The Utah Flash and the Utah Jazz have some striking similarities.

The general manager of the Flash, Dave Fredman, is a former Jazz assistant coach. The head coach of the Flash is Brad Jones, Jerry Sloan's nephew. The Jazz are the parent club of the Flash, which will use the Zion's Bank practice facility and are even on the Web site of the Jazz.

This is no accident.

Utah Flash owner Brandt Andersen set out to duplicate the success of the Utah Jazz, and with the help of the Jazz, the Flash have copied the mold.

"We've tried to do things our way, but under a Jazz system," Andersen said. "It's widely talked about in the NBA that the Jazz run the best organization in the NBA. In fact, I was just on the phone with another owner of a D-League team and he said he was jealous of our association with the Jazz because they have such a great organization and everyone says it's the best-run organization in the NBA."

While the Flash hope to implement those things the Jazz do well, the new team will also be carving out a niche of its own.

"We're trying to stick to their patterns, but I'm a littler younger than Larry (Miller) is and I do things a little different than he does," Andersen said. "In our own system we're trying to fit with what the Jazz are doing but keep it hip for the Utah County market."

While the front office works on building a franchise, Fredman and Jones will be working on a roster.

Who will be on the team when the season tips off in late Novemberfi

It's a matter of speculation now, but basketball fans could see last year's No. 1 pick Ronnie Brewer or possibly point guard Dee Brown.

Another possibility is this year's second-round pick Kyrylo Fesenko, a 7-foot, 235-pound center. According to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, only players in their first or second year can be sent to the D-League.

Andersen said the Jazz drafted Fesenko with the idea that he would play with the Flash.

"They (Jazz) said they drafted him (Fesenko) to specifically play in the D-League with us," Andersen explained. "If it moves that way, we're more like minor league baseball. Yes, you're getting drafted, but you're starting here. The more that starts to occur, the better it's going to be for us and the league."

The Flash can actually get players from two teams: The Jazz and the Boston Celtics, which requested to be affiliated with the Flash. The Celtics could send Louisiana State's Glen Davis, Boston's second-round pick this year, and have a total of five eligible players.

Regardless who the Jazz and Celtics send to Orem, the trend in the NBA is to make better use of the D-League.

During the 2006-07 season, 14 NBA teams called up 16 players and that number will likely rise dramatically.

In the future, all NBA teams may own their own D-League team. The Lakers were the first to buy their own team (the L.A. D-Fenders) and now San Antonio recently purchased the Austin franchise.

Until then, both the Jazz and Flash have put themselves in a good situation.

"I think the Jazz have the best of both worlds because it doesn't cost them anything, but we're going to run exactly their system," Andersen said. "We've hired the guys who they said they would hire."

Now the hope for the Flash is that it the new team will looks as much like the Jazz on the court as it does off the court.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page W1.