Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 36, Issue 13

801 372 - 0819 <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett@fiber.net 1391 West 800 South – Orem, Utah 84058 Vol. 36, Issue 13– November 2, 2015 Click Here To Order or Renew Your Subscriptions <http://cougarclicks.com/product/Order-Cougar-Sportsline?ID=3173> BYU Basketball Future Fluff, Huff and Stuff After watching an intra-squad game last week and an exhibition contest against Arizona Christian last Friday night, it’s never too early for my takes, tweets and twists on BYU basketball. These are my opinions only. I accept full responsibilities for any fluff, stuff or huff these opinions may provoke, but here they are. Frank had inside information on Bryant…It remains to be played out, but all the huff, fluff and frustration of not getting Frank Jackson to sign with BYU in just two weeks during the early basketball signing period now appears to be just that; Huff and Fluff. Make no mistake, the Lone Peak HS senior will likely have a nice and maybe spectacular career at Duke, where he has been verbally committed since early September. He may even have an NBA career. As good as he is, however, I’m now just wondering what would have happened if he did sign with BYU? Where would his minutes come from next year or for the next three subsequent seasons? Is he going to take minutes away from Nick Emery at the point? Is he going to take minutes away from TJ Haws? And more importantly, the better question would be; is he going to take minutes away from Elijah Bryant. The two have similar games. Both can handle the ball, both are extremely athletic and can take the ball to the basket and both can shoot the ball extremely well from distance. The difference, in my opinion, is Bryant is bigger and stronger. Make no mistake, BYU wanted Jackson in the worst way, but my premise and promise for the future is that Bryant is a bigger, stronger and just maybe, a better version of Jackson. We will see. I’m sure if I’m wrong, there will be plenty to point that out to me beginning next season when both Bryant will be playing and starting for BYU and Jackson will be playing and maybe starting for Duke. What I don’t have to wait on is my evaluation of Bryant. He is very, very, very good. My first impression is that he could be a bigger and stronger version of Andre Miller, the great guard from Utah. By the way, he is still playing in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, it is way early, but in my opinion, Bryant already has the size, strength and NBA body that Jackson will have to develop in the future. Yeah, I know, that’s a lot of huff, fluff and stuff and even more puff. But this Bryant guy is Rose’s winning lotto ticket. Actually, he was more like manna, just falling from heaven into Rose’s lap. I know we all have anxiously awaited the payout on the Lone Peak Trifecta with Emery, TJ Haws and Mika. That’s still in play and now if we box Bryant as part of that bet, our chances of finally making some serious noise someday in the NCAA tournament just increased dramatically. Make no mistake, Dave Rose and his staff wanted Jackson in the worst way. When that didn’t happen, they stumbled on to Bryant, the sophomore-to-be transfer from Elon. It just may turn out to be in the best way. De-facto D-League…Mark Pope has to be grinning from ear-to-ear. The new head coach at Utah Valley University and former assistant coach at BYU, has already had one player sent down to him from BYU last year in Isaac Neilson. Look for at least two and maybe as many of four more BYU players to eventually make the trip in the future. The only problem with UVU acting as the D-League affiliate for BYU is that it is a one way ticket and there is no coming back to BYU. After getting a glimpse of the two returned missionary freshmen, Jakob Hartsock and Brian Shaw, Dalton Nixon getting any significant minutes after returning from his LDS mission in two seasons seems remote at best. And with Eric Mika, Corbin Kaufusi, Yoeli Childs (who will sign with BYU in two weeks), Jamal Aytes and even Alan Hamson on the roster , where will Luke Worthington and Ryan Andrus get any minutes when they return from their missions? If they want to return to the BYU culture, my opinion is that they may have to find it at the de-facto culture and D-League at UVU. There