Cougar coaches continue to work on hoops puzzle

In my season-ending interview today with BYU coach Dave Rose, I heard plenty that indicates the Cougar coaching staff is busy trying to make sure all the right pieces will be in place by the end of the summer. With basically every contributing player back next season other than Lee Cummard, and with Michael Lloyd improving his game with a redshirt year, and with two outstanding freshmen in Utah’s Mr. Basketball Tyler Haws and Provo’s All-State Brandon Davies expected to fight for playing time immediately, the optimism for another run at another Mountain West Conference championship should be high. Cummard leaves a huge hole to fill, and there might be another big one should Jonathan Tavernari decide to move on to a professional career somewhere. That’s why the coaches, even with the quality of team already on the roster, are not resting. Even though they’re tight-lipped about exactly who they’re looking to add, they are actively monitoring players at the high school level and the junior college level who could contribute next year. If word gets out that a player already with another D-I program is going to transfer elsewhere, BYU coaches will likely join that shopping race as well if that player fits into the Cougars’ needs. With Gavin MacGregor deciding not to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility, there should be room for at least one more player on next year’s team. Managing each season’s scholarships, because of the church mission issue, is a constant juggling act at BYU. But, don’t be surprised if we learn in the next few weeks if that someone,who is on Rose’s radar, will be joining the Cougars next season.
Many might wonder what the Cougars are doing, now, to try to get over than hump of failing to win an NCAA Tournament game the past 16 years. Wisely, Rose recognizes that the program needs to address matters in order, and the first issue at hand is next year’s roster, then getting that roster to play to the fullest of its ability next fall and improve weekly. In other words, the Cougars first need to get to the tournament, and then once there, play their best basketball. For a program that’s been extremely successful over the past three years, despite its shortcomings in the NCAA Tournament, the puzzle is being built to keep the train moving forward – one piece at a time.
My BYU basketball year-in-review story will be published in Wednesday’s paper, where you can read more on what Rose had to say about this year’s team and what he thinks is down the road for BYU basketball.
My own opinion is that BYU hoops is in good hands, is heading in the right direction, will remain competitive for many years to come, and that eventually a “special group” of players will be on the roster at the same time and the Cougars will take that much hoped-for step forward on the national level.