one of the best, most professional teams in the NBA.”

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