HB Arnett’s 801 372 - 0819 hbarnett@fiber.net 1391 West 800 South – Orem, Utah 84058 Vol. 33, Issue 20 – December 17, 2012 Click <http://cougarclicks.com/product/Order-Cougar-Sportsline?ID=3173> Here To Order Or Renew Your Subscriptions BYU 78 WSU 68 Brandon Davies’s Career High Leads BYU Past Weber State Brandon Davies made BYU’s first basket of the game last Saturday night against Weber State in Ogden. It came early at the 19:45 mark of the first half. BYU’s last basket of the game came with just 40 seconds remaining to play in the second half. It was also a Brandon Davies basket. Both buckets were a nice start and finish for Dave Rose and his Cougars, but it was what Davies did between those two baskets that gave BYU the win. Between the two bookend baskets by Davies, the senior post player wrote his own personal college scoring history book. Davies ended with a career high 33 points while hitting 14-of-17 field goals and adding 5-of 6 points from the foul line. No Answer Weber State had no defensive answer for Davies as the Cougars improved to 7-3 on the season and notched their first road win of the year. The question that was answered, however, is what would Davies do if he could stay on the court for an entire game this season? With just two fouls, the 6-9 senior played 36 minutes and only came out for an occasional rest when Dave Rose wanted to give him a quick breather. Davies has had a penchant for personal fouls this season. That seems to be the best defensive strategy against him. He can’t score on the bench while nursing foul problems. Tyler Haws was also instrumental in securing the win for the Cougars. The sophomore returned LDS missionary ended with 23 points against the Wildcats. Haws was 6-0f-15 from the floor, but a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. If all you saw was the box score for the game, you might deduce that it was all Davies and Haws. That is true when it came to scoring, but when BYU needed energy and a boost defensively, the bench came up big. Extended Bench Actually, it was an extended bench that came up big. It’s may be that Dave Rose has realized that he needs help from guys like Cory Calvert and Raul Delgado on the guard line. Those two did play significant minutes and produced offensively (Calvert – 9 points) and Delgado defensively. Next up for the Cougars is Eastern New Mexico this Tuesday in the Marriott Center. They Greyhounds come to town with a 6-4 record and roster fully stocked with California Community College transfers. There are only two guys over 6-5 on the ENMU roster and both are only 6-8. Only one sees significant minutes. This could be another Brandon Davies field day. Jabari Parker FOR BYU BASKETBALL THIS THURSDAY WILL BE A JACKPOT OR JACK SQUAT Recruiting is not like horse racing. With horses, even if you don’t win the race, there are payouts for place and show. It doesn’t work that way in recruiting. You either win or you lose. Granted, BYU has had a nice public relations run in their recruitment of Jabari Parker. Since September, the Cougars have been mentioned with the elite of college basketball. Every time a media story talks about Jabari Parker they list BYU in the same group as Duke, Michigan State, Florida and Stanford. That has been good, but so far the Cougars are just another Miss Congeniality. This Thursday, when it comes to Jabari Parker and BYU basketball, the Cougars will either have hit the jackpot or come up empty with jack squat. No Middle Ground There is no middle ground in recruiting. The fact that Dave Rose and Mark Pope both were in Grand Prairie, TX last Thursday to watch Parker and his Simeon Career Academy team play DeSoto HS, seems to indicate that the Cougar coaching staff still thinks they are in the hunt. Also at the game along with Rose were Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Duke head guy Mike Krzyzewski. In horse racing parlance, BYU is now in the stretch run for the finish line. Good horse handicappers know based on history that it would be foolish to bet against proven horses with proven stretch run accomplishments like Duke and MSU. Those two schools would be the War Admiral of this horse race. At best, BYU would be the Seabiscuit in the field. Come on Seabiscuit. Come on Seabiscuit. He was the little horse that could. As a side bar, “Seabiscuit” it was a great movie, even if you are not a horse racing aficionado like me. War Admiral has the breeding and track record. Smart money will all be on him. Seabiscuit is the long shot in this race. Relationships Not to give away the ending of the movie but the horse with all the relationships and not the pedigree won the match race between War Admiral and Seabiscuit. In Jabari Parker’s most recent public utterance about his recruitment, he talked about relationships in recruiting. That is BYU’s only chance for this once in a decade LDS prospect. If it was strictly a basketball deal, BYU would not even get a sniff against the likes of Duke and Michigan State. That is why I personally thought all the excess recruiting fluff of tee shirts