Saying Goodbye To Stephen Rogers

Photo Credit: BYU Photo

Another piece of bad news struck the BYU basketball program this afternoon as the school announced that senior forward Stephen Rogers has played last game in a Cougar uniform. I had been harboring a sinking feeling that this might be the case for a few weeks now, and it's truly sad to see it actually come to pass.

As most know, Rogers had struggled to rebound from a meniscus injury suffered last year. He underwent surgery and subsequent procedures, but the knee continued to swell after intense periods of athletic activity. Coaches and staff were hopeful that the issue could be resolved and that Rogers would be able to contribute in 2012-2013, but the swelling persisted and has now resulted in his early retirement from the sport.

This development leaves coach Dave Rose with a severely depleted lineup as his team gets ready to begin the season in earnest with tonight's annual intra-squad scrimmage. With Rogers and Chris Collinsworth both permanently unavailable due to chronic injury problems, the Cougars have only 11 scholarship players available and able to play this year. Factor in the endless grind of playing 30-plus physical games over the next five months, and it's fair for fans to be a little nervous about what may happen down the road — particularly if the injury bug bites BYU once again.

Report Card: Gonzaga 74, BYU 63

Brigham Young Cougars

63

Final

74

Gonzaga Bulldogs

STARTERS

	Matt Carlino, PG 7-23 FG | 3-9 3PT | 1-3 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 18 PTS Carlino is definitely a freshman — and that comes with its ebbs and flows. Matt carried BYU through a dismal first half offensively. However, he also forced bad shots down the stretch when he should have been feeding the red-hot Davies. Those costly mistakes may have snuffed out any possibility of a comeback, but BYU likely wouldn't have been in the game in the first place without Carlino's efforts.
	Anson Winder, SG 2-5 FG | 1-3 3PT | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS Anson didn't light the world on fire tonight, but he was solid. He played great defense and didn't turn the ball over, which is more than we can say for some people. (coughZylstracough) Winder was inexplicably nonexistent for much of the second half before Rose reinserted him in the closing minutes — where he promptly scored five points. There is a lesson in here somewhere...
	Charles Abouo, SF 4-13 FG | 1-4 3PT | 1-3 FT | 10 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS Abouo is often simultaneously maddening and essential. He is capable of doing some of the dumbest things imaginable — and he does them frequently — but then turning around to get a key steal or grab a big rebound the next time down the floor. He made a few too many dumb mistakes tonight, but at least he rebounded and defended well. Say what you will about him, but Charles always plays hard.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 0-0 FG | 0-0 3PT | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS A sad night. No other way to put it. Courageously, Noah tried to gut it out despite playing with what looked like an artificial leg. He only lasted 7 minutes. It was abundantly clear that he just couldn't move well and was in a state of perpetual discomfort. He couldn't be effective, and the team suffered mightily as a result. Cougar fans need to hope against hope that Hartsock's sprain heals, like, now.
	Brandon Davies, C 8-18 FG | 0-0 3PT | 7-10 FT | 10 REB | 1 AST | 23 PTS After a spotty first half, Davies really turned on the jets in the second and dominated Gonzaga in the paint. As BYU made their final run down the stretch, Brandon stepped up to the plate and took over the game. It was a true "leadership moment." Of course, the guards stopped passing him the ball shortly thereafter, but we won't dwell on that. Davies was huge. (Also, he had 6 steals. Six!)

Report Card: BYU 95, Santa Clara 78

Brigham Young Cougars

95

Final

78

Santa Clara Broncos

STARTERS

	Matt Carlino, PG 7-12 FG | 3-6 3PT | 4-6 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 21 PTS This was Carlino's best performance yet as a Cougar. He finally found the sweet spot between being a distributor and being a scorer, and the results were downright magical. He played the role of floor general to near-perfection, dishing out 8 assists with only 2 turnovers, but he also scored the ball with ruthless efficiency. If he can strike that balance on a consistent basis, BYU will be virtually unstoppable.
	Brock Zylstra, SG 3-6 FG | 1-3 3PT | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 7 PTS After lighting the world on fire with a perfect shooting night against San  Francisco, Zylstra was just OK on Saturday. He didn't do anything particularly poorly, but he also didn't stand out in any meaningful way. Yet, with Carlino, Hartsock, and Davies all firing at full capacity, it was inevitable that somebody would fade into the background — and Brock filled that role.
	Charles Abouo, SF 3-6 FG | 1-2 3PT | 6-6 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 13 PTS Abouo struggled with foul trouble throughout, and played only 21 minutes as a result. However, he took full advantage of that time and attacked the rim with an aggressiveness that has been missing in recent weeks, getting easy shots and drawing a boatload of fouls to boot. He'll never be the Cougars' first option, but this is the kind of solid supporting performance BYU needs out of Charles every night.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 8-11 FG | 1-1 3PT | 4-6 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 21 PTS I don't know how this guy does it. Every night, no matter the opponent, Noah finds a way to dissect their defense like a master surgeon. He doesn't have bad games, and Saturday was no different. He didn't rebound quite as much as he normally does, but that's really just nit-picking. Another great Hartsock performance.
	Brandon Davies, C 9-13 FG | 0-0 3PT | 5-7 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 23 PTS It seems somebody flipped a switch in Davies' head prior to WCC play, because he has been on a tear ever since. He destroyed the Broncos' interior defense in the first half, overpowering anyone in his way. Duly chastened, they started double-teaming him after intermission, which opened up more opportunities for Hartsock and Carlino. When Brandon plays this well, opponents have to pick their poison.

