The two live across the hall in the same apartment complex, with Collins stopping in while Fesenko was playing the video game after watching the Super Bowl.

"That definitely helped my confidence and my coordination because I was able to get into a good rhythm," Collins joked back.

Their roles might be better defined right now playing video game guitar than with the Jazz, who still are figuring out how best to use backup centers Collins, Fesenko and Kosta Koufos while Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko are out.

"Whether I'm getting the minutes or Kosta's getting the minutes or Fes is getting the minutes, just as long as one of us is doing the job out there and giving our team a lift, that's the most important thing," Collins said.

Fesenko has been the first off the bench since returning from an eight-game stay in the NBA Development League. Collins is in his eighth season with the Jazz, but has played only 12 games after flipping a golf cart and injuring his right elbow last summer.

Koufos, meanwhile, has averaged 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in a promising rookie season that has seen him score in double figures seven times. But Jazz coach Jerry Sloan made clear Tuesday that the 19-year-old still has much to learn.

The three regularly work out against one another on the court starting three hours before every game. Fesenko said the competition was a good thing: "When we come to the game, it's the same as the practice."

Collins said it was easy to pull for Fesenko and Koufos, the latter of whom he described as humble and polite. As well as he played Monday, Collins conceded: "It just as easily could have been Kosta or Fes out there who did the job for our team."

Sloan received positive reports about Fesenko's time in the D-League and has tried to reward him for working harder. The coach talked Tuesday about the difficulty of finding the playing time Koufos and Fesenko, 22, need for their growth.

"I've tried to give them some minutes so that hopefully it'll enhance their career and still try to win Basketball games, because they've helped us in certain situations," Sloan said.

With Koufos having been drafted in the first round after only one season at Ohio State, Sloan said he still was gaining the experience necessary to play at the NBA level.

"I have to go on what I see," Sloan said. "I think there's some things that he's still trying to figure out what we're doing."

The Jazz are trying to get Koufos to play more of a team game "rather than just pick-and-roll all the time," Sloan added. There's also the matter of Koufos having the tendency to "screw up where he's supposed to be" on the court, as Sloan put it.

"Like I said before, this is a learning year for me, I'm having fun and growing," said Koufos, who will turn 20 on Feb. 24. "Whenever I get the chance to play, the opportunity to play, I'm just making the best of it."

It hasn't been the easiest season for Collins, either. Even though he was healthy, Collins was left on the inactive list for the Jazz's Jan. 24 game against Cleveland, while both Fesenko and Koufos were on the 12-man active roster.

Although he has averaged only 1.3 points and 0.8 rebounds this season, Collins has earned Sloan's trust over the years for the way he sets picks and stays within the offense. That didn't stop him from hitting a 20-foot jumper Monday against the Bobcats.

"I was happy for Jarron because he's always been very professional about the way he's handled himself," Sloan said, adding, "I know he'd like to play more."

rsiler@sltrib.com Centers of attention

The Jazz still are sorting out the roles for their three backup centers. Kyrylo Fesenko has been first off the bench recently, Jarron Collins is the veteran in his eighth season with the Jazz and Kosta Koufos has had a promising rookie season despite being 19. A look at their stats this season:

Player averages

Collins ? 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, 6.4 minutes

Fesenko ? 2.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 8.4 minutes

Koufos ? 5.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 12.6 minutes

Averages per 30 minutes

Collins ? 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds

Fesenko ? 9.1 points, 7.3 rebounds

Koufos ? 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds