Question to the Longtime Fans

I'm okay with both the Fresno and Hawaii games, because they were on the road. It's very difficult to win on the road in college basketball. Fresno has won like 83% of their games in that building. Hawaii has won 72% of their games in that arena. Winning on the road should not be underestimated.

Conosticator wrote:
Right now I'd put this team behind the Ainge, Kite, Roberts, team. Also, behind the Michael Smith, Chatman, Toolson, team. Also behind the Cosic, Fryer, Tollestrup team.



As far as best player ever at BYU I rank Cosic ahead of Ainge. I've always wondered what Cosic could have done if he had chosen to play in the NBA (drafted by the Trailblazers), instead of returning back to Yugoslavia.



Here is an excerpt from one of his games while at BYU: "Against Kansas State, however, BYU was in trouble until Cosic went to work. With his team leading by only 46-45 with five minutes gone in the second half, Cosic banked one in off the glass from a sharp angle. After a turnover, he took a pass at the top of the circle while facing 6'3" Jack Thomas in a mismatch. Cosic cradled the ball, swooped it over the head of Thomas and behind his own head in one motion. While the bewildered Thomas looked for the ball, Cosic dribbled around him and through two other men for an astonishing basket. Moments later he took a defensive rebound, went behind his back on the dribble at midcourt and fired perfectly to Fryer for a layup. Next he threw a jumping 25-foot hook pass to Phil Tollestrup for another layup. BYU led by nine, and the Marriott was jumping, too. Cosic laughed all the way to the bench."



Not bad moves for a 6' 11" center. Many a game he led the team in both scoring and assists.

Cosic was the most amazing player that I ever watched play. He looked awkward, which fooled a lot of defenders. He was point guard good at ball handling, and often led the fast break. If a guard thought he would steal the ball, when he got there, he would find it gone, usually for an easy layup by the guard's man. He was so good that The NBA resorted to all kinds of tricks to get him to play in any capacity for any amount of time, in hopes of whetting his appetite. I think that, if he had played in the NBA, he would have been the best player in the league.

The 66 NIT team had 2 6'11" centers that made the pros. Jim Eakins went to the ABA and I think ended up in the NBA. As noted they had very good guards and the forwards did well too as I remember. They were a very balanced team. Our guards are probably better now but not the post players. I would say the Ainge teams also had better post players at this point as well.