may be another option for Worthington to remain at BYU. He should start corresponding with Bronco Mendenhall. BYU football recruited Worthington as a tackle. They may still have interest. And what about Peyton Dastrup? He gets back as a true freshman next season along with Eric Mika. Dastrup was highly touted, but he better be able to deliver on his hype and hope if he intends to take playing time from Hartsock, Shaw, Mika and Kaufusi. D-League Addendum…Is Westchester the way back for Jimmer? Click here <http://nypost.com/2015/10/31/knicks-draft-jimmer-fredette-for-d-league-team /> to decide for yourself. Houston We Have a Problem…So does Dave Rose, a Houston native. The problem involves a math equation: 16-13=3. The NCAA allows 13 players to be on scholarship in any given year. With 16 players on the roster, that means that three current players are walkons. That would be Nate Austin, Cooper Ainge and Alan Hamson. To make the math clearer, here is the current roster of BYU scholarship basketball players. Current 2015-16 Roster by Class Kyle Collinsworth, 6-6, 215, G, Senior Chase Fischer, 6-3, 190, G, Senior Kyle Davis, 6-8, 225, F, Junior Jamal Aytes, 6-6, 235, F, Sophomore Elijah Bryant, 6-5, 210, G, Sophomore Cory Calvert, 6-3, 190, G, Sophomore Corbin Kaufusi, 6-10, 255, C, Sophomore Jake Toolson, 6-5, 205, G, Sophomore Jordan Chatman, 6-5, 195, G, Freshman Nick Emery, 6-2, 185, G, Freshman Jakob Hartsock, 6-8, 205, F, Freshman Zac Seljaas, 6-7, 215, G, Freshman Braiden Shaw, 6-9, 210, F, Freshman Nate Austin, 6-11, 245, F, Senior (Walkon) Cooper Ainge, 6-0, 180, G, Freshman (Walkon) Alan Hamson, 7-2, 210, C, Freshman (Walkon) New Signees in November Gavin Baxter, 6-7, 185, F, Timpview, HS, UT (Mission First) Yoeli Childs, 6-7, 226, F, Bingham HS, UT Conner Harding, 6-5, 180, G, Highland HS, ID (Mission First) Returning Missionaries for Next Season Payton Dastrup, 6-9, 230, F, Panama, Panama City Mission TJ Haws, 6-4, 170, G, France, Lyon Mission Eric Mika, 6-10, 230, C, Italy Rome Mission So basically Rose has three scholarships available for next year (Collinsworth and Fischer graduating and Seljaas an LDS mission) but needs four to give (Mika, Haws, Dastrup and Childs, who is not LDS). Seljaas has always been a mission guy and not only will it benefit him ecclesiastically, but benefit him by putting a couple of years of eligibility between him and the talent packed guard line that will be in place for the next three years. When Seljaas gets back, he will be the next big (with emphasis on big at 6-7) BYU scoring guard. Hence the math problem, which is a very good problem to have (too much talent). This problem should make all those who moaned about Rose trimming Isaac Neilson and Frank Bartley IV from the roster, rethink their lamentations and criticism of Rose. He will have to make a hard decision again this season. The extra guy that Rose will have to let go will have either Mark Pope or some other good program licking their chops. I think it is obvious that the guy that will be trimmed will be a guard. I have my early suspicions, but nothing will really be decided until the season is complete and the guard play is able to be evaluated completely. I will say this, it won’t be a Lone Peak guard and it won’t be Jordan Chatman. Chatman proved he can play in Spain and can be a defensive stopper. More importantly, he is a legacy recruit with his dad Jeff Chatman being an all-time fan favorite and the Chatman legacy pipeline just ready to produce dramatically. Besides Jordan, Jessica, a Chatman daughter, is currently serving on an LDS mission and upon her return will be an upgrade for the BYU women’s team. There is also a 7th grader in the Chatman household who is already getting noticed on the AAU circuit. I think his name is Jace. As long as there is an Ainge that can dribble, he will be on BYU’s roster. Of course there is an Ainge who just committed to Utah State. Evidently, there can only be one Ainge on the roster at a time. Chatman is the new Ainge. As long as there is a Chatman that can dribble, shoot and play defense, they will have a spot on the BYU men’s and women’s rosters, and deservedly so. The only other option would be to try and get a potential medical scholarship for Jamal Aytes, if his health doesn’t stabilize and he is unable to return to his original athletic form