Three thoughts (and some stray observations) on BYU's 73-52 hammering of BYU-Hawaii in last night's Mormon-on-Mormon home opener. Granted, this is all against a Division II school, so take everything with the necessary grain of salt:
1. Post Power
If there was any question where the strength of this BYU team would come from, it has been resoundingly answered in these first few games — the big guys. I already sang Brandon Davies' praises following the Utah State game, and he showed again tonight just how dangerous he can be. To be certain, this was an undersized, under-talented D-II team that was a poor match-up for him from the get-go, but you still have to be impressed with how thoroughly Davies dominated the first half.
He scored inside with clever post moves, he scored from mid-range with a deft jumper, and he got to the free throw line. The Seasiders just had no answer for him — it was like he was an alien visiting from another planet and he had no plans of calling home until he had beaten BYU-Hawaii's bigs into submission. Davies finished with a career-high 25 points, while also leading the team with nine rebounds (along with Noah Hartsock — much more on him shortly) and drawing three charges to boot. He also had five turnovers — an unacceptable number for anybody, especially a post player — but all in all, I'd chalk it up as a great step in Davies' evolution as a primary scoring threat.
Now, I know what you're thinking: BYU-Hawaii was so small! They are a D-II school! They can't possibly compete with BYU's best player! And you would be right about that. But that doesn't mean there isn't legitimate encouragement to be taken from Davies' performance. Truthfully, he will regularly face undersized, athletically limited lineups from WCC foes (Gonzaga and St. Mary's excepted), and it is nice to finally see Davies show an aggressive, you-can't-stop-me-and-I-know-it streak. It's promising, to say the least.
But as good as Davies was and is, the true standout of the first two games for me has been Noah Hartsock. I've been ambivalent on Noah for quite some time now — he's always been a good player, but I frequently felt that he didn't have the toughness to go down and bang in the paint when necessary. He seemed more content standing on the perimeter, shooting 3s and waiting for a hot streak. Not this year.
Hartsock has been all-around brilliant so far. He has shot the ball exceptionally well (59 percent from the field), taken only two 3-point shots, and shown some previously unheard of post moves. Davies may be leading the team in scoring, but Noah has posted superb averages of 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. That is what you call a complete player. Very, very impressive stuff.
With Davies stepping into his new role as the Cougars' go-to guy and Noah taking the definition of efficiency to new heights, the BYU frontcourt should be an absolute blast to watch — no matter who the opponent.
2. The Emergence of Craig Cusick
Holy back-up point guard, Batman! Is it just me, or did Craig Cusick just have an extremely solid game? And not just "He was fine" solid, but "Maybe this is the guy we should start until Carlino is eligible" solid. Let's be honest, there's nothing particularly flashy about Cusick — he doesn't wow you with fancy dribble moves or impossible range from deep — but he is very effective. He is a natural point guard, and that becomes so obvious when we get to directly contrast him against Brock Zylstra.
Don't get me wrong, as I've said before, I think Brock is a fine player. He certainly has a place on this team, but it's just not at the point. He struggled mightily again last night, committing five turnovers against a sub-par opponent. He struggles handling the ball, he frequently makes poor decisions, and his passing is erratic at best. I almost had several heart attacks watching him.
And then Craig Cusick came into my life. He ran the offense well. He penetrated and made the defense shift. He moved the ball. And most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over. Not once. Again, I can already hear some readers protesting: He's just a back-up! It's easy to play well for only a few minutes at a time! Small sample size! Au contraire, my friends. Cusick not only played near-flawlessly, but he also played big minutes — 23 of them to be exact, more than all but three BYU players. He was the first guy off the bench! If you don't think Coach Rose is beginning to really trust Cusick, well, we might need to schedule you an ophthalmological exam.
I would still like to see him convert on a few more of his scoring chances, but consider me all-in on Team Cusick for the foreseeable future — and not just because he's not Nick Martineau!
3. "Champ or Chump" Chuck
I've already discussed Charles Abouo's propensity for inconsistency on this blog at some length. I hoped against hope that this year would be different — BYU needs it to be different. And I even sang his praises after the Utah State game, where he looked like one of the best players on the floor. For a minute, all seemed to be well in Chuck-land.
Alas, the joy ride would not continue. Abouo looked horrible against the Seasiders. He played only 20 minutes after picking up a couple quick, foolish fouls, and finished with just four points and as many turnovers. To be fair, Chuck did grab six boards, but he looked mostly listless throughout. He never really got in a rhythm at the beginning of the game, and he never recovered from that.
It was just all-around ugly. I don't know what more there is to say about. I don't know if it was just an "off" night, or if Charles was playing down to the low level of his competition, or if we're in for yet another unpredictable year of "Champ or Chump" Chuck. I just don't know — and that could be a major problem.
Stray Observations
- Did anyone get a good look at Noah Hartsock's freshly broken nose? Man, that thing was nasty! As someone possessing ample personal experience with a prominent schnoz, I say well played, sir. Well played.
- This team may revolve around its two rocks in the post, but it also desperately needs reliable 3-point shooters to keep defenses honest. They don't have that right now. The entire team is a combined 7-for-27 from deep through the first two games, and that's simply not good enough. Stephen Rogers has been underwhelming, and I'm still not sure what purpose he serves if he's not shooting. Last night, he knocked one down from deep, but he was largely invisible otherwise. Zylstra, Cusick, and Damarcus Harrison also hit one apiece, but there were also a lot of bricks in the mix. I don't know if/how Coach Rose can sort this out, but it should be on his To-Do list.
- After the Utah State game, I commented on how unacceptable it was for BYU to commit 20 turnovers as a team. It was a staggering number. I had trouble comprehending how it happened. Guess how many they committed last night? Twenty-two. Against a D-II school. I know it's early in the season and a little roughness is commonplace, but 22 turnovers against anyone is just embarrassing — let alone BYU-Hawaii. If Rose has big black bags under his eyes at the next game, we'll know why.
- Damarcus Harrison got quite a few minutes, and it was a predictably mixed bag. He showed some great flashes of athleticism and knocked down a few nice shots, but he also missed a few he should have made and turned the ball over three times. Most of the time he just looked tentative, which isn't uncommon with a player of his age and experience. It's going to be a bit of a process getting Harrison ready for primetime, but BYU will desperately need his slashing ability come February and March.
- It seems Josh Sharp has moved ahead of Chris Collinsworth in the rotation at power forward for now. Collinsworth played only seven minutes last night, and his presence went largely unnoticed. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say Collinsworth still hasn't fully recovered from his knee surgery. He's just not himself. He moves gingerly, he's carrying a few extra pounds, and it looks visibly difficult for him every time he is on the floor. I love his basketball IQ and his passing vision, but he's not ready right now. Rose will give minutes to the young kid until he is.
UP NEXT: BYU vs. Longwood, Friday at 9:00 p.m. EST
Photo: BYU Photo
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