BYU basketball team mid-term report card
As Quinn said I’m Mike Rose, I’m originally from Houston where growing up in the city I was the only white boy playing ball among a band of brothas….. but anyways I live in Las Vegas now with my wife and will have a son in 2 months…….. I look forward to some good and spirited discussion as the Cougs go down the stretch to a hopefully successful year……..anyways, there’s a lot to catch up on so I’m going to dive in. I want to post about what the team has done so far, then in later posts we will get more into where we are headed, as well as an individual report card for each player so look for that soon. I’d love to read any questions or comments with your thoughts, Quinn assured me that we’ve got some down-to-earth and informed posters on the site and not the guys who think BYU football should win the national title every year because we’re god’s team…..i can’t deal with that.
Overall grade=B+
We’re 13-2 overall which is great but really 3-2 in games that matter (Boise State, Utah State, at Tulsa, Wake Forest, ASU). We missed amazing opportunities at ASU and then to host Wake Forest in the marriott center and those 2 losses could come back to bite us come selection Sunday.
Utah State was a good win, Boise a pretty good win and that second half was amazing (we outscored them like 50-2) and at tulsa was a really good win against a big athletic team who had won 28 straight at home. I’d even throw in the Idaho State win as a good win because that was the biggest game they’ll play and we handled them at their place. (That coach was hot, did you see him cursing my uncle??)
We’ve really only played 8 bad minutes of basketball this season in my opinion(slight exaggeration but you get it) but unfortunately they were the last 5 minutes of the ASU game and the last 3 minutes against Wake Forest, that’s where we need to have a go-to guy. We need to get Lee in the Post or Jimmer off the pick and roll, no Tavernari fade-away 3 pointers…….although he had a great look when it was 84-84 with about 2 minutes that could’ve turned the game for us i don’t mind those shots, but the next one with like a minute left was a terrrible, forced shot.
All in all though this is a fun team to watch and we have some real talent.(they really miss that red-headed shooter off the bench though don’t they-jk)
Offense=A
The team really shares the ball well, we shoot a high percentage, we’re taking good shots and a lot of our scores are the result of an assist…….this is always the case when we have winning teams because we don’t dribble into a lot of shots, we try to drive to create a good look for another guy because most guys we recruit can stroke. Chris Miles is doing a great job passing out of the low block you’ll notice when the ball goes in it usually comes out to a guy who’s in a good position to shoot or drive to the basket, this is another key component to the offense, inside-out passing, we work hard on this every day. Alot of teams throw it into the post knowing it’s a black hole and not coming out…and when i first started playing with Chris he was a black hole but has really improved on not taking forced hook shots. The kid is crazy though I’m telling you
Offensive studs have been Jimmer and JT(tavernari). Lee(Cummard) rounds out the “BIg 3″ and it amazes me how he floats around and gets his points somehow, but you never really know how or where he’s going to score and can be tough to plan on for big games. When I used to guard him my real work started when the ball went up trying to keep him off the offensive boards.Don’t get me wrong, he’s done a great job and can really shoot the 3 and 15-foot pull-up. One thing about Lee that is both good and bad, he’s not going to force it, he lets the game come to him. Lee is most productive in the post we need to get him catches there more often!!
We will talk more about the love-hate relationship with JT and the emergence of Jimmer in individual report cards later this week…….
Defense=B
We had to play a lot of zone defense against ASU and Wake because we couldn’t guard without fouling. Dave(Rose) hates to play zone! He knows when we go to it we have a hard time rebounding because it’s difficult to box out, and they will usually get an semi-open 3 in which we just have to hope they miss, it’s harder to control the possession and the type of shot they will get in zone. In zone we need to do a better job contesting shots and then blocking out to go get the rebound, that’s always our struggle in zone (see xavier game where we had to play zone and they out-rebounded us)
When we’ve been able to play man-to-man defense we’ve been good we have good athletes in Emery, Morgan, Cummard, Abuo, and Miles who can really lock-up. We really get a lot of steals this year, though they are not great defenders, Fredette and JT get their hands on a lot of balls as do Jackson Emery and Cummard.
