When the Utah State University basketball team hits the road, mission stories often follow.

"I bet we don't go a trip without someone sharing (one)," said Tai Wesley, a sophomore forward and returned Mormon missionary.

That's bound to happen when half the players on the team's roster served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But for this large contingent of Aggies, the missionary experience has yielded more than just stories.

When the NCAA tournament tips off this week, the LDS Church will be well-represented -- and the state of Utah is a big reason why. Among the three Utah teams that qualified for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, there are 14 returned Mormon missionaries and at least two players who plan to serve once their freshman seasons are complete.

Utah State, champion of the Western Athletic Conference and a No. 11 seed in the tournament, features seven returned missionaries, including conference player of the year Gary Wilkinson (South Jordan, Utah) and three other starters -- Tyler Newbold (Payson, Utah), Jared Quayle (Perry, Utah) and Wesley (Provo).



The Aggies have won 30 games this season, and players like Wesley view the mission experience as a major component of their success in a program where LDS players have thrived. In addition to physical maturity, Wesley says mission service helps players when it comes to responsibility and "carrying (themselves) off the court." Returned missionaries also benefit from the leadership opportunities afforded them during their service.

"Things like that are real big benefits in (the coaches') perspective," said Wesley, who served in the Mexico Oaxaca Mission. "That definitely relates to the basketball court."
Wesley says he'll often communicate in Spanish with teammate Matt Formisano, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who served in Mexico City, and such on-court conversations tend to draw confused glances from opponents.

"It's kind of fun getting those weird looks," Wesley said. "That's what we do it for."

It's difficult to quantify whether fluency in Spanish -- or French or Portuguese -- provides any basketball benefits, but Formisano is cognizant of times when having seven returned missionaries helps the Aggies' cause. He pointed to the 71-70 WAC semifinal win over New Mexico State on March 13, when Utah State rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit and won the game on a Newbold jump shot with 3.1 seconds remaining. Maturity, Formisano said, helped the Aggies maintain composure.

"I think you saw it a lot in that game," he said. "We didn't panic. We were confident that we were going to come back. ... I think that comes with experience and age."
According to Wesley, there is mutual respect on the team for every player's faith, and Formisano describes all his teammates as "character guys."

"We just have a great group of guys -- everyone," he said. "And that helps."

In addition to Wesley, Formisano, Wilkinson, Newbold and Quayle, junior forward Clint Lee (North Logan, Utah) and freshman swingman Brady Jardine (Twin Falls, Idaho) are also returned missionaries. Freshman guard Skyler Halford (Orem, Utah) plans to serve after the season.

Utah State will face Marquette on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in Boise, Idaho.

Brigham Young University is making its third consecutive NCAA men's tournament appearance and, like Utah State, will take the court with seven returned missionaries when it plays Texas A&M in the first round Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Philadelphia, Penn.

The Cougars have three returned missionaries in their starting lineup, including Jackson Emery, a 6-3 guard from Alpine, Utah, who returned in June from the Mexico Leon Mission. Emery is making his first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.

"I'm just enjoying the experience," Emery said. "This is something you grow up watching."

The team's other returned Mormon missionaries include first-team all-conference selection Lee Cummard (Mesa, Ariz.), starting center Chris Miles (Provo), freshman center James Anderson (Page, Ariz.), freshman forward Noah Hartsock (Bartlesville, Okla.), senior center Gavin MacGregor (Ridgecrest, Calif.) and freshman guard Matt Pinegar (Provo).

There is also a future missionary who will be wearing red. The University of Utah will participate in both the men's and women's NCAA tournaments this season, and one member of the men's team already has a mission call. Josh Sharp, a freshman from Lone Peak High (Highland, Utah) who is redshirting this season, will leave in July to serve a mission in Houston.

The Utes, a No. 5 seed, face the University of Arizona on Friday at 5:10 p.m. in Miami, Fla.

The Utah women's team features several LDS Church members on its roster, including conference player of the year Morgan Warburton (Helper, Utah), first-team all-conference selection Kalee Whipple (Hiko, Nev.) and second-team all-conference selection Katie King (Layton, Utah). Halie Sawyer (Panguitch, Utah), Cydney Knight (Pasco, Wash.), Mandy Munns (Brigham City, Utah) and Deanne Stevenson (Draper, Utah) also make up that list.

A member of the Stanford women’s basketball team, Michelle Harrison (Orem, Utah), is also LDS. Arizona State men’s basketball team member Stephen Rogers (Mesa, Ariz.) returned last season from a mission to Cleveland, Ohio, but is redshirting this season.


E-mail: ashill@desnews.com