SALT LAKE CITY — Sophomore center Jakob Poeltl could be on an NBA roster along with former teammate Delon Wright instead of playing at the collegiate level. Poeltl, though, abandoned a potential first-round draft opportunity to stay at the University of Utah in hopes of improving his game.
That decision is starting to pay off for Poeltl as one of the nation's best dynamic 7-foot centers coveted by many Division I teams. No longer is he off balance in the post and playing out of his game when an opponent ups the level of physicality. Now, he's immovable, smarter with the ball, and aggressive in his quick motions to the basket or in his road-blocking defense.