and videos was useless. If BYU lands Parker, it will be for reasons other than basketball. We recommend you check out the following clip from ESPN <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRNgBqozAAI> Recruiting Nation. Then place your own bet. There are no exotic wagers on this recruiting race. It’s win or go home or as they say along the rail at Santa Anita, its either jackpot or jack squat. POINSETTIA ON PAPER LIKELY WON’T PRODUCE BIG POINTS When you put two defensive minded head coaches across from each other on opposing sidelines in a bowl game, it should lead to a low scoring contest. That’s what this Poinsettia Bowl projects as BYU and Bronco Mendenhall and Rocky Long and San Diego State square off against each other and their respective teams in what should be a defensive battle. On paper, SDSU is a very good rushing team. On paper, BYU’s defensive strength is stuffing the run. On paper, SDSU is known for bringing pressure on opponent’s quarterbacks. BYU, on paper has not had great success in protecting the passer. Throw in the fact that James Lark looks like he will get most of the snaps in this game and it looks even worse for the Cougars in the passing game against the Aztecs. Lark played and passed the ball well in his last outing against New Mexico State, but history has proven that when teams can bring pressure consistently against inexperienced BYU quarterbacks, the Cougars have trouble putting points on the scoreboard. No matter how you cut it, Lark is still very experienced. It will be interesting to see how he does against the pressure of Rocky Long. Riley Nelson may still get some action in this game, but barring some miraculous last minute recovery from an accumulation of injuries, even if he does play, we don’t look for him to be effective. This game, in my opinion, will not be won by either team’s respective passing games. It will be decided on the ground. On paper, the Aztecs have the better ground game and better offensive line. BYU is currently a 2 ½-point favorite in this game, after opening as a 3-point favorite. If they are going to make that favorite status stand and come out with a win in this game, they will have to do it by rushing for more than 200 yards. That means that Jamaal Williams and the BYU defense will be the key figures for the Cougars in this game. I call it BYU 20 SDSU 17 The game is set for Thursday, Dec 20 with a kickoff at 6 pm Mountain Time. It will be televised nationally on ESPN. FLUFF AND STUFF You can’t talk BYU basketball these days without talking Lone Peak HS basketball. On the current Cougar basketball roster there are three LPHS alums. Tyler Haws is the headliner of this group followed by Nate Austin and Josh Sharp. You can’t talk the future of BYU basketball without speaking of three players currently on the Lone Peak Roster. Nick Emery and Eric Mika have already signed with BYU. The current plan is for Mika to play for Dave Rose and the Cougars next year. Emery is projected to leave on an LDS mission right after high school in late spring. T.J. Haws is only a junior, but he already has committed to BYU. Lone Peak has made a national name for itself over the last couple of years by traveling as a team on the AAU summer circuit and also by playing as a team in prestigious invitational only national showcase events. The Knights of Lone Peak hit the road this week for an appearance in the City of Palms Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida. Lone Peak’s first game will be against Callaway HS from Jackson, Mississippi. Callaway is the reigning state champion from Mississippi. Lone Peak is also the reigning 5A champ from Utah. The game is set for Wednesday, Dec. 19 and will tip at 6 pm Mountain Time. The competition will be stiff in this event. Here are some quick synopses of the 16 teams in the tournament as put out by the tournament sponsors. 16-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET * Highland Lone Peak (Utah) ... 22-3 ... Class 5A champion has gotten the basketball world's attention with four BYU commits -- guards 6-2 SR Nick Emery, 6-3 JR T.J. Haws and 6-3 Talon Shumway (football), along with 6-9 SR Eric Mika -- and a selfless style that's sure to be a crowd favorite anywhere the Knights play. * Jackson Callaway (Miss.) ... 24-6 ... The Chargers won Mississippi's Class 5A state title behind 6-7 SR TreShawn Bolden and No. 1-ranked (HoopScoop) 6-4 SOPH Malik Newman, whose 22.9 ppg broke Monte Ellis' freshman state record and earned him first-team All-State honors. * Chester (Pa.) ... 32-0 ... Guards 6-7 SR Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) and 6-1 SR Darius Robinson lead senior-driven Clippers (58-game win streak), who have won back-to-back state championships and were ranked No. 4 nationally in ESPN.com rankings. * Chicago Whitney Young (Ill.) ... 16-10 ... Coach Tyrone Slaughter's Dolphins feature a mammoth, nationally-touted front line of 6-9 JR Jahlil Okafor and 6-8 JR Paul White, but transfers 6-4 JR L.J. Peak and 5-10 SR Ausar Madison have solidified the backcourt and made them one of the Windy City's most feared teams. * Fairfax Paul VI (Va.) ... 