From Bogut, the 2005 Naismith College Player of the Year: “I always remember that [when] working with you, no task was ever too hard. You always tried to find a way…to get us back out on the court…and doing what we love as quickly as possible.”

From former Ute point guard and New York Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant:  “Just wanted to tell you, ‘Thank you — appreciate you’. …Continue to keep impacting lives.”

And from former Ute big man Jason Washburn: “There’s no one on this planet I trust more whenever I’m hurt.”

While Jameson appreciates the kind words from “the guys” he worked with — and treasures their friendship — he doesn't have much time for nostalgia. There’s always another tender ankle to examine. Another knee or shoulder to evaluate.

University of Utah basketball trainer Trevor Jameson, left, converses with Kyle Kuzma when the current NBA star was a member of the Runnin’ Utes squad. (YouTube screengrab)

“You’re always working with the team that’s here now, so you’ve got to keep present-day things on your mind,” he told Church Ball Magazine.

Still, Jameson marvels at the path that has taken him from being a hoops-loving gym rat, to sharing the gospel as a missionary in distant Micronesia, to discovering his athletic training profession and, ultimately, becoming the director of sports medicine for the athletic training program at his hometown school, the University of Utah. 

Along the way, Jameson married (Angie), had five children, became a grandfather — and relied upon his deep Latter-day Saint faith and the support of his family, many friends and the Runnin' Utes while battling cancer.

“I have crossed paths with so many people,” he said, taking a rare moment to reflect on his life’s journey.

Traveling a global trek to the Runnin’ Utes

Now in his mid-50s, Jameson can’t recall a time when the gym wasn’t his second home. His father, David Jameson, was a junior high and high school basketball coach in Taylorsville, Utah.

(Author’s disclosure: I proudly count myself among the hundreds of Taylorsville kids who played for Coach Jameson.)

Both of his parents, David and Marilla, were Brigham Young University alums, so Jameson and his siblings grew up Cougar fans. But the family often attended Utah basketball games at the Huntsman Center — and Jameson’s younger brother, Teren, enjoyed a stellar distance running career at the “U”.

After graduating from Taylorsville High School in 1987 and spending a year at BYU, Jameson opted to serve a mission. When a call arrived assigning him to the Micronesia Guam Mission,  Jameson originally thought he was bound for Central America. Only after pulling out an atlas did he correctly locate the collection of tiny tropical islands in the Pacific that would be his home for two years.

Saying that young Elder Jameson experienced “a bout of culture shock” after arriving in his mission is a comical understatement. For starters, the Missionary Training Center in Provo did not provide language training for the distinct languages spoken on the Micronesian islands. So Jameson and his fellow missionaries tackled the local dialects only after they arrived in country. 

Elder Jameson battled homesickness. He missed Taylorsville.

“I sometimes thought, 'If only there was even one 7-Eleven here',” he said, laughing.

But the young missionary was determined to do his best to fulfill the call he had accepted.

“My attitude was that I would figure things out and always try to be a light for Christ.”

He also learned a universal gospel principle that would serve him well on his mission — and during his ongoing professional career: Lose yourself in caring for others.

He loved the Micronesian people. He found joy serving them.

More than three decades have passed since Jameson’s missionary labors in Micronesia. “But not a week goes by that I don’t think about my mission.”

The power behind the “Others Before Self” mantra was reinforced when Jameson returned home and re-enrolled at BYU.

During his professional studies and development, Jameson said he was inspired by the late Floyd Johnson, BYU’s long-time equipment manager and a storied figure in the Cougar athletic department. Johnson was a family friend and something of a hero for the future Ute trainer.  

Jameson admired Johnson for how he connected with the Cougar athletes and took interest in their lives outside of sports. He has used Johnson’s example as a personal standard in his own interactions with the athletes he would serve.

After earning a master’s degree in athletic training from Indiana State University, Jameson landed a job as an assistant athletic trainer and instructor at Indiana’s DePauw University. He and his wife, Angie, and their growing family enjoyed their years in the Hoosier State, but when a job opportunity arrived from his home state, Jameson jumped.

“Coming back to Utah in 1999 and working with the basketball team was like living a dream,” he said.