Three words: unite the family.
 
Seems simple enough, right?
 
Turns out, there's much more to it. For a Utah Tech men's basketball program that enters the final year of its NCAA Division-I transition, the saying goes much deeper than simply being a team that plays basketball together.
 
"Part of it is about coming together as a team to accomplish the same goals, but it's also about sacrifice, service, humility, those kinds of things," Head Coach Jon Judkins said. "Seeking opportunity to unite and being the best version of yourself in order to improve the strength of your family.
 
"The main thing is just coming together, accomplishing the common goal as a team, building on that and becoming a group that is united. That's what families do - when there's trouble they stick together and they get through it," Judkins added. "What can we do to strengthen our family, strengthen our team and strengthen the community?"
 
Community support is crucial in a city with no professional sports teams and a single university, so uniting the family goes well beyond the program itself – it's about coming together with everyone in and around the St. George area.
 
In recent months, acts of service have become a big part of how the coaches and student-athletes spend their time off the court. From weekly visits to local elementary schools and helping clean the beaches at Sand Hollow Reservoir to passing out free hot dogs at football tailgates and helping at the upcoming St. George Marathon, the importance of giving back has not been lost on Judkins and his program.
 
"We want community members to know that we are behind them and want to support them," Judkins said. "We're just trying to give back and tell people 'Hey, thank you for what you do for us.' We want to unite and hopefully we can have them also be part of our family."
 
While uniting the family is set to be a fixture of the program for years to come, Judkins and his staff have also talked a great deal, figuratively speaking, about heading into the storm, which is a mantra specifically for this 2023-24 season.
 
After adding 10 new players to the roster and a summer spent working as a team both on and off the court, the program welcomed former Trailblazer Mason Sawyer (2013-16) back to campus in early September to lead a conversation about fighting through adversity.
 
"We were inspired by Mason's story about going head first into the storm and not running away from hard times which I thought was great. We're going to have challenges this year, we know that," Judkins said. "It's the last year of our Division-I transition, and we're on a road a lot this year, but we have faith that we can get through any of these challenges if we remain united within our program, our university and our community."
 
As a 2023-24 season approaches that is sure to bring its share of storms, three words will continue to echo throughout the program's practices, shootarounds and games:
 
Unite the family.