LAS VEGAS — Noah Taitz is back where his basketball journey began, this time with a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The former Bishop Gorman star and his Utah Valley teammates defeated UT Arlington 67-65 on Friday night in the WAC tournament semifinals at Orleans Arena.

It has been a winding road for Taitz, who started his college career at Stanford, playing 38 games over two seasons during the pandemic. He then transferred to Loyola Marymount, where a serious calf injury sidelined him for his first season and limited him to just five games the following year. At times, it was uncertain if he would ever return to the court.

“It’s all part of it,” Taitz said. “I wouldn’t change a thing because it has made me who I am today. There has definitely been a lot of ups and downs. I just try to stay the course and trust God and stay with it.”

Now a graduate student at Utah Valley, Taitz averages 20 minutes per game, scoring 5.3 points while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range. He played 17 minutes and scored two points in Friday’s win.

“He brings great leadership,” Utah Valley coach Todd Phillips said. “Noah was playing really well about a month ago and then he sustained an injury and the treatment for that is insane. He’s in every day for hours working with our training staff to be able to play and just to move. Just him being on the floor helps us because he can do so many things. He’s a threat out there. And obviously being a Vegas kid, it’s fun to have him here.”

At Bishop Gorman, Taitz was a four-year varsity player, three-year starter, and part of four state championship teams. Gaels coach Grant Rice called him “just a great kid, a 4.0 student, a really good basketball player, one of the better ones to have come through Gorman. Just a knock-down shooter.”

Utah Valley entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed but faced uncertainty off the court. The Wolverines needed a court injunction to be eligible due to a dispute with the WAC over an alleged $1 million exit fee as they prepare to move to the Big West Conference. Taitz acknowledged the stress but credited coach Phillips for keeping the team focused.

With a win in Saturday’s championship game, Utah Valley would earn its first NCAA Tournament berth. Taitz, who may petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility given his limited playing time at LMU, is focused on the task at hand.

“We just have to take care of business,” Taitz said.