Utah Utes gymnastics: Seniors have master plan for gym team

Baskett and Kim, Utah's two top all-arounders, have done a remarkable job guiding the team following the exit of Ashley Postell, the NCAA's only 20-time All-American.

"They didn't just show up at the beginning of the year (like), 'We're seniors. We're the leaders,' " said coach Greg Marsden.

"They really got together and put some thought into it, how they wanted to approach it, some things they wanted to do, and had methods in place as to how they were going to work through some of those things."

This pair stands out for a man who's coached the Utes for 34 years.

"Not everybody is willing to put in the time and the energy to try to make sure that happens," Marsden said. "Everybody wants it. Not everybody is willing to think about it and plan for it and do things to make sure."

That preparation made Kim and Baskett better gymnasts. "If you're asking other people to do things, you certainly have to be doing them yourself, so I think it's helped them focus as well," said Marsden.

"We were just really excited about the opportunity, and why not take advantage of it?" said Baskett, who hopes the work she and Kim have done will pay off even after they're gone.

"Hopefully it rubbed off on some of the other girls, too, and they'll be able to take some things that we've done that they've liked and continue it in the next couple of years," she said.