I have to say that when I saw this article, this feels more like a big 'ol Deja Vu.
Ranking BYU 13th out of 14 sure looks like they whiched the words Basketball for Football.
Here is where BYU men’s basketball is projected to finish in its first Big 12 season (msn.com)
Is the media that dumb? someone makes a prediction and everybody just runs with it?
if this is the case, gonna enjoy a moderate showing in our first year and an invite to the dance.
Well, the media, even in sports, is mostly liberal. And, the way they operate in politics is the message for the week is sent out and they all run with it including the buzzwords. So, yes. Someone influential says something and they run with it.
I would say that with basketball, it is more possible that BYU will be towards the pack unless they can get a couple more holes filled. Depth is usually an issue with BYU.
Chris, I don’t know if you have seen any of the offseason workouts–I haven’t yet this year. But I’m told Marcus Adams is the real deal–a legit 1 and done kind of talent that BYU simply doesn’t get. I think our last one and done talent was Shawn Bradley 34 years ago, right? Danny Ainge would have certainly been 1 and done in today’s game. But for 30 years our very, very best recruits have been guys who become really good college players but have no impact in The League. I think to compete in the B12 it’s gonna take more than that, because now we will be playing nearly EVERY GAME against guys with NBA talent. I don’t think we will be getting screwed by the officials like happened regularly in the Rec League, and that will help more than people realize, but I look at BYU’s active roster today and see zero guys with any chance at all to play in the NBA, and it feels like an uphill battle against most of this league.
Anyway, I sure hope Adams can play. I’m told his eligibility is still MAYBE 50/50 and better than that that he bails if his waiver isn’t approved. I’ve never seen him play but I’m feeling like we need some type of savior to survive this league.
Maybe I’m being too pessimistic and hope I’m wrong.
We still need a point. Or do they think that Hall can handle the load? I also heard that Johnson is doing some of the point guard work.
Hall had a couple good games taking his guy to the rack, and he’s good at that because he’s so strong and can jump. But I saw no mid range game and am not sure how ANY of our guys are gonna have the lateral quickness to guard B12 PGs. Losing Ques was a serious gut punch.
This is the reason why most outside viewers will continue to hold such low expectations for our beloved Cougars…sadly not likely to change soon.
The only way I see it changing is for our non-NBA talent to regularly make average to above average in conference until we get a couple of breakthrough players together.
Marcus Adams sticking around for next year is I think the best near term possibility to have multiple future NBA players…well he is one of the multiple required anyway.
1st- Marcus Adams has to become eligible. As Tom put it, if he is not, he will not stick around BYU.
2nd- BYU is not built to grow NBA players. We just do not throw NIL money around like Blue Bloods do. The only way BYU ever gets an NBA player is by the kid loving BYU and staying. $$ is not the key for this type of player. (a Jimmer type guy)
Speaking of “the type of player BYU does not need”…Calib Williams after the Utah loss last night.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1715935291096101122
Former Heisman winner does not even get up to congratulate. the Utah victors.
I know this is a BB thread, but last night was one of the very few times I was actively rooting for the Utes. I hate Whittingham, and really dislike UofU, but hate SC and Williams even more. If there were a movie about everything that’s wrong with college football, it would star the SC HC and his QB1. So yes I cheered as the game winning FG went through the uprights and admit I was happy UofU won, but just this one time.
on my way homw from guiding hunters, stopped by and watched the last qtr with Les Hamilton. Former coach at Bingham (Utah Powerhouse), now the Athletic Dir. for Uintah High in Vernal Utah…
I complained about AROD. He says, “You do know that AROD and Utah’s Andy Lugwig are one and the Same… They coached many years together and run the same offense”
Food for Thought.
And, as mentioned on BYUSN, Utah doesn’t keep winning with huge offense numbers.
I spent a lot of time with one of the senior guys in the athletic department on Friday. BYU is trying hard to navigate NIL. Our biggest problem right now is that BYU will not use NIL as an inducement to sign, and, well, other schools will and do use it that way. And it’s way more of an issue in basketball than football, since one guy makes a bigger difference in basketball, so the kids ask for more money, or at least are ballsier about asking for it up front. BUT BYU is trying hard to find the sweet spot between pretending we are too morally superior for NIL (hello Stanford) or just offering a 5 star kid $250k or $500k or $1m to sign (which is happening out there).
My personal feeling–and I’m not getting this from guys I know in the Department–is that many of these NIL deals will crash and burn (hello UofU pickup trucks, Ohio State paying Ewing $1m to never play a down for him, unfunded promises, etc.) and the “market” will start to stabilize at a point where BYU can and will compete.
We have some BOT members now who are taking an active interest in the B12 membership and wanting to make an increased commitment to make sure BYU can compete and excel in ALL sports. It does the Church no good long-term if BYU is not competitive in the two sports that are on national TV.