Oh, I’ll bite:
Michigan game: that was an anomaly. Like the FSU game in 2010ish, where a pretty good BYU team is simply not prepared and just gets curbstomped. Non elite programs just have to suffer those once in a while. Example: see 2015 Oregon vs Utah. Oregon fans THOUGHT they had an elite team, but without Mariota this year they are just a good team–probably about like BYU without Taysom and Jamal. Doesn’t mean the program is underachieving–probably just the opposite.
NCAA Tourney last year: Really, Hawks? Did you have to make me feel that pain again? I seem to remember a bunch of 6’3" guys and foul prone beanpoles getting killed in the paint and on the defensive glass down the stretch. That was a personnel problem, not an underachievement problem, and has been addressed and barring catastrophic injuries will not happen again.
PS You are a ref? BB or FB or both? HS or college?
I was a high school basketball ref many years ago. In spite of what Gavenman has said in the past about my skills and abilities regarding my officiating I know I was good at it. I was objective and fair, unbiased and invisible most of the time. He remembers it differently…
As a second year official I was doing varsity games on occasion. That doesn’t happen until an official has typically had at least 5 years experience. The only time I had complaints after games was once, when I did a 7th-8th grade recreation league game in Thousand Oaks and had 4 or 5 dads sitting on the bench. They were outplayed by a team from a neighboring community and their fragile egos couldn’t handle it. They were looking for a scapegoat and had nothing legit to back up their comments… the other time was SG. I was complimented after games way more often.and I was scheduled for games more often than most other officials. Like I said, I did some varsity games my second year. Having said that, I made plenty of mistakes but I acknowledged it and coaches appreciated it. Not boasting at all, just being honest. It is one of the reasons they always asked me to officiate church games 20 years later.
Anyhow, all beside the point. I love BYU. That is why I am so passionate about them even though that relationship is so love/hate. I want to see the teams excel in the worst way.
But back to your comments, anomaly or not we seem to have one almost every season. In spite of that I actually think Rose is a very good coach… not good but very good. I hope you are right about this upcoming year. I really do.
You can stand firm on your comments Jim all you want… THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT FACTS… Your perception does not equal reality…
For example:
1 -You state that these players were big men on Campus in High School… and that carried over to BYU… Do you have any proof of this comment? Have you or other around been around these kids while in High School? or is this a reflection of something that happened to your kids in school in California? From what I am told by my friends kids who actually attend Lone Peak High School… TJ and Nick were some of the more level headed kids, and NO they did not act like big men on campus… because their dads would have kick their butts if they did.
2 - Michigan game - Yes that happens more than I would like, but then is it the Kids fault or is Bronco and the coaching staff’s fault? I watched inside BYU the other day. In the story, it told about how Coach Halliday (sp?) said that the receivers issue was his fault because he did not teach them to deal with that type of officiating (Which they allowed the grabbing and mugging beyond the 5). So they talked about how the receiver’s coach went and explain to the kids, don’t look at the officials, if they allow it, then become physical yourself. Push off, use your elbows, etc to create space until the officials call a Offensive PI. So to me… the coaches were the issues not the kids thinking they were not prima donna’s.
Last year basketball Tournament - You do realize that BYU played almost the entire season and post season without having their three centers (all injured), so Rose adapted the team to play four guards and one center (Kaufusi who was a freshman, just returned from a mission). What did you expect? Miracles?
We had a player who beat an NCAA record for triple doubles… which means he was not selfish, he was not a prima dona, but rather someone who found the open man with a better shot, or that he made more shots than he missed and he played Defense (Rebounds).
As for the WCC… you have been saying for years that the WCC has an opened bias against BYU, that their officials are bias as well and makes calls unfairly toward BYU… and NOW you are holding BYU accountable for not winning the WCC because they are underperforming?
Which is it Jim? Does the WCC have a open bias against BYU (therefore calls goes against BYU) or is BYU basketball under performing?
You said: “My comments are based in actual things that take place, not in hype or conjecture or anticipation that something different will happen” Really Jim?
