BYU Basketball Finalizes Roster

[byufan4ever]

Source Article (SI)

Departing Players

*Barcello (Graduation) - You will be missed! Very efficient shooter, not quite the Jimmer needed at times, but he turned out a lot better than I thought he would be when he first stepped foot onto campus.

*Lucas (Graduation) - Decent one year player for us. Took over PG duties allowing Barcello to be more of a SG.

*Harward (Graduation) - I'm really upset that he didn't get to play last season. For some reason I thought that he either would be able to or would choose to stick around for one more go. He really was the missing piece that we needed last season and I don't see that we've replaced him...

*Baxter (Transfer) - Huge potential, but after so many injuries I'm surprised that he didn't just call it quits.

*Erickson (Transfer) - Had some swagger to him, but I thought that it was telling that multiple times he would be wide open and no one would pass the ball to him. Teammates didn't trust him for some reason. With Barcello and Lucas gone he potentially could have stepped up and fought for a starting guard role...

*DowDell (Transfer) - Who?

*Hansen (Transfer) - Probably wouldn't have been anything more than a benchwarmer.

*Lohner (Transfer) - He definitely got more than a fair shake as far as playing time and minutes. Definitely had potential and it seemed like he was really trying. A for effort. But wow did he struggle last season. Would have liked to have seen him stay and work on his consistency and potentially come off the bench. Is he really going to get any/more PT at Baylor??

*Knight (Transfer) - Big miss on this one. Can I send a news flash to Pope that someone that has already transferred two times probably isn't worth investing a scholarship on?

*Winitana (Mission) - I know nothing about him.

Returning Players

*Trey Stewart (G/SO) - Has a ton of potential and athleticism so I'm excited to see if he can compete for more PT. Only had limited minutes in blowouts so it's hard to evaluate what I've seen so far.

*Atiki Ally Atiki (F/SO) - Should have been riding the pine watching Harward play, but he got some valuable minutes as a FR and will definitely be needed this season as we are still a team with few bigs.

*Spencer Johnson (G/SR) - He can shoot and he can play defense. Can he become a starter and do it for 30+ minutes a game?

*Treven Knell (G/SR) - He can be a lights-out shooter. And he did show some progress in driving to the hoop. But I just don't think that his ceiling is that high. If he's starting then I just think we're in trouble. He's more of a Steve Kerr off the bench guy for me...when he's actually hitting his 3s...

*Fousseyni Traore (F/SO) - What an awesome FR season he had! Excellent rebounder for his size. Great footwork. But he really needs to be playing the 4 position, not the 5. I'm cautiously optimistic that he could be as good as Childs.

*Gideon George (F/SR) - We really need a wing player like him and I'm glad that he came back. If he can improve on his consistency then he'll be a real valuable player. Otherwise he's more of a bench or 20 minutes guy for me.

*Casey Brown (G/SO) - Benchwarmer.

2022 Recruiting Class

*Braden Moore (F) - Originally committed to Rutgers. I imagine that he'll see some PT simply because he's 6'8 and we just don't have many players that tall. But he was rated 3 stars by Rivals and 247 Sports and 4 star by ESPN so he clearly has potential. He played at Donda Academy which was opened by Kanye West, LOL.

2022 Transfers

*Rudi Williams (G/SO) - I'm not sure how he's only a SO as he supposedly has done two seasons at JUCO level, one at Kansas St., and one at Coastal Carolina. Vanquish The Foe says he is a Grad Transfer with one season of eligibility. He's a combo guard who can supposedly pass and score.

*Jaxson Robinson (G/F/SR) - I'm really not sure about this one. He's another Seneca Knight. He's already bounced around twice and has only averaged 2.8 points on 38% shooting. SI says he's a SR but VTF says he has 3 years of eligibility remaining. I would have preferred that Pope had convinced one of our departing players to stay over him.

*Noah Waterman (F/JR) - He's 6'11 and can shoot the 3? Sign me up! However, he has also bounced around so it remains to be seen how quickly he can fit in here.

2022 Returned Missionaries

*Dallin Hall (G/FR) - In 2020 when he committed he was the highest rated unsigned player in the state. Lots of upside. Supposedly can shoot, drive, and even dunk on smaller guards.

*Richie Saunders (G/FR) - 3 stars, 146th player in the 2020 class, third best player in Utah when recruited. Very good and consistent scorer.

*Tanner Toolson (G/FR) - Named Mr. Basketball for the state of Washington. Led his HS team to a 27-1 record averaging 23 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Has been compared to Connor Harding.

[nuk13]

I too wished we had Harward. He was not used well.

[byufan4ever]

I too wished we had Harward. He was not used well.

I'm curious as to what you mean by that. I thought that he was used quite well two seasons ago and then last season he just got a mysterious illness and couldn't play. Unless you know something that I don't the coaches aren't to blame at all.

[byufan4ever]

Basketball starts tomorrow!! BYU had an exhibition game last week. They started off slow with lots of TOs but finally pulled away. Here are my thoughts:

*We played more up tempo than previous seasons. Given our lack of size and the dreadful dribble handoff dribble handoff throw up a shot from previous seasons I think that I like this better. Traore started at C which I still think he is greatly undersized for, but if we go up tempo maybe it works.

*Johnson started and played very well on both ends of the court. I really hope that he starts tomorrow and that he takes advantage. I don't think that he's a "put the team on my shoulders" type player, but more of a Jackson Emery type. Play great defense. Knock down open 3s, and let someone else lead the team in scoring.

*Saunders looked like he spent his two year mission in a gym! Physically, he looks ready to go.

*Stewart looks like he needs to go to Saunders' mission. He could definitely benefit from bulking up some IMO. But he's very athletic and I like that.

*Williams looks like a promising quick guard.

*Robinson knocked down a few 3s although I disagree with Fowler's comment that his stroke looks really good. In fact, he gets almost no lift and I thought his stroke was not super smooth. If it goes in, it goes in, but with no lift he will need to be wide open to not get his shots blocked.

*Waterman looked very quick, a good ball hander, and passer. Played more like a PG than a 6-11 stretch 4. He linked up with Atiki very well.

*Atiki had several dunks. He can really jump. But he still is not great at post moves or creating his own shots. As long as someone can drive and dish he can certainly finish at the rim!

*George was George. Looked to be the same athletic inconsistent player from last season.

*Hall and Toolson didn't really do much.

*Knell didn't play. Not sure if he was injured and what his status is.

WHOE ELSE IS EXCITED FOR SOME BBALL??!!

[jadesroom]

Knell is injured. He may be out for the season or he may be back in February depending on how the games go through January.

I really like Hall. He and Saunders both look good, imho.

I want to like Robinson. I think he can be a good player but he seems to be the vacuum where once he gets the ball no one else will see it again because he'll shoot a three. That said, he had the pass of the game in the exhibition game.

Of all the incoming players, Moore seems to be the one who is most likely to transfer. He seems lost and the coaches don't talk about him much.

With BYU being so undersized, I'm interested in seeing how Kolby Lee does for ISU. Letting him go was a gamble and I'm still not sure if it worked in BYU's favor.