Report Card: BYU 73, Loyola Marymount 65

Brigham Young Cougars

73

Final

65

Loyola Marymount Lions

STARTERS

	Matt Carlino, PG 2-9 FG | 1-7 3PT | 4-6 FT | 2 REB | 7 AST | 9 PTS Not Carlino's best game. His shot was woefully out-of-whack from the very start, and he forced up far too many deep balls in the first half. To his credit, however, he settled down after Rose (presumably) got in his ear at halftime, and he was much better after the break. He made a concerted effort to get the ball to Hartsock and finished with 7 assists (and only 1 turnover!) as a result. Nice recovery.
	Brock Zylstra, SG 0-1 FG | 0-1 3PT | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 0 PTS Zylstra was a total non-factor in this one. Sure, he's a competent zone defender and he doesn't do anything really poorly, but his lack of assertiveness is really starting to become the norm. How does your starting shooting guard only put up one shot in 29 minutes of play? I realize there are other guys that need touches more, but this is beginning to boggle my mind a bit.
	Charles Abouo, SF 3-13 FG | 1-4 3PT | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 4 AST | 7 PTS Abouo started off hot, scoring all 7 of his points in a frenzied few first half minutes — and then it got bad. Real bad. Charles couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for the rest of the night, and he shot way too many times for a guy who was struggling that badly. On the bright side, he rebounded aggressively and didn't turn the ball over, the latter being a minor miracle.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 9-12 FG | 0-1 3PT | 3-5 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 21 PTS Mr. Consistency! It's a travesty that Hartsock only got 3 shots up in the first half, because he was clearly feeling it tonight. Noah shot a blistering 75 percent from the floor, and he scored 17 of his 21 points after intermission. Even when he didn't shoot, he drew double-teams that provided his teammates with open looks. (Hey, Craig Cusick!) BYU is just better when Noah gets the ball.
	Brandon Davies, C 6-12 FG | 0-0 3PT | 3-5 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 15 PTS Davies didn't continue his dominance of the previous two games, but he ended up with a solid double-double nonetheless. He struggled when LMU started double-teaming him in the first half and was plagued by foul trouble throughout. (Also, 6 turnover is far too many, especially for a post player.) However, Brandon's intensity did not wane and he played aggressively — a good sign.

Recap: BYU 93, Buffalo 78

It took awhile, but after an ugly start and much uncharacteristic screaming from Dave Rose, BYU finally got their act together and routed Buffalo 93-78 at the Marriott Center on Tuesday night. It wasn't always pretty, but the Cougars relied on big offensive contributions from Brock Zylstra and — surprise! —Anson Winder to get the job done. As always, three thoughts and a few stray observations on the game:

1. Anson Winder May Be the Streakiest Shooter of All-Time

I've waxed philosophical on Twitter recently about the playing time problem facing BYU now that they have three point guards in the mix — and it seemed, at least up until tonight, that Anson Winder had become the odd-man out. I advocated for moving him back to shooting guard — looks like Rose had a similar thought — but I also said he couldn't be given big minutes until he proved he could force the opposition to guard him on the offensive end of the floor. After all, Winder was shooting an anemic 24 percent from deep and teams were starting to dare him to shoot. The results weren't pretty.

Then tonight happened.

Recap: BYU 76, Nevada 55

This will prove to be a very interesting weekend for Dave Rose's Cougars, and tonight's 76-55 win over Nevada certainly provided an interesting study in the evolving identity of this team. While it was often much closer than the final score would indicate, the game was a bit strange — from the curious personnel moves to the pendulum-like tempo swings. As (almost) always, three thoughts and some stray observations follow:

1. As The Bench Shortens...

So much for Coach Rose's mix-and-match approach to early season personnel moves. Whereas ten players were seeing significant minutes through Tuesday's game against Longwood, the bench seemed to shorten significantly against Nevada on Friday. Rose stuck largely with his starters and a few bench players when necessary, creating a seven-man rotation that looked more like something one would see in February or March, not November.

While the starters played well together and obviously got the win, I still have trouble with Rose shortening his bench this early. Lots of the younger, less experienced bench players need these extra minutes early in the season — particularly guys like Damarcus Harrison and Josh Sharp, who will undoubtedly be asked to step in and contribute occasionally when the games really matter in conference play and beyond. Getting them valuable experience against good competition now — as opposed to rolling the dice later when it counts — is important for the team's long-term success, so I am understandably uneasy over the fact that BYU only had 36 combined bench minutes tonight.

