Utah senior Branden Carlson's status for the Pac-12 tournament is in question, but his legacy as a Ute is not. Tribune columnist Gordon Monson details the 7-footer's journey.
Utah Utes center Branden Carlson is guarded by Colorado Buffaloes forward Assane Diop and Colorado Buffaloes guard J'Vonne Hadley , in PAC-12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Colorado Buffaloes a the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.
They must for Carlson to fill in the narrative’s empty spaces as intended, to achieve something he’s worked for and dreamed about for five years — qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. He will have to play and the Utes will have to win out to achieve that., has played coming up on 4,000 minutes for the Utes over the last fistful of seasons, COVID having elongated that stay. He’s scored 1,803 points, retrieved 814 rebounds and delivered 164 assists.
“I’ve grown to love it here,” he says. “The basketball has been a huge part of it. It’s shaped my life, the kind of man it’s turned me into — unselfish and charitable. If you’ve got to be a leader on the court, it’s helped me be a leader in life. I wish I could get 10 assists every game.” He was better than just that, but, as the cliche goes, you can’t teach height, and that at that juncture was what Carlson mostly had to offer.
“He’s versatile. He has amazing touch and feel around the basket. He’s a great chess piece for us to have. We post him up a lot, we pick-and-pop him a lot. And his ability to pass has really improved. He does a lot of different things. He’s an elite rim protector. We’ve played him in a lot of roles. He’s a lot better player today than he was nine months ago. The transformation he’s made is really astounding. He’s our most accomplished player, but he really wants to be coached.
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