Keanu Dawes rose to the moment in debut start with Utes. He should have plenty more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Keanu Dawes' future was his present in Utah's Big 12 tournament opener Tuesday night against UCF.

Even amid the loss, the future shined bright.

The long-limbed forward from Houston poured in a career-high 21 points and 15 rebounds in his first start for the Runnin' Utes, an 87-72 loss to the Knights that might end the tumultuous season of the program waiting for former Utah great Alex Jensen to take over following his time as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks.

Of course, Dawes — who grew up in Salt Lake City before moving to Houston, earning American Athletic Conference All-Freshman honors at Rice, and returning to the Beehive State with Utah — wasn't thinking much about that.

For Dawes, whose grandparents were Utah season ticket holders, mom played volleyball and basketball at USU-Eastern, and uncle Derek played basketball at BYU, the only thing worth focusing on was a win.

Call it a breakout game or "up there" in his college career, he says. But ultimately, the only important thing is the loss.

"I would say it's definitely up there," Dawes said. "But at the same time we didn't really win, so in my opinion it doesn't really mean anything. Yeah, there's really not much to say. We didn't win.

"Yeah, I had a double-double," he added, "but we didn't win so it doesn't mean anything."

With Ezra Auser a late scratch due to an apparent knee injury suffered in Saturday's regular-season finale at BYU, promoting the 6-foot-9, 220-pound sophomore into the starting lineup for the first time since he transferred from Rice.

With an extra day to recover, Utah interim head coach Josh Eilert had hope that Auser might rejoin the lineup for a Wednesday second-round tilt against sixth-seeded Kansas. But by Tuesday night, the interim moment fell on Dawes' broad shoulders.

And what an moment it was, with the sophomore shooting 9-of-13 from the field, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, and contributing two assists and two steals in 38 minutes for his third double-double in the past five games.

"I'll never forget coming into this program and thinking — questioning a lot of KD's value," Eilert admitted. "He has just continued to improve each and every day. He's got the right mindset. He's got that growth mindset in so many ways.

"He doesn't force the game, but he's playing with so much more force than he did when I first got here in June. So he's a special player. His value keeps on skyrocketing. I look forward to seeing him blossom and develop in the next couple of years."

As the end of season shifts closer to the offseason — the Runnin' Utes are certainly out of the NCAA Tournament mix, but maintain the possibility of a berth in the NIT or inaugural College Basketball Crown secondary tournament in Las Vegas — the time draws closer for Jensen to begin assembling his lineup for his first season as a head coach in college basketball after 12 years in the NBA.

If recent history is to be believed, Dawes should have a spot on the roster, and a priority target to return to the Hill, at that.

"You think about a guy like Ezra didn't play; that hurts them. He is one of their best players," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said after the Knights' win. "He is playing terrific basketball all season long, and especially the last five games.

"That's a big miss for them. That's just the nature of the game. We understand that because we've had some guys out. That's always a challenge, and I thought Keanu Dawes did a great job of stepping into the role and kinda producing the way Ezra produces. It says a lot about that young man and the ability to make those plays in an environment like this."

If Tuesday was the final game of the season, Utah fans saw a glimpse of Dawes' future in his present. He mowed through the paint for rim-rattling dunks, drew contact and converted at the line, and powered a paint presence that outscored the Knights 42-26.

But Dawes himself may have gotten a glimpse of the future, as well.

While Jensen reportedly wants to remain with the Mavericks through the end of the NBA season, he paid a visit to the team hotel in Kansas City for a his first in-person introduction. It was brief, but left a key first impression on Dawes.

"First impressions are good. Seems like a chill guy," he said of Jensen. "Haven't really talked too much ... He hasn't really talked much basketball or his plan for the future so far."

There will be time to get to know his game through the offseason. Or at least, there should be.

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