The Utah Jazz officially met for the first time this season Monday at their training facility where they posed for pictures and participated in media day interviews.

Not all of the Jazz players previously listed on the team's fall camp roster will be headed to Boise, Idaho, for training Tuesday, however.

Veteran swingman Matt Harpring revealed that he is still recuperating from a infection that spread in his right ankle after he underwent a surgery to remove bone spurs this summer.

Instead of joining the Jazz for practices at Taco Bell Arena from Tuesday through Friday, Harpring will head to Santa Barbara to continue rehabbing and work on improving his strength and conditioning.

Harpring said he was basically inactive for four weeks in July while dealing with the painful infection. He hopes to be back to full strength by the regular season, but the complication set him back.

Britton Johnsen will also not travel with the Jazz in Idaho.

The small forward, a former standout for Utah and Murray High, signed a professional contract to play in the Ukraine, so he'll return to Europe instead of giving the NBA another shot for now.

Gabe Muoneke, a 6-7 forward from Texas, replaced Johnsen on the training camp roster.

---

E-mail: jody@desnews.com