Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I was listening to a podcast on Cougar sports discuss how this is the most wonderful time of the year. :notes: We get to enjoy a small window of time where the football team wraps up its season and heads towards a bowl game while the basketball team ramps up for the season. Can there be any better time as a Cougar fan? Mangum PI (AKA Tanner sporting his new mustash) should get a lot of playing time this weekend as he ushers in the Mangum era! In Basketball, we get to watch the Lone Peak trio show featuring Ivan Drago as the force down low with the manChild waiting in the wings. What’s not to be excited about as a BYU fan?

Love the Ivan Drago comparison!!

But I think Mika is tougher than Drago. And for sure way nicer…because he is a truly nice and funny kid…

I was listening to some of the sports pundits commenting on Mika’s breakout performance on Monday. I was pretty bummed to hear them conjecturing on whether Mika will jump to the NBA next year or not. Dang!! After waiting so long for the Lone Peak trio to be reunited and playing together, I want to savor it all for the next 3 years. I know it’s selfish of me but that would be quite a coup if Rose was able to keep these guys together for 3 years!

And they actually have a long shot of winning a wcc title or tournament. Mind you it is a long shot but the opportunity is certainly there. Don’t tell the officials or the wcc administration… it needs to be a surprise attack.

Careful Jim, one might think you are softening up on our local talent in your old age.

Jim, I know you are skeptical about this team taking BYU to a higher level than where we’ve been for years. I’m basing that opinion more on your other posts and not this one. Yes, we lost to Valpo but I think it would have been a different game altogether if Mika had been able to play his game. Mika needs to learn to adjust his game to how the refs are calling the fouls. As you know, what is good aggresive play for one ref is a foul for another. That’s the maturity aspect that these players have to grasp. I haven’t lost any enthusiasm about this team. I think they will have some outstanding wins this year.

I haven’t heard what you think of today’s game. I spent the entire day driving back from Utah after a great thanksgiving with my sister. I watched the Valpo game with my Ute fan brother in law and then I listened to the UVU game on the radio. He cooked the dinner so at least there was something to be happy about. He knows how to cook!

I’m just curious what Chris, Harold, Larimer or yourself has to say about BYU giving up 114 points to the junior college team located up University Parkway next to I-15?

I mean seriously, how can that happen to the LP3? and even more seriously, isn’t it time we quit talking about Lone Peak high school?

Yeah, I’m really tired of it.

went to the game. UVU guys hit their first 9 threes. Never stopped draining shots. Refs called touch fouls all night. Stuff like that happens. Growing pains for a young team. There will be bumps and this was certainly one

Wide open 3’s. Little defense resistance and little effort on both ends of the floor. We let UVU control the game.

Jim, I already had a heavy serving of humble pie to go along with my pumpkin pie. I was in town for the game and was there hoping to see BYU bounce back from the Valpo loss. This game was a good tune-up for the St. Marys game in my opinion. BYU is going to have to make some defensive adjustments. Like Fish said, young players sometimes don’t have the experience to know how to respond to certain teams. I was watching BYU playing a zone defense in one particular set where Childs sagged down on the weak-side defense to protect the rim. He had the assignment to guard the 3pt line if the ball swung to his side. He sagged too deep into the key and wasn’t able to close out quickly enough to defend the player on the 3pt line. This is just one example of how BYU was unable to defend the UVU attack. Still, credit UVU because even though you may have a wide open 3pt shot, you still have to make it…and last night they made half of them. The coaches will need to break down film and show the correct way to rotate defensively as the ball is moved across the court. Also, UVU was very good at dribble penetration to get the defense to sag down to defend the key. Then, they would kick the ball back out to open players on the 3pt line. Anyway, I am hoping BYU can practice defending this type of offense before we face St. Marys. I’m still optimistic about this team but I’m also taking the blue goggles off.

Typical Rose coached team. After watching the first 3 games and seeing real defense, I was hopeful…turns out we are looking a more of the same ol, same ol. Rose, your teams suck. Hero ball and no D.

I coached my kids rec. league team for 7th and 8th grade and this is something I taught them. Most kids who played high school basketball have been taught the same thing. Honestly, it is one of the more simple things to learn with the game of basketball.

I wonder why they would have to show the correct way to rotate defensively as the ball is moved across the court. That is basketball 101…

If this is something they need to learn, then BYU is in for a long season.