35-3 ... The Panthers became the first undefeated D.C. Catholic champion not named DeMatha in 50 years, ranked No. 12 nationally (ESPN.com) boast dangerous quartet in 6-10 SR Tim Higgins (Cornell), 6-5 SR Jamall Robinson (Niagara), 6-6 SOPH Marcus Derrickson and 6-4 SOPH Franklin Howard. * Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) ... 21-5 ... Coach Steve Strand has had many talented teams and this is no exception, as 6-5 SR Steve Haney (Central Florida) leads a group of four returning starters that scared Class 7A state champ Pompano Beach Ely in last year's regionals. * Lake Wales (Fla.) ... 28-4 ... The defending 5A state champs -- who have a new coach, Randy Lee -- made noise in last year's City of Palms Classic and are spurred by 6-3 SR Doug Brooks, after winning the USSSA City of Palms qualifier in June for the second consecutive year. * Long Beach Poly (Calif.) ... 29-3 ... Ultra-talented 6-5 SR Roschon Prince (USC) and 6-7 SR shot-blocker extraordinaire Jordan Bell (Oregon) return as No. 40-ranked (ESPN.com) Jackrabbits seek their first CIF state championship since winning mythical national crown in 1984. * McDonough Eagle's Landing (Ga.) ... 28-4 ... Class AAA semifinalist loaded with D1 prospects: 6-5 SR Eric Wortham (Middle Tennessee State), 6-8 SR Desmond Ringer, 6-7 SR Chris Davenport, 6-4 SR Travin Joseph, 6-1 SR Isaiah Dennis, 6-8 JR Jordan Sessions. * Memphis Southwind (Tenn.) ... 28-5 ... The Jaguars have won back-to-back titles at the prestigious Rumble on the Ridge and are still hungry for a state title, led by dunk-contest favorite 6-5 SR Jajuan Johnson (Marquette), 6-8 SR Johnathan Williams III (Missouri) and 6-4 SR Payton Hulsey (Lipscomb). * Montverde Academy (Fla.) ... 23-4 ... Florida-bound point guard 6-0 SR Kasey Hill and 6-10 SR Dakari Johnson are both national top-15 talents, joining forces with 6-8 SR Devin Williams (West Virginia) to make Kevin Boyle’s team, the No. 1 seed at the City of Palms, a national championship contender. * Omaha Central (Neb.) ... 30-0 ... The Eagles -- regarded as the best team to emerge from Nebraska in decades -- shoot for a fifth-straight Class A crown behind 6-9 SR Akoy Agau (Louisville), who had 16 points, 13 rebounds, 14 blocks in last year's final, and 6-5 SR Nick Billingsley (Nebraska-Omaha). * Orlando Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) ... 28-4 ... All five starters returned for ex-NBA player Jeff Turner's Class 4A state runnerup, including 6-8 SR Denzel Davis (Rice), 6-5 SR Landon Stokes (Vanderbilt football) and 6-4 JR Jay Henderson. But the Highlanders will be without Mr. Florida Basketball 6-0 JR Joel Berry (arthroscopic knee surgery). * Plano Prestonwood Christian (Texas) ... 27-4 ... The defending City of Palms and TAPPS Class 5A state champions have been crippled by season-ending injuries to likely McDonald's All-American 6-9 SR Julius Randle (broken foot) and 6-6 SOPH Mickey Mitchell (torn ACL). * Tifton Tift County (Ga.) ... 20-8 ... The Blue Devils added 6-6 SR transfer Brannen Greene (Kansas) to four juniors, including highly touted guard 6-2 JR Tadric Jackson, and are bidding to become the first South Georgia team to win a state title since the Peach State expanded beyond four classes. * Fort Myers Bishop Verot (Fla.) ... 25-5 ... The Vikings reached the Class 4A quarterfinals last season and have been one of the state's most consistent small-school winners under Matt Herting, returning a solid nucleus that's led by 6-8, 235-pound JR Ricky Doyle. For more details on the tournament, including brackets and game results and to follow the future BYU basketball stars from Lone Peak you can visit the tournament website by clicking <http://www.cityofpalmsclassic.com/> here. Orem HS and Dalton Nixon, a junior and BYU commit, will also be playing at the prestigious Beach Ball Classic Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The tourney runs from Dec. 26-31. It also includes some of the nation’s top prep teams. Lone Peak played in this tourney last season. Television Timetable BYU vs. Eastern New Mexico Tuesday, Dec 18 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUtv BYU vs. UC Santa Barbara (Women) Tuesday, Dec 18 at Provo Tipoff: 2:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUtv Jabari Parker College Decision Announcement Thursday, Dec 20 at Chicago When: 2:00 pm Mountain Time TV: ESPNU BYU vs. Seattle (Women) Thursday, Dec 20 at Provo Tipoff: 3:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUtv BYU vs. San Diego State (Poinsettia Bowl) Thursday, Dec 20 at San Diego Kickoff: 6:00 pm Mountain Time TV: ESPN BYU vs. Baylor Friday, Dec 21 at Waco Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: ESPN2 BYU vs. Northern Arizona Thursday, Dec 27 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time BYUtv BYU vs. Virginia Tech Saturday, Dec 29 at Salt Lake City Tipoff: Noon Mountain Time TV: ESPNU BYU vs. Loyola Marymount Thursday, Jan 3 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUtv