A glimpse at the new version of Utah State basketball

When new Utah State men’s basketball head coach Jerrod Calhoun enticed Drake Allen to transfer north from Utah Valley, he figured he was bringing in a veteran point guard.

But it turns out he also got a tour guide.

“The most impressive thing I’ve seen thus far at Utah State is how the eight new guys and the five returning guys have really bonded in a really short period of time.

new Utah State basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun

A year after traveling to Italy with the Wolverines, Allen is returning to Rome and Florence with the Aggies later this week.

“I was very blessed to go with Utah Valley last year, so this is part two for me,” Allen explained with a smile following USU’s intrasquad scrimmage at the Wayne Estes Center Thursday afternoon. “It will be going to some of the same places back-to-back for me. But I never have been to Croatia.”

The Aggies, who last went on a foreign tour in August 2017 when they went to Italy under former head coach Tim Duryea, are leaving Logan early Friday morning for their three-game, 10-day trip to Europe. The tour will include visits to the Italian cities of Rome and Florence, as well as the Croatian municipalities of Split and Dubrovnik.

Utah State’s schedule calls for a game Monday against Stella Azzurra of Rome’s Serie B in Rome, followed by contest Friday, Aug. 16, in Split versus KK Split of the Croatian League. The Aggies’ final game will be against KK Podgorica of Montenegro’s ABA League.

“The NCAA should allow us to do it every year, if the school can afford it. Right now, it’s every four years,” Calhoun said of foreign tours. “But we’ve got a chance to go to two different countries, see their culture, see different things together. We’re going to have nine meals together. Nine dinners and three games, you know; it’s something invaluable with the transfer portal year-to-year in college basketball, having to flip a roster.

“So, why not do it every year? And you don’t have to necessarily go to Europe and go to different places. But this is going to be a special trip. We thank the university for allowing us to do this. … We are really, really happy that we’re getting to do these things.”

The Aggies’ European jaunt was originally scheduled by Ryan Odom, who left Utah State for VCU following the 2022-23 season. He was replaced by Danny Sprinkle, who shocked the college basketball world last year by guiding a completely new USU team to a 28-7 record, a regular-season Mountain West title and the Aggies’ first win in the NCAA Tournament in 23 years.

That unlikely success story led to Sprinkle being hired by Washington and taking Mountain West Player of the Year Great Osobor with him. That led to Calhoun, hired away from Youngstown State by USU athletic director Diana Sabau after 118 victories in seven years, having a few holes to fill on the Aggie roster.

Fortunately for Calhoun and Utah State fans, he was able to retain graduate guard Ian Martinez, who was second on the team in scoring in 2023-24 at 13.3 points per game, as well as sophomore guard Mason Falslev (11.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and center Isaac Johnson (6.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) from last year’s squad. Reserve forward Karson Templin, who saw action in 23 games as a freshman, is also back, along with former Woods Cross product Jaxon Smith, who redshirted in 2023-24.

That left Calhoun and his staff to bring in nine new players, which is why being able to hold 10 extra practices leading up to their trip to Europe is viewed as such a great opportunity.

“I think we’ve moving a good pace,” Allen declared. “As long as we’re getting better and better every day, which I feel like we’ve done, I think that we will be in a good spot coming into season.

“And, of course, going to Italy and playing three games is going to help give us a little head start as far as building some chemistry and playing together against somebody else. That’ll give us a little boost early, so we’re really excited about that.”

Allen, who prepped at Westlake High in Eagle Mountain before moving onto Snow College and Southern Utah, averaged 11.9 points and 4.3 assists last season as a junior at Utah Valley. Allen joins senior Deyton Albury (17.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.6 apg at Queens University in 2023-24), graduate Dexter Akanno (7.8 ppg at Oregon State in 2023-24), sophomore Braden Housley (10.8 ppg, 3.6 apg at Southern Utah in 2023-24) and freshman Jordy Barnes (14.5 ppg, 10.5 apg at Olympus High) as new guards in the Aggie backcourt.

Pavle Stosic, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, who saw action in 14 games at Gonzaga last season, and Tucker Anderson (14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg at Central Arkansas in 2023-24) bring some length to the frontcourt, along with 6-11 senior center Aubin Gateretse (11.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 1.5 ppg at Stetson in 2023-24). Freshman Isaac Davis, a 6-8, 240-pound forward out of Hillcrest High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, was originally headed to BYU, before switching his commitment.

Davis has been slowed by an injury this summer and didn’t play on Thursday, while Anderson also sat out following a minor medical procedure, but Calhoun said he should be able to play in USU’s first game in Italy next week.

Falslev also said he should be good to go despite being accidentally “punched” by a teammate and suffering a cut on his left cheekbone.

“He slung his fist to block and just caught me in the face,” noted Falslev, who never left the court after taking the hit. “But I’m all good physically.”

A Cache Valley native who flirted with leaving the program following Sprinkle’s departure before removing his name from the transfer portal, Falslev said he’s pleased with where the team is at this point.

“We’ve come a long way — offensively and defensively,” he declared. “You know, Coach Calhoun is an amazing coach. He’s super smart, and I’ve learned so much offensively, like just reads and cuts. We do a lot of things based on what people do, so it’s been super cool to learn. And, you know, I think we’re putting it into effect pretty well. So, I’m excited to see what we do.”

“We’ve come a long way — offensively and defensively. You know, Coach Calhoun is an amazing coach. He’s super smart, and I’ve learned so much offensively, like just reads and cuts.

Aggie guard Mason Falslev

Calhoun said he was pleased with his team’s performance during Thursday’s scrimmage, but also noted that “we’re not near where we need to be.” He said he plans on playing a matchup zone “75% of the time” on defense, while offensively, he and his staff have so far installed about “40% of the playbook.”

“All in all, I thought our guys are really together,” Calhoun noted. “The most impressive thing I’ve seen thus far at Utah State is how the eight new guys and the five returning guys have really bonded in a really short period of time. That’s hard to do with different personalities, guys living in different places on campus. We have a good chemistry, and I think that’s what Utah State’s all about is having that family atmosphere with the team, and the connectivity is really good.”

Once they return from Europe on Aug. 19, the Aggies will turn their focus toward their first game against Alcorn State on Nov. 6, in the Spectrum. Although it hasn’t officially been announced, USU also recently completed its nonconference schedule with a home against Charlotte on Nov. 9.

While it’s obviously unlikely that Calhoun will be able to match Sprinkle’s stunning, 16-1 start to his Aggie tenure, that team was also picked to finish ninth in the preseason Mountain West poll. Something that’s unlikely to happen again this season despite, yet again, bringing in a new coach and many new players.

“There’s no way to compare last year with this year,” Falslev proclaimed. “You know, it’s totally different, once again. Like the coaches coach in totally different ways. And, you know, I think there’s good things in both.

“But I’m excited for the future. You know, I don’t know what’s going to happen, and last year was fun. But I’m just ready for being here, being present with my teammates and doing the best that we can do.”