Calgary big man Dallin Bachynski steps up for Utah

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It was a tension-filled moment for the No. 5-seeded Utah Runnin' Utes when they called on Calgary's Dallin Bachynski.

Jakob Poeltl, the team's freshman phenom at centre, was in foul trouble early during last Saturday's heated second-round battle with the big and physical No. 4-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the south region of the NCAA Tournament.

Bachynski, a seven-foot, 265-pound senior centre, had sat the previous game with a sprained ankle, and had played a decreased role for Utah this season since Poeltl joined the team. But this was an opportunity for the Canadian to shine and he didn't disappoint.

Over 22 minutes, Bachynski banged with Georgetown on defence, drew fouls and tallied nine points, a season-high eight rebounds and a blocked shot, helping deliver a 75-64 win. Utah, in its first tournament appearance since 2009, advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade. It earned a meeting on Friday with top-seeded Duke and college basketball's most spectacular big man, Jahlil Okafor. Bachynski's college career lives to see another day on the big stage.

His journey to the NCAA tournament has taken unique twists. Raised in a basketball family, he became one of the most dominant Calgary high school basketball players in recent memory. He began college at Southern Utah before leaving the sport entirely for a two-year mission in Croatia with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He transferred to Utah and worked up to a starting job, before losing it to the Austrian star Poeltl this year.

He is one of three Bachynski kids to play U.S. college basketball. The eldest and tallest, 7-foot-2 Jordan, starred at Arizona State and is now with the New York Knicks' D-League team in Westchester. Jessica, the youngest, played briefly at Utah Valley. Both father John and mother Yolanda refereed the game, the latter after starring at the University of Alberta. The family played at the local church, the playground and competed in H-O-R-S-E on the hoop outside their house.

Dallin Bachynski became one of the best teens in Alberta, dominating with his inside game and becoming a sharp outside shooter too, earning a spot with the provincial under-17 team.

Mike Fullerton, the long-time basketball coach at Sir Winston Churchill, has a time-lapse photo of Bachynski in his office, taken during one of the most dominant performances he's ever seen in Calgary high-school basketball. It depicts the then-6-foot-10 teen back in 2009, driving end-to-end through the opposition and delivering an explosive dunk.

Bachynski's stat line while leading Churchill to its second successive city championship that night had been mind-blowing: 34 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists, six blocks and three steals."There was no one then or since in the province that I've seen have such a dominating performance as Dallin had in that game," Fullerton said. "I haven't seen another big man here who could tally that many points, rebounds and look after the ball like he did throughout his senior year – not even close."

Bachynski didn't get as much playing time as he had hoped for during his first year at Southern Utah, and knew he wouldn't return there when he went on his mission in Croatia. He left basketball behind for two years, studying scripture for hours daily, doing community service and learning to speak Croatian.

"Being on a mission is an extremely disciplined lifestyle, and there are very few freedoms," said his brother Jordan. "After two years without basketball, it takes a really strong person to shake off the rust and come back to it. The mission taught him how to be independent and disciplined. That leads to playing selfless basketball, which is the best basketball."

It hasn't all been smooth sailing since he arrived at Utah. He was still immature early on, got inconsistent playing time, struggled through nagging injuries and suffered a back strain from a car accident. He's matured, grown into a leader and thrived in his new role coming off the bench, using his high motor to set a defensive tone.

"My team doesn't need me to do everything," Bachynski told KSL.com in Salt Lake City recently. "My team needs me to rebound, needs me to defend and set good screens, and score the ball when I can."

At the tournament last week, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak referred to Bachynski as a guy who would "run through a brick wall for his team on one leg." Bachynski wasn't fazed by having his right front tooth knocked out while battling for the ball in practice earlier this season. The Calgarian now brags about having the grille of an old-time Canadian hockey player.

"When you come into your senior year," Jordan said, "you're expecting to play a lot of minutes, you've worked hard and it's your year to shine. But my brother didn't get that this year with a young big being added into the mix, even though on most teams he would be a starter. But he has really kept his head on straight and played his role."