BYU basketball thoughts 2011

[MikeWaters]

I've watched a bit of the team and can now share a few thoughts.

1. Brandon Davies - the best player on the team. It's same Davies. Lots of moves around the basket. Good athleticism, but not explosive (which I think dampens NBA prospects). But if this team is going to do anything, it's going to be on his broad shoulders. I shudder to think where this team would be without him.

2. Noah Hartsock - while Davies may be the star, Hartsock is the workhorse. Just really solid, and will now carry a greater scoring load. Curious to see how he will do against really good opponents/teams, will he just disappear on the perimeter? This guy is really an amazing shot blocker. Just great timing and instincts, along with the size and athleticism to make it happen.

3. Charles Abuou - has developed very nicely. Shot has improved every year. Defensive stalwart. He finishes out the "big three" along with Hartsock and Davies. We need big things from Charles this year. Including free throw shooting.

4. Stephen Rogers - Rogers is going to be the breakout player on the team this year. He is a true scorer, always looking to score. Excellent shooter, good size. He is probably unable to guard athletic 2s on the perimeter, and may be too sleight to guard forwards. Looks like Rose is experimenting with bringing him off the bench in the role of "microwave", i.e. scoring. Kind of like a Jason Terry or Manu Ginobli. If BYU is to be excellent this year, this guy needs to be a star.

5. Brock Zylstra - I'm scratching my head about Brock. I have no faith in him as point guard. It's not his natural position, he doesn't have a great handle, and there is no way he can guard opposing point guards. He just doesn't have elite talent, and I see him coming in as a backup 2. Honestly, I am not all that impressed. I hope he surprises me. But I predict his role will be off the bench by the end of the season, and hopefully he will be effective in those limited minutes. He is certainly not the BYU Kobe some were thinking prior to the start of the season.

6. Craig Cusick - I was surprised to see this kid start at point. He's not shown me much. He's hit a couple of open 3's. But he does not appear to do anything at an elite level. Certainly cannot create his shot. And that's a huge problem when you are surrounded by a bunch of guards and forwards who also cannot create off the dribble. I predict his minutes and role to decrease as the season moves forward.

7. Anson Winder - the first two games I watched, kid didn't play, or maybe only got a couple of minutes. I was going to ask Archaea if he was still on team. Well, he finally did get a few minutes, and it's clear to me that he is much better than Cusick. He is fast, he has shot well from distance, and appears to be a good defender. Assuming Carlino becomes the starting PG, I predict Winder will be his backup. He will get significant minutes, and he will be an important cog over the next few years. I am favorably impressed with Winder. THis is a young kid with some confidence.

8. Damarcus Harrison - a lot of high expectations surrounding this kid. He's gotten significant minutes in these gimme games. Very good athleticism. Decent shot, but needs refinement/improvement. This is especially apparent on free throws. Noted a rough stretch in a game where he had a couple of bad turnovers. He's going to have rough patches this year as he matures, but I think we can be very excited about his potential. With his athleticism and skills, we will see a lot of him this season. I hope he progresses quickly. As a lineup of Anson/Harrison/Abuou will be very fast (and not just because they are black ).

9. Chris Collinsworth - I'm writing this kid off. You just get the feeling like he will never be healthy and never contribute. I hope I am wrong. But I think he will miss the season.

10. Josh Sharp - this kid is a good pickup. He is tall and thin, but he has a great motor, very aggressive. In other words, he is not a stiff. He's going to get significant minutes, and hopefully he will be a good defender.

11. Nate Austin - this kid is a stiff. Tall, slow, no strength. I don't think he will contribute much at all. I don't think he will ever be any good. I hope I am wrong.

12. Matt Carlino - got nothing to say about him, because I haven't seen him play. I hope he is great.

13. Nick Martineau - I'm trying to recruit him for my ward team. I think he could be one of the best players in my stake. Hard to see where Nick gets any minutes with Carlino and Winder ahead of him, not to mention Cusick. Mantineau probably really hates Cusick, for taking his token very-average white-boy PG role.

And that's not all the guys listed on the roster. Just shows that Rose has a lot of pieces to work with this season. And it's going to take time for the rotations and minutes to sort out. Hopefully Rogers and Carlino are breakout starts, and Winder and Harrison make substantial contributions. That will bode for a good season.