Utes' Elliott closing in on win No. 500

She's almost there. Coach Elaine Elliott is on her way to 500 career wins as the University of Utah women's basketball coach. She began the year only 10 wins shy of the mark and will undoubtedly get there as the Mountain West Conference season gets under way.

"I try not to worry about that," said Elliott of reaching 500 after notching No. 496. "I am just trying to get this team to play the best basketball possible. Reaching a number like that is a sign of longevity and having some good players. I am not sure how many of those wins I am actually responsible for. If I didn't have good players, I am sure I wouldn't be reaching a number like 500."

Elliott has averaged more than 21 wins per year in her previous 23 years at the helm. Last season, the team went 27-7 and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament before being knocked out in an overtime defeat to eventual champion Maryland.

That team featured two of the all-time best players in school history in Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn, both of whom were selected in the WNBA draft. If the Utes (7-6) are going to repeat as MWC champions, it will have to be done a little bit differently. The Utes don't feature two all-conference performers and consist mostly of underclassmen trying to find their niche in college basketball.

"We are all still learning what it takes to play together," said sophomore forward Joh-Teena Filipe, who prepped at Skyline. "We are getting better, but we still have a lot to learn and need to keep improving."

Filipe has shown the ability to be one of the leaders the team is looking for. She is second on the team in scoring and averaging 10.9 points per game while hauling in 5.9 rebounds per contest. But the Utes' biggest story has been the emergence of sophomore Morgan Warburton.

"Morgan is still learning what it takes to be the leader out on the floor," said Elliott. "She has all the tools it takes to be the next great Utah player. When she is taking care of the ball, distributing it and shooting well, she is the type of player that can lead a team to a title."

Warburton leads the team in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (2.8 apg) and is a big contributor on the boards (4.3 rpg). She does all that while having most of the offensive ball-handling responsibilities, especially down the stretch when teams cannot afford to foul her because she shoots better than 92 percent from the line. The free-throw shooting is something Elliott said has been a big reason the Utes have had some success pulling out close wins.