Recap: BYU 90, Prairie View A&M 51

Due to the tardiness of this recap (Thanksgiving travel conspired against its timely completion), I'm going to forego the usual format and scrap my three longer thoughts in favor of a list of shorter observations. The full recap will return for tomorrow's game against Nevada. Now, without further ado...


Stray Observations

• Mark my words, these sluggish starts are going to come back to bite BYU in the butt — perhaps as soon as this weekend against Nevada and/or Wisconsin. Against the Longwoods and Prairie View A&Ms of the world, coming slow out of the gate isn't really a problem. Against good teams? It's fatal. If the Cougars turn in a first-half performance in Chicago like they had Tuesday (sloppy offense, bad turnovers, all-around mediocrity), they will get blown off the floor. Clean it up, boys.


• Noah Hartsock continues to prove that he is the real deal. He almost always looks like he is the best, most well-rounded player on the court. Noah has always been efficient offensively — in fact, he was ranked in the top five nationally for PER his sophomore year — but he has added more tools to arsenal this season, including a killer back-to-the-basket post-up game he didn't have before. Combine that with some much improved defense and his always reliable mid-range game, and Noah is easily the team's MVP thus far. He brings his best stuff every single night.

Recap: BYU 92, Longwood 60

If you would have asked me before tonight's game how I felt about BYU's prospects this year, I would have given you a pretty disheartening answer. It's true, I was jaded by two substandard performances to open the season. The cynic in me was rearing its ugly head. Now? I'm feeling better. The Cougars laid a 92-60 beatdown on Longwood at the Marriott Center tonight, and there was a lot to like about the effort. Not that Longwood is some kind of mighty opponent or anything, but regardless, a lot of good things happened.

As always, three thoughts and some stray observations on the evening's events:

1. Second Half Renaissance 

You wouldn't necessarily know it from the final score, but this game did not start well for the Cougars. Longwood aggressively double- and triple-teamed Brandon Davies in the post from the get-go, which really bogged down Coach Rose's initial game plan. Davies responded poorly and continued to try to force things down low, racking up four turnovers despite having open shooters galore on the perimeter. Things got a little better when Rose pulled his star big man and inserted redshirt freshman Anson Winder at point guard (more on him in a second), but the team still struggled to find a rhythm. As such, BYU took only a six-point lead into halftime.

And then... something happened.

I can't really explain it, but something clicked into place and BYU's engine started firing on all cylinders for the first time this season.

Recap: BYU 73, BYU-Hawaii 52

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.

Recap: Utah State 69, BYU 62

Three thoughts (and a few stray observations) on BYU's tough 69-62 loss to Utah State in tonight's season opener:

1. Point Guard Problems

I've already said this once in our point guard preview, but I'll say it again here: Brock Zylstra is not a point guard. That much was readily apparent tonight, particularly in the second half. After generally muddling through the first 20 minutes without serious damage, the wheels really came off BYU's offense after the break.

BYU opened the second session 4-for-4 from the field, but that didn't last long. The Cougars' offense stagnated and went through a prolonged, five-plus minute drought, getting outscored 17-2 in the process. There were a number of reasons for this malaise but none were more significant than the poor play of Zylstra, which continued to plague BYU down the stretch.

Let's be honest for a second: Brock Zylstra may be a nice kid, but he does not have the mindset nor the skill set to succeed as a Division I point guard. It's as simple as that. He does not handle the ball well enough, he does not pass the ball well enough, and he does not have the vision to create open looks for his teammates. Period. End of story.

Season Preview: Wings

As the start of basketball season looms ever closer, Post-Jimmer is running a three-part series examining this year's team, position-by-position. Up next: the crucial unit almost no one is talking about — the wings.

No one seems to want to talk about Stephen Rogers. Or Damarcus Harrison. Or even senior captain Charles Abouo, for that matter.

Maybe that's because BYU's wing players aren't the sexy story right now — everyone would rather speculate about who will fill Jimmer's shoes at the point, how the freshly reinstated Brandon Davies will adapt to being a go-to guy down low, etc. And in that sense, this new crop of wings isn't much different than their predecessor.

I'll go to my grave believing that Jackson Emery is the most underrated player in BYU history. Always overshadowed by the folk hero that was Jimmer Fredette, Emery was one of the best defenders in the country for three straight years — something many Cougar fans took for granted. The man didn't set the school steals record for nothing. Jackson was an absolute terror in the passing lanes, and he was a shut-down on-ball defender to boot. He routinely drew the assignment of guarding the other team's best guy and always ate them alive. Throw in the fact that he worked hard to turn himself into the lethal second offensive option the team needed beside Fredette and it becomes hard to overstate his significance. How many fewer games would the 2010-2011 Cougars have won without Jackson Emery on the floor? A lot fewer.

Yet it felt like he never really got the credit he deserved — not really, not with The Jimmer Show in full swing. Jackson always kind of flew under the radar, so I guess it's fitting that the next wave of BYU wings are (as of now) doing the same. However, just like Emery, the quality of their play will determine a lot about the Cougars' upcoming season.