when recruited by BYU. If that happens, which is purely conjecture at this point, he could be an option for a medical scholarship and free up the needed scholarship. For a very, very interesting reading on medical scholarships and athletic scholarships in general, I suggest you click here <http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2012/05/ncaa_scholarship_ru les_it_s_morally_indefensible_that_athletic_scholarships_can_be_yanked_after _one_year_for_any_reason_.html> . The bottom line is while the BYU Basketball economy looks to be on the upswing, Rose is still going to have to cut back on his payroll. It will be a tough decision, barring some unforeseen career ending injury, which nobody wants to see. This is why they pay Rose the big bucks. Remiss in Rambling…Okay, something is wrong here. I have rambled on for at least three pages and 1450 words, and not mentioned, other than in the roster, the name of Kyle Collinsworth. He is still BYU’s best player this season…no contest. How he and his health go will be how BYU will go. It will be very interesting to see how Collinsworth performs with an actual inside presence and front court players who can consistently can a 15-foot turnaround jumper. If he could hit from beyond the arc, he would be BYU’s next NBA player. He is the Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary’s and current Cleveland Cavaliers rosters without the three-point threat. Hopefully, he won’t continue on with the Collinsworth curse of injury that kept his older brother from ever reaching his basketball potential at BYU. Kyle is currently nursing a patella tendonitis issue, but all on the BYU bandwagon of coaches, trainers, and mainstream media, are sure he will not miss any action once the regular season starts. That will be Friday, November 13 when the Cougars host Pope and his UVU Wolverines in the Marriott Center. That game, along with another exhibition outing this week against Alaska-Fairbanks on Saturday, November 7 will both be televised live by BYUtv. Player Post Scripts: Here is my way, way too early 15 words or less description of BYU’s current basketball roster. Kyle Collinsworth: If he was 3 inches taller would be a lottery pick and NBA forward. Chase Fischer: Never met a shot he didn’t like except when they don’t go in. Kyle Davis: First legitimate jump hook seen at BYU in 15 years. Jamal Aytes: Jury still out. Rose and staff still high on him. Wait and see. Elijah Bryant: No Kobe, but the best Bryant BYU’s roster will see for decades Cory Calvert: Timing is everything in life and basketball. Corbin Kaufusi: Untapped and unlimited talent. Jake Toolson: A very poor man’s Larry Bird. Little lift on jumper, but big range. Jordan Chatman: Long on legacy. Short on health. If good to go will be a player. Nick Emery: What’s not to like. Buckle up for 4 years. Ride will be exhilarating. Jakob Hartsock: Better athlete and better shooter than Noah, his brother, says it all. Zac Seljaas: two more inches and he would be a Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga) clone. Braiden Shaw: Biggest surprise. Biggest pleasant surprise. Nate Austin: Paying his own way to rebound and skin his knees. One of my favorites. Cooper Ainge: Better than his Brother Austin, but wrong place, wrong guard line to prove it. Alan Hamson: The ultimate speculative stock. Hold four years and we might cash in. Forget Black Friday, Bronco Beat the Crowds with a Nice Mid-Year Recruiting Haul Black Friday for most holiday shoppers is just three weeks away, the day after Thanksgiving. Bronco Mendenhall got a jump on his shopping list when he released what he already has in his recruiting bag for mid-year transfers and high school early enrollees. Here is a list of what will be on campus and enrolled in school in January. Troy Warner, FR, DB/WR, 6-2, 185, Mission Hills HS, CA Keaton Torre, FR, QB, 6-3, 195, Bingham HS, UT Tanner Jacobson, SO, DB, 5-10, 175, Texas Tech transfer (missionary) Austin McChesney, FR, WR, 6-1, 175, Lone Peak HS, CA (missionary) Rylee Gautavai, RS-FR, LB, 6-0, 220, Bountiful HS, UT (missionary) Keegan Hicks, FR, OL, 6-3, 285, Bingham HS, UT (missionary) Inoke Lotulelei, FR, WR, 5-9, 175, WR, Cottonwood HS, UT (missionary) Addison Pulsipher, RS-FR, OL, 6-6, 260, Temecula Valley HS, CA (missionary) Thomas Shoaf, RS-FR, OL, 6-6, 265, Columbus North HS, IN, (missionary) Merrill Taliauli, SO, DL, 6-2, 312, East HS, UT, (missionary) Johnny Tapusoa, FR, DB, 5-10, 195, Kahuku HS, HI, (missionary) One missionary that won’t be home and in school in January is Austin Chambers, the talented offensive lineman from Shawnee Mission, KS. He is currently serving in the Nevada, Las Vegas Mission. This is interesting viewing that tells his current story. Click Here. <http://www.lasvegasnow.com/sports/lineman-postpones-football-dreams-for-mis sion> Click Here <http://byucougars.com/m-football/byu-football-announces-midyear-newcomers-a nd-returning-missionaries> for Bronco’s official comments on the mid-year enrollees. 3 ½ out of 4 isn’t a Bad Weekend for Cougars If you are keeping score, technically it was BYU 3 WCC 1. If you are keeping score with your blue googles on, it was BYU 3 ½ WCC ½. The Cougar Men’s Cross Country team dominated the WCC cross country championship held Saturday in rainy, windy and damp Spokane. The Cougars almost put up a perfect score (15 points) but did manage a spectacular 17. The next closest league competitor was Portland with 66. Just like in golf, the team with the lowest score wins. On the women’s side of the cross country championship, BYU tied Gonzaga for the top spot with both teams locking in 69 points. The Zags were awarded the trophy in a tie-breaker that goes to Gonzaga because they had three runners finish ahead of BYU runners. The Lady Cougars were battling injuries and sickness and now will get ready for the regional and national meet. Same for the men who are currently ranked No. 4 in the country. In soccer, BYU is still in the hunt for their third consecutive conference title after shutting out LMU 2-0 last Saturday night in Provo. The Cougars close out the regular season against Pacific next Saturday in Provo. It will be a longshot for BYU to take the title because San Francisco is still in the drivers’ seat. The Dons will get the WCC auto bid to the NCAA tournament, but look for BYU to be seeded higher as they assuredly will garner an at large bid and likely host an opening round game. The ladies are still holding out hope that their best player and the best player in the WCC, Ashley Hatch, will return from injury for post season play. If you are wondering why BYU is in a dogfight for the championship it is because Hatch has not played in any of the league games this season. In volleyball, the BYU women are currently tied for first with San Diego. Both teams have 9-2 records, but BYU has swept the Toreros in San Diego and last week in Provo. With 5 of their 7 remaining matches in Provo, the Cougars should be in good shape to take home another WCC title. First Time Road Favorite: BYU takes on San Jose State BYU is a 12-pt favorite over San Jose State in this coming Friday’s matchup in California. It is the first time the Cougars have been favored by odds makers on the road this season. That should be a good omen. Even better, BYU is a good team taking on an ordinary team. The Spartans are 4-4 on the year. They are 3-1 at home with the lone loss coming at the hands of San Diego State, the same team that put the hammer down on Utah State a couple of weeks back. This team is 1-3 on the road. They like to run the ball and are decent doing it. BYU has set its sights on becoming better against the rush, so something will give on Friday. We think it will be SJSU. BYU is healthier than they have been in a month and that should show on the field. BYU is focused on finishing the year strong. This is the first line of their eye test. The top line reads: B Y U BY T W E N T Y. Television Timetable BYU vs. Saint Mary’s (Women’s Volleyball) Thursday, November 5 at Provo Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT TV: BYUtv BYU vs. San Jose State (Football) Friday, November 6 at San Jose Kickoff: 9:30 pm MST TV: CBS Sports Network BYU vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (Men’s Basketball) Saturday, November 7 at BYU Tipoff: 7:30 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Pacific (Women’s Volleyball) Saturday, November 7 at Provo Start Time: 1:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Saint Mary’s (Soccer) Saturday, November 7 at Provo Start Time: 5:00 pm MST TV: TheW.tv BYU vs. Utah Valley Friday, November 13 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv