Brigham Young Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

From one perspective, the 2009-10 season has already been a success for BYU coach Dave Rose, simply because he’ll be standing on the sidelines coaching the Cougars.

Rose had a major health scare in the off-season, when it was discovered he had a form of pancreatic cancer. Rose underwent surgery to have the tumor removed and said he’s in good health heading into the season. His next cancer scan is scheduled for late March.

“The doctors are extremely confident that we are right on top of the situation,” Rose said. “They removed all of the disease, and it has not returned nor does it show any signs of returning right now.”

Rose said he has “good energy and good strength” entering a season that is expected to be a strong one on the hardwood for the Cougars, who return four starters from a team that won 25 games last season.

BYU is the near-consensus selection to win the Mountain West Conference despite the loss of star Lee Cummard, a two-time first-team all-conference selection. Junior guard Jimmer Fredette and senior forward Jonathan Tavernari are the top one-two punch in the conference and junior guard Jackson Emery led the league in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.78) last season, compiling 100 assists against just 36 turnovers.

If the Cougars get better frontcourt production—senior center Chris Miles had modest averages of 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds last season while shooting 57 percent from the field, and sophomores Noah Hartstock and James Anderson showed promise—as well as adequately replace Cummard, the program’s fifth consecutive 20-win season should be easily attainable.

Sophomore Charles Abouo will get a long look to be the starter in Cummard’s former spot.

NOTES, QUOTES

• The Cougars have a dubious streak of seven consecutive losses in NCAA tournament play. The last time BYU notched an NCAA victory was in 1993, when it beat Southern Methodist in the opening round before losing to Kansas in the second.

• G Jimmer Fredette, a returning first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection, ranked among the top five in the conference last season in four categories: scoring (fifth at 16.2 points per game), assists (third at 4.1), free-throw percentage (second at 84.7) and steals (second with 50).

• F Jonathan Tavernari enters the campaign with 202 career 3-point baskets, just 11 shy of Mark Bigelow’s school mark. Tavernari had 85 3-point baskets last season while averaging 15.7 points per game.

Last Year:   25-8 overall, 12-4 in the Mountain West; lost in first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach:   Dave Rose (career 97-34); fifth year at BYU (97-34).

Quote To Note:   “I want to make sure that I give this all the attention it deserves, without any distractions for our team. It is a busy time of year and it’s later in March and I’ll tell you right now that I hope there is a conflict.”—Coach Dave Rose on his next cancer scan being scheduled for late March, a time his team could still be playing postseason games.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   Freshman G Tyler Haws is a top-notch shooter and expected to be a future go-to player after twice earning the title of Mr. Basketball in Utah during his high school career. Freshman F Brandon Davies should provide an immediate boost in the frontcourt, while junior F Logan Mangusson should be a more-than-adequate role player after being part of a junior-college national championship team last season at Salt Lake Community College.

Key Early-season Games:   Mountain West teams like to boast about beating schools from major conferences, and the Cougars have two such opportunities against Pac-10 teams (Arizona State on Dec. 8; at Arizona on Dec. 28). The Cougars face Nevada in the first round of the Las Vegas Classic (Dec. 22-23) and either Nebraska or Tulsa the next day. A neutral-court contest against Fresno State on Dec. 12 will pack a lot of interest with former Cougars coach Steve Cleveland now serving as Fresno State’s coach.

Program Direction:   Everything is pointing up for the Cougars despite the loss of Cummard. BYU has made three consecutive NCAA appearances and has the talent and experience to up that streak to four.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Jackson Emery, SG Jimmer Fredette, G/F Charles Abouo, F Jonathan Tavernari, C Chris Miles.

Roster Report  

• F Jonathan Tavernari considered leaving for the NBA but withdrew his name from the list of draft-eligible players. He also made the Brazilian Senior National Team roster for the second straight summer.

• G Matt Pinegar is no longer part of the team. He played in just nine games last season as a freshman, missing most of the campaign because of a hernia injury

• G/F Brock Zylstra is back on the roster after serving a two-year church mission. Zylstra redshirted during the 2006-07 season before heading on the mission.

• G Kyle Collinsworth, one of the top recruits in the state of Utah, has verbally committed to join the Cougars for the 2010-11 campaign. The 6-foot-6 Collinsworth chose the Cougars over Virignia. His older brother, Chris, is part of the BYU program and currently serving a church mission.