Jackson Emery is a great defensive player, but asking him to guard Harden(ASU) and Jeff teague(wake forest), noone can guard those guys……I am convinced that we have played the 2 best offensive players in the country in these 2 guys. (Did you see Teague go for 30 against UNC last night? Incredible!!) This fact, however, doesn’t justify some of those foul calls on Harden down the stretch they really missed some calls where he was untouched and they whistled, or charged right through our guy for a no-call!!
individual report cards to come…..go cougs
January 12th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Mike,
Good stuff. I’d also be interested to hear your thoughts on Trent’s development. Some people argue that Cleveland and Rose can’t coach bigs, but Trent and Hafa Arujao did get pro contracts. On the flip side it was a bit frustrating to see Trent’s lack of progression.
January 12th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Great post Mike.
I’m so geeked about the season this year!
Allow me to whine for just a sec… BYU should be ranked right now. We’ve lost to two great teams, one could be number 1 before all is said and done. Most of the teams that are in the top 25 haven’t played anyone yet. Look at Xavier, the team that got us last year in the tourney, they’ve lost two games to top 25 teams (#3 Duke and #17 Butler) and the teams we lost to are ranked higher (#2 WF and #16 ASU) and by slimmer margins. How are they ranked 15 and we’re not ranked at all?! We’re getting jobbed, that’s how.
This is going to be a great year for BYU basketball. Jimmer will win MWC POY. And we’ll finally make some noise in the tourney. Go Cougs!
January 12th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Brandon,
I put it on Trent not having the confidence to go to the right hand in key situations he did it pretty well in practice but obviously only had the trust in the one move for gametime with the left hand it really hurt him and hurt our ability to win in the tourney……..Arujao, keena Young made amazing improvements while in the program if you look at what they did their senior years compared to when they came…they had a mid-range jumper, hook-shots, face-up game, etc. so I think we’re only talking about the lack of progress for 1 guy who just had a poor technique to start with on that shot……sidespin knuckler it’s just tough to change. any guy who shoots off the palm and not the finger tips is going to struggle shooting, especially on the move(see Mike Hall, trent, fernando malaman)
January 12th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Mike Thanks for your comments. It’s always nice to hear from someone who has been in the program and get their point of view. I have to say even though we lost the Wake Forest game I don’t think it will hurt us that much on selection Sunday. I was really impressed with how the Cougs played against a very big and tall team. Especially now that Wake took care of North Carolina. It would have been a big win but I think it showed how good we can be if they don’t force shots.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Interesting comments and thank you.
In the tournament, let’s say we run into another Harden/Teague type guy. Do you think the guys have learned how to guard them from the two games and if so, what adjustments do you anticipate?
Do you think we have reason to fear any of the MWC foes this year? I see us losing maybe two road games in conference ath the worst.
suggestion: at some future point down the road (mybe the offseason) I would be curious to know about the coaching change between Cleveland and Rose.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Thanks Mike. I’d like to think I’m one of the level-headed “down to earth fans that frequents this site. Still, I like what I’ve seen so far from our basketball team, and want to know what you think our chances are of winning out the rest of the season, including the conference tournament. No cop-outs either! I Know that winning on the road at UNLV (and again in the tournament championship) are our greatest obstacles, and that TCU is a rising start and might be tough to beat at home. I really want to know… what are our chances?
January 12th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Good stuff Rose.
Completely agree when we switch to zone it is a strategy of “hope they miss a 3″, but what are you going to do with Teague and Harden?
Fortunately the MWC does not have anyone close to them. I think we’re set up for a solid year…
January 12th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Love the insight Mike! Most of us who hit DSOB.com are more football savvy, but I for one am looking forward to increasing my Cougar Hoops IQ. I thought at the end of the Xavier game that Austin needed to kick it out to you one more time from the corner–you were open. Lost opportunities! Do you think we can actually get out of the 8-9 match-up and win a game or two in the tourney this year? Keep the good word coming!
January 12th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Ken and Andrew,
you guys nailed it, our goal this year is to breakthrough in the Postseason and win in las vegas and/or advance in the NCAA tourney we’ve been so painfully close(for me it was Syracuse and Xavier combined 3 point losses in NCAA) we need to make a few more plays down the stretch we will break through i’m sure i will post plenty more on this subject……it’s been difficult to swallow and it’s really tough just to qualify for the tournament so we cant keep throwing away these chances. I think when we finally win 1 we’ll win 2 or 3 and make the sweet 16 or elite 8 and make the wait worth it! that thought helps me deal with the pain, haha
January 12th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Mike,
Thanks for taking time to answer comments. I was wondering what you would consider the spiritual atmosphere of Coach Rose and his program? How much is the church emphasized? Three of BYU’s better players recently, Trent, JT, and Jimmer decided not to go on missions. What do you think?
January 12th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Jimmer, JT, Trent had their reasons for not going it was a personal decision for all in which coaches weren’t involved……Coach Rose always stresses education, graduation, and going to church every Sunday and he tells guys their scholarship will be there when they get back…….remember we have non-mormons on the team and staff so it’s tough to balance and at the end of the day he’s a basketball coach not our bishop or our parent. By the way I found it ironic how everyone loved Bronco’s firesides’s on the road and his short practices until we lost a couple now it’s being questioned.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Mike,
Who were your teammates when you played AAU your senior year of high school? Ebi, Kendrick Perkins, who else?
January 12th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Good thoughts Mike. I’ve always been intrigued by BYU’s inability to play zone. Everyone I know agrees that it is tough to rebound out of a zone but that is no excuse for struggling with your weakside rotation and giving up decent looks. Of course, I, like you, played a lot of zone in high school so it seems obvious.
I’m very curious about whether you believe there is something that can light an offensive fire under Cummard. Personally, I want him to force shots until his shooting percentage looks more like a wing’s shooting percentage. Is there a way to encourage that type of play. I’ve been a big Lee supporter since his first day here but I really want him to take more shots.
I’m also interested in your thoughts on Coach’s recruiting strategy. Does he take the best player available and 1/2 combo guards are what is available or does he like the 1/2 combo guards because they are best suited for his offense. Same thing with power forwards. He tends to get 4s that are more like 3s. I’m wondering if that is intentional or a product of what’s available.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
scott/greg rose(that’s a great last name you must be a shooter),
to guard a guy like harden or teague i think you need to trap the ball screens harder until they pick up the dribble rather than letting them turn that corner but the problem with that comes when they have guys who can shoot it because double teams likely will create an open shot if you cant rotate fast enough. there’s no easy answer that’s why those guys are awesome
January 12th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
casey,
A couple years ago it became clear that we had to go smaller on our 4-men(power forwards) to compete with the 4’s in our league that have gone quicker and smaller(Danny Granger, Britton Johnson, Wendell White,etc. are all like big guards) The last year we played too lumberjacks(derek dawes, jared jensen) we went 9-21 and couldnt deal with the quicker guys. Its been a strategy that’s worker brilliantly so far, with Keena Young and Tavernari being our best scorers and toughest matchup for the opponet at that 4-spot.
As far as the guards, he gets the best available doesnt really believe in the “true point guard” philosophy he thinks that just means you can’t score. And yes, i agree Lee’s shooting percentage is nothing to brag about it means he should shoot the dang ball!!!!
January 12th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
RAMM,
daniel “boobi” gibson……i was lucky to be on that team and was able to get a lot of open shots as you can imagine
January 12th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Hey Mike great that you started this.
This is your cousin by the way. Long time no see.
Anyway, I think we could have beat Wake Forest but we couldn’t hit a shot in the last two minutes. Same way against Arizona State but it was the last five minutes. Do you think we can win the tournament this year at UNLV?
Do you think we will win the regular season?
Thanks,
your FAVORITE cousin
January 13th, 2009 at 12:20 am
cars,
whats up man good to see you on here, hope you guys are doing well…..nothing would make me happier than beating the rebels in Vegas bro, you have no idea how much crap i get around the office living there. Can we do it? Impossible to say right now i like our team a lot that’s all I know. We have some tough road games at the Pit, San Diego, TCU that we need to take care of first. having a point guard who can penetrate will really help us against pressure teams like vegas and San Diego state thats huge
January 13th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Mike - Great insight. Did we learn anything from Wake Forest? I can’t believe we took so many threes at the end of the game when they weren’t going in. Jimmer driving to the hoop or a mid-range from Cummard with hopes of a two pointer and foul could have kept us in the game when the bombs weren’t dropping.
January 13th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Mike,
Thanks for the insight. It’s great to hear a player’s perspective. It’s awesome to here you tell it like it is.
In my opinion, if BYU wants to quit losing in the last two minutes, they have to stop jacking up 3s at the end of the game and go inside to Lee or JT for layups. Charles Abuou’s game is actually more suited for the last two minutes of a ballgame, so he could help win BYU a few games someday. Actually, he did that already, but the bleepity bleep refs took it away!
A few questions for you - why doesn’t Lee get closer to the basket when his shots aren’t falling? He can create a shot, so he should be taking shots at the end of a game, too, but he’s being unselfish right now to a fault at the end of close games. He also needs to quit getting stupid fouls (and in the biggest games he commits really dumb fouls).
Also, if BYU plays so much man, why does Chris Miles rebound so poorly? I almost wonder if MacGregor isn’t outplaying Chris right now in some ways. I am pleased with Miles’ defense, but his rebounding is sorely lacking, and he also gets into foul trouble early and often. Where is the hungry, pre-mission Chris Miles? He’s way too soft now. He’s needs to get back that aggressive, angry streak and then BYU will be a much better team.
Why doesn’t your uncle get a big-man coach to help the bigs such as Russell Larson or Shawn Bradley?
January 13th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Good stuff Mike!
Couldn’t believe that coach from Idaho State! I can’t believe Coach didn’t go over and teach him a lesson. Shows the difference in level of class, Coach Rose didn’t even let it get to him. That coach should have been reprimanded saying the things he said trying to call out a coach to fight him simply because he was talking to the refs. Is that what got him all riled up?
January 13th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Mike,
Thanks for joining the Blog. Great comments and I’m glad to get some BB insight. It looks like you are getting some good questions to respond to as the hunger for basketball discussion is so apparent. I thought I’d throw a few out for your, or anybody else’s, comments:
1. I understand the team play and the success this team is having because the share the ball so well and create good shots via the extra pass, but don’t you think at some points, i.e., ASU game that this team needs a go-to, take charge type guy. A guy that will basically refuses to loose. I was really hoping that Cummard would be that guy during the ASU game but he just seems content to continue to “let the game come to him.” C’mon, at some point, don’t you have to “take the game and make it happen?”
2. What do you think of the mentality, aggressiveness, hunger of this team? Sorry to say, but one of biggest grips about BYU Basketball is that they are too soft, meaning, they are not mean and nasty enough. I’m not saying they need to play cheap or hurt anybody, but I would like to see them make a statement every once in a while, I mean physically make a statement, and play with that type of killer instinct. I love to see the way Jimmer plays, for example. He plays hard, plays to win, plays clean, but is not afraid to mix it up and get after it.
3. I think this very well could be the year of the NCAA tourney victory because of our guard play. Guard play seems to be so important in the tournament and I think because of Jimmer’s play and constant improvement that, depending on the seeding, this could be the year. Although I do worry about the scoring from the post position. Is that a concern for you? I wonder if that will hurt BYU if they play a quick team that can play lock-down defense. Will they be able to get some crucial points from inside.
4. Having made my last few comments, this might sound a bit hypocritical but it’s not. While I’d love to see BYU BB be more testy, I must also say that I love the fact that Bronco and the FB team do the pre-game firesides. No, I do not think that if you are religious and spiritual one day and then wanting to destroy your opponent the next, that it is hypocritical or fake. Rather it is passion and commitment. And, while there have been some that may get on the FB team for the firesides, etc because of this past year, I am totally supportive of them and think they are great. I’ve attended one here in AZ and one in Seattle and have been very impressed with each of them. I can’t see why they would detract at all from what the team is trying to do on the field.
Thanks for you comments…Go Cougs!
January 13th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I other comment, sorry…do you follow the BB team recruiting? Specifically I’m wondering about Tyler Haws and if anybody has seen him play and can comment on what he brings to the team. I knew his Dad and uncle a little bit and they are both outstanding people. I’m sure Tyler is of the same type of character and, apparantly, the same if not better type of athlete.
Anybody have any thoughts, comments on this or any other BB recruit?
January 13th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
ylife and Spencer,
The competitive spirit and tougness of this team is there, we compete hard every day and Coach Rose wants to see us fight to win every drill. Dave is the most competitive person ever and I think it does reflect in the team, Wake Forest and ASU didn’t beat us because of toughness …….Practices are extremely competitive, and I think it carries over to the game.
Lee needs to get in the post at the end of games, square up and go right to the rack with that first step to the right I totally agree…He did it once against Wake and got fouled. No fadeaway jumpers down the stretch we need to go get fouled and Rose preaches that and will continue to do so, Charles is a guy who can penetrate so is Jimmer.
Tyler Haws is a stud should replace Lee, and to another comment I wouldn’t be opposed to bringing in an expert on coaching the post players like Russell Larson that would be great, Walter Roese did that for us until he left for San Diego(and with him our Brazilian pipeline)
January 13th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Brock,
That Idaho State coach lost it man, he wanted to win that game so bad!!!! He later apoligized for going off for no reason, just frusterated with getting beat.
January 13th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Mike,
What is up with our post play? I like the combination that we have, but sometimes it seems like we should be getting more production out of them. I wish we could work the ball in more instead of living and dying with the three. It seems like that works fine in the season, but if you go cold in the postseason from outside the perimeter, then we really get in trouble.
A curse and a blessing has been the departure of Plaisted. I liked the kid, but was there a more hated superstar at BYU, or what? I saw the whole team progressively get better over the course of the season last year, but Trent degressed. He easily got abused in the post and took the most insane line drive hook shot in the world. It wasn’t a high percentage shot.
He said one of the reasons that he left was because there was not any good coaching for the post players. Is this so in your opinion?
January 13th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Mike,
What really gets Coach Rose going? Does he take it personally when other coaches like the ISU coach or Boylen start getting out of hand? It seems like he really keeps it under control. I remember being able to hear him yell through the entire MC back before he was HC.
I also hear a lot of comparison between Dave and Bronco. Some say that Bronco will be at BYU til he retires but that Houston is Dave’s dream job and that he will likely leave someday for it or another head coaching job. What are your thoughts on this?
January 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Travis,
Coach Rose is one of the most fiery guys I know, he is so competitive. there’s a reason we’ve never lost 2 regular season games in a row, it’s beacause he hates to lose so much, and we rebound from losses with extra aggression…….Boylen is crazy man i can’t get into specifics between their realtionship. Boylen went off on the Wyoming coach (throwing f-bombs at him) who is Coach Rose’s best friend, so that didnt’ help things. I can’t understand the lack of class from some of these coaches! Will Coach Rose leave? I really have no idea I know he wants to go back to the final four and hopes he can make it happen here.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Seth,
I think as suggested earlier that we could bring in a coach like Russell larsen who has great post moves, etc. to teach some of these guys. However, I think Rafa Arajuo, Keena Young, Mekeli wesley made amazing strides while at BYU so TP may be the exception there, he struggled with having the confidence to go right in games.
I think we need to get to the foul line down the stretch i agree, that’s what good teams do rather than shooting jumpers
January 13th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
One more comment, since my earlier comments sound a little whiny.
Coach Rose is one HECKUVA coach! BYU is so lucky to have him. I will enjoy every game while he is here.
I am really nitpicking at this point with where BYU can improve, because they are so good already. I think we all know this HAS to be the year all the previous NCAA futility comes to an end, and I think it will be. It feels like they could really do some damage this time.
January 13th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
WORD UP!
January 14th, 2009 at 10:02 am
The two best offensive technicians in the post currently live in Utah and come to many of the games. Fred Roberts and Devin (sp) Durrant have more knowledge about footwork and how to score in the pivot than Russ or Bradley and it isn’t even close.
I think BYU’s bigs progress well in the post. Even Trent was always developing. Look back at the early season games. His right hand jump hook is better than is left and his up and under was new for the ‘07-’08 season. The problem with Trent wasn’t coaching it was fear. When he got in the block and caught the ball early in the game he would try one of his “other” moves. If they worked, he would go back to them. If they didn’t, left hand fade away, side spin jump hook would appear. As the season went on, the crisis of confidence (in no small part brought on by fan criticism) got worse. I really felt for the kid. I remember some idiot in the student section talking trash to Trent during a game where Trent went for 20 and 10. What an idiot.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:09 am
I almost forgot…
Miles has improved tremendously this year over last. He does good things. You can count on his effort resulting in two turnovers per game on entry passes that go out of bounds. He gets nothing from them in the stat column but it happens twice a game. I think he just needs to continue to mature in the pivot. He still seems to think a bit too much offensively. Sometimes you set your man up and take your time, sometimes you go to the rack. He’ll get there on knowing when to do each without thinking. Right now he passes well, alters shots, keeps the opposing teams big off the glass, plays great d (especially on the high screens) and forces double teams in the post. He is solid.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:43 am
good thoughts Casey I agree
January 14th, 2009 at 11:57 am
In the football section they do a “where are they now” kind of a thing.. is that a possibility here? I would love to hear from Keana Young, Mike Hall, and many others.. what they are up to and if they keep in touch with the program…
January 14th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
we will try to do this I’ve talked to Austin and Jimmy balderson on doing it in the next few weeks and i will catch Keena and trent when they come back from Europe sometime
January 15th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Your boys look good, Mike, no doubt about that. With UNLV’s recent losses, BYU may be looking at their third regular season championship in a row. But UNLV is still looking at a little third of their own.
Winning at the T&M would be the biggest feat, but is also the most impossible one. The regular season game is always all but lost before it’s started. There’s always a better chance at the conference tournament, but I have confidence in the Rebs and the fact that once again, UNLV will clench their spot in the big tourney with a MWC tournament championship, and BYU fans will be glued to the sets on Selection Sunday, just to find out if they’re there - not just to find out what seed they are. (I mean, they’ll tape it and watch it on Monday morning - wouldn’t want anyone breaking the Sabbath, now would we?) Then, if that goes well, they’ll be hoping the boys can at least advance once in the big tourney, instead of being one and done, like always. Do you think this is the year??
And thanks for letting all the Cougs future opponents know that they hate going into a zone defense. Let’s hope for your sake the other teams don’t capitalize on that little bit of info. (And let’s hope for the Rebs’ sake that I run into Lon before next Wednesday, haha.)
By the way - Mike DOES take a lot of crap around the office; that’s the honest truth.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Brittany,
Every coach in the MWC and anyone who has watched film knows that BYU hates to play zone. This year’s team is not unusual in that. They play man and turn defenders out of the paint. That is what they live and die by. Only unique talent forces them into a zone.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Just a joke, Casey. Just a joke.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
BYU looks real good this year. I am a UNLV fan, but surely I love the Mtn. West. This is a good blog. BYU wins a tourney game this year in my opinion. I will be at the UNLV-BYU in Provo and all I am doing is hoping it isn’t so abusive! Good luck this season
January 16th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Brittany,
I’m not riled up or anything. I just thought you didn’t know.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Where did you play and what are your credentials?
If you’re going to hate on someone else’s career you better not be a washed up high school jock. And if you happen to be better than Mike (started D1 at a comparable or better school), then you’re just a prick.
Curious to find out which you are…
January 26th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I don’t think it is right to swear on this, sorry I stuck a nerve with the chestpounder.