OGDEN — New head coach Kaleb Canales hopes flexibility and versatility are hallmarks of his Weber State men’s basketball team.

The idea is that his young Wildcats can put any kind of look on the floor, depending on what each game demands. On the guard line, for instance, that might look like ArDarius Grayson playing point guard with Aaron Powell or Sir Marius Jones off the ball. On another night, though, WSU may play big and put Powell and Jones on the ball.

Those types of adjustments then slide throughout the rotation, and affect who might be considered a “2” or a “3” guard, or who you might call a “wing” player.

“One of the common traits with our guys is we’re going to have the flexibility to play different ways, play big, play small,” Canales said. “I would like to play big and stay big most of the time, if possible, to take care of rebounding.”

Brett Colvin, SLCC Athletics

Canales says he mostly views his 2s and 3s the same in terms of his scheme. So if playing big, the next group of guards might be 2s, but he considers them all 3s or wings.

That group is UNLV freshman transfer Mason Abittan, Fremont High alum freshman Hunter Hansen, and Utah sophomore transfer Alvin Jackson III.

Common among the group is shooting ability and a mature approach to basketball. It’s a young trio, experience-wise, but all are out of high school for at least one year; Hansen’s been out of high school for two years and Jackson four.

MASON ABITTAN

Abittan, who had Weber State on his heels one year ago before ultimately choosing hometown UNLV, is a 6-foot-6 shooter and 20-points-per-game scorer in high school. Similar to several on the roster, he’s spent some time in college, redshirting last year at UNLV. He also had Colorado State and Nevada as his finalists.

“Mason is a shooter. He’s tall, has good size to him, and he already seems comfortable in what we’re going to ask of him,” Canales said. “His spacing gravity, you’re always going to need to know where he’s at. He’s going to give us that aspect that we need. Catch and shoot; we can put him in different actions and take advantage of that skill set.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

“Great kid with a hunger to improve and get better, and I think that’s going to be part of our DNA.”

HUNTER HANSEN

Those who saw Hansen in high school might expect him to be a classic shooting guard or 2-guard, but he’s more 6-foot-5 now than his 6-foot-3 listing at Fremont. Hansen once committed to Utah State before a coaching change, then served a mission to Sacramento, California. So far, Canales says his most local Utahn is “in a good place.”

“I’ve talked with players who go on missions, and that transition is different for everybody. But I’ve been impressed with where Hunter is at physically, mentally,” Canales said. “And the kind of player we want in our program, one of the best players in his class, and we want guys like that to feel like this is home.

“His skill set, the way he plays — he has a matureness to it even though he’s a younger player. I’m excited for him to get on the floor. He can shoot, he’s hitting the ground running, which is tough after a mission. He’s a huge part of our program going forward. He got taller, he’s long, he’s rangy, and he’s going to keep getting better.”

ALVIN JACKSON III

Jackson is a familiar name in Utah; the younger brother of Lone Peak product and Duke/NBA player Frank Jackson, he played one year of prep ball in Utah before finishing in Maryland and serving a mission.

Getting his feet wet again, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 6.4 points per game at Salt Lake Community College before redshirting last season at the University of Utah. Canales said Jackson could play forward if going for an ultra-small, fast lineup, but otherwise he’s a wing who can provide some defensive athleticism.

“What sticks out is his maturity level. He plays with a calmness and a poise that’s important for our group. He’s laser-focused when he’s out there,” Canales said. “He can shoot it, can really guard, and get up and down the floor.

“But the poise, he just doesn’t get sped up. You want every player to have that, and they reach different things at different points, so he can help our guys there. He just fits everything we want as a player and as a person.”