My comments are based on what I know from sources who knows these kids, who recruited them, and above all I would like to see how they do on a bigger stage.
Do I think they are going to be all everything next year? NO, because I also know it takes time to build a successful team and chemistry and barring injury(like last year team where they were the walking wounded) they have the POTENTIAL to become a good team… Time will tell…
i’ll bite even more. BYU has never won big without veteran leadership…ever. Tanner M is a redshirt fr. recently returned from a 2 year mission. He had 2 games prior to Michigan, how green is that?
The Tourny…Larimer covered that fiasco. No low post presence. Arguing this year’s team vs. the one we saw at the end would be a joke…Haws never defended a day in his life. Winder, our lock down guy was injured. Kaufusi, a true freshman. Any Dance team would have rolled over us and they did. Halford, heart but 160 lbs wet. Then you had Sharp and Worthington (a foul a second) helping out down low. Andrus, another true fr. had to come in and help out when Sharp and Worthington got into foul trouble. No wonder we were ranked dead last in Defense. Jim, those arguments are weak but I love ya bro. cause I know you are just playing devil’s advocate BUT…Don’t try to tell me that it is more of the same when we have Austin coming back, the redshirt boys, Davis and Aytes to go with KC and Fish.
Floyd-I think that’s all anyone is saying is time will tell. I mean we go through the hype every year and most years there has been a let down from the hype and what often occurs once we hit December. All of us are big BYU fans and are hoping like crazy this is the year that we actually start dominating teams, especially in the WCC with their tiny gyms and to walk into places with a swagger, like we did at SDSU with Jimmer, where despite the fact everyone hated us we could still go in and win. We haven’t had that confidence in a while and we are going to have to knock some heads to get it back. Maybe this is the year, but to be honest with ourselves, we haven’t seen Aytes play or Davis and as far as Kaufusi is concerned- he really is a legitimate question mark despite his progress from a year ago. If we based our wins on the hype that comes out of the campus or what so and so said, we would have been a lot better than what we ended up. KC is the really only well known quantity that we can take to the bank at this point. How many times did people complain when Chase went into a cold streak last year-can we really count on Toolson. Chatman wasn’t very good last year and was red-shirted-how healthy is Austin going to remain after his injuries. Do you think Rose is a good coach or a great coach-I lean more towards good. If BYU tears it up and at least finishes 2nd to Gonzaga and wins at least a game in the tourney then I will be the first one to admit most of you were right and I was just a pessimist. In the end, I’m ready to rock on with the season and see what’s going to develop and know that BYU in the next few years is going to get better and better.
Burton, this time of year drives me crazy waiting to see who we are as a team but…We do know what we have right now. Davis is not an unknown, he was dominate at USU for the year he played. We have never suggested that Kaufusi needs to be a scorer, he just needs to take on the biggest nastiest players which he does efficiently.
Austin looks like he is fully healed and ready for his best. Emery is fearless and plays way beyond his years.
We are solid at guard and probably have the best point guard in all the land.
We finally have true power forwards, something we haven’t had for decades.
We are finally solid at Center, again something we have not had since Plastid and Miles.
now what was the question? Oh yeah, will we be good?
This is why I go crazy with all the preseason hype. Chris… do you really believe that BYU probably has the best point guard in all the land? You wouldn’t be referring to the oft injured recently returned missionary who hasn’t played a game yet, would you?
Collinsworth is a great player. I’m not sure why he is considered a point guard but i guess that is the position he plays. I don’t see him playing there beyond his time at BYU, if he decides to make a career of it.
he would have to play the point. he can’t shoot for a darn. Jayson Kidd couldn’t shoot a lick when he came into the league so that is where KC will have to play.
Late last year KC began attempting and hitting some mid range pull up Js and turnarounds from 10-12 feet. If he shows improvement in his midrange game he goes from a 14pt/game guy to a 20/8/6 guy and an all american. I would not trade him for any other PG in America because of his versatility and absolutely DOMINANT rebounding skills.
