Mr. Rogers coming to visit BYU

Today’s the day that Mesa Community College JC second-team All-American Stephen Rogers begins his weekend visit to BYU where Cougars coach Dave Rose and his staff will try to convince the 6-foot-8 sharpshooting forward to pick BYU over Utah State. The sophomore-to-be out of Mountain View High in Arizona, the same school that produced former BYU quarterback John Beck, was being lured by five or six schools but has narrowed his choice to either Utah State or BYU. He made a visit to Logan a couple of weeks ago, and last week eliminated New Mexico from his list.
Last season Rogers scored 21.3 ppg, shot 81 percent from the free throw line, shot nearly 50 percent from the floor, hit 42.7 percent of his 3-pointers and grabbed more than five boards per game. He’s a returned LDS missionary who originally signed with Arizona State, but after redshirting a year he transferred to Mesa CC.
There’s no doubt the Cougars can use Rogers’ shooting with Tyler Haws leaving that position to head out next week on his mission to the Philippines. But Rogers is still an interesting target for BYU considering how loaded the Cougars are at the three and four spots next season. You’d figure freshman Kyle Collinsworth is going to get a lot of time playing the three, and that his brother Chris is going to get a lot of time at the four with Noah Hartsock. You also have Charles Abouo competing for time at the three, and somehow you have to get Michael Loyd Jr. more time after he showed his value to the Cougars late in the season. The starting backcourt is probably set with Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery.
But if Rogers can be satisfied with sharing time at the three this next season, he could be the main guy at the three his junior year when both Haws and Collinsworth are on missions, and Emery and Fredette have graduated. I’m sure he’s thinking of all of these issues and his potential for playing will weigh in on his decision. Rose would surely let Rogers compete for time next season, but his real value to the Cougars would come two and three years down the road when BYU is not quite as deep in the forward position.
Reportedly, Rogers will make a choice early next week between BYU and Utah State. For the Cougars to sign Rogers someone who had a scholarship last year is going to have to go without this coming season. Last summer and fall the Cougars were trying to add another player, but ended up giving that last scholarship to former non-scholarship player Brock Zylstra.
A few weeks ago the Cougars were eyeing former Lone Peak and Iowa State transfer center Justin Hamilton. But the 6-foot-11 big man decided to play at LSU, where he’ll join the Tigers in 2012 after sitting out one year. With Hamilton off the radar, the Cougars increased their interest in Rogers.